Sometimes the combination of bike, price, and size is just too tempting to pass up. I met the original owner of a nice 1988 fillet-brazed Otis Guy over the hill in Petaluma yesterday and came home with his bike that he’s owned for 21 years. It will be a nice addition to the collection of […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
Well, not quite surprising after hearing about the rains of several years ago here in the area where sections of roadway were washed away, but not the thing I was expecting when I got to the shop on Sunday morning. The shop sits at the low point of a dirt parking lot and water, behaving […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
In my effort to “remake” Black Mountain Cycles, I am carrying less mountain bikes (even though I love mountain bikes) and will carry more cyclocross, touring, and, well, bikes that have fat tires, steel frames (with an occasional aluminum cross framed rig), and drop bars. Bikes that are perfect candidates for mixed-terrain rides. What I […]
Filed under: Mixed Terrain, New in the shop
One of the people in the bike industry I respect is Lennard Zinn. I like to approach the bicycle from a technical stand-point. Lennard’s tech column in VeloNews and on velonews.com are among my must reads whenever they come out. There is always something I learn from his tech columns. It was pretty cool when […]
Filed under: What's in the stand
You know you’ve been there. You’re supposed to install fenders on that bike with the internally geared hub, coaster brake, and, in this case, those big chrome domes of the Shimano Coasting bike. The fenders retail for $25. The actual time it would take to install the fenders because you have to take the rear […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
Years ago when I first got a real bike after graduating from college, I picked up an issue of Cyclist magazine in 1985. It’s one of two issues of Cyclist I saved from that year. In it, was a story about Charlie Cunningham written by famed cycling writer, Owen Mulholland. The sub-title of the story […]
Filed under: Visitors
We are supposed to get rain on Thursday. It’s about time because the area really needs it. Water rationing is a very real possibility and a current reality down in Bolinas. However, the summer-like weather brought out the cyclists in droves to West Marin. I definitely attribute my January sales to the weather. Compared to […]
Filed under: Rides
With apologies to Guitar Ted, I really can’t help it when bikes like these “just show up” for work. The first is an early 90’s Salsa ala Carte with the trademark rasta jelly bean paint. It only needed new tires. The second is a Steve Potts CCR (Cross Country Racer) from about 1990. It’s brakes […]
Filed under: What's in the stand
Boy, it’s been non-stop titanium at the shop. It seems like every bike that comes in for repair is a titanium frame. Within the past few days, it’s been: Airborne, Morati, Seven, Dean, and Moots. The Airborne was a down tube replacement that Steve Potts performed. The Morati was a disc brake mount that Steve […]
Filed under: What's in the stand
Yesterday was spectacular. About 55 degrees, clear skies and no wind until the last 14 miles or so and then it was a really nice tail wind. I had initially planned to ride out to the lighthouse and back after reading aboug JimG’s 200k brevet, but upon checking the weather at the lighthouse and finding […]
Filed under: Rides
Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like this published about me at any time. I’ve written some pieces that have been published in magazines, but nothing about me. It’s kind of an odd feeling reading something that is about you. But I think I can live with it. Read the interview on bikeradar.com. […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
The WTB SST seat has long been a favorite of mine. There were several variations of this seat. Starting with my favorite, the original SST, there was the SST-X without the droopy nose. The SST 98 was a very nice Italian made version with a cut-out in the shell to relieve pressure in the “sensitive […]
Filed under: New in the shop