Conquer the weather!

As the weather takes a turn for the worse, many cyclists tend to pack up their bikes for the winter. Here at CHB, we all ride regardless of the weather. With the right gear, there is no reason we can't ride year round. Outfitting your bike and body with the proper rain gear means you can continue to reap the benefits of commuting by bike even in the gloomiest of days.

The best way to cope with the rain is to install some fenders and throw on some water-resistant apparel. Fenders will eliminate spray coming off of the tires and look classy to boot. We carry durable composite plastic fenders that are easy to install and adjust. If you are in the market for a new bike, we carry several options that come with fenders installed.



The 2010 Jamis Commuter line comes with full coverage fenders out of the box. This is a great touch, but Jamis goes even further, equipping all Commuter models with internally-geared hubs. These are super low-maintenance systems that are enclosed and protected from the elements, ensuring that they will stay in good shape for years to come. The Commuter 3 (above) also comes with a fancy rear rack (including rack straps) and a generator light system that needs no batteries.


For those interested in a bike with drop bars, the steel-framed 2010 Jamis Aurora models also come with fenders. The Aurora Elite (above) comes with a burlier rear rack and straps appropriate for loaded touring. It also has disc brakes that offer excellent braking under any weather conditions.

And for your body, we now carry Portland's own Showers Pass. SP makes a wide range of rain gear for all riders, including pants, hats, and shoe covers. Unlike other jackets that feel like trash bags, SP makes jackets that fit well and breath right, all while being highly wind- and water-resistant. They also look good, in case that is a concern.

Enjoy the rain!

Riding into the sunset...

I hadn't any idea that life would change so quickly... After wrenching bikes at CHB since I transferred over from sales in late April, I find myself moving on towards my dream of living mobile in my RV and coaching triathletes to their race goals.

I got into the USAT certification class for level 1 coaches in Seattle at the beginning of October. I just need to get my CPR re-cert and a plane ticket. The USAT certification isn't absolutely necessary to coach, but it helps with credibility for someone new to the game. The most valuable training I will receive will be from apprenticing other coaches, including my own.

My personal coach, who has successfully gotten me across the line at two Ironmans and countless shorter races, has agreed to assist me in getting my personal practice set up. In the meantime, I have managed to pull together some employment opportunities that will afford me the chance to use and expand both my triathlon expertise and my bicycle knowledge!

I have to take a moment to express my gratitude to CHB for the opportunities they gave me to grow here. Bernie and Ben were excellent teachers in the world of bicycle mechanics. My abilities and knowledge increased significantly under their tutelage. Todd and Toast were generous with their tips and tricks for troublesome builds and repairs. These have proven valuable many times!

Denise and the sales staff have been teriffic co-workers as well. I will make sure that I stop in to say hello whenever I am in SE.... I mean the shop is just a short ride from Haines Point, where I go to get fast on the bike, so I have no excuse to stay away.

So here's to the next step towards living out a dream!

The kitchen sink

So the biking has been going relatively well so far. Only 3 flats since I started the trip just over a month ago. Not too shabby, considering my prior record of roughly 8 miles per tube....

Anyhow, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking (mostly when pedaling uphill) about how to cut some of the weight. Ollie's looking a bit more curvy than when we first started. I seem to be acquiring things more quickly than I can shed them: a pretty cool beer can camping stove from the Hoadleys during my sojourn in Shepherdstown, a second (and incidentally much-needed) sweater from my Aunt Barbara in Cumberland, some good hand lotion from Pam (I had developed dry and cracked "farmer's hands" from all of the field work which was just too inefficient when I tried to use gloves so I worked without them) while staying at her home in Bedford one evening on my way east....

Now, I've tried doing a bit of thinking outside the box (or outside the pannier, if you will) and kicked around some ideas: combining the spice kit and first aid kit, for example. Each has its own merits: the traditional first aid kit's space blanket doubles as a shiny cape for costume parties, while the culinary emergency kit would come in handy if I were to, say, run into Michael Pollan at a state park and he wanted to talk about the burgeoning local mushroom culture and asked what I was making on the camp stove and so I invited him to stay for dinner and then as I was handing him a plate of macaroni I became suddenly paralyzed with an overwhelming fear that the food around the campsite was lacking the appropriate level of epicurean sophistication and was just crying out for... oh, I dunno... herbes de provence. (It could happen. Luckily I have a stash of it with me, along with about 25 other must-have seasonings.) But then, I don't know that curry powder or spanish saffron would have helped much with the bangs and scrapes along the way, so perhaps I should keep the Band-aids and Neosporin and Aspirin and... okay, the whole first aid kit. Shoot.

