Taking The Long Way

I was hoping to get a ride in Sunday before it got too hot. I also needed to go down to the shop to complete some paperwork. By the time my chores, like mowing the lawn, were out of the way it was getting a little late. I decided to combine the bike ride and the trip to the shop. So I rode on Hill Road to Pierce Park and Pierce Park to Cartwright. This is probably an eight to ten mile loop with a few climbs thrown in.

I didn't want to take the time to put on my special bike clothes, nor did I want to wear them around once I got to the shop. I have some shorts with a gusseted crotch and I wore a short sleeve cotton shirt.
I'm not yet convinced that "clipless" pedals are unnecessary.
There are shoes that will accept cleats which are recessed in the sole so one can still walk in them. I think this is a good way to go for a multi use set-up on a bike.   


 



Some type of capacious saddle bag or handlebar bag comes in handy for carrying all the odds and ends. In mine I carried spare tubes, tools, my Converse All Stars, a  camera and lunch.

Steel Bicycle Frames

Between three and four thousand years ago, which would have been the Bronze Age, people in India and the middle east discovered that if they heated a certain type of dirt enough, in a low oxygen environment, and added some carbon, they ended up with iron. If they heated it up again and added some other stuff they had steel, which was easier to make things with and had enhanced durability.

  How did they do that? Why did they do that? Think of all the trial and error through the generations, an individual not knowing exactly why he was doing something or where it would lead. That never ceases to amaze me.
  Over time, other generations discovered how to refine the process and add other alloys to give the resultant steel properties such as weldability, and resistance to fatigue and corrosion.
  Then they figured out how to form it into tubes. These tubes could be welded or joined together with sleeves called lugs to make the now traditional, double triangle bicycle frame.
  Over more generations, other tinkerers figured out how to shape and taper and swage the different tubes, in order to give the resultant bicycle certain characteristics.

  The simplicity, beauty and pure functionality of this fundamental design, to which nothing can be added and nothing taken away is perhaps one of humanity's greatest achievements. I.M.H.O.  
 

It's all one thing

it

shuttles these squalls across the sky above the high desert.

it

sucks the water down this irrigation canal

it

oozes into the dormant seedling and propels it out of the soil and into the light.

it

seeps through my skin and pumps the fluid through my veins to my muscles.

i know because i  feel the electricity as my legs turn the pedals over.

it

flushes out through my eyes and runs down my face.

i don't know what it is, but i know it's primitive, and i know it's in all of us.

and i know it's all one thing.

Country bike in the country

We were able to get out on the bikes for a few hours on Sunday. Trying to get some miles in the legs for the upcoming charity rides. Cycle For Independence and Bob LeBow being two of our favorites. 43 miles in the desert south of town. Stacy turned off for home and I continued up towards Bogus Basin. At the turn-off for the Corrals trail, Chief decided he wanted to go offroad. We ended up doing the entire loop, crossing 8th Street and finishing up on the Crestline Trail

Chief did fine, shod as he is with Panaracer 700 x 32 tires and Honjo fenders. Some of the rocky, bumpy and steep descents were taken slowly, but overall there was nothing that really required any suspension, let alone a full suspension bike.

How to Buy a Bicycle

 Summary
There appears to be rampant confusion in the minds of many consumers when it comes to the modern bicycle. There are many categories of bicycles and cycling. A myriad of technical advancements have resulted in a bewildering array of products available to the would be bicycle buyer. I thought I could share the insights I have garnered over the past 39 years of riding bicycles, and write a primer for the bicycle shopper.

Introduction
It is important to realize that the modern bicycle industry has carefully segmented different aspects of the bicycle riding experience. It is best not to blur those lines when participating in this sport.
 The main segments I will be discussing are; 1)Road Bikes, 2) Mountain Bikes (and the sub-segment of "29ers"), 3)Cross Bikes, 4)Hybrid Bikes, and 5) Comfort Bikes. I will not talk about triathlon bikes because those are not  real bikes. And I will not talk about fixed gear bikes because those riders don't buy new bikes.
 I will try to describe each type of bicycle and their uses. Then I may discuss how and when to ride each type of bicycle.
In future posts I will provide sartorial advice (because you don't want to look like a beginner), the proper attitude for each type of bike riding and what you are expected to drink at the end of a ride.

Road Bikes
   First and foremost, road bikes are light, and they have skinny tires. This is  because all "road cyclists" are racers preparing for a big race or for their personal best ride to Bogus Basin.

