City Bikes DC Blogoganda Corner

David Bono - local cycling hero

2008-07-24T06:54:00.003-05:00

Another brave cyclist in the District. Mr. Bono was quoted as saying "you just can’t hit a pedestrian and drive away."

Thank you Mr. Bono!

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Novak cited after hitting pedestrian
By JONATHAN MARTIN & CHRIS FRATES | 7/23/08 2:02 PM EST Updated: 7/23/08 2:02 PM EST Text Size:

Novak, 77, has earned a reputation around the capital as an aggressive driver.
Photo: AP

Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning.

A Politico reporter saw Novak in the front of a police car with a citation in his hand; a WJLA-TV crew and reporter saw Novak as well. The pedestrian, a 66-year-old man who was not further identified by authorities, was treated at George Washington University Hospital for minor injuries, according to D.C. Fire and EMS. Novak was later released by police and drove away from the scene.

“I didn’t know I hit him. ... I feel terrible,” a shaken Novak told reporters from Politico and WJLA as he was returning to his car. "He's not dead, that's the main thing." Novak said he was a block away from 18th and K streets Northwest, where the accident occurred, when a bicyclist stopped him and said he had hit someone. He said he was cited for failing to yield the right of way.

The bicyclist was David Bono, a partner at Harkins Cunningham, who was on his usual bike commute to work at 1700 K St. N.W. when he witnessed the accident.

As he traveled east on K Street, crossing 18th, Bono said "a black Corvette convertible with top closed plows into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed into the windshield.”

Bono said that the pedestrian, who was crossing the street on a "Walk" signal and was in the crosswalk, rolled off the windshield and that Novak then made a right into the service lane of K Street. “This car is speeding away. What’s going through my mind is, you just can’t hit a pedestrian and drive away,” Bono said.

He said he chased Novak half a block down K Street, finally caught up with him and then put his bike in front of the car to block it and called 911. Traffic immediately backed up, horns blaring, until commuters behind Novak backed up so he could pull over.

Bono said that throughout, Novak "keeps trying to get away. He keeps trying to go.” He said he vaguely recognized the longtime political reporter and columnist as a news personality but could not precisely place him.

Finally, Bono said, Novak put his head out the window of his car and motioned him over. Bono said he told him that you can't hit a pedestrian and just drive away. He quoted Novak as responding: “I didn’t see him there.”

A concierge at 1700 K Street said that she saw a bicyclist yelling and walked outside to see what the commotion was about.

"This guy hit somebody and he won't stop so I'm going to stay here until the police come," Aleta Petty quoted Bono as saying, as he stood in K Street, blocking traffic.

D.C. police confirmed that there was an accident at 18th and K streets NW at approximately 10 a.m. involving a black Corvette convertible and that the driver was a white male.

The intersection is in the hub of Washington’s business district and is filled with pedestrians who work in the law firms and lobby shops that line the corridor.

Novak, 77, has earned a reputation around the capital as an aggressive driver, easily identified in his convertible sports car.

In 2001, he cursed at a pedestrian on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th streets Northwest for allegedly jaywalking.

“’Learn to read the signs, [bodily orifice]!’ Novak snapped before speeding away,” according to an item in The Washington Post’s Reliable Source column.

Novak explained to the paper: "He was crossing on the red light. I really hate jaywalkers. I despise them. Since I don't run the country, all I can do is yell at 'em. The other option is to run 'em over, but as a compassionate conservative, I would never do that."

Two years later, the same column reported that Novak had gone to a racing school in Florida.

"I've wanted to be a racecar driver all my life, and anyone who has watched me drive can tell you that,” Novak said.

Anne Schroeder Mullins and Adrienne Smutko contributed to this story.

More from ABC7 News: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0708/537957.html

Bike Transportation Fringe Benefit Reintroduced

2008-07-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

Rep. Blumenauer (Democrat from Oregon's 3rd.... The Bikin' 3rd!) yesterday followed through on a promised reintroduction of the bill that would allow employers to offer a tax-free subsidy for bicycle commuting. Welcome, H.R 6495.

Here's the relevant text. It looks like it would give $50 a month for an undefined 'qualified bicycle commuting month' (as opposed to the $20 that made it through the House last time round). Additionally, it also proposes to actually fund and pay out that tax-free benefit for Federal employees, lucky ducks. It would also crank up the existing mass transit benefit cap to $200.

As always, do not get your hopes up. It just hit the House floor, and if it comes out of committee(s), who knows what it might include. I did not see any paygo provisions, which will need to be tagged on there, and often act as poison pills. And finally, it needs to tickle the tastebuds of 60 Senators (why 60, not 50?). Anyway, the tracker widget on the right has been edited.

If, unlike a majority of the readers of this blog, you are represented by a fully-empowered Senator or member of Congress, please write or email yet again, voicing your support for this bill.

Full Service!

2008-07-14T12:45:00.003-05:00

In case you didn't catch that handsome mug on the TV, Tripp is receiving some well-deserved plaudits for administering some timely first aid in a shooting incident nearby the Adams Morgan store yesterday...

Come on in to tell him job well done, or to apply a tourniquet to any wounds incurred, or whatever. Don't worry, it's all clear.

The Emperor's New Handlebars

2008-07-10T11:33:00.003-05:00

And they can be yours, Grape Ape.

Ghost Bike dedication for Alice Swanson

2008-07-10T08:06:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted anything on the accident at 20th and R, because I just don't really know what to say. I think I may have met Ms. Swanson a few months back, I'm not sure. But regardless, the whole situation is quite jarring. WABA did their ghost bike unveiling and press conference last evening. Eric Gilliland's comments largely echoed their press releases on the incident, and quite appropriately, were measured and moderate in tone. The rest of the WABA staff was on hand, passing out copies of their safe cycling booklet and the pocket guide to DC bike laws.
And here's the memorial. Note the size of the crowd, lots of folks turned out. Including friends and/or family, more than a few tearful folks left flowers. I just didn't have the stomach to capture them on film, so look elsewhere for that sort of thing.

I got myself into a frightening conflagration as I soft-pedaled my way home. I was approaching a line of cars stopped at a stop sign on S street eastbound, and passed the line on the right. About a block or two down the road, an old white Chevy van with a smashed in front-end and a bad exhaust system laid on his horn, was beating on his steering wheel as he passed me, and screamed about how he was going to kill me if he ever saw me on the streets again. Because I passed him on the right? I guess? I don't know, I wasn't holding anybody up, there was plenty of room to pass.

I was pretty ragged already, and pulled over to back down from the fight and take myself out of harms way. I know this is the logical thing to do, but I'm still stewing over it. I've been yelled at plenty of times, even been threatened, but the ferocity of this guy, combined with the events of the day, scared the crap out of me. Thanks to the pedestrian who witnessed it, and asked if I was OK. Everybody be safe.

"Suspicious Bicycle"

2008-07-09T13:19:00.005-05:00

My wife just got one of those all-points office emails stating in part, "The 1700 Block of F Street is closed due to a suspicious bicycle in the vicinity of 17^th and F Streets." Suspicious bicycle? What do you want to bet that somebody locked up a bike with a "This Bike is a Pipe Bomb" sticker?

[edit -- turns out, this exact scenario reportedly occurred in Ohio. I plagiarized reality.]

A Bike Industry To-Do List #4 (Marketing to customers, not pushing product)

2008-07-07T09:30:00.004-05:00

Note: This is the third in an ignorant eight-part suggestion of some measures the bike brands could take to better appeal to the majority of Americans, who have little or no interest in cycling.

Part 1 described the situation, the challenges, and some important caveats.

Part 2 examined the importance of cosmetics, and our lack of visual differentiation.

Part 3 suggested that bike development should depend on end-customer research

In this part, I will suggest a few ways the bike brands can adjust their marketing tactics to better target all these new customers.

So, in the last part, I tried to make the case that the bikes we try to sell to casual cyclists pay little attention to what these cyclists want. Rather, they largely reflect the input of experienced cyclists in the industry, who design a bike that reflects our ideal of what such a customer should have. And a quick review of the bikes ridden by our staff shows that our tastes definitely tickle the outer boundaries of mainstream tastes.

Now let's say a big bike brand goes out and does all the market research. They design a line of great bikes, say in the $500-600 range, that are really attractive, or useful, or whatever really has the potential to get people excited about a bicycle who never even had them on their radar screen. The Model T of bicycles. How are you going to publicize it? And who are you targeting?

This is an area where real change has already been made. More and more, we are seeing obviously-planted mainstream media attention paid to particular bicycles, whether it is in the latest buy-this article in Men's Journal, the full-on PR blitz Shimano put on for their Coasting bikes, or the many celeb riding sightings lately.Paid ad placement is also flowing to the outlets where non-cyclists congregate, as it should. The old intuition held that someone looking for a bike would pick up a bicycling magazine. Logical. The reality is that non-cyclists are not actually looking for a bicycle, and those that are more apt to simply pick up the cheapest bike they can find. Thus, the only opportunity to differentiate a particular bicycle or brand is putting it out in the mainstream, and creating demand. Again, Coasting (and the Trek Lime in particular), and the paid media placements in targeted non-cycling publications last summer, provides a great case study on the value of taking this approach to appealing to non-cyclists. What might the next step in end-user marketing be? I would propose that more deliberate targeting of particular customer populations is necessary. The vast sea of non-cyclists are not a homogeneous population. My retired parents, my early-thirties city-dwelling friends, and Larry the Cable Guy are all non-cyclists. They don't read the same magazines, don't go to the same websites, and don't have the same tastes ("git 'r done!"). Should any of them decide to pick up a bike and start riding, each would probably be compelled to do so for different reasons, and would be attracted to different bikes or brands.

In this brave new world of bicycle development, we have done some research into our customer's tastes, and designed bicycles that will appeal to groups of non-cyclists. Maybe those groups are defined by demographics, or psychographics, or whatever. It is logical to then follow through, and target the marketing to particular groups.

Further, this marketing must go beyond the simple tactics described earlier. Marketing particular bicycles to particular groups must involve the dealer network, who would carry out and reinforce the targeted tactics on a local level, tailor their staffing and sales training to effectively carry out the marketing messages, and be allowed to choose to stock or not stock line items that do not appeal to their customer base.

The bike industry has done a great job of designing particular bicycles for every conceivable use. BikesnobNYC says this has gone overboard. And folks within the industry are starting to agree (scroll to bottom). But somewhere within the lineup, line items need to be devoted to appealing to tastes of large populations, rather than focusing on every possible whim of small ones.

Too corporate? Too cynical? Too much marketing mumbo-jumbo? Well, bypass the next post, when we'll discuss branding, and... I dunno, go take a refresher course on the Sheldon Brown gospel. And remember that this discussion is meant to just address how to appeal to the 170 million people in the US who could bike, but do so rarely or never. Developing, marketing, and selling the cool bikes the 13 million of us enjoy today can and should continue and thrive. But it shouldn't be to the exclusion of everybody else.

Good stuff lately from Bicycle Design blog

2008-07-03T16:33:00.001-05:00

First was a nice post on the problem of appealing to non-cyclists, which I have been posting a lot about recently. Unlike me, he was able to pull some stats on the potential size of the markets we are missing from Trek, posted below.My only quibble is that they infer that the answer may lie with folding and Dutch bikes, which are certainly quite in style these days. But I just don't see those bikes resonating with the general public right now, and they are not bringing in those 'blue ocean' people. As much as I love those bicycles personally, I worry that they are indicative of our industry's penchant for only asking ourselves what is cool. No, I don't have any better ideas.

The second post that caught my eye was a little bittersweet. The folks at Trek are pilot testing a kiosk, called the Trek Stop, which features a vending machine that dispenses tubes, patch kits, nutrition bars, and the like.My dad, who serviced and reconditioned vending machines for a few years, mucked around with a couple of old units, in an attempt to create something that we could plunk outside the store for the line of folks with punctures who are lined up every morning. We could never get the units configured quite right, and we were never convinced that they would stand up to the quick and frequent off-hours assaults they would receive outside the Adams Morgan store. So we scotched it. Good to see Trek running with the concept, I do wonder about how sturdy that front glass surface is.

Down in the comments, Aaron of Aaron's Bicycle Repair in Seattle provided the last pic, which he claims is the first tube vending machine, operational since 2005. Sigh. Trek, Aaron, well done to both of you.

Happy Canada Day

2008-07-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

Wasn't feeling the draw of the poutine to head to the embassy for their shindig, so I threw back a Molson Ex and some rye, took the bike and tools out on the patio, and tried unsuccessfully to get rid of a bottom bracket tick. No lamer than fireworks.

Fringe Benefit for Biking Groundhog Day

2008-06-30T16:48:00.001-05:00

[Update -- this bill hit the House floor July 15, click here for the skinny]Via bikeportland.org, it appears that Rep. Blumenauer of Oregon has once again picked himself up, dusted off his stylish bowtie, and flung the most no-brainer hunk of legislation against the wall of Congress, yet again.Just to review, this change to the tax code would allow employers to provide a transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters tax-free, in the same way that employers have been able to provide up to $220 in parking reimbursement, and up to $100 in mass transit reimbursement, tax-free, for years now. But sorry, area biking Feds, don't get your hopes up that you will be getting a new bike in place of those useless Smartrip cards you just hand out to your friends every quarter. The last version of the bill that made it through the House allowed for $20 per month maximum.There are a whole lot of other provisions to the bill, and they are all very nice, read more at bikeportland.org. The bill has not been introduced on the floor yet, and I can't find the full-text of the bill, but I will update and replace the bill tracker widget once it makes it gets introduced.But the same thing that probably smothered this bill in the Senate last time round, the required paygo provision, is back, and is still as untouchable as the Metro third rail. The revenue loss (again, the taxes on $20 lousy dollars a month disbursed to us few bicycle commuters by employers who even bother) has to be offset somehow, and it would be paid by closing oil company tax subsidies. Oil companies like subsidies, and lots of powerful people like oil companies.So, hopefully it will make it through the House again. And maybe even merit floor discussion in the Senate this time. But the present administration has previously staked out an intention to veto, and while many Senators may like bikers, I am guessing that number falls somewhat short of 60. Too cynical? Just one of the many reasons I will never be a Congressman, I suppose. I'm just a bike commuter who needs a new rear tire.