The hills I've made it up thus far along the way are going to make way for mountains pretty soon. Anyone out there have tips on what to scrap to shave some weight off the bike? I've already sent the full-size pepper grinder and whisk home....

(What's really sad is that I'm serious about the grinder and the whisk.)

...Swine flu the economy and how cycling saves all..

So... we are all sick of it, maybe I should say we're all fed up with it. The news coverage on the swine flu. Anyways, the recent media coverage may be the best thing to happen to the country at this time. Think about it, would you rather listen to media coverage talk about the swine flu or report stock markets like baseball box scores... The other point why swine flu is beneficial to the county is it is helping to jump start the economy... Again, during a recession spending, not saving is a good practice but everyone goes about it backwards... but with swine flu people are going out and BUYING hand sanitizer, something no one would spend money on 2 weeks ago. I believe I ending up at this conclusion at the end of a short ride, as most of my thoughts are materialized in the saddle... Maybe the government even introduced swine flu to take the public mind off the economy- OK that is a stretch... Here is another stretch, rain is bad for the bike business.... but good for malls. The last few rainy weekends have been driving people to the malls where they SPEND MONEY. Can the government control the weather too... Anyways the last rant I have is riding your bike gets you outside, being outside exposes to you germs, these build up your immune systems making your body stronger. The fitness thing also helps health too. Besides health benefits and mental sanity that cycling provides it also boosts the economy. If you are riding your bike you will need stuff, tubes, tyers, lube and parts, this pumps money into the economy... This is still cheaper than maintaining a car. And better for green fitness. (A gym uses lots of energy to power tread mills and all the other stuff that goes a long with it...)

Not sure if I've made any sense but ride your bike it will make you happier....

Pet rocks

So a mechanic friend of mine once told me that there are 2 types of bike owners. I got into a discussion about this with a couple of guys from Anapolis over lunch at a corner store a few days ago.

The first are "dog" bike owners. These are the people who ride their bikes into the ground. They will not bring their bike into the shop for a tune-up until the handlebars have been zip tied back on at least three times. Their bikes are covered in mud and make odd creaking sounds sometimes. The brakes mostly work. They love to ride, but don't have the patience or finesse to keep everything rolling smoothly. If the wheels turn, that's what matters.

Then there are the "cat" bike owners. These types are very in tune with their machines. They know every nuanced sound change and notice slight shifts in performance. They regularly tune things up, cleaning and lubing the chain after a ride in the rain, checking the bolts and cables before each big ride. They love their bikes as much as the "dog" owners but are borderline OCD.

On my trip, I have also run into a 3rd category: "fish" bike owners. These are people who ride a bike a few times a year or less. They don't know why the bike would be creaky after sitting in their parents' damp shed for 8 years. They bring it into the shop when they get a flat tire, perplexed by the whole idea of changing a tire themselves. (These are the same people who come back to the pet store with the belly-up goldfish they'd gotten their 4-year-old a week before but forgot to feed. The fish, not the 4-year-old... I hope.)

I am not an elitist. Hardly. While I like to think of myself in the "cat" group, I am some hybrid of all of these, to a degree. Heck, up until a few months ago, I would have been in a 4th category: "pet rock" bike owner.

Which one are you?

Flats

Flats, they are part of life... you are riding around and POOOOF! A lot of people ask me if 6 flats a year is a lot, honestly no I don't think it is a lot. Sure there steps you can take to lessen this. Inflate your tyres before every ride. Ride with a tyre that has good puncture protection a high TPI and pay attention to what is in front of you. Yes, even all these things can still not prevent punctures, its just a way of life. This winter I was riding 'brand S' tyres with a hard shell desert animal on them and still punctured a few times. It just happens, or does it... A few years ago on a March ride I wused out and rode around the final climb, this particular route though flat went down a main road. I had a bad collision... Anyways, that was not fun, so maybe I'm a little superstitious now. Maybe those 3 flats I got in 2 days was something telling me not to ride my bike... i didn't. Maybe getting the puncture at the waterfront caused some traffic to pass, missing me... I guess its a positive way to spin cracking your hands because it is under 30 degrees outside and you can't change a tyre with winter gloves on! So look at flats as a blessing. They cause you to think..... am I lucky or UN-lucky?

