K2 Bike T:Nine Alliance

Missing: One Blissful, Shiny-Blue Girl Bike

While it's always sad to hear about a stolen bike, Jen Lemen's story about her missing T:Nine Breeze also reads as positive and inspiring to us here.

Missing: One Blissful, Shiny-Blue Girl Bike

While hundreds of parts make up a bicycle, the most important part of any bike is how it makes us feel.  One way or another, I'm sure that Jen will re-discover her shiny, blue happiness again soon.

K2 Bike T:Nine pre-history – racing frames with hibiscus-themed graphics

In 2003 and 2004, K2 Bike was a proud sponsor of the Ford Women’s Cycling Team.  In addition to being strong competitors in elite mountain bike competition around the world, the women of the Ford team were gracious ambassadors of our sport at the local level, encouraging young women to follow their dreams, actively explore the outdoors and ride safely.

http://www.quickrelease.com/teamford/

In order to build anticipation for that fall's launch of the official K2 Bike T:Nine collection, the Ford team's frames for the 2005 race season were painted in a yellow/orange paint scheme with red hibiscus flowers, matching their team uniforms.  The four framesets painted and decaled in this style were:

• T:Nine Zed Team – The dependable, responsive, front-suspension mountain bike
• T:Nine Razorback – A light-weight, efficient, cross-country full-suspension design
• T:Nine Mod 5.0 – Very, very few of these road racing frames were ever produced
• T:Nine Aero – A race-proven triathlon frameset that saw limited production in 2005

While these frames certainly say “T:Nine” on their top tubes, they did not benefit from all of the women’s-specific fit, performance, and aesthetic features that are the hallmark of our T:Nine production bicycle models.

Also note that these framesets represent the first and last time that bicycles featuring the T:Nine brand name shared the same model names as comparable K2 Bike men’s bikes.  Hey, we were young, we made mistakes and we learned from them!

Thinking outside the bike box – the K2 Bike T:Nine Alliance Team way

As one way of thanking our T:Nine Alliance Team for the passion, thought and time that they dedicate to improving our women’s bicycles, K2 Bike provides them with at least one new bicycle every year.

This year, we simply offered each team member their choice of any model from our 2006 K2 Bike catalog – T:Nine or not.  We asked them to choose a bike that would expand the riding experience for themselves and/or someone they care for.  As if we needed any more proof that our women are exceptional human beings in addition to being great cyclists, here are some of their stories.

• Ali Spain selected a new, top-of-the-line T:Nine Tempest.  However, she didn't replace either the Spire Road or T:Nine Ruby (with child seat) already in her garage, but gave the new bike to her favorite riding partner instead.  Now Teresa can share the fun of being part of the T:Nine Alliance with Ali on every ride they enjoy together.
• At 5’2” tall, Diane Faber represents the shortest member of our Alliance Team.  Therefore, we were shocked when she requested an Extra Large K2 Apache 6.0 full suspension mountain bike!  It turns out that her son’s mountain bike was stolen last year.  Since Diane already has K2 mountain, road and triathlon bikes of her own, she took the opportunity to not only remedy her son’s loss, but hook him up with the best men's mountain bike we make.  Moms rule!
• When we lent a testing sample of the new T:Nine Tempest to Heather Johnston, she wouldn’t give it back.  The improvements we made to our premier road bike for 2006 were so noticeable to her that she favorably compared it to her fully-custom, titanium Hampsten with Campagnolo Record components.  Heather was particularly impressed with the feather-weight American Classic wheels on her new Tempest, so she arranged with us to source another pair for a friend that was looking to shed some weight from her bike.  Our pleasure, Charlene.
• Courtney Coe still owns the basic Trek mountain bike that served as her introduction into the sport of cycling years ago.  Its lack of suspension, heavy weight and less-than-optimal unisex sizing have discouraged her from further exploring the local trails around Seattle and developing new off-road riding skills.  No more, as she will soon be enjoying a new T:Nine Summit, which will provide her with the efficiency of lighter weight, the comfort and control of dual suspension, and the women’s specific fit and function built into every T:Nine model.  Happy trails, Courtney!
• Last, but not least, what bike do you pick when you already own one of every imaginable type?  That’s the dilemma confronting Danielle Crandall, our resident racer and bike collector.  Due to racing team sponsorship obligations, she often needs to ride another brand of bike on weekends, although you’ll often find her logging weekday training miles in the greater Seattle area, riding her Spire Road.  While this story doesn’t yet have an ending, undoubtedly it will be a happy one, and we’ll update you about the details once she decides on her new ride.

Who is T.K. Malone, anyway?

When, at 3 years old, I crashed my Big Wheel down the stairs of my parents' house, I realized that I needed to move my pedaling pursuits outside and graduate from three wheels to two in order to achieve the sensations of freedom and speed that I was looking for.

About a year later, when the training wheels came off my first two-wheeler, I learned my first lesson about how men's and women's bicycles could be different. Having a "girl's" bike's much lower top tube was helpful while learning to ride, but lost me serious style points once I started to explore the neighborhood on my own and make friends.

Thankfully, once I skidded through the solid tires on that first bike, I started a lifelong series of upgrades in pursuit of the perfect ride. The used Stingray with air-filled tires and "boy's" frame helped me feel faster, but my best friend Kristin still managed to beat me up the hill from her house more often than not.

Ever since, I've made it my goal to help others enjoy the freedom and speed that I've always enjoyed on two wheels. I've never lost track of those early races where I learned first hand (and in last place) that women, although different, ride equally as enthusiastically as men.

Now, I'm fortunate enough to be in a position to make helping people enjoy the cycling experience more often my profession. I've also been lucky enough to be associated with K2 Bike since the beginning of our T:Nine women's cycling initiative.

With the help of our Alliance Team, I'm committed to providing women athletes of all ability levels with bikes that help them achieve their cycling goals and put smiles on their faces. It has been a great ride so far, and I look forward to many happy miles together with you all in the future.

So, Kristin Matthews, if you're reading this, get in touch with me. After I provide you with the T:Nine bike of your choice, I demand a rematch! :)

T.K. Malone

3-15-06

Dongguan, China