A Bike Industry To-Do List #3 (Talk to Your Targets)

2008-06-30T06:10:00.008-05:00

Note: This is the third in an ignorant eight-part suggestion of some measures the bike brands could take to better appeal to the majority of Americans, who have little or no interest in cycling.

Part 1 described the situation, the challenges, and some important caveats.

Part 2 examined the importance of cosmetics, and our lack of visual differentiation.

In this part, we will discuss approaches to designing bikes with broader appeal.

In the last installment, I tried to demonstrate how appearances matter, and how scarily undifferentiated the bicycles we sell in bicycle stores are from the ones available at the Jumbo Mart. These effects are amplified among the folks we are talking about, the vast crowds of Americans who aren't cyclists. So, how do we lend some zazz to our products? What will get these people buzzing about our bikes? Ask them what they like.

Oh, market research, blech. Lock a 15-person cross-section of America in a one-way mirror room, all anxiously awaiting $25 and free Subway sandwiches, and show them some paint chips. That will solve everything, right?

Well, what are we doing now, and how well is it working? We design and sell bicycles that we (those who have opted into a cycling lifestyle) think are wicked awesome. And the net result is a bunch of bikes that we really like. But in general, we're a different sort of crowd. Demographically, behaviorally, politically, we don't always resemble the rest of the country.

If we want to invite everybody else to join our little crowd, perhaps it is time to step a little bit further outside of our comfort zone, and thus open ourselves up to some new ideas. And by 'new ideas,' I mean ideas that we might offensive to our notions of what makes a good bicycle, or what we think a new cyclists should want or need. The cautionary tale for us should be the longstanding reticence of automakers to install good cupholders in our cars.

Research by the bike brands only seems to target their own dealers, as far as I can tell. This is just fine for the enthusiast bikes, those existing segments of the market that we all club ourselves silly fighting over. And it is great that they ask us what dealers think, it is flattering. It allows us to relay what our customers are saying, though that input is obviously getting filtered. And pride probably makes us better salespeople, if we are selling products we had a small hand in developing.

But the result is a series of FUBU bicycles -- for us, by us. Few of us know a lot about people who don't bike. We don't know what they think is cool, we don't know what scares them, we don't know what is keeping them off a bike, we don't know what will make them feel comfortable. And these points are proven by where we find ourselves, fighting over a shrinking market, in market conditions where our sales should be skyrocketing.

A Bike Industry To-Do List #2 (Looks Matter)

2008-06-26T15:00:00.001-05:00

Note: This is the second in an ignorant eight-part suggestion of some measures the bike brands could take to better appeal to the majority of Americans, who have little or no interest in cycling.

Part 1 described the situation, the challenges, and some important caveats.
In this part, we will examine cosmetics and visual differentiation.

If you've ever browsed the listings at match.com (and yes, you have, quit lying), there were probably quite a few perfectly dateworthy men or women you passed over in 7 milliseconds. Entirely because of appearances, of course.

Is it any different with bicycles? Yes. But no.

Those of us who have been riding our bikes for a long time, whether for commuting, racing, touring, or whatever, probably take a good long look at a spec sheet, or take a good long test ride, when making our bicycle purchase. We think practically, because we know what works for us. Cosmetics still matter, but they face stiff competition from fit, features, and function.

When somebody comes into the store who is new to cycling, we tell them about the warrantees on our bikes. The quality and serviceability of the running gear. The relative merits of different frame materials and geometries. The luxury of having multiple sizes to choose from. But, for somebody who may still be in the "dabbling" phase of their cycling journey, is any of this compelling? Do they come through our door seeking these things, recognizing their merit?

I think style will hold greater sway over the novice cyclist's purchase decision. It hurts to say that. We want every new cyclist to immediately adopt our practical, utilitarian view of how to pick a bike. It validates our expertise, borne out of our many hours in the saddle. But a pretty face goes a long way, longer than we would prefer.

To test this crackpot notion, I sent the picture below to a bunch of friends and family who don't care a lick about bicycles, and have so demonstrated by making fun of my bike collection, and occasionally, my vocation. Two of these bicycles are sold in big-box discount retailers, retail in the $150-200 range, are only available in one size, are built by somebody wielding a plumber's wrench and a hammer, and feature the finest in craptacular breakomatic parts. One of these bicycles is sold in our shop, retails for over $350, features nice serviceable components, a frame warranty, is built up by a pro who builds safe bicycles for a living, and is available in a range of sizes.
I offered my guinea pigs a few options -- If they were throwing down for a bike like the three pictured this weekend, they could select one of these bikes based on what they see in the picture, or some other non-visual criteria they would find important ("the cheapest one", "best warranty", "most comfortable", "the one sold by my favorite local bike store," etc).

I got 24 responses. ALL (100%) made selections based on aesthetics. Commence attacking my research methodology, but I'm ready to conclude that style matters. A lot.

So, since I am concerned with getting people onto a correctly-fitted, reliable, quality bike-store bicycle that they will enjoy riding for years to come, did my sample end up on the "right" bike? Well, 17 out of 24 (71%, eek!!!) liked Bike #1, the one all the way on the left. And you guessed it, Bike #1 is sold in a big box retailer whose name rhymes with Malwart, and was the cheapest one of the three.

That's a huge problem for the bike store, and the bike brands who produce our offerings. If we want to appeal to non-cyclists, this little experiment convinced me that we have to do it with a greater helping of style. We shouldn't dispense with all those practical things that make a bike-store bike the best option. But we'd better start recognizing that while some will pay twice as much (and more) for all those necessary things on a cosmetically-similar (or cosmetically-deficient, if you believe my 24 jurors) bicycle, there are a bunch more that will look at some pictures online, see our visually-undifferentiated bike, and never come in our shop doors to listen to our compelling and rational argument.

People will even pay a premium for style. And pretty needn't cost a lot more than homely. So, I vote for pretty. But, what is pretty? We'll hash through that in the next installment.

Restart the calls for a velodrome

2008-06-25T16:14:00.003-05:00

Remember a few years back, there was a WABA-backed push for a velodrome to be included in a planned recreation area at the confluence of Crystal City, I-395, GW Pkwy, and the Mt. Vernon Trail?

Well, there's no reason to believe that any plans have changed, but the County finally worked out the land-swap deal with a developer that is allowing the Long Bridge park project to plow forward. The nice bit (for local resident me, at least) is the planned connection someday to the Mt. Vernon Trail that will run through the area. No more dodging Gravelly Point zombiedestrians. No more trying to block out the stanky porta-potties. No more near-collisions in the tunnel under the train tracks. No more of any of that, beginning.... Oh.
No schedule yet.

A Bike Industry To-Do List #1 (Intro)

2008-06-25T06:50:00.000-05:00

Within the walled city of the bike industry, the term "industry veteran" precedes the name of every person with a hand on a lever. It is a term of endearment, and after a scant three years here at the shop, I haven't earned it. I'm still an industry outsider, and I'm on my way back out. So, no better time to tell the industry how I think it could improve, right?

Anyway, here's the backdrop. In the past few years, the industry veteranati have come around to the hard truth that our little corner of the world (bicycle retail manufacturers selling through independent bicycle dealers) is eating it's own tail. Besides our steady/falling sales, and sharp declines in the number of bike storefronts, a big call-to-action was the market research project undertaken by Shimano for their Coasting project. That research told the sad tale that very few Americans were cycling even occasionally, and laid out many of the reasons that people just are not interested.

A further study, commissioned by the BPSA, described how the industry has focused too hard on the enthusiast cycling culture, which makes up a ridiculously small proportion of the total US population. We spend most of our resources clubbing each other trying to bag a bigger share of the static population of longtime hardcore enthusiast cyclists, who are also the most apt to go online to do their bike shopping.

The flipside of this is the opportunity, especially amid our obesity epidemic and the rising cost of energy, to take a fresh approach to the business of bicycle retail, and put a whole lot of new people on bicycles. A lot of folks are taking the message to heart, even within the industry Cosa Nostra, and are committed to knocking down some of the barriers that turn away the casual or potential cyclists.

IMPORTANT qualifier -- One of the most compelling barriers cited in these studies was the shoddy in-store experience. Bicycle shops are considered intimidating places, full of unfamiliar merchandise and sullen unwelcoming employees. I'm not going to delve into this aspect, because it's both obvious, and well-covered. Every bikeshop who is serious about this new mission knows what they need to do. City Bikes decided a few years ago that creating a more welcoming instore experience was a necessity, and while there's still a lot of ground to cover, hopefully progress has been made, and real action is definitely underway.

But what if a whole bunch of bikeshops embrace this challenge, like the folks at Bike Gallery in Portland, Oregon have? They invest in signage, they train on customer service, they hire employees who smile, they stress a welcoming inclusive atmosphere. What if they do all that, the customers come beating down the doors, and what they get from the bike brands to sell are the same bikes we sell now, at the same price, same conditions, same everything?

I see a lot of product coming down the pike that strives for this broad appeal. And I see a lot of marketing and PR muscle being applied to the chore at hand. But I wonder how much of this represents real structural change in the industry, and how much is bringing to bear the same old approaches to pursuing new market niches?

So, in the next seven (7!) subsequent installments of excruciating insider bore-fodder, I will suggest some ways that the industry -- or at least those in the industry serious about broadening their appeal -- can approach this new mission. I am truly sorry to any/all regular readers, as this blog was conceived to get people excited about cycling. This business-case dissection of the industry will probably read like a cue-sheet to Sleepyland. But I'll try to sprinkle in some lighter fare from time to time.

Credit where credit is due -- many of my opinions on this were formed (consciously or unconsciously) by talking to Jay Townley and Elliot Gluskin of the appropriately-named Gluskin-Townley Group. Ironic that a true industry veteran like Jay has very much been the canary in the mineshaft on this whole situation. More clarity came through a rather intense email brainstorming session with our ex-merchandise guy Mike. He was approached by one of our vendors, who (motivated by our falling orders, of course) wanted to know what they could do better. Rather than providing the usual feedback ("deliver faster," "better availability data," "bigger margins"), we started reeling off all the big things that any and every bike brand could undertake to better align with our desire to broaden the appeal of cycling.

So, with all due apologies and qualifiers out of the way, I'll start later today by looking at the products themselves....

Read their blog, get 10% off?

2008-06-20T12:30:00.001-05:00

Nashbar has a blog now, too. See you in a few months, when we all get bored and toddle over to corporatize Twitter.

Who rides Specialized?

2008-06-18T10:41:00.003-05:00

Gilbert Arenas, posted in the DC Sports Bog, how about that. But, Agent Zero....

...riding on the sidewalk?
...with big ole canister earphones?
...no helmet?
...on a bike a size or two too small?

No, no, no, no. Gil, please let us hook you up with a helmet. And once you get that fat new contract signed, we have a ride far more appropo for a max player, in stock, much closer to your size. Caron knows bikes, bring him along. gwadzilla likes it, and may be sad to see it go, but it's our shared civic duty to get Gil in shape to rain buckets on those lousy Celtics next season.

Globe (by Specialized), branding comes to bikes

2008-06-16T09:15:00.002-05:00

I have an eight-part rant on what the bike brands could do to better appeal to the general public. One of those points is to make better use of different brands for different audiences. The folks at Specialized are obviously on top of it, see below for presser on their new Globe sub-brand for their enhanced lineup of commuter bikes.

Regardless of how the products turn out (and no, I don't know how this new Globe line of commuter bikes differs from the existing Specialized Globe City line), it's good to see that Specialized acknowledges that a big red slasher "S" might not play as well on these downtubes as it does on Tom Boonen's, and that both will be the better for the change.

Stay tuned for bike details, I'm interested to see what they come up with. That little pic down there would suggest something that resembles the existing Globe Centrum, but with 700c wheels. Details should be available at their big dealer shindig in July.

June 5th, 2008

PRESS RELEASE
Specialized Launches Improved Globe Line of Bikes

New Bikes are Part of the Wellness, Environment and Fuel Price Solution

“We believe that bikes can be a significant part of solution for the biggest challenges we face – wellness, global warming and souring fuel costs.” States Mike Sinyard, President and Founder of Specialized. “That's why we have been advocating for bikes as a transportation for years." This support is evidenced by being a founding member and continuous supporter of organizations like Bikes Belong. As part of their focus on change, Specialized launched the Innovate or Die Contest in 2007 in cooperation with Google and Goodby Silverstein & Partners - Specialized's agency of record and creator of the "Got Milk" campaign - to stimulate the use of pedal power and to introduce the Globe bike concept.

To get more people out of their cars and on bikes more often, Specialized has been innovating and investing significantly over the past year to develop a complete Globe bike line focused on commuting, transportation and casual riding. "We know Globes will be a classic example of doing well while doing good," say a confident John Thompson, Specialized National Sales Manager. "The new Globes will not only contribute to the greater good, they will also mean a boom in business for our dealers and for Specialized."