Come be a part of A Bikeable Feast

So there's nothing like a little shameless self-promotion.... The events below are somewhat related to my work at Capitol Hill Bikes... inasmuch as they involve a bike.... sort of.

THURSDAY: 23 April
For the non-bikers in the group, you can still come be a part of the Bikeable Feast festivities. Come and bid farewell to Ollie and Ibti over a pint of good beer at one of our favorite neighborhood watering holes! Meet at the Wonderland Ballroom for happy hour on Thursday, April 23rd. (Right on the corner of 11th and Kenyon, just a few blocks from the Columbia Heights metro.)The happy hour special ($2 off all draft beer and a few other goodies, including $6 Delirium Tremens) runs from 5-8pm. I will likely be there well past 8pm, but the cheaper beer may not be. There's food, too, including some veggie options. More details are here.

SUNDAY: 26 April
For the bikers/picnickers in the group, come be a part of this semi-historic event at a legitimately historic place. We'll be setting off on the first few miles of A Bikeable Feast together, biking the first 15 miles along the historic C&O Canal before stopping at Great Falls for lunch.

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Location: C&O Canal: Milemarker Zero (Georgetown)

Bring your own bikeable feast: a picnic, sunscreen, and lots of water. (I'd also throw in a few tire patches and a pump, just in case our luck rubs off on you.) I suspect the rest of the group will be heading back together after lunch as I continue toward Cumberland.... More details are here.

I'm sad to be leaving CHB, but you'll still hear from me from time to time via the blog. (And god help anyone who walks in without a helmet while I'm still here. You daredevils better stay away until at least Friday.)

First Ride

So I finally road my new bike today... I've had it for quite some time. Even had the honor of having the only one in the U.S. People are like 'you must get to ride all the time, since you work at a bike shop' FAR FROM IT. The truth is I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they ride as much as they want. Anyways, today I was out on my new bike, it was rainy and gross but hey, it was warm. The second I got on it was like being reunited with an old friend, well designed bikes have a way of feeling good right out of the gate. The route I went was one of the sections of road you can ride with your eyes shut. You know where every pot hole is and the 'bad sections', you also know exactly where to attack. In the saddle the bike was amazing, I was trying to take it easy as I haven't been on a bike in a while, yet the bike was so balanced it was pushing me to go faster in the turns... After a warm up I decided to go explore some new roads in DC, getting across town was a little hairy but the bike snapped to attention when I needed it to respond. Getting to the new roads I found a little loop with a slight rise and slight descent, and VERY FEW CARS. I road easy the first time, the second time I wanted to push it a little... Once again the bike was so fluid and balanced it just wanted to go faster. It is such a hard thing to describe, the feel of a bike, how responsive a bike is... it is even harder to describe how balanced it felt under me the first time. True, I measured the heck out of my old bike before moving parts over to the new frame, so the fit was mainly there, saddle may have to move a little... But the ride was awesome. And I'm looking forward to being in the saddle again tomorrow, which I guess is the other part that makes a bike great, you want to ride it.

Hard headed

I feel like a parent. A broken record. That "wah wah wah wah" voice on the Charlie Brown cartoon.

What can I say, it's my personal soap box: wear a helmet.

Today, I counted at least eight people who were subject to my mini lecture on the need for a helmet when they came to pick up their newly repaired bicycles and strolled out of the shop and toward the invariable chaos of rainy, cab-mobbed, DC streets without protection. (Keep it clean, people, I was just getting tired of writing "helmet" seventy-five times in a row. But maybe some folks need to read it seventy-five times before they will get around to buying one and wearing it.) There were probably more who escaped my mild mannered but insistent tirade when I was dragging bikes around and showing people bottle cages on the other side of the shop. I'll get to you.

Why don't people wear helmets? Some, I am convinced, have a death wish. Others just don't seem to think about safety and at least politely lower their eyes and act sheepish when I ask if they somehow left their helmet outside. (Obviously they didn't -- I realize this -- but I'm trying to give them some kind of out. You know, like, "Oh, yeah, um, my girlfriend who doesn't want to visit me in the ICU is waiting outside with my extra-protective helmet.") Some have actually told me that they don't want to mess up their hair. Really? Well, I suppose you won't be so worried about your carefully mussed coiffe when it's wrapped under layers of bandages... or worse.

I'm not trying to increase the CHB profit margins by selling more helmets. No. And I am not your mother. But I am really a stickler about helmets. So if you come by the shop with a plan to ride your bike out of the shop without a lecture from yours truly, bring a helmet... or plan on buying one while you're here.

