Heading to Interbike early in the a.m. to check on cycle touring/commuting type gear. Not taking the computer and that’s a nice thing. Back on Saturday. It will be interesting to attend the show as a dealer compared to a manufacturer. (What’s playing: A Ray Charles tribute on KWMR – today would have been his […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
Dear Marty, I’m writing to let you know I’ve been doing well out here in Marin County. I do miss the seasons in Wisconsin, but I’m done freezing my stays off during winter. My new owner has been preoccupied the past year with proving he’s tough by riding his ‘cross bike where he really should […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
Said, of course, with a Jackie Stewart Scottish brogue. It’s been way too long since I got out on a mountain bike. I picked up this old 1991 WTB be-decked Merlin a while ago and finally put my touches on it so it could be up to my standards. This is the bike that had […]
Filed under: Uncategorized
How hard can it be to remove those little pieces of tape that brake makers fix to their road brake calipers to protect the finish in shipping? It’s the first thing I do when I install a brake on a road bike. And it’s one of the first things I’ll do if it’s on a […]
Filed under: Things I dislike
Knickers, 3/4 pants, pedal pushers, capri pants, manpris, shants, the basic mid-calf riding pant is a good piece of bike riding gear for cool crisp mornings. I’ll cover my knees in weather with temps below the mid-60s. My knees thank me for keeping them out of the cold air. When I wear lycra, I’ve got […]
Filed under: Things I Want To Like
Way back in April I tried to fix a 9-speed Dura Ace STI shifter. Didn’t work as there was a crucial part that was damaged and the cause of the shifting problem. When I was trying to fix that one, I also took apart one of mine to have a side-by-side comparison of just how […]
Filed under: Working on bikes
Instead of lengthy comments on a comment, I figured this could be its own post. Rich Kelly, from Interbike, commented on the previous post. First, thanks for reading, Rich. Second, as I was writing the original post, I was thinking “well, really how different is my blogging from twittering?” I would say it’s quite a […]
Filed under: Rant
As a twist on the famous quote by Timoty Leary, I propose turning off, tuning out, and going for a bike ride. I recently had an e-mail exchange with another bike shop owner in Texas. He had generously sent me some brake cable housing of a color I could not find through any of my […]
Filed under: Rant
This super cool old Phoenix came in for a tune-up. This is the kind of bike that just “shows up” for service out here in West Marin. The owner of this bike bid on a tune-up I donated for a charity auction. The Phoenix is likely my all-time favorite riding frame. WTB nailed the design […]
Filed under: What's in the stand
To accompany the Redline Mono 9 bikes I have, I got in a few single-speed Monocog Flight 29 bikes. Very nicely appointed single-speed 29″ wheel bike. The line-up. From Bikes for sale Monocog Flight 29 From Bikes for sale Reinforced head tube and bomber down tube gusset that clears suspension fork knobs. From Bikes for […]
Filed under: New in the shop
Maybe the most asked question by customers in a bike shop, after “how much does it cost?” is “how much does it weigh?” It doesn’t matter if the bike in question is a $300 comfort bike or a $3000 road bike. “How much does it weigh?” Weight, within reason, is irrelevant. The more appropriate question […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
There’s been a lot of frame manufacturer sponsor musical chairs going on recently. And I’m sure there will be more. I don’t know why this interests me because I really could care less who’s riding what and at what level. What is interesting is that once you sponsor a pro team, you really can’t go […]
Filed under: Industry commentary