To aid in the development of Globe bikes and marketing, Specialized worked all year with a group of dealers who have achieved great success in the transportation and utility bicycle segments. These dealers clearly communicated what their consumers were asking for and what Specialized could do to help them sell bikes like these. “Dealer focus groups and other research informed us that commute and utilitarian riders have different sensibilities and motivators than enthusiast riders”, says Ben Capron, Specialized Director of Global Marketing. “We created the Globe line with distinct branding to connect with this different rider group, similar to the way BMW redeveloped the Mini Cooper or when Apple developed the IPod branding. The result is a diversified line of Globes built around clean design, high functionality, great durability, light weight and tires with puncture resistance technology like Armadillo."

Because there are different types of commutes and utilitarian purposes for bikes, Specialized has developed four families of Globe bikes, each named after a city that typifies that form of riding. These bikes will begin shipping to dealers in early July.

All four families are very light for their class and feature appropriate geometry for the application, along with ergonomic contact points everywhere the body touches the bike.

Later this summer, Specialized will launch a several-pronged promotional effort around the Globe to drive consumer awareness and demand. Efforts will include cooperation with local advocacy groups, extensive PR, a stand-along Globe catalog and partnerships with dealers through SBCU education and full in-store promotions, including window display, floor display and other unique pieces.

"This is the right solution for wellness, the environment and the fuel crisis, but this will also be a huge factor in the future health of our industry, " Sinyard concludes. "First it was the mountain bike, then the road bike, and now transportation bikes will be the third wave to stimulate growth in our industry over the coming years."

Why Bike to Work #6 -- White House Protesters

2008-06-12T07:39:00.008-05:00

Back in 1995, after the Oklahoma City bombing, Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House was closed off to automobile traffic. Eventually, this closure extended from 15th to 17th Streets, and I think it was even closed off to pedestrians for a time after 9/11.

Well anyway, it is definitely open to pedestrians now. Huge milling herds of pedestrians pose with cardboard cutouts of Dubya, dart around like nervous 800 pound hummingbirds on their rented Segways, and squint at their surroundings through their viewfinders. Wait, how is this an enticement to bike to work?

The protesters. They are simply wonderful. Primarily liberal, at least in my experience, often kooky, always passionate, sometimes completely incoherent. Exhibit A. I couldn't work out exactly what this guy was for or against, but he has obviously put a lot of thought and work into it. Regrettably unseen behind the "Wheel of Death" is the 4-foot-tall Kermit the Frog stuffed toy he had sitting in a lawn chair.

Then there was bizarro Austin Powers, who was trying to convince a pack of corn-fed middle schoolers that in the eyes of God, any less than unconditional support of Israel was akin to supporting the terrorists."Israel has mojo, baby, yeah!!!" No, he really said that. Agent Powers' sign reads, "I (the Hay God of Israel) will bless America if America blesses Israel. I will curse America if America curses Israel."

Then there's this encampment, which has been in place for months. Anti-war, they sometimes have a four-wheeled bicycle contraption with speakers and signs that does a few laps of the promenade, blasting protest music.This guy was wandering around the other day. Here's his myspace page. Take a minute to scan his platform. It addresses everything from the war and Israel, to gas station restrooms and landscaping practices on Federal property in DC.Odd that all this nuttiness can take place, and be photographed, within a few hundred feet of the residence of the President and the Executive Office Buildings, but couldn't in the cubiclehood of Crystal City. Anyway, the most cringe-inducing was probably this pack of semi-clothed bicyclists.Anyway, if you are driving or taking Metro to work, you are probably missing all this fun. Besides the two-block respite from riding in traffic, the White House stretch of Penn Ave provides a daily reminder of how the First Amendment is, "smashing, baby, YEAAA!!"

First batch of MPD police bikes

2008-06-11T08:43:00.003-05:00

For many years, City Bikes has sold and serviced bicycles for DC's Metropolitan Police Department. The first lot of this year's purchase of Cannondales just went out the door. DC has been a bit ahead of the curve on bicycle patrols, I think, but others are catching on.

Cirque du Cyclisme photos

2008-06-09T07:22:00.004-05:00

Full photostream here. I didn't ride out, as I've picked up a nasty cold somewhere, and am really suffering in this weather. A couple of extra-special bikes:This Cinelli city bike was just beautiful. I stumbled upon it around the same time as Brian Baylis and Johnny Coast, who were both impressed with the work done on the integrated stem/handlebar/brake levers/shifter braze-ons.One of my favorite bikes, a JP Weigle. A bit less flashy, despite the braze-on taillight, then others on show, but just really nice.Richard Sachs was there with a frame-in-progress, which was very neat to see in person. Seeing the filemarks around the brazing, uncovered by paint, hammers home the point that these are truly handmade frames. My pics don't really capture it.
Hypnowheel says, "Buy me!"It takes awhile, but if you stare long enough, you can see the jumping dolphins. Just relax your corneas. Other side of the same wheel:Classy, and deep, like Love/Hate knuckle tattoos.

Anyway, this cold has me pretty zapped. So just persuse the photos, I might post a few more here when I shake off the effects of the Hypnowheel, and add some descriptions to the photos.

World Naked Bike Ride DC, thoroughly covered

2008-06-08T02:00:00.001-05:00

It's going to be really really difficult, but I'm going to try to make this post as work-safe as possible. Tasteless, maybe, but rated G. Go here if you want to see the full flickr set of socks, cracks, thongs, creepy all-over tans, and meticulous grooming.

Anyway. Things convened in MacPherson Square around 3PM. For Erik, the obligatory folding bike pic. They're just so darned useful.
I heard rumors that MPD or NPS or somebody was threatening to arrest anybody who went all-in. Plus, DC is just a low-key city. So, lots of socks. Eavesdropped quote of the day -- "OOOO, is that moleskin?" Lots of folks like me, who just wore shorts. Like these guys:A brief debate erupted over the permissibility of miniature Crown Royal bags as conforming attire. Legal rights were asserted, case law was cited, phone calls were made....But it was all good. The Honest Tea folks, who also cosponsored Bike to Work Day, popped up to hand out free drinks to all riders, so kudos to them for their apparent liking of biking. By the way, I have no scruples -- give me free stuff, I'll talk it up.And off we go, with police escort from MPD.Down 14th to Penn...Tourists REALLY got a hoot out of the whole thing. I think. Down to the Capitol....With a stop for a minute to conduct vital business.Then back down Independence. Appropriate, because while many of us were there mostly for a fun afternoon, the point of the whole shindig was to rally against our dependence on oil.Awkward.... We were urging other cyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders, etc. to join us as we rode. We then pulled alongside a pack of rental Segways, moving at exactly the same speed, on the sidewalk. Nobody quite knew whether they were worthy of inviting onto our little caravan.They hummed along beside us for a minute or so, each party avoiding the other's eye. The Segway ride leader in particular had his eyes locked straight ahead. Just up the block, I think we ruined this lady's vacation.We then convened in front of the White House, where middle schoolers giggled at us, a surprising number of freelance photographers took pics, Laura Bush was no doubt taken aback, and we all got sunburned. Semi-official count was 40-ish riders, which doubled last year's total, apparently.Anyway. My favorite pic, I'll just link to it, as it's pretty questionable. A man backdropped by the White House, wearing an eerily realistic fleshy stocking on his stuff, proudly standing beside his bike, the "Softride" brand prominently displayed. There's a great joke there, just beyond my reach. Suggestions?

Cupcake Ride report

2008-06-07T18:17:00.012-05:00

Free weekend! For the first time, I made my way up to Adams Morgan to join Sol on the weekly Cupcake Ride.

(pic purloined from david m)

On the way in, I ran into opposing traffic on the Mt Vernon Trail from the Arlington and Alexandria Community Bike Ride. The downside of all these people excited to ride, even on such a sweltering day, was the downright dangerous congestion on the trail. I had to come to an emergency stop, and even bail onto the grass, numerous times to avoid oncoming traffic. And a special swing of my frame pump to the guy who thought it prudent to pull out and blast past a slow group of 20 down in his aerobars. Seeing this guy doing the aerobar snake-charmer wobble straight at you, 25 feet away and closing, did as much as my iced venti americano to wake me up this morn.
It was HOT. [how hot was it?] It was so hot, the glue on my tubie tires was melting. Not a great punchline, but true.Anyway, enough grousing. A hearty crew of four joined Sol and I.......ladies are obviously made of tougher stuff. Away we went, down to the Rock Creek Trail.
Plenty of other folks were out riding, despite the schvitzy weather.Rock Creek Park really is a beautiful place, it's nice to ride it at less than a time-trial pace (perhaps the Mt. Vernon Trail contre-la-montre champion will give it a try). It is just a little bit more uphill on the way out of town (no, really). So that, and some underinflated tires, meant we took our time making our way to Chevy Chase. After going under the trestle bridge....... we got to the Chevy Chase shop, where we sat down for some of Sol's baked goods. I especially enjoyed the gingerbread.Yum! After pumping up some tires, choking down lots of water, and convincing ourselves that the ride back was a lot less tiring, we set off.What a difference a litre of water, some gingerbread, 60psi in the tires, and a slight downhill will make. We were practically pacelining back.Back in town, headed for home. Come on out and join us, every Saturday at 11AM. That was my very relaxing morning. Stay tuned for the afternoon report, from World Naked Bike Ride DC.

The weekend upcoming

2008-06-06T08:17:00.004-05:00

Ready for a respite after 4 weeks of marriage, my wife is headed to Atlantic City for a bachelorette party. The classy centrepiece of which will be a trip to Mantasm, a male revue featuring, "more six-packs than the local tavern." While I've been left with a list of chores, this weekend of freedom also presents a Mantastic opportunity to get some riding in.

Saturday morning at 11AM, I'll be tagging along on Sol's Cupcake Ride, leaving from the Adams Morgan shop.

Later that afternoon, I'll squeeze into my Cipo skinsuit (yum, still smells like cocoa butter) and be the guy who is dressed and makes everyone else self-conscious at the World Naked Bike Ride, gathering at 3 and leaving at 4 from MacPherson Square.

Sunday, Cirque du Cyclisme in Leesburg. If you see me around, please say hello.

little help?

2008-06-04T12:34:00.004-05:00

We're throwing together a revised "bikes for women" page on the website, and the dude who wrote it is pretty concerned that he's hardly an expert on the subject. Here's the old one.... and here's the new draft. Your comments and suggestions on content would be greatly appreciated.

Cirque du Cyclisme, this weekend in Leesburg

2008-06-03T08:15:00.003-05:00

Ahh, forgot this was this weekend! I promised my wife that I'd finish closet renovations. Vintage lightweight bike show and swap-meet (or if you prefer, "cycle jumble") on Sunday out in Leesburg, click the logo above for details, my camera and I will be biking out. They're also doing a framebuilder's forum on Saturday -- in the past, this has reportedly been quite a cool event, listening to folk like Richard Sachs hold court. The closet will have to wait.

Pic below is from the Velo Orange photoset.

The likable folding bicycle

2008-06-02T18:43:00.002-05:00

We're as guilty as anybody of trying to play up the stuff that we like that is flying under the radar of the marketplace. But this post has been a long time coming. A bunch of us believe that the folding bike solves a lot of problems associated with biking, living, and working in the city.

Like using mass transit, for example. As you may know, Metro won't let you take a full-sized bike on during peak times. And the MARC and VRE trains won't let you take one on at all. But folding bikes in their folded state (and in a bag for Metro), are allowed any ole time you please on Metro, inside Metrobusses, on the VRE, and on MARC train. I used to Metro from Bethesda to Crystal City almost every day. It took a bit over an hour each way, but I could have trimmed about 15 minutes of walking time off of each leg of my commute with a folding bike. I probably wasn't alone, check out this great map showing the vast swaths of DC that fall outside a short walking distance from a Metro station.

Or maybe you're crammed into a 'cozy' 400 square foot efficiency in Dupont Circle. Which of the following will wedge into that sliver of space between your Murphy bed and your kitchen/bedside table? This...
...or this?Or perhaps you're a bit intimidated by the standover height of a full-sized bike. Not too fond of the sight of that unforgiving metal tube scant inches away from other far less resilient tubes, huh? Well, no worries here.

But they can't be easy or quick to fold, can they?

Neat. But there's so small. They can't be very fun to ride, can they?

I rode the Breezer Zag 8 shown below from our Adams Morgan shop to Clarendon, then to my house in Pentagon City, and back to the shop the next morning. And not only did I make great time, I had a great time. The gear range is fine for most riding, the tires soak up the bumps, and it handles pretty much like a regular bike. Ask our finance guy, Erik, he loves his too.
But come on, they look like clown bikes. Good gravy, if that's a concern, just don your best-fitting tweeds, and you'll turn heads for the right reasons. The line between 'eccentric' and 'individualist' can be as thin as a nicely tailored jacket, or a fresh shine on your shoes. Your bike can't make or break your style, it's just an accessory to the total package. Besides, check out the slightly similar looking and perpetually-coming-soon Smartbikes, you will be in good company really really soon (this month, maybe?). Ahead of the curve, even.

We proudly sell and stock Breezer folding bikes, and can order Dahon folding bikes as well. Like the Batavus Old Dutch city bike I highlighted a few weeks back (still in stock last I checked Friday), we would love to find and stock more models, but we're just not seeing a groundswell of interest yet.