Morning rash hour

Ever have one of those mornings? One of our staffmembers had a bit of a skid on his ride to work a few days ago. (His face has been cropped to protect his identity. But his name rhymes with Schmen.)

This afternoon we're starting a New Yorker style contest for our fans: Caption The Photo. We'll announce a winner in about a week, so send in your captions (via the blog comment feature). The winner gets... um... one of those handy little tire patch kits.

Actually, considering my flat record, perhaps I will send in a few entries myself. Now off to recruit some judges....

Easter finery = Spandex

I had planned to meet Team FeXY (www.teamfexy.com) this morning at 6:15 for a ride up Mt. Weather, but when I rolled over to silence the alarm at 4:30 this morning and saw the temperature sitting at a less than balmy 38 degrees, and felt my whole body protest that 5 hours was not enough sleep to pull of that ride, I decided that my next best option was the 9am shop ride!

I figured it would just be Caleb and me, since it is Easter Sunday, and many people were getting dressed up in Easter finery to head to church services, family events and brunches. I rolled out of bed at 7:30 feeling much more rested for the extra 3 hours sleep! I picked out my Easter outfit... Louis Garneau tri shorts, Pearl Izumi tights, a CHB jersey, a PI jacket, my helmet, some mid weight gloves, wool socks, and my bike shoes... so much better than the days of being forced into frills and lace and ridiculous hats.... Yep, I was always the girl who managed to get mud or grass stains on every outfit within minutes of putting it on.

I drove to the shop... I know, that was a slacker move. I got there with enough time to ride up to Peregrine for a mocha. I met a guy named Gene on a sweet Indi Fab rockin Campy Chorus there. He was waiting for friends to join him for another group ride. We talked a bit and drank coffee, then I headed back to the shop.

Arriving a couple of minutes before 9, I found a lone cyclist. He indicated to me that he was deaf, and did not seem to read lips. Without benefit of pen and paper, or sign language skills, I was at a loss for how to communicate with him. Another guy on a yummy Ti Seven rolled up. He introduced himself as Gary. We waited a few more minutes, and decided to go. Just Gary and I took off, our unidentified friend declined to join in.

Leading by default, I decided to go with my old standby... Mt. Vernon Trail! I knew I could get there without getting lost, which is always a bonus when leading a ride! It was a little chilly, but not nearly as chilly as it would have been at the crack of dawn! Cold is not my friend, but I am not a fan of the trainer by this time of year... we have spend a few too many hours together in the previous months.

The wind was stiff, which was great when we were riding with it... 20+mph with very little effort! Of course it balanced out when we were fighting it... Gary said he wanted to do a couple of hours, and I was just happy to have company for the first half of my long ride for the week. I was pretty sure no one was going to want to play for a few extra hours on the back end of the group ride.

We went south through Old Town Alex, through Belle Haven, and decided to hit Mt. Vernon before turning around. Traffic on the trail was light for a gorgeous Sunday on the way out. We hit a small mulch covered detour around trail maintenance, as we neared Mt. Vernon... I guess that is what cyclocross is like, and if my fantastic wreck into the orange mesh barrier was any indicator, I will not be trying cross anytime soon!

When we reached Mt. Vernon, we had a snack and headed back north. By this time, more people were out on the trail, and we had to slow more often. It gave me time to notice how the sun danced on the river. It looked as if the night sky had not disappeared, obscured by the sun, but had fallen into the water. It is moments like that when the yogini in me breathes deeply, and silently expresses gratitude for nature, life, and the ability to ride!

We navigated the trail back to 14th St without incident, and made our way up M to 8th and back to the shop. I waved goodbye to Gary and encouraged him to return. Then it was on with the rest of my workout!

Smuggling stuffed animals

One of the funniest comments I have heard thus far in my time at the shop came from a woman who was trying on padded women's cycling shorts yesterday:

"I feel like I'm smuggling stuffed animals in my pants."

In fact, I was not present during the sale of the abovementioned shorts, but I couldn't stop giggling when I heard about it and figured it might brighten up a few of your own days this grey Friday afternoon. Have you tried on padded bike shorts before? If so, you know what she's talking about. For my part, I'm hoping to get some padded shorts with the more swim-trunk-style over shorts for my trip. With pockets. So I can smuggle more teddy bears across state lines.

NO boys allowed

Today was our first women's lunch ride, and I kinda wish I'd brought lunch...