  The wheels on a road bike must have 18 spokes maximum in each wheel, preferably with a paired spoke pattern rather than a traditional interlaced spoke pattern. This is because these wheels look cool. If one of these spokes break, the cyclist will become a pedestrian, but that is a small price to pay.
  Unless one wishes to look like a beginner the road bike should be made entirely of carbon fiber. As many of the parts as possible, including the aforementioned wheels, should be carbon fiber too. The amount of carbon fiber is directly proportional to the road cyclist's credibility.

  Never under any circumstances should fenders or racks or bells or any type of bag larger than one needed to carry a spare tube be mounted to a road bike. Fenders would just look dumb, and if one needs to carry anything more than a plastic jacket and a Clif Bar, well that's what cars are for. The manufacturers of road bikes have made this rule easy to follow.... there is no room for fenders and no place to bolt on a rack.

  The handlebars must be at least 10 cm (that's centimeters and 10 of them are almost 4 inches for non roady newbies) below the saddle. This is so you can look like Lance. This is not comfortable but if you are not suffering then why are you riding?     

Road bikes may only be ridden on paved roads and never in the rain (because they don't have fenders, remember?)  And the rider must ride "out of the saddle" as much as possible. This is because they will look as though they are working hard.

  

Mountain Bikes
  A mountain bike has fat, knobby tires on 26" wheels (unless it's a "29'r") . A mountain bike has straight handlebars because these are uncomfortable (see section on road bikes and suffering), and because the brakes and shifters that the bike companies make for mountain bikes fit best on these handlebars.

  In general a mountain bike will have a "suspension fork" on the front and in some cases, rear suspension too. This is because mountain bikers are gnarly and they "rail' and "huck" a lot. And because most of the riding they do will be on life-threatening, extreme terrain with tree roots and boulders and cliffs.

  Again, as with road bikes, carbon fiber is important. Many parts like seatposts and stems and handlebars are made of carbon fiber. These are more heavier than aluminum parts, but they look cool and add credibility. More companies are now making mountain bikes out of carbon fiber now too. This is because when the bike is crashed or just falls over or when a rock hits it the rider gets to buy a new frame and the manufacturer gets to sell another frame. This is known as a "win-win" situation.

  Mountain bikes have 3 chain rings in the front and 9 cogs in the back. So this makes for a total of 27 possible gears. Except that two of the rear cogs cannot be used when in the smallest ring and two other cogs cannot be used when in the big ring, because the chain will be "crossed" and will rub on the front derailleur. So that still leaves 23 gears which is a lot. Except that probably 4 of those gears have identical ratios, which means they are the same gear. So 27 speeds is really 19. Two chainrings in front and 8 cogs in the rear can provide 16 useable gears, but if people knew that and were able to reason, the manufacturers would be unable to sell all the special mountain bike components. And that would be bad for them and for the global economy. So "27" gears it is! 

29"ers (or two-niner)

29'ers are mountain bikes with bigger diameter wheels. This is because a marketing genius (probably Gary Fisher) was smoking a joint one day and thinking about how to sell more bike stuff. In a revelation, he heard  "Put road wheels on a mountain bike. Call them 29'ers" And it worked. More stuff to sell. Hooray for joints!

Cross Bikes

  A cross bike looks like a road bike. There are a couple of tell-tale differences though. The cross bike will have slightly fatter tires and "cantilever" brakes. These brakes allow more clearance for the tires and for mud, because cross bikes have to be ridden in the mud.... at least sometimes.

  Cross bike means a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike, or a bike that is able to cross over from pavement to dirt, or a bike that can be ridden in cyclocross races. Take your pick.

  Cyclocross races were invented by men who were not very good road racers and who like to drink beer. And, because some of them are clever, they wear dresses while cross racing. (cross racing... cross dressing- get it?) 

  A cross bike may be ridden on the road occasionally but must be ridden on single track primarily (when not racing) Also, cross season is in the fall. So a cross bike may only be ridden from, say, October through the end of the year. And then only as training.

  If a bike looks like a road bike but has wider tires and doesn't have road style caliper brakes, and doesn't have suspension, but is not a two-niner, don't freak out. It still needs to have a label. Just call it a cross bike!

Unless it's a.......

Hybrid Bike

Hybrid (biology), the offspring resulting from cross-breeding of different plants or animals

Thanks to Velouria at Lovely Bicycle for this photo.