Coast to Coast for Veterans

2008-06-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

So, a few weeks back, I babbled on about how the Surly Long Haul Trucker was maybe a bit of pig-iron overkill for a lot of cyclists. But then, there are riders like Iris......who is stuffing DC life in an Ortlieb pannier bag, and setting out on a cross-country ride to benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund. Iris needed a bulletproof rig that would flatten out 50-100 miles of pavement a day (here's her route) and plunked down for a nice new LHT.
She asked if we would chip in with some accessories, which we did, thanks to Serfas who is exceedingly generous in stocking our schwag bag. Iris has a noble intent -- to support the Yellow Ribbon Fund's invaluable mission to fill in the gaps in the rehabilitation efforts of troops at Walter Reed AMC and the National Naval Medical Center.

Sound familiar? You may recall a handsome young man, who is not too fond of the French and has a man-crush on Matthew McConaughey, schlepping wristbands....
Yes, the WristStrong campaign, of course. Which did not seek to appropriate the likeness to another rubber-wristband-based charitable endeavor in any way. Stephen T. Colbert raised about $172K for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, with wristbands that, paradoxically, were not yellow. Here's the very funny check presentation:

I'm sure if you click through to Iris' site, and put a few dollars down to help her top the Colbert Nation's $172K, she'll sign a 10-foot-tall novelty check too.

Bega's Cannondale

2008-05-31T16:22:00.005-05:00

As seen previously with my Moots, a few of us at the shop refuse to buy into the conventional wisdom that your commuter bike needs to be a beater. Sure, we have access to some nice bikes at reduced prices. Sure, we benefit if everyone decides that a commuter bike oughta cost more than your first car. And the best bike is the one that you ride.

But putting all that aside, here's Bega's Cannondale SystemSix, rigged and ready for commuter duty.The cognoscenti will note the SRAM Force drivetrain bits, and the Zipp / Flashpoint wheels. But don't ignore the fenders, Speedplay Frog pedals, and the mirrors and bell. Running a carbon race bike as your regular transpo may not be for everyone, but here's proof that it is possible.

Even bike blogs in DC talk wonky

2008-05-29T16:30:00.002-05:00

[Edit -- since this post, this bill did indeed stall, and has now been reintroduced, click here for the details on the new, more ambitious bill]

Both you regular readers are probably wondering, "What's that gobbledy-gook feed you plunked into your already ugly blog?" It's a status update on the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, which passed in the House, and is coming up for Senate vote soon.

Who cares? Bike commuters should, because buried within the bill, is an extension of the transportation fringe benefit allowance (the reason nearly every Federal employee in the area gets those $100 in Metro cards every month that occasionally end up on eBay) to bicycle commuting. Rep. Blumenauer of Oregon (of course) has been quixotically championing this issue for years.

Obviously, it would be a great thing for the larger "us" of cycling. But for the small business "us" that pays me every two weeks, allowing companies and Government agencies (there's a few of those around here) to give a non-taxable commuting subsidy for bike commuting would probably bring quite a few people through the store doors.

What are the chances? Well, this bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Legislative Purgatory in the past. This time round, it is tucked it into a bill that would repeal oil company tax credits, and use the savings to fund alternative fuel research. So nobody will oppose it, and it should fly right through the Senate. Yes.

By the by, Tom Davis of Virginia's 11th (Fairfax, Springfield, Potomac Millsville), Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland's 6th (northern Maryland), Frank Wolf of Virginia's (Herndon, Winchester, Sterling), and rural Virginia's voice-of-tolerance, Virgil Goode of the Charlottesville area, are among the local-ish reps who voted against it.

I'm not going to get my hopes up, but I'm also going to write a letter to my senators. Hope you'll do the same. Unless, of course, you're in DC. Like City Bikes. Disenfranchised and it feels so good.

Cartoon that is either funny or offensive

2008-05-28T08:31:00.002-05:00

I vote 'funny', but then, I don't ride a "tungsten-graphite" bike.

Superlame RFK Crit wrap-up post

2008-05-27T17:47:00.011-05:00

I didn't stay for the racing, and took a grand total of three photographs at this past Sunday's City Bikes RFK Criterium presented by Hub Racing [sharply inhales]. So to further lame up an otherwise lame post, I'm using Men at Work lyrics to structure my thoughts. Yep, I've reached a nadir of cheap gimmickry on this blog. Here's the video, to refresh your repressed memories of the song.

Do you come from a land down under? The bike doesn't, it's a Cannondale SuperSix Ultimate...
.... which is ridden by Leeanne Manderson of Hub Racing, who does. Where women glow and men plunder? I might have plundered that bike, had it not been secured by a lock, and been way too small for me. The SRAM SRM crank features a built-in powermeter, tasteful good looks, a huge pricetag, and two similar acronyms I don't know. If the women were glowing, I was far too tired to notice, as I reported for setup duty at 6AM sharp. Note the fading remnants of the moon just east of the nose of the saddle.Can't you hear the thunder? Yes, quite clearly in fact. I live overlooking I395 (jealous?), where Rolling Thunder convened, just as I had settled down for my post-race nap. Bitchin.
You better run you better take cover. I did, after two laps of watching the Cat5 Men's race, which included a young go-getter named Adrian Fenty. As mentioned, I then beat a hasty retreat for my bed, and listened to motorcycles, wishing I had a head full of zombie. So for race info, you'll have to make due with WABA's pictures, and the results.

I had that awful song in my head all weekend. Sorry. The posts will improve. Maybe.

Why Bike to Work #5 -- Apparent motion

2008-05-26T20:43:00.004-05:00

So, way back on reason #3, commentator Marissa noted in part:

Hands down, my favorite part of bike commuting is how I zip past all the suckers waiting at the bus stop. They'll be there for another 15 minutes or so, only to have to pay to cram into a sardine-can-esque bus that usually smells of sweat and frustration....

Well, I won't trash the bus, it's ambiance, or it's patrons. But I'll run with the central point -- getting to work on the bike is pretty satisfying, in part because I'm almost always moving, rarely waiting. Even though I respect the traffic signals. I may only be loping along at 15 MPH, but there's very little sitting, dawdling, or other wasteful activities. When you're as impatient as I am, avoiding those infuriating delays is priceless.

When I held my own Drive to Work Day, I noticed these two headed the other way, not moving terribly quickly, but they were moving. Unlike me, who was cruising about 24mph below the posted limit.

Handbuilt wheels are magical

2008-05-23T23:02:00.005-05:00

No warranty expressed or implied, though.

City Bikes RFK Criterium THIS SUNDAY!

2008-05-23T06:11:00.002-05:00

So, why should you bumble out to the City Bikes RFK Criterium to spectate?

--plentiful grass space to setup a blanket and cooler to relax
--view of the majority of the course from start/finish
--Bega's stream-of-consciousness announcing
--men's pro race was added this year
--you hardly ever bike east of the Capitol, swing by Eastern Market on the way home, and make a day of it
--more aural pleasure than either Sunday's Rolling Thunder (click here for road closure info), or the old RFK auto race (they really thought it would create $350M in economic impact?)

Or click here to register.

Insert clever pun on "Hungary" here

2008-05-22T07:08:00.005-05:00

Not so safe for our overly puritanical North American workplaces, but apparently OK for Hungary eyes, here's a PSA video appealing to the basest instincts of Hungarians to ride. Got the link through the RoadBikeRider newsletter, which is almost as good as ours. Translation of the spoken bits of Hungarian found here, but the plot is pretty easily discernible.

As if I needed ANOTHER reason to grow out a handlebar moustache....

And does this mean that there will be a Bike to Work Day Baby Boom? A sliver less than 7,000 registered this year, and while maybe only half rode, that's still a bunch of people who chose to Bringázz a munkába.

Another reason "steel is real"?

2008-05-20T23:28:00.003-05:00

Apparently, "plastic is metastatic." The nanotube carbon fiber construction of such things as the fork on my Moots, and the BMC higher-end bikes, is apparently carcinogenic. Though, I can't imagine too many parts of a bicycle that you could mince up, inject into a mouse, and not expect bad things to happen.

Dogs, vans, and free money from the Government

2008-05-20T18:01:00.006-05:00

Our Pedro's rep dropped in today to say hi and do a schwag drop, driving a van in the style of question-mark-festooned scheister Matthew Lesko, a frequent sight in Adams Morgan.Unlike Mr. Lesko, Pedro's has an unquestioned commitment to corporate social responsibility, read more here. Who's the funny looking chap in the driver's seat, though?This is Jordan (not to be confused with Jordan) and he's a German short-haired pointer (their Jordan, not ours, though he does have short hair, and could well be German). They are noted hunting dogs. In an odd evolution of the breed, he apparently seeks his prey on a TomTom.Back to work...

WTOP Bike to Work Day video

2008-05-19T15:39:00.003-05:00

Sick of Bike to Work Day rehash yet? Me neither. Here's a nice video by WTOP reporter, and rookie Bike to Work Day participant, Markette Smith, along with our omnipresent face-made-for-radio, Bega. Might this be a prelude to bike path condition reports "on the nines"? Anyway, here's their summary, and here's the video:

WABA Events Machine Flawless, Weather Machine Needs Work

2008-05-18T14:06:00.008-05:00

It's a shame that seemingly every year, Bike to Work Day gets rain. Back in the days of Bike DC, same thing. Oh well. I rode into the shop at 4 em-effin AM, and got miserably soaked....
By 7AM, the rain had tapered off a bit, and it turned into one of those overcast days where it was great to be a bike fender owner.I coasted my exhausted carcass home a bit after noon, and it was gorgeous blue skies and sunshine.I stopped for a cup of coffee at Crystal City, and took a seat outside to enjoy the weather, and to snap a few pics of cyclists coming off of the Mt. Vernon Trail. Got this one solitary shot.......whereupon a Vornado (formerly Charles E. Smith) security guard informed me that I was on private property, and was prohibited from taking pictures. I explained that I participated in the organization for Bike to Work Day, and was looking for pictures of cyclists in Crystal City (which generously co-sponsored the event at a very high level for a second straight year). I was booted off the property ('the property' being a sidewalk). Boo.

As Seen on News 4

2008-05-16T16:51:00.001-05:00

Here's the second segment with Bega this morning, posted on NBC4dc.com

Here's a nice piece from Freedom Plaza for the 11am newscast, featuring a few of our staff and friends rolling out from the store, the usual spandex hokey-jokey stuff, a quick highlight of SmartbikeDC, and some participant interviews.

And finally, Bega has posted a Windows Media file of the first segment on his FTP site, but I think you gotta download all 11MB of it to view.

Proposed FY09 DC Bicycle Funding From Councilman Graham

2008-05-16T13:39:00.003-05:00

In his address to the Bike to Work Day crowd at Freedom Plaza, Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham was kind enough to proudly mention City Bikes as one of his constituents, which was nice.

But far FAR nicer was his description of his proposed FY09 appropriation for bicycling. Besides the $1.5M in recurring (not one-time grant money) appropriations, funded out of parking ticket collections, they are looking to fund a full-time staffer for the Bicycle Advisory Council.

Cross your fingers, and maybe drop a line to your councilmember's office. Here's a summary of the proposal we got our mitts on:

1) Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety and Enhancement Fund

· $1.5 million dollars to DDOT recurring each year

· Uses

i. Faster action on implementing the Bicycle Master Plan
ii. Faster action on implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan

iii. Creative solutions that can’t be done with Federal Dollars

iv. Faster responses to local bike/pedestrian safety problems

2) Bicycle / Pedestrian Safety Public Service Announcements

· $18,000 to Washington Area Bicyclists Association

· Get the message out to drivers that they must drive respectfully

· Encourage folks to ride their bikes and walk

3) Better Bicycle Parking

· $60,000 to help DDOT do bicycle parking study required by law

· Assess the quality of bicycle access and parking at all DC Gov’t facilities.

4) Bicycle Advisory Council support

· Full-time staff person to support the Bicycle Advisory Council in pushing DDOT to provide better bicycle facilities.

· This staff person will be located in the Council Policy Office to provide bicycle and pedestrian expertise to all Councilmembers

Bike to Work Day 'round the web

2008-05-16T12:59:00.004-05:00

Charlie's pics are up, and they look pretty darned good.

BTW Day coverage on Earth Portal News, along with more talk of bike sales rising due to gas prices. Plus a nice quote by Phil.

Anna K makes us blush with all the nice things she says about us.

Gwadzilla's pics still to come, we impatiently wait.

Quick summary from WashCycle.

Much more still to come....

Three Big Dummies

2008-05-16T12:47:00.004-05:00

Eric and David test the limits of good judgment, and of Jordan's new Big Dummy (see prior post).

I'll be sure to add this nuttiness to David's Cargo-Bike sighting map.

Jordan's Big Dummy debuts in style

2008-05-16T10:26:00.008-05:00

Lots of stuff to be hauled to Bike to Work Day in Freedom Plaza, and the truck had already departed when we received a frantic call for workstands. Out from his place of slumber, the warehouse, stumbles Jordan, and his just-finished Surly Big Dummy. Thanks to the folks at XtraCycle, who overnighted some necessary rack parts, and some quick bungee cording........Jordan loaded up a bike, and two Pedro's workstands. What a way to take the maiden voyage in style. He was up all night getting the Rohloff internal hub and disk brakes dialed just right. We pointed our way down 14th St.......forgetting his helmet in the excitement. Big Dummy, indeed.At low speeds, it seemed a bit unwieldy and seemed to shimmy, but once he got rolling, it was all good. Big ole Schwalbe tires swallowed potholes.We got a caravan going for the ride back........and guess who was grinning the whole way?More to follow later, nap time now.

NBC4 Morning appearance

2008-05-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Michael Flynn, Bega, Hub Racing chatted bikes.Bega mentioned every sponsor's name at least five times, I think (he was reciting SRAM-Cannondale-Timbuk2-Bryson Web-Asylum-Zipp like Hurley on "Lost" recited those winning lottery numbers).I hope it televised well, we should have video up pretty soon. And in case you didn't hear Bega mention it, City Bikes RFK Criterium, May 25th at RFK parking lot.

