September cycle hire in Bourg d’Oisans is a busy affair. Last Thursday on a typically beautiful sunny early autumn day we had 8 hire bikes rented out and all making their way up on to the Col de la Croix de Fer. I passed a few while taking our cycling group up and also took a few photos of the others.
More Than 21 Bends have just completed their Route des Grandes Alpes Tour. They had 2 PROMPT D211 on the tour and both successfully completed the 10 day tour. The bikes are taken to the start of the tour and returned at the end of the tour and is the easiest way to get bike hire for the tour
The Telegraph was lush today, a classic James Joyce ‘verdant’. The Irish members of the group might appreciate the literary reference! We parked at the top and unloaded and pumped, stretched and smiled. First you go down then you go up. The sound of the ‘humming bee’ as the Chris King wheels spun their perfect mechanical rhythm on the tarmac. Crouching over the bars the bends and trees and the road edge disappeared for a couple of kilometres. But the cloud had not cleared and it created a fog of limited visibility. Limited visibility and freshly laid gravel- curious a few days before the Marmotte. Gravel and fog changed the noise of the bike and suddenly there was very little grip either. Concentrating a bit harder it was another reason to get familiar with the inflection of the PROMPT. With everything whirring nicely we descended into saint michel de maurienne and turned around to climb the Telegraphe. When you know that the Galibier is coming up next it can be easy to ignore the Telegraphe. It is not as exposed or as steep as other climbs but it is the Telegraphe- a place of legend and pain, success and glory. Today it settled our nerves and the group ascended steadily carrying the quiet excitement of anticipation for the Galibier to come.
Christmas is not here yet. It gets cold in Bourg d’Oisans, home station for PROMPT, at Christmas; everyone tells you that when you are moving here. Cold enough to take your breath away. But today Christmas came early as our latest batch of frames arrived. Candy colours have come to PROMPT!
Two frames in grey with a hint of green, another in glossy black and our real eye opener – blue with red lettering. Rock and roll this one!
I don’t know how old you feel but it seems to me that riding bikes is age defying in every way. Many of our riders scoot up Alpe d’Huez like 60 year old children. It is not necessarily how quickly they do it but it is that grin of achievement and stressless pleasure at the top. It is a return to more innocent times and reminds us all that our inner child is not that far away. It just got a little buried along the way. Riding is about movement and fresh air, physicality and smiles. We fidget with happiness on our bikes like children with popcorn.
A few minutes ago a French kid hammered past the shop on his bike – late for dinner. You can only do that on a bike. Bike riding is like an endless Christmas morning.
There are many ways to experience the pleasure of a bike and it is often the unexpected or rather, unanticipated, ones that signify the day. Today it is a simple photo of two PROMPT bikes leant up against an old French wall. As I tuned gears and cleaned chains last night I enjoyed turning the simple pleasure that this image was giving me over in my head. Round and round you might say.
The linear composition of the image works courtesy of a new super compact camera that allows me to make panoramic images. And it fits perfectly in a jersey pocket. I am not sure that’ two bikes leaning against a wall’ was the panorama that was envisaged by the Samsung technicians. Of course, wall textures always make interesting images as they convey a sense of weather and history, culture and labour.
Perhaps it is this culture and history that I am imposing onto my enjoyment of the image- as two of only a handful of PROMPT bikes currently in existence makes a little interjection into this millennia. The fact that my brother and I are making our contribution to the cycling community by creating this micro brand is a nice expression of our lifetimes of bike enthusiasm. Like many things you make yourself- it seems so obvious once it exists.
Although you can’t see it in the image you also know that the bikes are leaning against a wall mid ride. They are waiting for the coffee to be drunk and the ride to continue. Hot mountain weather in St Christophe and the Berarde. The always perfect effort of climbing up against an emerging view and the sound of the returning descent.
More Than 21 Bends had 5 Prompt D211 bikes out today on their trip to La Berarde as part of the Marmotte Big Col Tour.
This photo was taken at a coffee stop in St Chrisophe en Oisans
We are pleased to announce that from the end of July 2012 we are going to have a selection of Carbon D211 road hire bikes with full Shimano Ultegra Triple groupset. For more information on availabilty and to book online click here
A group of PROMPT bikes will now be known as a Peloton of PROMPTS. Here are 4 taken recently at the bottom of the Colle di Sestriere in Italy. Look carefully one is reflected in the shop window.
We have just had some new hire bikes delivered from our factory. Some 55cm and 53cm frames. They are available to hire now. Full Shimano Ultegra groupset with compact chainsets. Stay on any of Tour d’Oisans cycling tours for the remainder of 2011 and get a 20% discount on the bike hire (one week hire only)
We have been busy getting some professional shots of the PROMPT D211. You will have to wait until the autumn to see them but here is a sneak preview
Some of our bikes were on hire in Ventoux last week as part of Enjoy Oisans More Than 21 Bends Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux week. They caused quite a fuss at the top of Ventoux with quite a lot of questions being asked about the bikes.
One of our hire bikes on the Col du Galibier today after it opened to cyclist yesterday.
One of our guest this week staying on the Tour d’Oisans holiday preorder a new PROMPT D211 with Shimano 105 groupset and PROMPT handlebars, seatpost and bottle cages. It went out on its maiden ride today up the D526 to the Col du Glandon and the Col de la Croix de Fer.
We have finally got our PROMPT D211 hire fleet ready and built for 2011. More bikes will be added for 2012 once are existing Felt, Canondale and Be One have finished the season. All have Shimano Ultegra groups sets. We have also just become official Shimano suppliers here in France as well. More to follow on this later.
Competed in the Cotswold Classic while staying in the UK in April. The D211 handled very well over the 166km long distance course. We have just taken delivery of our next batch for our cycle hire in Bourg d’Oisans
First ride this week of the new PROMPT D211 road bike. I took in Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez. So what can i say about it. Well its seriously light must be close to 7KG – although it is dripping with SRAM RED. Its understated but thats how i like my bikes. More importantly the ride was as good as any other high end carbon frame that I have ridden. It was direct when you put the pedals down hard – helped by the thicker chainstay – it steered very confidiently into the alpine switchback bends of Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes. The thinner seatstays coupled with the prompt handlebars certainly took a lot of the buzz out of the roads as well. I am looking forward to a summer season of touring on it with our guests here in Alpe d’Huez.
I have just had my PROMPT D211 frame arrive today along with carbon bars and carbon seatpost. Exciting times. I have a SRAM RED GROUPSET to install on the bike. Just need some warmer weather now. I will be riding this throughout the summer on our Tour d’Oisans and More Than 21 Bends cycling tours. The frame name pays homage to the 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez – the official road name is the D211. It has been designed with thin chainstays to add comfort with a larger downtube to add stiffness at the bottom bracket. The forks come with a carbon steerer. We have kept the graphic understated.
Meanwhile on another front the 2nd door is being installed in the shop today and we have just ordered a new window for the front.
After over a year of design we have this week ordered our new road frame the “D211” – named after the official road name of the Alpe d’Huez climb. More news on the Prompt bikes after christmas but while the frames are the traditional low weight carbon designed affair ideal for tackling the big cols in the area the graphics design will be a little different to your usual road bikes.
PROMPT CYCLE CULTURE 