A Passion for Cycling: Behind-the-Scenes Look with Filmmakers from PDXK Productions

Last week, BicyclingHub.com launched its newest video,  A Passion for Cycling: Doug Duguay talks about an affinity in BicyclingHub.com's DNA, on our YouTube Channel.



Founder of ‪http://www.BicyclingHub.com, Doug Duguay tells the story of his cycling apparel business and what it offers customers who are interested in bike jerseys, shorts, and other bicycle clothing products. 

Take a ride with Doug through Portland's beautiful Mt. Tabor Park and see the products, brick-and-mortar and Internet store close up. Plus watch a reenactment from Doug's childhood (well kinda).

Jaime Jay Nava and Dan Kaufman on assignment at
Filmed by Bike for Pirate Satellite TV.

A collaboration with locally-based filmmakers Dan Kaufman and Jaime Jay Nava of PDXK Productions, we wanted to share not only the short film itself but also a behind-the-scenes look of how the project came to fruition. "Portlanders expect and encourage creativity and free spiritedness," observes Kaufman. Two of the qualities he admires most about the city are reflected in their work.

BicyclingHub:  How did you decide where and what to shoot the promo?

DK: After a couple rounds of coffee and brainstorming with Doug we determined he should be the focus, spokesman, and face of the company.  We all felt that's what sets BicyclingHub.com apart from some of the other cycling apparel outlets is the passion for cycling. We wanted to show Doug in action and wearing the gear.

BicyclingHub:  Why Mt. Tabor?  Does it hold a special place in Portlander's hearts?

DK: I have spent countless hours on Mt. Tabor and Washington Park.  Both have great views of the city and I consider the reservoirs to be gems that make great backgrounds for video and photographs.  Much of Mt. Tabor it is low-car or car-free so we can be free to ride and shoot bit more care free.  The federal government is also trying to force the city to cap the reservoirs so the water shots may someday be a historical view if the city can't find a solution.  I suppose there is a subtle message to Portlanders that we need save these treasures.

Doug Duguay proudly sporting the BicyclingHub Team Jersey
during a recent Cross Crusade cyclocross race. 

BicyclingHub:  Why did you feel it was important to feature the owner actually riding his bike in the video?

DK: We wanted Doug's passion for cycling to be self-apparent.  It's one thing to say it.  It has more impact to show it.

BicyclingHub:  Can you describe the collaborative process you employ when working with clients to capture what you/they might be looking for to convey to their audience?

DK: We always begin with the end in mind.  We ask questions like who will be watching and what will they want to know. What is the medium and how long will people pay attention?

Video is usually more a more visceral, emotional medium so it's important to try to reach the viewers that way.  But we also want the message to be clear from the outset. Then we open it up to brainstorming where nothing is off-limits.  We come up with a few ideas and then narrow it down based on what we think will be the most entertaining and effective in getting the message across. 

Jaime Jay Nava armed and ready for action

Working with Doug was a real treat - we tried to keep his scripted lines to a minimum and then just let him riff on the story of BicyclingHub and his passion for cycling.  Jay and I always have fun working together... finding shots, cracking jokes and just enjoying the act of movie making in the moment and Doug jumped right into that.

Thanks for your all your great work, Dan and Jay!  After 10 years in business, we're just as passionate about cycling as the day we started.

Can you do us a favor? 
We're trying to hit 1,000 YouTube views. Share this link with your friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL99iwWz9n8 and spread the cycling love!

Obsessed with Bib Shorts

Over a decade has passed since Doug Duguay started selling cycling clothing online in the spare bedroom of his home in Portland, Oregon. As one of the largest Internet retailers of cycling clothing in the United States today, he remains just as passionate about riding as the day he launched BicyclingHub.com in 2002.

It's a well-known secret that Duguay is "obsessed" with bib shorts, as well as a self-identified cycling addict. Owning over 25 different pairs of men's cycling bibs (that's riding almost every day for a month without having to do laundry once!), he's constantly on the lookout for the next great pair to hit the market. "As a company and as an individual, I have been committed to finding really comfortable bib shorts...It's professional as well as personal goal to find quality cycling products. Riding is what I DO."