Why Bike to Work #4 -- Riding in Rain is Carefree Fun

2008-05-16T03:13:00.003-05:00

At least that's the talking point this morning, as I head out for Bike to Work Day... Check back for updates through the day.

Drive to Work Day

2008-05-15T22:01:00.006-05:00

Bike to Work Day is tomorrow, but I almost always bike to work, so today was the day to shake the commute up a bit. With a bunch of stuff to haul around for tomorrow, some errands to run at both stores, post-honeymoon sloth, and a whole lot of other great excuses, I drove to work. Here's I-395 at noon:And Rock Creek Parkway:I'm making GREAT time:At least gas is, um, oh. Wow.

City Bikes on NBC4 tomorrow

2008-05-15T17:58:00.002-05:00

NBC4 is doing some Bike to Work Day drop-in segments from the Adams Morgan store on their 5-7AM newscast. The only way I could be more excited is if Jim Vance himself showed up to do the segment. Bega and his Hub Racing crew will be in front of the cameras, tune in.

Bike to Work Day STILL TOMORROW

2008-05-15T09:06:00.002-05:00

If that radio spot didn't give you the vapors, maybe the poster will.

Come say hi to us at NIH, Bethesda, Freedom Plaza, on the Mt Pleasant convoy, or at either store.

Bike to Work Day TOMORROW

2008-05-15T08:50:00.003-05:00

Here's the radio spot that's currently running. Rained be goshdarned, see you out there!

FileFactory.com

2008 12 Hours of Lodi Farm: a dcmtb.com Update

2008-05-14T09:29:00.002-05:00

[ed note -- this post was sitting in blogger post drydock while i was luxuriating in honeymoon bliss, so it's pretty untimely. But as every maniacal cabbie in St. Lucia told me, "no preshah." Like a more empathetic twist on Jamaica's ubiquitous "no problem." Anyway, onto the race action...]

Howdy. Mike here...

It's hard for me to personally overstate the drama that was the 2008 12 Hours of Lodi... Weather threatened, Kent was out then in, teammates were dropping like flies...On the grenade I jumped, volunteering for the first lap. Kent and Matty allowed me to set the strategy for the race: double laps for one full rotation then back to singles for the rest of the race.I lined up for the pre-race meeting towards the beginning of the prologue loop from last year (hint, hint). Another quick parade loop through the singletrack was announced and I was in the cat-bird seat. I allowed a skinner-lookin' dude to get in front of me as a way to show others that I was in the front and solidifying my #2-into-the-woods plan. We cruised through the end of the course for a solid 1/2 mile prologue then past the start finish. I was #2 into the woods. After the beginning of the first section of trails (before the field traverse), I took a few wrong turns (bad course markings) and I managed to stay in 8th by the end of the first lap. Tom 'Young Buck' from Family Bikes and Mikey 'Cargo' Pearce came by me as did a few other studs. No worries, I had another lap to catch somebody. The course was very different at the top and in the middle. I was lost as usual and confused, to be sure. Lodi has some turns in it, if you didn't know. I passed two people on my next lap and came in a little before 2am in 4th overall, second Expert.To sleep...Through the night, we went back and forth with the Troegenator's team. Their ringer was going against Kent and kept catching him, which is crazy because Mr Baake is quick.Through the final set of laps, we were behind them. Matty went out a few minutes behing the Troegenators. Matty was riding HARD! Roid-rage hard. He was the only guy coming through our campsite HAMMERING! That boy is dedicated. Matty made up the time plus some (hard to do on that course) and he handed off to me with a 2.5 minute advantage. I climbed into the hurt locker that was inside the pain cave at the urging of my wife ('leave it all out on the course!') and DRILLED myself into the ground. I was tired then pushed harder then pushed even harder... I knew I had to kill those little hills, the only straight-aways in the course. Susan was at the end of my lap with the kids, urging me on. I came in to the start/finish fast and handed to Kent, managing to blurt out 'GO! GO!' The kids were stoked.Kent Baake HAMMERED his lap and stayed out in front of Zach from the Troegenators. We managed a win. Zach came in hard and tired. We got him some fluids and did what we could to make him comfortable but that kid REALLY pushed that last lap. They were hard to beat. I would have been fine with losing to those guys. Great guys...I would like to nominate Matty as MVP for the race. Inspirational... Between Susan's words and Matty's determination, I couldn't slow down. Our last three laps were 50, 50 and 51. Fastest lap of the day was 49.1st overall, first expert. My immense respect for our dcmtb team continues to grow, especially Matty, Kent and Mr Fastest Lap, Mike Pearce!Oh, and '70% chance of showers' in Spring in the Mid-Atlantic region means cloudy, dry and WONDERFUL weather... Pics to come later...

Camping in Mariola with the Breezer Itzy

2008-05-11T13:19:00.005-05:00

My s.o. and I had to get out of the city this past weekend. The Breezer Itzies seemed to be calling us to load them up and head out to the hills. In the car, that is. The two bikes and all our camping gear fit neatly inside the boot of our diesel powered C3, thereby not hindering the fuel efficiency whatsoever.

In Mariola there are some narrow twisty one-lane roads that were alot of fun on the Itzy with its capacity for quick turning.

Having only one gear, the Breezer gang picked a good one that climbs well but also zips around town. And living on the fourth floor with no elevator, the 19.5 lbs that they weigh, along with how small they fold with space being at a premium, make for great incidental characteristics.

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend, good to be far away from the urban chaos, to breathe the mountain air, and to refresh our outlook.

The Mominator

2008-05-09T10:33:00.005-05:00

Dubbed as such by popular opinion within City Bikes.

What I had was a situation on my hands whereby dear old Mum had talked to cycling friends and eventually they asked about her bike. Her bike was a mid-'80s vintage Fuji mountain bike, super light for that time as I remember, but now heavy as a tank. It was faded and dirty black with faded pink cables and rusty handlebars and cracking grips. That being said, I had kept it well lubed, inflated, and adjusted, and her friends couldn't seem to understand that her son worked in a bicycle shop and had her riding this oldfangled monstrosity no matter how good I insisted it was. So I was looking somewhat less than the caring son.

This was in the summer, and as the winter holiday approached, I called a debt and brought up the idea of restoring this bike beyond its past glory. Shawn at City Bikes was able to help, although he too offered up the prospect of buying her a new bike. This particular piece of chromoly had too much sentimental value to go on the scrapheap, so finally we agreed to restore it.

It had to be yellow, because it was Mum's favourite colour, and she had a 1968 Pontiac Catalina convertable that was yellow, so the bicycle got sent off to be repainted. Mr. Smith recommended white accents, and so there was the colour scheme. I gave him a dollar limit and said "do what you can" to make it stylish and lighter, and a few weeks later I got the call that it was ready. This bike is now the pride of that particular house in the retirement community, sporting Phil Wood hubs, lightweight hand built wheels, new paint, grips, bar, cables, tyres, saddle, and probably alot more that I don't know about.

Judge for yourself - it was a hit with everyone involved and you may even consider doing something like this for an old bike you know of that could use the attention.

Darren's French-ish commuter

2008-05-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

I had an ugly old yellow/black French road bike that really wasn't serving much purpose. Then, a former co-worker got doored, busticated his hand, and consequently had to tool around on his Steamroller set up with big upright bars. And he loved it. So I said "me too!", and yeah, after years of tongue-tickling the stem, riding perfectly upright was a revelation.

But the bike still looked awful. And if you're not going fast, you should at least look good. So, off to the powdercoater. Despite many taunts, I wanted a color approximating the Bareknuckle we just jettisoned. Judge for yourself:Fenders were powdercoated to match, the rack was left chromed. Both are from Velo-Orange. I like the upright bars, but I needed a stupid-long stem to be comfortable, so I snagged this 140mm SR stem on this little site called eBay.tinnnnnggggg!
And a nice French bike needs a nice French crank. Well, it's actually an English Lambert, but it's pretty much the same as the old TAs.I think I have a dropout fetish. I just think they're attractive.I had this bike stashed in the shop one day, and a customer referred to it as "pimpin". That works.

Darren's Landshark conversion

2008-05-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

My first road bike was a lumbar-puncturing Cannondale crit racer that was a size too small. Live and learn. So, my first tolerable road bike was this Landshark I scooped up at a yard sale.As more bikes arrived and departed (mostly arrived), I eventually went trendy, and converted it to a fixed gear.Vertical dropouts make chain tensioning difficult, but not impossible, I used this very useful website. Another very sketchy feature is the Ergopower bell. I like having two brake levers, and when only one functions as the Campy gods intended, you can't just have that extra lever just flopping around. So I rigged it up thusly to contend with my old commute on the Cap Crescent Trail. Other parts are not so practical...Brakes were selected solely for good looks, as was the Ibis stem.The paint is a nice red/black airbrush, I think, but flakes off in a stiff breeze.

SEIU Earth Day event

2008-05-05T08:12:00.000-05:00

Way way back on Earth Day, David with the Health and Wellness group at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), mentioned that they were doing a bunch of bicycle classes and seminars on Earth Day, and asked if we could help out. CIGNA kicked in some cash, we provided a Specialized Crossroads Sport at a discount, and they had themselves a raffle.

Here's Jason, the lucky winner. Inspired by SEIU's great event, he's going to give commuting a try, once he gets a few weekend miles under his belt. Many fledgling commuters are wise to find a 'mentor,' an experienced commuter to provide advice on the little details, like what to wear in particular weather, or diagnosing little creaks and groans.This is David, from SEIU, an experienced commuter, and happy rider of a Specialized Globe City purchased at City Bikes. David has pledged to help Jason get up and running with cycling, and hopefully commuting, and we'll check back in with them in a few months to see how it's going.

Fun with folders

2008-05-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Folding bikes are really cool. You can fold 'em up, throw them in a bag, and take it on Metro, anytime. We don't sell too many, but I sure wish we did. In the bad ole days of my commuting from Bethesda to Crystal City on the Red and Yellow Lines, having a bike to go to/from the stations would have shaved about 15 minutes off each commute leg. Anyway, here's a nice Brompton that a customer had locked up outside the shop the other day....

DC Most Improved biking city

2008-05-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

Scanned by Jason, possible copyright infringement by me, Bicycling Mag named DC one of the most improved cities for cycling. Things they cite include Smartbike, the 30 miles (and growing) of bikelanes, the biking inclinations of Mayors Williams and Fenty, the Bikestation project, and the creation of the Bike Program job in DDOT. Challenges include bike lane safety issues, and frosty car/bike relations. Click the image below to see a grainy scan of the full article.

2008-05-01T07:54:00.002-05:00

We started the City Bikes monument ride last night; I suspect it's one of the last chilly rides we'll have. We had a good time cruising around downtown, and I got to try out my new bell. Carlos thinks it sounds like the ice-cream man.

While we were heading back up to Adams Morgan, I took some snapshots, Eric was great company on the ride and we bonded over a common interest in aeronautics as we road past the Air and Space Museum. I'm looking forward to next Wednesday already.

Demo Day Done

2008-04-29T10:45:00.005-05:00

Whew. Demo Day. The specter of rain, a shortage of staff, and the ignorance of your truly in organizing one of these deals all made it a bit more nerve-wracking than anticipated. But dang, what a great day!

We sent over forty people out on nearly sixty test rides in five hours. Everybody wanted to ride the Stumpjumper FSR Expert, in medium. With only one such bike, lots of folks got sent out, and came back beaming, on the "next-best-thing" Jamis Dakar XCR Pro. Everybody came back with a smile. I wish I had more pics, but I spent 99% of the time running around looking for our scarce pedal wrenches. And a big thanks to DCMTB for sending a legion of volunteers to help out... Shown here in a brief moment of repose:
Not sure when/where we'll do our next day out on the trails, but we definitely will. Check the newsletter, or our events page.

GW Parkway Trail?

2008-04-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

Remember Bike DC? I loved it. And after an absence of 3-4 years, it very discretely snuck back onto the WABA calendar, September 27th. Good news, for sure.

My favorite was the year (2001?) when the route took us over the Roosevelt Bridge to the GW Parkway, all closed to traffic, then all the way up the Parkway to the Langley hood, and back down. It was a gorgeous ride.

Which brings us to WABA's latest call to action. With the Parkway under renovation, WABA has been stumping for inclusion of a multi-use trail that extends the Mt. Vernon Trail north beyond Rosslyn, alongside the Parkway. How nice would that be? I'd love to be able to bike with my nephews up to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, for instance. Their email below:

Support the Mt Vernon Trail Extension

For nearly two decades, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association has been working to extend the Mt Vernon Trail from its current northern terminus near Rosslyn Circle further north toward the American Legion Bridge. To date the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) division of the National Park Service has remained opposed to putting the trail through sensitive natural areas. New plans for the rehabilitation of the Parkway offer an opportunity to construct the trail as part of the roadway reconstruction, but the GWMP has failed to include any provisions for cyclists or pedestrians in their draft environmental assessment.

WABA urges you to contact GWMP Superintendent David Vela to urge him to include the Mt Vernon Trail extension as part of any rehabilitation of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

City Bikes city bike

2008-04-28T13:06:00.012-05:00

Lots of stuff to post about, but I'm heading out of town for two weeks to get hitched, so I'll be writing up a bunch of stuff, but setting it to post in the future, as if by magic, ooooo. Actually, it's a cool new Blogger feature.

