Being a luddite, such that I am, is tough. I like to use paper maps. I have a car that has no touch screen, but it does have a CD player and a tape deck (the CD player is broken, but the tape deck works like a champ), manual transmission, and no touch screen. I […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
“What is fascinating is the way it has been folded. You don’t even know how it had been folded. But when I saw this, I’m sure that the owner of the bike was a passionate cyclist.” – Richard Leon That quote comes from a video/story done by CyclingTips.com, a website I discovered following writer James […]
Filed under: Industry commentary, People Places Things
A recent Guitar Ted post got me thinking about color and bikes. In the post, he mentions that his “boss at my first bike shop gig said something to the effect that, “Cycling is a colorful sport. Your kit and your gear should reflect that.” I don’t recall my old boss at the bike shop […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
I was perusing my usual morning web browsing of cycling sites with my coffee this morning when I had one of those moments that makes you go “huh?” and scratch your head. Now, honestly, I do know the reasons, but that still doesn’t make any difference. So here’s the deal. Reading bikerader.com’s story on Easton’s […]
Filed under: Industry commentary, Rant
I recently had a repair in the shop. The bike had experienced one of those moments when something catches in the rear derailleur and eventually rips off the derailleur hanger and twists the rear derailleur into a pretzel. Easy fix, but when I got the parts together to do the install, I realized that both […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
It is really easy to rant on about subjects I’m passionate about. However, I’m sure it gets a bit boring so I’ll bring y’all some good news about the good guys of the bike industry who I know and who have recently been seen in the bike rags. Bike Magazine – June 2009 issue. There […]
Filed under: Industry commentary, Things I like
So I need some more P-clamps. You know, those clamps that fit on bike frames with no rack braze-ons that allow a rack to be attached to the stay. They are common at auto part stores because they are also used to secure wiring harnesses to fender wells and firewalls. However, that means a 1/2 […]
Filed under: Industry commentary, Rant
Companies are not immune to the “living on a thread” concept that it seems a lot of Americans are hanging by. The image that there are many people who are a paycheck away from living on the street is not just a little scary, it’s a whole lot of scary. Folks could be plugging away, […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
I’ve been meaning to write something on this for quite a while. Way back in spring there was a lot of “the sky is falling” kind of web banter. Get a bike now, or else… Prices are going to go up. Well, it’s happened. They’re up. Quite frankly, I don’t know why it’s taken so […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
Since I’m not too interested in the most recent ultra-light carbon wheelset, carbon frame, carbon handlebar, mega-mondo travel suspension bike (there has to be as many categories of suspension bike alone as there are every other bike category combined)…Interbike was a little less interesting for me than in years past when it was my job […]
Filed under: Industry commentary
Under the heading of model names that raise an eyebrow (and to show that it’s not just Tim I’ll poke fun at), is the new made in Taiwan, sorry, “sourced overseas” model from Ellsworth. For a company who has put a lot into the “we make it ourselves” basket, it’s uncharacteristic to go to Asia […]
Filed under: Industry commentary, Rant
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