I am house sitting this week, so my stuff is scattered about, and I showed up this morning without a bike. I hadn't announced the ride on Facebook, and I figured I wouldn't have any takers. I was a bit disappointed, because it's a NICE day!

Ibti and I waited to see if anyone would show, and I made arrangements to "test ride" a shop bike..... About 1120, a girl named Carolyn came in to get her brakes looked at and asked about any group rides! She was in luck!!

I grabbed a Bianchi Elena, rolled up the cuffs of my jeans, grabbed a test ride helmet and off we went! Short sleeves! It felt great! We rode over the 14th Street bridge into Virginia. There was a still breeze coming in off the river. I was feeling a little overly excited to be riding off the trainer, and I nearly took a spill when I dragged a pedal in a curve near the marina.

The traffic on the trail was light, and the conversation lively! We made it into Old Town Alexandria and stopped for a snack... a snack that I didn't bring. DOH! I knew this as one of those familiar moments when my tri coach would want to smack me in the head with an aero-bar! I have a bad habit of forgetting to fuel up while riding... and running.... and swimming.

The whole ride was at a moderate pace, which I'd post had I been on a bike with a computer! We stuck together well, and Ibti gets props for being a new rider with a touring bike hangin with the road and tri girls!

So, now that the inaugural ride is over, I promise not to forget my bike or my food again! Come join us on Thursdays at 11:30 for a lunch break! We won't leave you behind... No boys allowed... unless you come in drag that is.

"What do you think this is, Candyland?"

Sometimes you just hear things that make you raise an eyebrow. Sure, maybe the context would help explain things, but sometimes it's just funnier to speculate. Here are a few of my favorite lines I've heard around the shop:

"Sometimes we're back here talking to each other, but sometimes we're talking to ourselves."

"I'm an ultra-endurance vegan."

"Yeah, who doesn't have a friend in intensive care?"

"Real men ride them big bikes. Now, where them big bikes at?"

"Nobody interviews the finance guy!"*

The new staff profiles are up. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to guess which staff member utttered each incriminating statement above. The winner gets... a sense of satisfaction. (Hey, this isn't trivia night at Wonderland -- I'm not handing out free Miller High Life.)

*Note: Okay, that last one would be easy if Mike, the finance guy, would let me interview him. But he's somewhat shy. You won't see his profile pic on the staff page, so that was kind of a tricky one.

Capitol Hill Bikes and Art and Go Seek

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the staff at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop was preparing for Art and Go Seek, their annual scavenger hunt/fundraiser. For the second year in a row Capitol Hill Bikes participated as a stop along the route. We chose the theme (the benefits of cycling to the people and the Earth) and the project (window painting) and the CHAW volunteer, Theresa, did the rest. The result? A beautiful, collaborative window painting at the Capitol Hill Bikes Service Center. Check it out before the rain washes it away!

Hubris, anyone?

So I was talking yesterday about how I have gotten pretty efficient at changing bike tires. Well, apparently the gods perceived this as bragging, and I was put back in my place this morning. You guessed it: ANOTHER flat tire. (This is the first rear flat on Ollie).

I had gone to volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank this morning before my shift at the bike shop. The radio forecast warned of extreme fog, but with my blinkers on I found the ride quite nice. (Certainly more pleasant than splashing through Rock Creek yesterday in the driving rain.) The ride was almost a straight shot east on Irving Street, then onto Michigan Avenue (a bit dicey during rush hour, though), and up John McCormack. No problems. The ride from the food bank to work, however, was significantly more eventful, starting with the popping sound of my rear tire not 10 minutes into the ride and ending with... well, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was riding down 4th Street, NE, with plenty of time to get to Eastern Market and daydreaming about getting in early enough to swing by Peregrine and grab an espresso before work, when I heard a pop. Then grinding. Then I was bouncing around on the bike seat. A flat tire. How nice. It's been... hours. So I pulled out my gear. Tire patches: check. Sandpaper: check. Plastic tire shoe horn thingies: check. Tire pump: doh! I walked back up 4th Street for about 5 blocks to where I'd noticed a gas station on the ride past. I flipped Ollie over, removed the wheel, the tire, the tube. Then I went to grab the air pump outside of the station. And of course the attachment was the wrong size. So I left the bike with the mechanic, Paz (nice guy), and headed over a few blocks to the Auto Zone where I rummaged around a few aisles and picked up some pump adaptors. Which, when I returned to the gas station, I discovered didn't work. Luckily I was only out $3 at this point, but now I would be late for work. And I had no idea how I was going to get there.