Anyway, a week or so ago, we got a genuine Dutch city bike in stock, a Batavus Old Dutch.Pure style (ruined by my cluttered pic), with the upright position, step-through frame, and rear fender skirt.
Via Copenhagen Cycle Chic, here's the very same bike, doing what it does best.
We stocked Koga-Miyata a coupla years back, too, but no longer. We do still stock the floormat.
Bike people routinely get skewered for a lack of style, and quite rightly. A puritanical devotion to practicality and utility generally rules in our little world (there are exceptions). But one needn't throw the very stylish baby out with the impractical bathwater. Look at that chaincase, for instance. That front fender, with chromed center strip, and delicate dynamo, they just look right.This is a bit of a referendum bike. On paper, there are plenty of other bikes that are probably better values for 90% of the folks who walk in the door. But this one is unique, in so many ways. Stop by Adams Morgan to ogle, or perhaps purchase, so we can justify bringing in more.

I think she's talking about me

2008-04-24T08:43:00.003-05:00

Guess what, fellow DC bicyclists -- we're so remarkably unstylish that the style blogosphere has taken note. My riding attire, as captured last month by gwadzilla, isn't helping. Ouch.I have no defense. Though it's nice to hear that, as homely as we are, there are so many of us out there.

"The Jamis Aurora bores me, Alice."

2008-04-23T18:30:00.001-05:00

Alice? Alice in Pun-derland, sorry.

People really like the Surly Long Haul Trucker. So do we. All steel, super-pure touring bike, Subaru-ish aesthetics, eff-you brand, good price, even the name, "Long Haul Trucker," just talking about it makes me want one.
Problem is, they're a bit scarce. We have two small ones in at the moment, check back here for up-t0-datish info. We can also order them, for now. But next week/month? Dunno. And it does long-distance touring really well, but it's a bit overbuilt for many other more pedestrian tasks.

Some folks bemoan the lack of good steel road bikes to choose from, but just for giggles, let's have a look at the Jamis Aurora.
We'll start by describing what it's not. It's not a pure, cross-country (ahem) trucker. With bigger front rings, a shorter wheelbase, lower-rake fork, and higher bottom bracket, it won't handle as well when completely loaded down. It doesn't have the unique touring-tough spec of the LHT, in favor of all-around riding ease. The brand name doesn't describe the mood resulting from your existential crisis. And while I find it attractive, it's a different look.

But if your touring is more in the olde English manner, the Aurora still features a steel frame and fork, all the braze-ons necessary for racks front and rear, and nice wide gearing. And maybe you'd like to throw in some all-season commuting?No problem. And the adjustable stem might seem odd, but it helps this bike fulfill it's mission as a great all-rounder. Hike it up for touring or commuting....
....or lower it down for fast group rides (yes, slap on some skinnier tires, and it will do). Maybe even put some knobby tires on, and use it to give cyclocross a first try.

We've sold a few Auroras over the years, and it's always nice to see these rigs bouncing around the city, and on the roads and paths out yonder. It's even nicer to hear riders crow about them, as this recent customer of ours did ("a revelation").

Have a look at the Aurora Elite, too. The price bump gets you a high-quality 10-speed drivetrain, a higher grade of steel, and carbon fork (which still has mid-blade eyelets for front racks). Big Shawn is pretty sure this was the most frequently EP'd (employee direct purchase from the factory) bike in City Bikes history, back when it was still known as similarly-celestial Nova.

If you're planning to criss-cross the country, you'll be better served on the Long Haul Trucker. But the Auroras are 95% as good for more typical touring, and will also do all those other things at 95%, too.

DCMTB.com/City Bikes Enjoys Success at Baker's Dozen

2008-04-23T11:00:00.001-05:00

Darren Biggs of dcmtb.com/City Bikes made plans to arrive at the race a day early to ensure a prime campsite location for the rest of his team members set to arrive on Saturday morning for the 11AM start of the second annual Baker’s Dozen 13 hour mountain bike race hosted by Plum Grove Cyclery.

‘I wanted to make sure we had a location big enough for my DCMTB/City Bikes teammates,’ Darren said.

18 members of DCMTB/City Bikes made the trip out to race in Leesburg in picture-perfect conditions.

‘The weather turned out to be amazing with bright sunshine in the morning followed by a nice breeze and some clouds to cool things off,’ said Kent Baake, a DCMTB/City Bikes racer and member of the 3-person Men’s class team Solar Ring Blingers.

‘We had no idea that the race would be as successful as it turned out to be,’ said Plum Grove Cyclery’s Rob Harrington, the Race Director for the event. ‘We’ve had incredible support from the race community and we are excited about 2009!’

With over 375 participants registered for the event, the Baker’s Dozen represents one of the largest mountain bike relay races in the DC region. For an event only in its second year, the success is a testament to the quality of the race organization and the course itself, an exciting combination of logs, rocks, drops and fast corners.

‘Our team had a great time out there and managed to secure third place behind our other 3-man entry,’ said Matt Donahue, DCMTB/City Bikes President. ‘There’s nothing better than racing with, and against, your friends.’

Members of DCMTB/City Bikes secured 1st in Women’s Solo, 2nd and 3rd in 3-person Men, 3rd in 3-person Open and fielded additional teams including the duo of brother’s Joe and 19-year-old JJ ‘Prince Harry’ Foley.

DCMTB/City Bikes is a grass-root team of urban mountain bikers. Since 1997 they’ve been ripping it up on the mid-Atlantic race scene! But they’re not just about riding and racing, over the years the team has put in hundreds of hours on behalf of bicycle advocacy groups in Washington, DC. Sponsors include City Bikes Merkle, Continuum Energy Solutions, Whole Foods P Street, the Looking Glass Lounge, Deuter, Serfas, SRAM, WTB. Check out www.dcmtb.com.

Since evolving from an old gas station in 1987, City Bikes has made thousands of people happy with their bike - for fun, fitness and transportation. City Bikes' vision is for Washington DC to flow freely with the clean, friendly motion of bicycles. Check out www.citybikes.com.

[ed note -- the Darren tearing up the race course is not the same Darren who writes this crap blog. Quite plainly.]

World Naked Bike Ride DC

2008-04-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

June 7th, MacPherson Sq., details here.

The World Naked Bike Ride FAQ indicates that I can ride "as bare as I dare." Canadianly modest, I will be scouring eBay hoping somebody is reselling a Cipo skinsuit.It was for charity, but really, $43K for a used form-fitting skinsuit? Blech.

Touring in the British fashion

2008-04-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Looking for something to do this weekend? For 130 years, England's CTC has had a good suggestion.

And don't forget part 2.

Why Bike to Work #3 -- Kids are impressed

2008-04-21T23:59:00.001-05:00

To drivers, you are an obstacle that sometimes spits. To dogs, you are something to be attacked. To jaywalkers, you are apparently invisible. To coworkers, you are charitably thought of as 'eccentric.'But kids riding in cars think you're pretty novel. And by 'novel,' I mean 'badass.' They ride bikes, so they can relate to you. They don't ride fast like you, though. That bike you're on is the coolest thing ever. And Dad would shriek like Mom if they tried riding in and out of city traffic like that.

For that split second, when you plunge past a car window with a 4-8 year old face smushed against it, you are the coolest person ever.

Demo Day APRIL 26TH

2008-04-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

Come on out to Schaeffer Farm for our Demo Day, this April 26th, 9-2PM. We'll have an entire fleet of our finest mountain bikes ready for you to ride. Bring along your own pedals, shoes, and helmet. Please click the button below to register.

Weather is looking 50/50, so we'll email and post a notice here on the blog in case we need to cancel. We don't have a rain date.

And thanks to Joe for use of the pic above. The ad ran somewhere in the Washington City Paper last week, and was supposed to be full page, but got bumped in layout down to one-third. It might run this week in its full-page state, but i'm not sure.

NEA Earth Day Expo

2008-04-21T10:34:00.007-05:00

The National Education Association (NEA) held an Earth Day expo in their beautiful HQ at 16th and M NW, and they invited us to loiter with some bikes, and get folks charged up about Bike to Work Day. I don't have a page on the event to link to, but I did find this Earth Day resource kit for teachers on their site, and thought it looked pretty cool and useful.
We just unfurled our Vision and Mission statements, so I thought I'd look at the NEA's, too. "Our vision is a great public school for every student." Can't argue with that.

We loaded a coupla bikes into Phil's Burley trailer, I chased on a Breezer Citizen loaded down with panniers, three messenger bags hanging off of me, and we coasted down 16th.
We got to talk to dozens of people, show them a few of our bikes and accessories, and of course, beg them to sign up for Bike to Work Day (Free!! No obligation!! Free t-shirt/bagels/water bottle/iced tea!!! Raffle bike giveaways!!!). Phil has these ladies convinced, I think.So, we talked to a goodly number of folks who commute in from the suburbs, don't bike, and definitely don't bike to work. We had three bikes on display -- the Breezer Citizen, a Specialized Crossroads Sport step-through, and a Masi Soulville. The most common inquiry was, "I'm looking for a bike, just to go out on the trails on weekends, with a big poofy saddle, and $300 or so." Given those criteria, the Crossroads was a huge hit. We, as an industry, need to keep working on the most common objection -- "I can't sit on a bike seat."

The Soulville in beige is a visual stunner, and even the most bike-indifferent passersby were taken by it's obviously stylish looks. And the pricetag, more than double the Crossroads, did not seem to faze too many folks. People will pay for pretty, and this is a notion that is anathema to the utilitarian bent of the bike industry.

The Breezer is priced between the two, and a few cyclists looked them over, but the casual cyclist is not going to really appreciate the value of all the included accessories. Internal hubs, however, were a real crowd-pleaser.

Well, that's about all. Pencils down.

Reader's Choice

2008-04-19T18:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to readers who choo-choo-choosed us as the Washington City Paper Best Bike Shop. April is a very busy, and sometimes rather inordinately stressful, month. This gave us all a reason to smile, and again, thank you.

The editors chose Phoenix Bikes, a community nonprofit shop in Arlington, which nobody can quibble with, a huge congrats to them. I've never visited, but I intend to.

Anyway, both the honor and the City Paper's tagline for this feature ("This week we shun mediocrity") are pretty timely. We've been doing a lot of work in the past couple of years to figure out what we do well, and fix the things we don't do well. The partial result is our Vision and Mission statements (stop rolling your eyes, it's not total BS). Hopefully, you've also noticed a tangible improvement in the stores lately, and hopefully that helped lead to the honor.

There's always more to be done, though, and we have some plans to use the website and this blog to open our figurative windows to the sunlight. Shun that mediocrity. I'll hit on some of that in a subsequent post, because I'm starting to ramble. But in the meantime, the comment field is open for you to register either your congrats or complaints.

Sweet like molasses maintenance classes

2008-04-18T16:40:00.004-05:00

We're in the middle of another run-through of Ben's very well-received basic maintenance series. I hesitated posting anything on these, because if you click through, you'll see we have a new online RSVP service for events. And, uh, you'll also see that all of the current scheduled classes are booked solid.

Don't fret though, we get a LOT of no-shows, so it's worth swinging by a few minutes ahead to see about getting in. Two sessions left to go in this series, and then we'll examine the schedule and see about getting another round going sometime this summer. Subscribe to the newsletter, that's where we'll announce dates first, and nab your spot. And they're free, just bring a smile and a willingness to get your hands a bit grimy.Call me biased, but I think Ben really does a great job explaining the sometimes complex workings of a bicycle in a manner that's understandable, without being patronizing. Especially if you're a frequent cyclist, or ready to be won over to the world of bike commuting by Bike to Work Day, please try to join us. Bicycling is greatly enhanced by a well-running bike, and the confidence and peace-of-mind that comes from being able to diagnose and correct the inevitable little problems that will crop up with frequent riding.

A few observations -- over 50% of participants in the two classes so far were women. That's pretty cool. Stated reasons for attending included a desire to fix specific current problems ("the gears on my bike are skipping"), a need to start regularly commuting ("oy, gas prices!"), personal development ("I like knowing how stuff I use works"), and a mumble or two about bike shops charging a fortune for service (ouch).

Anyway, it's worth repeating -- if you want in on one of the last two sessions (focusing on brakes and wheel truing), please drop by the Adams Morgan store the day of, we'll try to squeeze you in. And subscribe to the newsletter or check our events page for future sessions, we want to get everybody out there riding!

Whole Foods Bike to Work Day safety checks

2008-04-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

Probably bad for revenue, but hopefully good for the karmic debits and credits, we occasionally nip down to Whole Foods at 14th & P to do safety checks on bikes, in advance of Bike to Work Day. We set up a couple of work stands this past Saturday, and thanks to DCMTB/City Bikes, had six or seven of us checking and doing simple adjustments for a few hours.Pics courtesy of Joe, here's some mo'. Huge thanks to Whole Foods (and Heather) for graciously hosting us. It's always fun to just mess around with bikes outside the confines of commerce, and we're going to see about scheduling some more dates later this year.

The Internet is a series of lubes

2008-04-16T08:31:00.003-05:00

The recent post paucity is because several of us have been feverishly working on three rounds of contract proposals for an RFP we can't really talk about yet. Hopefully good news to follow soon....

However, a big part of all these late nights has been trying to figure out how to lengthen the typical maintenance interval for a bicycle. Chain lube is a big maintenance item. Gotta keep that chain running smooth.

So, the fine folks at Performance Cycle Products sent us a sample of something they've been brewing up. No, not that Performance. PCP is a longtime distributor, and i don't think they have a website. Anyway, I always enjoy a good pun, see below....
Read that name one more time. Chain-L No. 5. Say it out loud if you have to. Enjoy it before the copyright lawyers smell the chum in the water.