A hybrid bike has mountain handlebars and gearing but is not a mountain bike, although one could ride it on a trail, I suppose, but it's not as rugged as a mountain bike. Or one could ride it on the pavement, I suppose, but it is not as fast as a road bike. So, basically it's a bike that doesn't really do anything too well.

Hybrid bike  

Comfort Bike

This type of bike is called a comfort bike because when one sits on the bike in the bike shop, or department store it feels comfortable. It has a big cushy seat and the handlebars are up high so a person doesn't have to reach or lean over. Buy this type of bike if you don't really want to ride a bike but someone close to you thinks you should get one, or if you have made a new years resolution to lose a few pounds. It will get the person off your back and give you a warm fuzzy feeling. As if you are really going to stick to your resolution this time. This bike will hang in your garage and you will eventually sell it at a yard sale or give it to one of your relatives, because actually riding it is the opposite of comfortable.

                                                                          
Conclusion                                                                   
So that's about it for this primer. Just one last caution; it has come to my attention that there is a crackpot living in a cave in Walnut Creek, CA. promoting a so called country bike. These bikes are made out of steel! pshaw! Everyone knows steel is heavy. But he claims that this material is durable. So? (read section about carbon mountain bikes). These bikes will accept fat tires...with fenders! Why would you want that? You going to ride in the rain or something? These bikes are designed for a comfortable fit. We already know comfort is over-rated. These bikes can be ridden on various surfaces, including pavement, gravel roads and trails. This might tempt a person to explore areas which are in their own back yard, but to which they have never been. You would definitely want to ride them on these back roads, because you don't want your riding buddies to see you on one! Ha, Ha, Ha. Don't buy one of these.

Eddy Bosberg

Many, many years ago I followed professional bike racing. I idolized those men as superhuman. Those were the  days of Greg LeMond, Stephens Rooks and Roche, Johan Museeuw, Claude Criquielion, and Sean Kelly.  When men were men, as it were.

Greg Lemond

Edwig van Hooydonck is a Belgian who won the one day classic Tour of Flanders in 1989 and 1991. After cutting off the leg's of the other riders on the last of the cobbled climbs, the Bosberg, van Hooydonck became known in the bunch as Eddy Bosberg.

Eddy van Hooydonck

I remember the story of him standing on the podium and crying like a baby.

I also remember the story of van Hooydonck cutting off the legs of his tights just below the knees. He must have looked fantastically goofy to the other riders and the spectators at the time. But he started a fashion. Now every cyclist probably has knickers or knee warmers in his or her drawer. And they walk around in public with almost no self-conciousness. Most of them probably don't know who Edwig van Hooydonck is, but they should if they insist on trying to look the part.

Mixtes

Sheldon Brown describes a mixte frame as: "A style of... frame in which the top tube consists of a pair of small diameter tubes running more-or-less straight from the upper head lug, past the seat tube, and on to the rear fork ends. A mixte frame thus has 3 sets of rear stays, instead of the usual two. A variant on the mixte uses a single, full sized top tube running from the upper head tube to the seat tube, but retains the middle set of stays. A .....bike that lacks the middle pair of stays is not a mixte."

The Mixte style has been around for a while, and there are some bike companies now making their versions of the mixte. Noteably Rivendell Bicycle Works and their Betty Foy....

Soma Fabrications' Buena Vista. This is a sporty build for a customer who would like to use it for long rides and light touring. Some people prefer the double top tube as being more authentically old school. The Rivendell has a single top tube. 

The Betty Foy obviously was made for women, but the style is not always gender specific. In fact Rivendell makes the Ives Gomez, A manly mixte or manmixte.

I have a customer who scours the internet for vintage mixte frames from makers like Nishiki and Panasonic, then allows me the privilege of sourcing the parts and refurbishing the bikes. Sometimes a challenge, but always rewarding. These bikes are often good candidates for conversions to 650b wheels, a wheel with a diameter in between 27", which the older bikes came with, and 26". Doing a 650b conversion means there is more room for fatter tires with fenders.

Pink Nishiki with 27" wheels.

Red Nishiki with 650b wheels

Panasonic- 650b

retrodirect

Darcy brought his bike in the other day. He modified it to use a retro-direct drive train.

Staring at this picture is like looking at M.C Escher.
I have to admit, this was the first time I had ever seen a set up like this. But it is not new. There are two freewheels on the back hub. One engages when the rider pedals normally. Nothing weird so far. The rider is able to coast, but when pedaling backwards, the other freewheel engages and the normal freewheel, well, freewheels. Whoa!