When asked whether he remembers his first pair of bib shorts, his eyes light up. "In 1989, I bought a pair of Tomasso bib shorts from Gregg's Green Lake Cycles in Seattle, Washington. They were typical 80's style--black lycra with bright neon yellow stitching throughout, I would constantly reach for Tomassos, casting aside other shorts in favor of the bibs and washing them constantly. And back then, it was a REAL chamois, made of softened leather--manufacturers didn't switch over to synthetics until the late 1990's/early 2000's."

Main Entry: cham·ois Pronunciation: \ˈsha-mē, sense 1 also sham-ˈwä\

Chamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Gran Sasso region of the central Italian Apennines, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. Source: Wikipedia

Duguay's private bib short collection includes such well-known manufacturers as Castelli, Pearl Izumi, DeMarchi, Santini, Nalini, Etxe Ondo, Canari, Giordana and Descente. In 2010, BicyclingHub.com was looking into creating their own brand of bib shorts, but couldn't locate a manufacturer to produce a bib a a certain price point with the chamois and quality Duguay was looking for. While the project is currently tabled, Duguay sanguinely remarks, "If you're going to put your name on [something], it better be something you can stand behind."

When it comes to product testing, the staff at BicyclingHub.com don't have be asked twice to throw a leg over their frame and put the cycling gear through the rigors of field testing. Awarded a Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Business Award by the League of American Bicyclists earlier this year at the National Bike Summit, BicyclingHub.com boasts a nearly 100% biking or walking commuter rate to the office and staff are encouraged to post honest and thorough reviews on the gear it sells. "It's important to be able to offer a knowledgeable response when a cusomer calls regarding fit, sizing, etc." Duguay observes. "[As the owner/buyer], it helps me make decisions about what we carry. I like to evaluate bib shorts as if I were the consumer and put them under the tests of riding, laundering, durability and fit. If I purchase a pair of bib shorts and they fall apart, I'd certainly think twice about stocking them."

After meeting with a representative from Sugoi about bringing in some men's and women's pieces for the Spring 2012 line, a free pair of Sugoi bibs were offered for testing. Duguay pointed to a box in the office and said, "I have 26." "Oh, you don't want them then?" "You bet I still want them--I'm OBSESSED with bibs!" Duguay exclaimed with a smile.

Bikes, bibs, and smiles: BicycingHub.com owner Doug Duguay shows off some favorites in his personal collection.

For him, the bibs vs. cycling shorts debate was resolved in 1999, the same year Duguay hitchhiked around France while following the Tour and cheering Lance Armstrong on to his first TDF victory. "I was heading to a race in Portland, Oregon and I forgot my favorite pair of trusty bib shorts, so I stopped by a local bike shop and didn't want to spend a lot of money. I picked up a pair of regular shorts, and quickly found they didn't fit the need long-term. "A lot of the time, cycling shorts fall down; the don't stay in place; the waistband collects sweat and moisture. Around the office, we have a saying: 'Once you go bibs, you never go back.'"

Favorite brands on the market?

1. Castelli
"I wear Castelli most of the time. It's our #1 brand in terms of sales and most customer interest." Next time you have 20 minutes, just ask him about his Castelli Claudio bib shorts:

	DOUG SAYS: I rode my bike across Montana in my Castelli Claudio Bibs! On September 3, 2010 I left for Montana to ride the Park 2 Park Montana. The temperatures in Montana were unseasonably cold and I didn't pack enough cold weather gear aside from my Castelli Claudio Bib Shorts. Not only were the temperatures down in the 30's in the mornings, we also were in more than one rain shower and we even rode through a hail storm! No problem, the Claudio Bib Shorts handled it all while repelling moisture off of the garment, keeping me warm and dry and very happy. One other note, the Claudio bib shorts feature Castelli's Kiss 3 pad. I have tried the top of the line Progetto X2 pad from Castelli this year but I hadn't tried the Kiss. The pad in these bibs shorts were very comfortable and I rode up to 80 miles and didn't experience any discomfort. I was amazed at how much I liked these bibs. The Claudio bibs match up with Castelli's Nanoflex Arm, Knee and Leg Warmers.