It's supposed to last more than 1000 all-weather miles between re-application, and its consistency lies somewhere between motor oil and yoghurt. So, I'm giving my chain a thorough cleaning, and testing out a sample of this stuff.

Tidbits from Phil, who clearly has a soft spot for Performance Cycle Products. They used to send out a monthly bulletin called "A Gram of PCP." Our "Monthly Newsletter" falls pretty far short on the clever scale. And they gave out the water bottles depicted below.

WABA Gala and Auction

2008-04-13T21:22:00.005-05:00

For the annual Gala and Auction, we gave WABA, among other things, a really nice EAI Bareknuckle built up with some fancy bits. Fast forward to last night, 9:27PM or thereabouts. Plenty of people admired it, picked it up, assessed reach and standover, commented on the lack of brakes, checked their hair in the chromed handlebars, negotiated space requirements with spouses. But only one brave soul has put pen to paper and bid on the silent auction, ending in three agonizingly long minutes.

That one maverick was Devin, part-owner of the Brighter Days co-operative dogwalking and pet-sitting service. Check out their values page, and how they get to their client sites exclusively by bike.

Turns out, I bid and won their donated dogwalking services at last year's Gala, and they took perfect care of my rather high-maintenance dog, Crash, last seen drooling and snoring in my checked baggage. I never knew they did all their work by bike, and really wish they routinely served my NoVA neighborhood. But if you're in the District, they probably serve yours.Having established the cosmic synergy and obvious need for Devin to possess this bicycle, salesguy Danny whipped out his widest elbows to fend off any bid snipers that the forces of karma missed. No need. Danny and Devin are pictured below, celebrating a well-deserved win, with what could be a PBR.Enjoy the bike. The downside is that one dogwalker's bargain is one bicycle advocacy association's lower-than-expected revenue. But let's all renew our memberships to put everything in balance, okay?

"Tacky" and "Tasteful" cost the same, right?

2008-04-11T08:48:00.003-05:00

Wrong. There's a 10% surcharge for "tacky." The 4th-grade boys in the Carbon Sports airbrush department don't work in trade for Lunchables and PSP games, apparently. On a related note, I've gotten a bunch of search engine traffic from this similar example, a Velocity wheel I'd like to think was tarted up by Eric Cartman. No word on any surcharges for the gamete graphics, though.
Anyway, David mentioned these rim adornments that I found a bit more to my liking, since they make at least a nod toward practicality. Then a sample showed up in my inbox a coupla days later. One of these days, I'll actually mount them up, take a few pics, and someone else can link to them and make snarky comments about my questionable taste in rim aesthetics.

That IHOP Ad

2008-04-09T08:49:00.004-05:00

Working ("working") at home yesterday, half-listening to Dr. Phil cut to commercial, and my feedhole got stuffed with more cycling in media. This one is just kind of goofy, though. IHOP's Tour de French Toast. At least it's not the Tour "day" French Toast.There's a TV ad that shows a bunch of roadies zooming through an IHOP, snatching up some delicious IHOP nourriture, and zooming out. Malheureusement, the ad hasn't popped up on youtube or the IHOP site. But here's the marketwire press release, which includes the wholesomely humorous title, "Vive L'IHOP!" Mais oui.

Charlie's bike

2008-04-08T08:23:00.005-05:00

I suppose they're all sorta Charlie's bikes, but here's the one he's actually riding.
So, the answer to the unasked trivia question, "What does the shop owner ride?" is the Masi SoulVille (we'll tackle part B of this question if we can manage to capture Phil's truly post-apocalyptic Road Warrior on film).

Note Charlie's practical additions of a rear rack, a mini Krypto lock, substitution of the stock leather saddle for a plush Serfas, and his ever-present helmet. In his bag, no doubt.

We've been crowing about this bike in the newsletter (subscribe box on your right!!) for a few months now, and people seem to agree that it's a pretty nice ride. More iterations on the way....

That State Farm ad

2008-04-04T09:24:00.003-05:00

State Farm's latest ad, see below.

Another dot in the evolving Impressionist painting titled, "Dorky Peasants Bicycle to Work Devoid of Style." Jeez. If there's one thing we as a community do well, and occasionally a little too well, it's indignation. See some commentary here.

State Farm is trying to sell a product, that product depends on people wanting to drive, and it's not surprising that they'll try to create demand for their product by denigrating alternatives. Marketers, politicians, even lowly bike stores choose to 'go negative' on each other all the time.

If the mass market accepts that Impressionist painting, I'm relegated to the gallery gift store. So, State Farm, do what you have to do. But you sell other insurance products. For instance, you've been selling City Bikes a rather lucrative general liability insurance policy for many years. You sold me my renter's insurance. Set your fleet of actuaries to work computing the odds that we'll renew either of these....

Goodbye to old friends

2008-04-03T09:57:00.007-05:00

Old friends leaving us this week. First is this EAI Bareknuckle with Miche group.
The victim of some baffling inventory system problem that I still don't understand two years later, this beautiful bike has been off the floor, unable to be sold. So, since we can't sell it, we're donating it to WABA for the Gala April 12th. And yes, we'll turn the bars before delivery. I love that seatpost:I REALLY love that seatpost:Yes, it's drilled for brakes.And for those who won't ride anything not deemed suitable for track racing by small Japanese men, rest easy knowing that the handlebars are NJS stamped. Second goodbye is more of a 'see ya later' to Mike, who's moving on to a big boy job. It's sad to see a friend and skilled colleague move on, but he's left the joint in great shape for his successor, Eric. Good luck, Mike!

Why Bike to Work #2 -- Cheap and Easy Parking

2008-03-29T18:29:00.007-05:00

Gah, they're here.Peak season. And if you had the damn-fool notion to drive to the tidal basin, parking is tougher than ever. Ditto at the new ballpark. And Metro? Say hello to the Nats fans for me. Might there be a third option for getting around the city?
And parking? Years ago, I dropped $55 on this gadget that lets me park my Moots hassle-free, cost-free, for years to come. Or, how about this, let WABA mind your bike.

But for all our sakes, let's all pinky-swear to cede the sidewalks to the blossom zombies. Some knucklehead will still go sprinting through the walking traffic, screaming "I'm a local!!" and waving his/her dog-eared copy of Title 18 Chap 12 Prov 1201.9 of the DC Code of Municipal Regulations (safely ridden right-of-way yielding bikes are allowed on sidewalks). But discretion (and common sense) is the better part of valor, let the tourists meander freely.

Sinister Signs of Spring

2008-03-27T07:52:00.003-05:00

Cherry blossoms are on the way (peak week starts today). Tourists, and their attendant tour buses and spot-seeking cars, are so numerous this time of year that I skip my normal 14th St Bridge crossing for a couple of weeks, and divert up to the Memorial Bridge.

Coach Tip #1: Goal Setting as an Effective Training Tool

2008-03-25T09:04:00.003-05:00

Spring – the beginning of a new cycling season. If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to start thinking about getting back on your bike! But before you do, have you thought about what you would like to achieve this year? Whether you be a recreational rider or a racer (or something in-between), effectively setting goals for this year’s cycling season can not only inspire motivation, but it can also increase personal satisfaction and confidence.

To define a primary goal for this year, think about what you would like to achieve – something that stretches you but still realistic and within reach. Examples of goals may be any of the following: ride a half-century (50 miles) without injury, lose 10 pounds, upgrade to the next racing category, or increase 2 minute sprint power 15%. Whatever you choose, remember to set clear goals that are measurable, under your control, and positive.

After identifying your primary goal, break it down in simpler steps and develop a training plan. For example, riding a half-century must first start with becoming comfortable with a 20 mile ride. Write these steps down! Not only will these manageable goals give you a clear path to the final outcome, but they will also allow you to evaluate your progress periodically throughout the season. Whatever you set as your 2008 goal(s), remember cycling should be fun! That’s why you bought your bike, right?

Daniel is a sales associate at the Chevy Chase store, licensed USA Cycling coach, and member of the Artemis Racing team (sponsored by City Bikes). Questions or comments may be directed to dan@citybikes.com.

Why Bike to Work #1 -- Side Trips

2008-03-24T15:58:00.009-05:00

Time to kick off a recurring feature, in the run-up to Bike to Work Day (registration is open, BTW). We're going to reel off some reasons to bike to work. And we'll try to keep the self-righteousness ("you're loving the earth!") and obviousness ("it's better exercise!") to a minimum.

Anyway, while serving my five year sentence on the Red Line, I very rarely deviated from my well-worn route to stop by the Tidal Basin or Asylum or wherever. But on a bike, it's so easy to find great reasons to wander, and so easy to act.

For convenient example, I was on my way in today, and decided to head east on the E St. bikelane in search of a cup of coffee. I got to 6th St. NW, and the intersection was blocked off by police.

Normally, this is either just a motorcade or a suspicious package, but today, a crowd was gathered around (crowds are normally disinterested in motorcades, and not encouraged to hang around Homeland Security gigs). I asked a nearby kid, who looked up from his hot dog, and barely containing his contempt for my ignorance, scoffed, "The circus elephants, duh." Duh indeed. What?Yeah, apparently Ringling Bros Blah & Blah Blah Circus is at the Verizon Provides My Home Internet That Still Doesn't Work But Continues to Bill Me Center this weekend. And they block off the roads to parade the elephants into the arena. You know what? Forget the bike thing. Imagine the streets flowing with the clean locomotion of elephant transport. Oh wait....... forget the 'clean' bit. They had a street sweeper (fossil fuel powered) following the elephants. Us bike clowns had the right idea all along. Patches needs a helmet, though.

You... A Coach?

2008-03-22T17:46:00.011-05:00

It's a rare moment indeed, but I've been thinking...coherently. What if I took all of my cycling and physiology know-how and put it to good use? After months and months of procrastination, I finally sat down to take the USA Cycling certification exam and become a coach. 'Lo and behold, I passed! And I received a nifty license, too.

All of my friends are now asking me, "So what are you going to do with it?" Hmmmm. Good question. For starters, I'll be writing a monthly column in the City Bikes newsletter. Look for it! And of course, if you have a specific question about cycling or exercise physiology, feel free to drop by the Chevy Chase store or send an email (dan@citybikes.com). Most importantly, get out and ride!

The City Bikes Canyonero

2008-03-19T21:09:00.003-05:00

In response to my post from a coupla days back, Joe was kind enough to Photoshop the low hanging fruit.Thanks to the City Paper and Joe for giving and stretching (respectively) this lame-o topic.

Diesel is $4.20 a gallon in DC

2008-03-17T09:26:00.007-05:00

Why? This guy, in part. According to the City Paper story, it belongs to the campaign manager for Ward 7 councilwoman Yvette Alexander. Anyway, I loved the blurb for this particular 'pickup'.

The International^® CXT™

It doesn't just command attention; it demands it.

Crowds gather and camera's flash. Children look up in awe at the 9-foot high cab. With your logo plastered across the cab, the International® CXT™ becomes a self-promoting billboard everywhere you park it. Using vehicles to advertise your brand is nothing new, but towering over everything else on the street is. When your message demands to be shouted, it needs to be on a CXT™.

Well, I suppose Councilwoman Alexander's message (squint hard at the magnetic placemat -- "Yvette Alexander -- Making Ward 7 One") needed to be shouted. Last year, her message was that we need better security at gas stations. When your 'self-promoting billboard' weighs 14,500 lbs., that's a primary concern.

So anyway, we are in the process of decommissioning our beastly 1979 Chevy panel van...
...in part because of fuel prices, but mostly because it's an unreliable wreck. We'll be moving most stuff between stores in a used Nissan Quest minivan. I suppose if we had $120K+ to spend on a truck, like a local political advisor, we might be tempted to splurge on such a shouting towering attention-demanding billboard to advertise our brand. Or not.

Papelcycling

2008-03-14T15:17:00.003-05:00

Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI was coming to town Thursday, April 17th? Me neither.

Did you immediately conclude that the visit is going to snarl traffic around the new Nationals stadium? Me too. The Washington Post, in it's blog devoted to the visit, agrees.

If you were clutching one of the golden tickets, could you ride your bike to the stadium, and safely lock it up? Maybe.

If you could find a bike rack, and you had $250,000US (plus shipping!), could you ride a replica of the gold-plated Colnago given to Pope John Paul II in 1979 to the stadium? Yes, you could.

Darren's Moots

2008-03-14T08:04:00.015-05:00

Last seen under my offseason arse in gwadzilla's place, here's my Moots.It's the Psychlo-X with S&S couplers and braze-ons for fenders and racks, and I sold my Volkswagen to pay for it. I wanted a decent bike for cross racing, but without a car, getting to cross races was pretty tough. So I have never raced this bike. Plus, look back at that gwadzilla pic, I'm no Michael Rasmussen. So, this bike spends most of it's time saddled with the equipment and grime of commuting. A few people have expressed surprise that I commute on an expensive titanium bike. It's a bike, and a stout one at that, not a Faberge egg. Why commute on a beater and allow this bike to just sit and look pretty? Here's the SRAM crank...

