Why X-LAB? Why Not X-LAB?

What differentiates your favorite bicycle brand from all others? Is it 50 years of American design innovations, 100 years of Italian cycling heritage, a commitment to sustainable manufacturing processes? Chances are, it’s decals. Take any carbon frame–they’re all basically the same–attach some Shimano or SRAM parts, then slap on a decal that says “TREK” or “Specialized” or “Colnago” or whatever. Almost all of this stuff is coming out of just a few factories in China and Taiwan. The industry’s not-so-very-well-kept secret is that bikes are bikes and brands are created by marketing teams, not by engineers, and certainly not by craftsmen.

You probably know that. So, why do you continue to pay a premium for a bike that wins Best in Show at the start of the group ride but performs no better–and perhaps even worse–than bikes with far less sex appeal? And could you be persuaded to give up the brand to which you’ve attached your identity if there were an alternative offering such insane value that staying the course felt almost irresponsible?

X-LAB is a recent entry in the American market with the potential to redefine the expectations of the enthusiast/racer crowd. The Chinese brand is making people ask, for the first time, “Why wouldn’t I want a carbon frame road bike with carbon wheels and a power meter for $2,099?” Even with Di2 electronic shifting, you’re still coming in at $2,899.

If you’re wondering how this is possible, then check out the Emery’s event next Saturday in Menomonee Falls. I’m kind of curious myself. Maybe I’ll hurry back from Pennsylvania just for this!

Autumn 2026 In Pennsylvania

Today's roll through New Britain and Doylestown Township.

I arrived in Pennsylvania one week ago today for a stay of at least two weeks. Like all of my recent trips, this one isn’t really a vacation. Not yet, anyway. Tonight’s shift will be the last of five straight solo shifts from my temporary office in Mom’s kitchen. Thursday and Friday will be my regular nights off–my coworker will be back from his vacation–then I will work solo again on Saturday and Sunday. I will be off next Monday through Friday. The current local forecast suggests many opportunities to get on the bike.

Will I stay in Pennsylvania for a third week or return to Wisconsin before October 24? That depends mostly on the weather. If the weather is appreciably better here than in Wisconsin, then I will stay here. Otherwise, I might as well go home, fire up the furnace, and commit to six months of cold, dark, and wet.

As planned, I rode a section of the Great Allegheny Passage near Pittsburgh last Thursday. That same ride included a side trip around West Newton, my childhood home. I arrived at Mom’s house last Friday afternoon and had time for only a short ride that day. Rides on Saturday and Monday got me to 100 miles on this trip. Sunday was lost to an all-day rain. Tuesday was lost to an inexplicable bout of digestive distress. I can’t tell you how rare that is for me, but something was wrong with my gut. Things were back to normal today, so I cranked out 32 miles in sunny, 81° splendor to bring this year’s outdoor mileage total to 3,249. That beats last year (3,246), and it’s always good to beat last year.

Back On The Framed

With only a few days remaining before my next trip to Pennsylvania, today I climbed aboard my Framed Gravier for the first time since August 21, 2025. It’s still a very good bike, but I thought it had become obsolete when I purchased the even better Scott Addict. Prior to today’s ride, the Scott was the only bike I had ridden outside this year. (My mountain biking plans are still on hold.) Unfortunately, on the Scott’s last ride, a rear shifter issue surfaced and I don’t have time to get it fixed before I leave town. So, the Framed is back in service as the “go anywhere, do anything” bike. It’s capable enough on the road–most of my miles in PA will be paved–and it’s more than capable on gravel. I hope to return to a gravel section of the Great Allegheny Passage near Pittsburgh next Thursday afternoon, and there may be some additional gravel miles after I reach eastern Pennsylvania next Friday.

100,000 Lifetime Miles

On today’s ride I reached 100,000 lifetime outdoor miles. It’s a goal I chased for a long time. Here is the year-by-year breakdown:

That’s 3,500 rides. At an average of 28.57 miles per ride, getting to 100,000 miles was an exercise in consistency rather than a series of heroic efforts. Those 3,500 rides included not just training rides, but also races. Every mile counted, whether on road or off.

Today’s miles will not be the last outdoor miles of 2026. There might be a few more here at home as October begins, and my Scott Addict will go to Pennsylvania with me for what I hope will be one final block of good riding in mid-October. In any case, strength training now will be my athletic focus through the end of April 2027, and cycling will play only a complementary role. I haven’t done any proper strength training since May 31, which is inexcusable. It’s the last thing that should have an offseason. In 2027 and beyond, I need to keep working on strength even during the fair weather months when I’m putting in a lot of time on the bike.

It remains to be seen whether I will set future mileage targets for myself. I have a 22-year streak of 3,000-mile seasons. Maybe I will simply keep that going.

Brandon McNulty!

Congratulations to Brandon McNulty, who won the 2026 UCI World Championship road race today in Montreal! McNulty is the first American to win the rainbow jersey since 1993.