2. Santini
"I like Santini bib shorts a lot, and up until 2010 we carried them. But through changing distributors, availability has been spotty and I haven't always been able to guarantee them for my customers. "

3. Pearl Izumi
"Pearl is one we like to offer our customers because the fit is more generous and with three tiers of production (Quest, Elite and PRO), you can usually find something that fits."


Why this "obsession"?
Duguay's passion for cycling apparel (and finding the perfect cycling jersey to match all those bibs) is rivaled only by his passion for the bike. "Well, it goes back to our commitment to our customers. We're not just a faceless online retailer; we take the time to have conversations with fellow riders who call with questions. We know our products inside and out--how long the inseam is, whether the lycra's too thick or too thin, what the quality of the chamois is. Employing a knowledgeable and committed staff who all rides means the people who work here are able to make recommendations based on our customer's needs and our personal experience, be it road, mountain, cyclocross, commuter, long-distance touring or track."

Top three recommendations from the man who makes his living studying, testing, and selling bib shorts?

I. For construction and durability: Giordana
II. For style: Castelli
III. For value: Pearl Izumi

For more information, consult BicyclingHub's Buyer's Guide to Bib Shorts. Need sizing help, guidance or personal recommendations? Call BicyclingHub.com toll-free at 1-888-817-8060 or email customerservice@bicyclinghub.com and a staff member will be glad to tell you what to wear and when to wear it.

When did you know you were passionate about cycling? Scott Richardson can tell you.

A Guest Blog article by Scott Richardson

Outdoor editor/staff writer for The Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL

A bike saved my life. That’s not said to be dramatic. It’s true.

I was 54 in 2005 when I saw a picture of me that left me speechless. I avoided the camera most of the time because I weighed nearly 400 pounds. But there I was.

Huge.

The truth couldn’t be avoided any longer.

At the same time, some members of the local bike club came to my office at the newspaper where I write outdoor recreation/adventure/travel stories. They were launching a local effort modeled after Bicycling Magazine’s Bike Change Lives Giveaway and wanted my help. They would give three people bikes if I would follow their progress toward their fitness goals.

I loved bike riding as a kid, but the driver’s license and girls and killed the passion. So I decided I’d get a hybrid bike and join in. I had to have a heavy wheel built to handle my girth without breaking spokes. But I joined group rides with thin people in spandex and rode my tail off – literally. I rode 3,500 miles that first year. By 2006, I’d lost more than 100 pounds. I went to the doctor for a long overdue exam. Fat people do not go to doctors. Why pay money to hear, “You’re grossly overweight. Lose it.” ? One test led to another until cancer was found. No doubt, the tumor would have gone undetected until symptoms developed were it not for the weight loss from the bike. As it was, the disease had not spread. Surgery was scheduled.

The McLean County Wheelers have an annual Big Dog contest where members log their miles and report them monthly. I was just 17 miles short of 3,500 for the year when the sun came up on June 22, the day I was to have my operation. Rather than sit home and fret, I got on my bike – by now a Giant TCRc1 road bike – and pedaled off. I got that 17 miles and more, thinking about how much my life had changed as a result of two wheels.

Afterward, I borrowed a recumbent and started to ride within a few weeks. A few weeks later, I was back on the road bike. In 2007, I rode my first bike race in a triathlon relay for LiveSTRONG. I was chosen to attend the LiveSTRONG Challenge in Austin that fall thanks to a web site devoted to Lance Armstrong’s team. I rode for that relay team again in 2008, all the while losing more weight. In 2009, I did my first full triathlon. In 2010, I did my first half Ironman. I’m training for IronMan Wisconsin on Sept. 11, about two weeks shy of my 60th birthday.

I was pronounced five years cancer free on June 22 of this year. The odds of its return are virtually nil.

The bike changed my life in another way. I got an email in 2006 shortly after my surgery from a lady who read my articles on cycling and how it helped me. She wanted help in choosing a road bike. At the end, she mentioned in passing that we had gone to high school together in a small town not far from where the newspaper is published. We rode together. She even finished a couple of centuries with me. We were married in 2008.

[Lance] Armstrong said, "it’s not about the bike," and he was right in a way. It’s about where the bike will take you. It can take you as far as your dreams.