...and you can see the downtube coupler in the shot. I wanted the couplers for my then-frequent trips to Nova Scotia, where my parents lived until several weeks after I purchased this bike. Anyway, the SRAM crank plays nicely with Campy mongrel Centaur/Record shifters........and the Shimano 9-speed drivetrain. Here's a pic of how to route the derailleur cable to make the combo work, and the link to where I learned this.
Here's the very busy steerer tube. That black collar thing is the Easton bear-trap headset tension doohickey, intended to replace the star-nut and topcap assembly. Does it work? No.The obligatory Moots money-shot of the welds.More evidence that I (glass half full) ride this bike hard, or (glass half empty) abuse this bike with my unclean ways.
Due to JetBlue's butcher job on my wheels, I'm bouncing around DC with a Campy track wheel on the front. Very pretty. But it desperately needs a rebuild, which Paul the mechanic nags me about every time I see him. And I'm terrified that this will happen on 18th St.But I'm a daredevil. Elliott Spitzer calls me reckless. Mike Tyson won't make eye contact with me. Need proof?I rode for 15 years on saddles without a "no slip system." I slipped. Oh yeah, I slipped. But I'm getting older now, so it's time for "no slip." But that slipping kid inside me will never die.

i have a valid excuse for this outfit

2008-03-12T20:50:00.003-05:00

i finally blundered into gwadzilla's viewfinder.

Check it out!

2008-03-12T20:42:00.002-05:00

http://nickpapageorgia.blogspot.com/2008/03/turn-signal-bike-jacket.html

Hidden treasure -- revealed!

2008-03-12T06:32:00.004-05:00

Remember "The Swan," that agonizing reality show where plain-looking ladies with horrible self esteem underwent multiple invasive cosmetic procedures, and some "counseling" too? This is kind of like that, only in reverse.

The other day, I fawned over the beautiful polished Alfine internal gear hub like it was a guest on the "Chris Farley Show." And now, the dramatic reveal of the bicycle it resides on:
Huh. This is the Jamis Commuter 4, and it's, um.... got a great personality? When I first saw a pic, i thought it looked a bit like a llama [am I allowed to say that about stuff we sell?]But let's look past this swan's feathers. For under $900, it's got the Alfine hub (in the very pretty polished silver, not the me-too black), disc brakes, aluminum frame and steel fork, and fenders. It's also got an adjustable quill stem, which is odd, but allows for a lot of adjustability. That big poofy saddle, perched on a suspension seatpost, it's a great deal more comfortable than the tractor seat it closely resembles. And a step-through (what used to be dubbed "women's") frame version is also available:You may note the presence of vertical dropouts, a chain tensioner, and double front chainrings. Unusual, for sure, but the vertical dropouts will certainly ease tire changes, and the double chainrings (48/34 i think) gives you a huge gear range to play with.

Everybody is all hot for this first wave of Alfine bikes. But this particular one just isn't getting any buzz. It's a shame, because it's a great value, and a fundamentally good and useful bike. We have a size run in stock at our Chevy Chase store, pop on by and have a look.

hypnotic BMX

2008-03-11T07:11:00.005-05:00

I stumbled on this at the Old Spokes Home blog, all credit to them, i must drop in if i'm ever in Vermont again.

Hidden treasure

2008-03-10T17:31:00.004-05:00

Nice looking hub, eh? If you disagree, the rest of this post may be even more unbearable than usual. But most of us in the shop (and the late Sheldon Brown) think this hub is the bee's knees. It's the Shimano Alfine (Shimano says it's all fine if you pronounce it all-FEE-nay), and it shares innards with the Nexus 8 internal hub, but adds the disc brake and that hot polished finish.

Shimano got the buzz machine bump-started on this in 2006, when they got a bunch of small framebuilders to make show specials built around the all-FEE-nay, and showed them at industry fashion week Interbike, see a few samples below.This one is from ANT in Massachusetts.
Here's a pic of the show winner from Old Man Mountain (pinched from the Bicycledesign blog).And my personal favorite, from Rock Lobster. Cool bikes, all of them.

Anyway, Shimano then ran the buzz-machine across a jersey wall and into a brick wall by announcing that so sorry, Alfine would be for Europe only. Oh. But swayed by who-knows-what, they relented, and this year saw the first offerings of bikes specced with Alfine. Like the $2K Civia Hyland I mentioned from Frostbike; and the nice-looking, upcoming Breezer Finesse, pic below, price not much less.So what's the point of all this? A $2K bike looks nice? Post more pics of those hot-looking store signs!

The point is that we are stocking a bike that is flying entirely under the radar. Unknown, unheralded, unblogged. Googling didn't even pop this bike up on the manufacturer's site. But it is for real -- one of our vendors managed to spec a practical, useful, and wonderfully offbeat bike, with the Alfine hub, for under $900. Yes, $900 in US dollars. Tomorrow, I'll uncover this mystery machine.

How's that for buzz?

Slow news day, we're talking signage.

2008-03-07T16:19:00.007-05:00

Long planned and long delayed, we finally got in some new in-store signs. And I might the only one who likes them. Squint at that nice S-works Tricross frame 'module' in the background if you're really bored.

Two DC bike blogs I like

2008-03-06T09:55:00.005-05:00

I'm supposed to be working right now, but I just stumbled on two blogs I enjoyed:

MyBikeLane DC -- A forum to post pics of folks who park in the bike line. This hasn't really latched on, but maybe if we can mobilize the formidable City Bikes marketing machine, we can get the network effects working against the doubleparkers.

Bikes for the Rest of Us -- No frills, he just posts up sensible bikes mostly in the sub-$1K range, and solicits feedback. We're geeks, but this qualifies as bike porn at City Bikes.

Back to the exciting task of processing payroll.

[Edit -- i misspelled "BikeLane" in the original post. I should be fired.]

Cannondale makes bikes, too

2008-03-04T09:50:00.005-05:00

Cannondale has been thrashing around like an agitated Jack Russell lately, having only recently been pulled from private-equity purgatory by Canadian bikeglomerate Dorel Industries (same folks who snatched up GT and Schwinn, remember them?). They're now fighting off pervasive rumors of a Performance (yes, that Performance) linkup. Maybe I'll post some thoughts on that corporate intrigue later, but for now, why not toss them a bone and mention this bike?
A while back, I mentioned this bike, but now comes news that, "Cannondale has committed to bringing the ON concept bike into production in the near future." The closing advice to, "Start saving!" is a bit troubling, though. We've done a good business with the Bad Boy over the years, and this bike is a logical progression of the line. The one-sided fork and stays are really aesthetically pleasing, while the folding frame, internal hub, and hidden drivetrain make it a very practical bike for the city dweller. The eternal question remains.... How much?

A Bike Summit Visitor's Ride Guide

2008-03-03T09:32:00.005-05:00

Apologies to District folks, I promised a couple of people who are in town for the Bike Summit that I would post up some items of interest for them to check out while in town, beyond the usual Mall-museum-meeting-meal-motel circuit one does at a DC conference. Chime in with other suggestions:

Sampling DC Bike Infrastructure -- For the big guns of advocacy who are in town, perhaps you'd like to see how our nation's capital stacks up. From the conference venue, head north on 15th St, hang a left on Pennsylvania Ave, and enjoy the best two blocks of no-car roadway in the country. Watch out for distracted administration officials, war protesters, Segway renters, and tourists squinting into viewfinders. Then, head north (right) on 17th St., through the chaos of the K St. intersection, brave Connecticut Ave (watch out for i-podded jaywalkers, u-turning cabbies, and driver-side doors), and bear right on 18th St.

Channel your inner Belgian on the horrible pavement on 18th, up the steep hill at Florida Ave., past all the restaurants and bars, and hang a right on Columbia Ave. Go 1 block, and you'll see a pretty cool bike shop. Please stop in and say hello. Keep on truckin down Columbia, straight over 16th St., where it turns into Harvard St., until you get to 14th St. Hang a right, and head down 14th. If you're pinched for time, or reluctant to venture into a slightly sketchy patch of town, just bomb straight down the intermittent bike lane on 14th, careful to take the right spoke at Thomas Circle, and you'll end up right near the conference venue.

Otherwise, go down to Q St. There's another shop at the intersection of 14th and Q, I won't invite you to visit on their behalf, but I'm sure they would love to say hello. Head left on Q St., avoid doors and double-parked construction vans on Q, and then zigzag your way over to 9th St, hang a right. Head down 9th, past our gleaming NOS condition Convention Center. Behold the bizarre 9th St combo bus/bike lane, and dodge all the cars that ignore that bus/bike restriction. Venture over to 7th St (to the left) if you want to ride it's similarly well-intentioned but largely useless northbound twin. Gawk and scoff like a jaded local at all the tourists, this is where they gather to eat. Otherwise, hang a right onto E St., and ride a nice traditional bike lane on back to your home base. Google says 6 miles in all, here's a map:

View Larger Map

This route basically gives you a good cross-section of what we've got inside the city. Some OK bike lanes, some bike lanes that just randomly start/stop, some odd good-intentions, and some major routes with no provision for bikes.

Training, Tidal Basin, and Monuments -- Maybe you'd like some exercise. Head south, to DC's closest thing to a velodrome, Haines Point. Head down 15th St, being especially careful of drivers itching to get onto the highway once you get onto Maine Ave. While trying not to hold up traffic, glance to your right, see the Tidal Basin, imagine it teeming with cherry blossom blooms and tourists. Try to negotiate a left onto Ohio Ave., which is long, flat, and hopefully your biggest danger here will be the triathletes learning to use their aerobars and ironically yelling at you to hold your line. At the turnaround, we used to have a cool statue called the Awakening, that most of us never really appreciated until it was bought, extricated, and reinstalled in a suburban fauxborfront retail complex. If being outdoors on a bicycle has you missing your rollers/trainer, use Buckeye Dr. to loop back around, and just keep doing laps of Haines Point. Similar experience.

Anyway, keep going under the 14th St. Bridge, and you'll end up on the other side of the Tidal Basin. Work your way around the Tidal Basin, and you are right in the midst of all the big National Mall attractions -- WWII memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, etc. I've plotted a route back to the Reagan building that includes Constitution Ave, which is a bit of a dragstrip. Plot an alternate route, or take to the wide sidewalks, if you're a bit leery of mixing it up with fast traffic. Again, consult the map.

Mixed-use Trails -- Finally, we've got a decent enough set of mixed use trails. I won't try to describe all of them, bikewashington.org does a much better job at that. Your best entrance onto the biggest trails is to follow the same route as described above, but don't turn onto Ohio Dr. Keep going straight, and then bear right onto Basin Dr. DON'T follow all the cars onto the bridge -- the sidewalk across the bridge is fenced off, and can't be accessed from the road. Zoom in on the map, i've tried to sketch out the proper way to go. And don't take 14th St. down to the bridge -- while it is called the 14th St Bridge, a bike can't access the bridge from 14th St. Crazy.

Anyway, once you cross the bridge, you'll loop around, and find yourself facing back toward the city (beautiful view, BTW). Go right, and you can take the Mt. Vernon Trail about 15 miles down to Mt. Vernon, going through Old Town Alexandria. Go left, proceed a few miles to the Key Bridge, cross back over into DC, and you're in Georgetown. Get a cup of coffee, gawk at how many people fearlessly pilot $80K cars in city traffic, pop into two other bike shops on M St., or head down to Water/K St., and you're at the head of the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) and the C&O Canal towpath. To get to Water St from the Key Bridge, hang a right immediately after the bridge into a little park, go down and across the C&O canal, and then either go down a nearby staircase to Water St (then hang a right), or just go right on the gravel towpath, with intersects with the CCT after a mile or so.

The CCT 7 miles of wonderful, slightly uphill trail all the way to downtown Bethesda. It gets really crowded on nice days with joggers and baby strollers on nice days, though, so bring a bell and leave your need for speed back on Haines Point. Keep going through Bethesda, onto the Georgetown Branch Trail, where the surface becomes gravel, proceed another 1.5 miles across Connecticut Ave., and you'll arrive at our Chevy Chase location. Please stop in and say hello.

Mailbag

2008-03-02T08:31:00.002-05:00

Aden-Francis forwarded me this petition to get Google to add a bike route function to their mapping tool. I just went in to Google maps to plot out a couple of riding routes for folks visiting for the League of American Bicyclists' Bike Summit next week, and, well, i'm convinced. Please join me in signing the petition.

In the meantime, here's a link to DDOT's bike map.

Jim Sebastian at DDOT, who oversees bicycle programs, wrote that the Union Station Bikestation project is back underway, after funding was secured to cover the higher-than-anticipated bid prices. Look how cool this place will look when completed...

And the SmartBike DC bike sharing program is now targeted to start in April.

Hello, newsletter readers!

2008-02-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome, and thanks for clicking through!

You may recall that in the last newsletter, we asked for your thoughts on this thing:
Well, 100% of the three of you who responded were pretty excited, and no reticence was expressed about the $299 MSRP. We'll keep our eyes peeled, to see if this thing is ever coming to market, or if it's just another cool bit of bike vaporware.

So anyway, I was curious about a bike I'm personally pretty jazzed about, the Salsa Casseroll. We mentioned it after seeing it at Frostbike, it sure is purty, and not a bad spec for a $1600-1700 bike (though I'm not 100% sure on these prices):
...and that dropout is just a beautiful piece (photograph is off of the singlespeed bike, same frame, sorry for my cruddy photography):
Of course, it's easy to like something when there's no alternative. See, we've already got a similar bike, the Jamis Quest, in stock at $1500.
Spec is at the same strata, with some important differences (compact chainset, no fenders, lighter wheels, carbon fork, and overall more performance orientation for the Jamis). They're really targeted at different users (Jamis -- fast weekend rec riding v. Salsa -- commuting/light touring). But with an already narrow niche ($1500+ performance steel road bikes), it would likely be a one or the other proposition, in terms of having in stock (we probably can special-order the Salsa).

So, steel road fiends, what say you? If you are plunking down $1500 plus for a new steel road bike, what are you looking at? Which bike better fits the bill? And would you pay a premium for one over the other?