The two freewheels are different sizes, so it is essentially a two speed gearing. Pedaling forward is one speed, pedaling backwards is another speed.

This throws all the theories about cycling bio-mechanics and physiology out the proverbial window. It's sort of cool but leaves me thinking that just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be.

Nitto/Berthoud Part Two

This is part two of two. A follow up to my previous post- Nitto/Berthoud project. I actually finished the project and used the set up on my recent Texas Buckaroos Tour. It worked great. I had some worries about the load on the front...mostly because I totally confused myself reading various sites and publications about fork rake and trail and front vs. rear loading on a touring bike. I'm not that smart.

I do know that Grant Petersen is the BOSS when it comes to designing bicycles, and if this didn't work, it certainly wasn't the fault of the bicycle. I am riding a 61 cm Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen.

Here is the bike (Chief) outside Alpine Texas. The front rack top bag is the Gilles Berthoud GB28. The two small panniers in front, the Gilles Berthoud GB799, were developed to fit on a rear rack and probably on a rack with side rails a little below the top platform, such as the Tubus Logo. Since the Klick Fix attachment protrudes above the top of the bag, as shown in Part 1. I cut that off to make this setup work. The pannier bags are still easy to get off and to put on, and I could still access them in order to remove items. I carried my cookset in one, and I did need to pop the side bag off in order to get to it, but it was a minor inconvenience.  

One of the things I like about using these bags in conjunction with the Zimbale 18 liter saddlebag is each bag is relatively compact, with exterior pockets. So, as long as I can remember which bag I put something in, everything is pretty accessible. I don't have to empty things out and dig around like I would with large panniers. I also like the high, centered load. To be fair I should probably do a trip with the standard front and rear pannier setup for comparison. Oh darn, that means I have to buy more stuff and do more touring.

As far as bike handling goes, the first day out I experienced some shimmy in the front end. Actually, a lot of shimmy...at most speeds. The next day, I put some more air in the tires and, voila, no shimmy! At any speed.

So, overall I'm very pleased with the way this worked out.

"Cyclists"

Q.) What do you call two people on bicycles?
A.) A race
In the natural evolution of most activities sooner or later they become competitions. And the "highest" level of the activity becomes the competition. Then there is a whole family of clothing, equipment and accessories one needs to participate at the "highest" level. Heaven forbid the enthusiast who doesn't use the latest, greatest gear. That person is a poseur!

In the shop, we have copies of the Boise Road Cycling Guide for sale. This is a great resource for people who might be wondering about local bicycling friendly routes, put together by local guy Steve Stuebner.  On the cover is a photo of Kristin Armstrong riding her high end race bike.

I have met Steve Stuebner and Kristin Armstrong. They have both been in the shop. They are both nice people. Steve is a great bicycling advocate and has published books about outdoor activities in the area. What can I say about Kristin Armstrong? She has  accomplished great things on the bicycle. I love watching her dice with the best  men in the local road races and making them suffer.

  I have a concern with the photo of Kristin Armstrong on the cover of the Boise Road Cycling Guide. There is a supraliminal message here that, in order to be a "road cyclist" one must wear a racing strip and ride a superlightweight bicycle that is too small. Methinks this does not encourage the average person to want to become a "road cyclist" It seems elitist, expensive, and intimidating.

My concern is not limited to this instance. It is pervasive in bicycle publications and websites and advertising. You almost never see a person "just riding along". If they are on a "road bicycle" they are hammering out of the saddle, and if they are on a mountain bike they are standing on the pedals, hurtling down some gnarly singletrack. When did riding a bicycle become an extreme sport?

I don't even like the word "cyclist" because that conjures up an image of the roadie who is a legend in his own mind, trying to school other riders on Hill Road. Also because it increases the disaffection between "cyclists" and "motorists". Sometimes "cyclists" might be "motorists" and vice versa, and I think those words make it more difficult for the two to
co-exist.

So, whats The Point! ? The point is this. Try riding slow. Try a micro-tour. Look around. Stop once in a while. Don't always be on a training ride. Rediscover The Joy.

New at the shop

The Surly Long Haul Trucker has been popular with my customers the last couple of years, and it is easy to see why. It's a solid, dependable, well spec'd bike with very good riding manners. For 2010 there is a new color. Surly calls it blue velvet.

While I have not been crazy about every color Surly has used for the LHT, I think this is a winner.