The Pause That Depresses

The fall equinox occurred yesterday evening, so Autumn 2026 is officially here. There should be a word to describe the end of summer in Wisconsin, but we’ll have to invent one because all of the obscenities are busy with other things. When the sun went down on Saturday the 12th, summer shot out of here like it wanted to make a point about being unappreciated. We’ve had almost nothing but low temperatures, high winds, and rain ever since. Predictably, these conditions have been bad for my cycling ambitions.

I got back on the bike today for the first time since last Wednesday. Sad, but true: I had six consecutive days off the bike at a time when I had expected to be nearing my mileage goal for the year. With 35 miles today, I am still 155 miles away from that goal. I will be disappointed if I do not reach my goal by the end of September. If I still have work to do in October, then the self-imposed deadline shifts to Wednesday the 7th. Early on the following morning, I will leave for another two- to three-week stay in Pennsylvania, where I intend to worry about nothing.

I used my time off the bike to address some things I had been neglecting, so the news isn’t all bad. In the last week, I finally pruned some overgrown trees and rebuilt a downspout that had been depositing rain into my basement instead of my yard. I also started reading books again. It was stupid of me to have stopped after beginning the year so ambitiously: 18 novels before the end of April. Finally, I replaced the original tires on my Scott Addict (3,995 miles!) with a new set of Continental Gatorskins, which performed perfectly today and should last right through the end of the next cycling season.

Pilgrimage

Used Trainer Derangement Syndrome

Supply without demand: there's never a shortage of indoor trainers on Facebook Marketplace.

As an enthusiastic proponent of free market capitalism, I am all for sellers getting the highest price that buyers are willing to pay. At the same time, I hate to see sellers failing to realize that their goods or services are ridiculously overpriced. This happens sometimes in retail markets and sellers eventually lower their prices until sales volume increases to levels that approach or even exceed original expectations. A lot of research goes into pricing before a product ever hits the shelves at a fine retailer near you. A high initial price may be designed to create an aura of exclusivity, setting the stage for a sale price that intersects with demand from bargain hunting consumers.

Then there’s Facebook Marketplace, an online “yard sale” used by millions of people to extract a tiny bit of residual value from secondhand items that probably never lived up to the promises of retail marketing. And there may be no greater example of this disappointment than indoor bicycle trainers. Thought you would use yours more, didn’t you? Didn’t really like it. Kind of boring. Or maybe you’re the exception: loved it, upgraded to a smart trainer, spend all your time riding through virtual worlds now, and don’t need the old magnetic or fluid trainer anymore.

Whatever the case, that used trainer is worth far less than its original retail price. On Facebook Marketplace, you’ll be lucky to find someone willing to take it off your hands for free. (I scored a free magnetic trainer placed at the end of a driveway in July 2020 and still have never used it! Last December, I snagged a free smart trainer listed on Facebook Marketplace, and it has become my go-to trainer.) Anyone thinking about getting an indoor trainer likely knows that smart trainers are superior, which more-or-less fully devalues magnetic and fluid trainers. But don’t take my word for it. Watch as prices fall on Facebook Marketplace. You can see a couple of local examples in the screenshot above. I don’t expect individual sellers to price their items with the same accuracy that is characteristic of most professional listings, but get real! Prospective buyers don’t care what you paid years ago. It’s easy enough to look at similar listings from other sellers, price your item competitively, and then hope for the best.

Expectations For September 2026

I need a good September, not a great September, to reach my mileage goal.

As September begins, I am 535 miles away from 100,000 lifetime miles. I mean to reach my goal before the end of the month, and history suggests that I will. In the last decade, I always surpassed 500 miles in September, and in 2020 I set a personal record:

Of course, past performance doesn’t guarantee future results–just ask me about the value of my Walmart stock this year–but in this situation it inspires confidence.

I also expect to get comfortable with my new sleep schedule this month. I made the transition from an early morning bedtime to a late afternoon bedtime on August 24, and the results have been mixed. As the days continue to get shorter, more of my sleep will take place when it’s dark outside. That should help.

You Hate To See This

The only consolation for Pogi today was the attention of the cutest paramedic in Spain.

Tadej Pogačar, regarded by many people as the greatest road racer of all time, crashed out of the Vuelta a España today. Pogačar began Stage 8 with a 3 minute, 50 second lead over his closest rival. It’s probably true that only a crash with serious injuries could have stopped Pogačar from winning the tour, and today his number came up. The Vuelta will continue, of course, and the fight for overall victory should be very interesting. Enric Mas is the new leader. If he holds on, then he will be the first Spanish winner of the Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014. Mas leads four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič by 1 minute. American Sepp Kuss, the 2023 Vuelta winner, now sits in fourth place, 2:15 behind Mas. With two weeks remaining in the tour and with several brutal mountains to climb, the 2026 Vuelta is now wide open.

The big question for Pogačar now is whether he will be ready for the UCI road racing world championships in late September. Pogačar is the two-time defending champion.