As we close 2023 and open 2024, one thing is unchanged – the difficulty in maintaining a small bike brand. The challenges that came up during the early part of the pandemic are not easing much. A little, but they’re still there. Fortunately, the cost to ship a container is back to reasonable levels. A […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff
La Cabra and Monstercross frames were received a couple of months ago. A 40′ container full of frames pulled up to the shop early one morning and with the help of a couple of friends, all frames were unloaded and organized in the shop and my storage spaces within a few hours. With that work […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff, Things
This post was supposed to be timed to let folks know about a new model that is replacing both the MCD and Road+. And that it was going to be available around the end of summer. Unfortunately, the time frame for the Mod. Zero (say Model Zero) is going to be around late spring 2023. […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, New in the shop, Shop stuff
The last year saw huge challenges mainly centered around availability. I am just now starting to receive parts that I ordered 10 months ago. I have no idea if I ordered enough or too much. Nothing I can do about it, so I’ll play that hand and go all in. Things are happening, though. La […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff
This is the time of the year for lists. Lists of resolutions. Lists of top ten things liked. Or disliked. I’m a list writer, but I don’t write lists of resolutions or things I liked. My lists are about things I need to do. Tasks that need performing. Maybe a list of vinyl LPs that […]
Filed under: Shop stuff, Things I like
One month in from my last post and one week shy of the two month mark when the first shelter-in-place order went into effect and we’ve still got to get through the end of May before the shelter might be lifted. It’s been surreal. I mean, in addition to all this virus stuff we have […]
Filed under: Shop stuff
How many times have you heard the phrase “this is the new normal?” No. It’s not normal. It’s been two weeks since a shelter in place order was enacted, first in the bay area, and then all of California. Initially, bike shops weren’t on the list of essential businesses. Bike organizations then lobbied to have […]
Filed under: Shop stuff
Do you say “two thousand twenty” or “twenty-twenty?” I’ll bet it’s the latter. When it comes to how to say years in this new century (which is already 20% through), I’ll look back to the 1900’s and think “what did they call 1920? “Nineteen-twenty.” Not one thousand nine hundred and twenty. Twenty-twenty. But will this […]
Filed under: Shop stuff
As per the previous post, the disc brake frames were on the way and I’m happy to report that arrive, they did. In grand style a truck pulling a 20′ container pulled up in front of the shop late one morning. I had wrangled a few helping hands to help unload the container and with […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff, Things
Sometimes, the day-to-day aspects of life don’t let you look at the bigger picture of what’s happening. Wake up, go for a run or a ride, answer emails, get stuff done in the shop, ship a frame or two, bleed some brakes, tune-up a bike, ride home (maybe the long way – 3 instead of […]
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff
With 2017, the shop is entering its 10th year. Ten years! Dang, that went by fast. It’s reported that only about 1/2 of all small businesses will reach a 5-year anniversary and only about 1/3 survive 10 years. Not playing with favorable odds from the get-go. But here it is and it’s time to reevaluate […]
Filed under: Shop stuff
When I was thinking of how to start this first blog post on the new website, I knew I wanted to use this scene from Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder is one of my favorite comedic actors. “Is” because it’s not going to change simply because he passed away yesterday. So, here’s to you, Gene Wilder […]
Filed under: Rides, Shop stuff