Now, I consider myself a relatively savvy city girl. I've been stranded all over the place (too many to get into here, but Yerevan, Guatemala City, and rural Bolivia come to mind) and have always managed to get where I needed to go eventually. I'm in Washington: there's public transit. I wasn't sure about putting just the back wheel on with no tire, so I carried my bike to the Rhode Island metro station which, conveniently, was only about 5 blocks away. (P.S.- Walking around town carrying a bike: not a bad workout, either. Yeah, maybe I'm just not getting enough exercise these days.) Not much to report about the next portion of my journey, but I did get some funny looks on the train with Ollie slung over my shoulder and tire/wheel/tube in my hand. Oh, and I was covered with grease. That might have been part of it. In general, people were pretty nice on the metro, and I chatted with someone or other for most of the ride. Lots of sympathy, which I hadn't expected. I made it to Eastern Market and then had a mere 5 blocks or so to schlep Ollie and I was home free. Or at least near a tire pump....

A new kind of workout

I was worried that all of the biking would mean that I would develop these gargantuan quads while my upper body atrophied. Not so. You know what I've discovered is a great workout? Moving bikes. I mean hauling them up and down the stairs, hanging and unhanging them (gently) from ceiling hooks in the storage area. Are these really aluminum frames? I'm pretty sure they're lead.

I think I easily did the equivalent of 30 or 40 push-ups just this afternoon. Yes, it's been busy at the shop: bikes in, bikes out. At this rate, I'll be huge in about two weeks. I just might have to start walking through doorways sideways. You know, to accommodate my biceps. Maybe Chris will even recommend that I get wider -- rather than narrower -- handlebars for my bike, nicknamed PIT. (Oooh, that reminds me: the search for my bike's name continues. The winner gets a postcard from wherever I come across the first post office on my trip.)

Meet Ibti!

Although she is a relatively new cyclist, Ibti is set to embark on an ambitious, year-long adventure--she will be bicyling through the United States to learn the secrets of sustainable farming. In the meantime, she'll be hanging out at Capitol Hill Bikes and learning the secrets of bicycle repair, maintenance, and everything she'll need for her trip. Perhaps she'll offer some of her newly-found bicycle wisdom on this blog. Once she's on the road, we'll keep you posted on her progress with a link to her blog, http://www.abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/.

On the road in Guyana

Some days are kind of slow at the shop, especially when it's raining outside. Then, seemingly out of nowhere something brightens up your day. Today, it was a kind note from Cathy (and Daisy-Milano Parco Bianchi) that Denise showed me:

"Hello, Capitol Hill Bikes,

I have been wanting to contact you and tell you how much I have enjoyed the bike I bought from you. On 4 October, 2008 I came into your store looking for a bike. I am 52 and it had been 25 years since I had last ridden a bike. Todd showed me two bikes and they did nothing for me. When he showed me the Milano Parco Bianchi, it was love at first sight. He made alterations to her to make her a better fit for me. She is so precious that I have given her a name, Daisy.

My husband's job has taken us to Georgetown, Guyana, South America and I ride her constantly. We have only one car and she is my primary mode of transportation. I have attached a picture of her and me at the farmers market in the middle of town.

Thank you for bringing Daisy into my life.

Sincerely,
Cathy Cherry"


Ride on, Cathy and Daisy!

Welcome to the other side of the counter

Greetings, cycling fans. The word on the street is that the staff here are so immersed in our work whenever you stop by the shop that you don't feel you have a sense of who we are. When you swing by to pick up your beloved Jamis or Bianchi with its newly adjusted brakes or sparkling clean derailleur, you often wonder "who was that masked man (or, rather, man covered in axle grease)?" Welcome to the other side of the counter....

When things aren't so busy, I like to hang out with the mechanics. This rainy Thursday I was learning about brake lines and pestering them with questions for the staff biographies. (Don't click over to the website and look for them, I haven't put the new stuff up yet.) Ben, Bernie, and Todd were good sports, working away while calling out responses as I went through my list of questions, including "If you were a Muppet, which one would you be?" (FYI, they are Beaker, Fozzy Bear, and Animal, respectively.) They're a nice group, certainly less gruff and sarcastic than I'm used to in bike shops. And I don't think it's because of the fresh zucchini bread I brought in this morning (but that couldn't have hurt).

I'm hoping to have some good stories soon, so check back. And with any luck, maybe I can talk a few of the guys and gals here into blogging a bit....