In previous years, bikes 56cm and larger only came with 700c wheels, and the smaller sizes had 26" wheels. This year every size will be available with 26" wheels. Since this is a bike that can be taken out of the box, assembled and then ridden around the world, 26" wheels and tires may be easier to find if a replacement is needed in, say, Croatia. A smaller rim will result in shorter spokes with a wider bracing angle and may be more durable for the rough stuff rider as well. 

Also new to HPCS, and very exciting to yours truly is the Ostrich Handlebar Bag from Velo Orange

In real life it is a great army green color. There is a separate pocket in front and two small pockets which face the rider as well as flap pocket on either side. Andrew will be using one of these on the upcoming Texas Buckaroos tour in February, so we will be able to give a review then. Sorry, I don't stock the Ebisu. Maybe I should?

Monetize!!!!

I've added a widget! I'm so proud of myself. (actually, I have added two) The other day I signed up for a daily cartoon from Gapingvoid.com. I just added a widget for  Bicycle Touring Pro dot com. This is a good site for information and articles about traveling by bicycle. There is also a store where visitors can purchase items related to bicycle touring..... books, panniers, rack top bags, mirrors, etc.

If you click on the Bicycle Touring Pro link or on the widget over on the side here, you will be directed to that site. If you purchase something there, I will get a commission! Pretty cool, yes? At first glance that seems like a conflict, since I sell bike stuff too. But BTP generally sells different products or brands than I do, except for Brooks saddles. But a person can buy a Brooks saddle from a number of sources and if you are reading this, and need a Brooks saddle, you should buy one from me anyway!

I am doing this for two reasons. First, there is a lot of good information already out there on the internets, so why re-invent the wheel? The second reason is to try to make some money. Yes, I said it. I am doing this blog to promote my bike shop in order to make more money. Making money is a good thing.

So, if all seven of the people reading this blog buy something after clicking on the link, I may be able to buy some beer!

At The Bike Shop

   I've been using some of the winter slack time planning for 2010. Our 2009 sales were even with 2008, even though the margins were slightly lower. That's pretty good given the overall economic climate. I'm basing 2010 forecasts on another flat year. 
  My retail career now is going into the sixth year. I feel like I have a PhD and an MBA from the University of Trial and Error. The current trend of the shop is toward a narrower selection of inventory. Things that I use and believe in and products I know will sell. Grant Petersen at Rivendell has always been about simplicity, and I am going to try to follow that paradigm even more closely this year. That means "niche", a word some people don't like. But I can either try to be all things to all people... an almost certain recipe for disaster...or I can focus clearly on a smaller market. I can also either try to compete on price or I can add enough value to what I do and sell, that customers may not be quite so focused on getting the cheapest price. Although it never ceases to amaze me when people buy stuff online for very close to the same as they would spend buying from me. There is some sort of conditioning going on there. Do they automatically think buying on line is a better value? Is it just more convenient? Do they buy from certain websites so they can feel as if they belong to some inner circle?
   My guy, Hugh Macleod talks about "social objects". I'm not sure if I'm getting it exactly right, but the idea is that things have no meaning by themselves. A bottle of wine sitting on a table or a bicycle sitting in a shop has no meaning. If one connects the thing with a memorable time they had while they happened to be sharing the wine or with a hint of adventure when they think about using the bicycle to go overnight camping, then the thing has value. Not sure where I'm going with that.
   When I bought the shop five years ago Sheila Spangler of Capital Strategies represented me. When I sat down with her earlier this year, I found out she spent the last several years learning everything she could about marketing. Now she consults with business owners to help them add value to their own businesses. She made me think about what business I am in and what I sell, and she cracked open a door.  
    Here's my thought process:
If I do a break-even analysis, my total sales will equal my direct costs plus my variable costs. I have some control over my variable costs; I can take advantage of vendor discounts and freight allowances and terms. I have less control over the fixed costs. But, if I call salaries and wages fixed costs and if I have a pretty good idea of what my total sales and associated variable costs will be, based on the last two years, I can work backwards and make some plans. One thing I think I have learned this last year is that I need to pay myself first, not only if there is some money left over. That means I will have less budget for employees. OK.
- I can not be open 7 days a week, because I can't work that much. Historically, I know which two days of the week are slowest and I can close on those days.
- I need to be selective in the type of service work we do, because we won't be able to take care of everything that comes through the door. How to filter this could be a little tricky. I'm open to ideas! I want to take care of good, loyal customers first.

Comments are welcome, in fact I'd really like to here what customers expect out of a brick and mortar bike shop.