Ok, so I totally get that there at only about 6 of you who pay attention to my babble on this blog, so if you are one of the elite few, I am going to make it worth your while.
From here on it, if I review a product, or have to personally buy a product in one of my adventures (like my current Ironman quest) I will give 25% off that product for 7 days following my blog post about it if you are buying in store and mention the blog. If the item is in stock, it is 25% off the tagged price, if we have to special order, it is 25% off MSRP pricing. This discount doesn't combine with other promotions.
At the bottom of each post I will have in parenthesis what items will be on sale. How specific I am depends on how I am feeling at the moment. For instance if I buy a cable lock I might put (cable lock) at the bottom of the page which means all cable locks will be on sale. Or I might be less specific and say (locks) which means all locks of any type will be on sale. Another example is if I review the KHS Four Seasons 2000 Fat bike, I might put (Four Seasons 2000) which means only that model is on sale. Or I might put (Four Seasons) which means any model of the four seasons bikes would be on sale. If I am feeling particularly feisty, I might put (bikes) which would mean any bike would be on sale.
No mater how you slice it, if you watch the blog you will find some deals. So enjoy my blather and get some cool swag.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
New sport new gear.
As I start out on this new triathlon adventure I am having to look at some some of my gear in a new light. Those of you who know me know I am a cheapskate. When it comes to my gear I ride it to the bitter end. I won't throw a tire out until you can see fabric or the sidewall blows out. I have been known to put all the little chain installation scraps from the shop together and make a new chain for my fixie. Given the choice of the product that matches my bike and the one on sale, I get the one on sale.
That being said, as one who has spent endless hours on a bike, I understand what quality can mean to a ride. If you put junk components on your bike, it will ride like junk. Together these two qualities have left me with the general view that usually your best bet is to ride component groups 1 to 2 years old. If you always chase the latest and greatest, you will pay a premium and often get the components before the bugs have really been worked out. For example if you were the first to jump on SRAMs road components you got the version that didn't have a trim-click. 2 years later, prices came way down and you had a trim click. If (like I did) you jumped on the XX1 bandwagon when it first came out, you got to ride a fully dialed system that changed the industry. Of course now the prices of your replacement rings and drivers have come down to about half the original price and they are every bit as good and more available.
As I start in with triathlon gear, I am finding that I already have a lot of the gear I need. The increased use of said gear will hopefully give me the chance to wear some of that gear out and buy the gear I want.
| For example as much as I like to taunt my wife with the fact that I have been wearing the same swim suit since high school, I have to wonder how many more trips to the pool this piece of history is going to survive before I suddenly discover that it has completely disintegrated. I recently heard a preacher on the radio suggest that God never intended men to wear Speedos, and after some time at the pool I tend to agree with him. I am guessing that there is probably some happy medium |  |
Until that time comes however I am starting my assembly of new gear a little slower. So while no one can steal my swimsuit while I am swiming, my valuble flannel shirt and the keys to my 94 Ford Explorer remain unprotected in my locker. So purchase #1 for the new venture was a combination lock. While significant, I'm sure this won't be the only purchase I will have to make as I wind my way toward the Ironman, so I have decided to have a "feel my pain" sale at the shop for those of you who follow my blog. I'll post the details later but basically if you mention the blog, anything I have to buy will be on sale at the shop for a week after I post it up here. So for the next week all locks will be 25% off if you mention this post.
Congrats to the 7 of you who actually read my ramblings. You get to keep your stuff safe for discout prices.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Ironman Louisville 2016
Ok,Ironman Louisville 2015 is safely behind us. As usual the Goose Creek Cycle team experienced the race from the sidelines. As bike shop guys we experience the race a little differently from those of you who were racing or cheering on your friends and family members.
The Shop rats (Lane, Levi and Cam) set up their annual "lemonade" stand in the Goose Creek tent while the mechanics nervously check split times of the bikes we built or serviced going into the race. While we like to see our riders do well, the main thing we are looking for on our little electronic devices is even split times. We are equally happy with a rider who's average pace is 14MPH at every split as with a rider whose pace is a solid 22MPH. What we are looking for is the dreaded "Long Split". The Long Split is that one where there was clearly a problem. A suddenly drop from a 20MPH pace to a 10MPH pace screams mechanical problem. And mechanical problem means either a crash, or we made a mistake.
This year we continued our clean streak. To date, none of the bikes (at least that we know of) that we have either built for or serviced going into the race have had any major mechanical problems. We like to think that this is a testament to the almost neurotic testing and retesting we do on bikes especially when someone has flown half way across the country or world to get here for this one ride.
But something new happened at the 2015 Louisville Ironman. This year the Shop Rats moms showed up and put their heads together and issued a challenge. In past, I had actually been forbidden from doing this race on account of the time it would take to train for it. But now with the kids in school and a little extra time in the margins of our lives there is a possibility of getting back back to racing.
Now keep in mind, I am not a triathlete. I have done one sprint triathlon. If you look back far enough into history you will see that I have a background in 24 hour mountain bike racing, so the distance here is maybe not as daunting as it might otherwise be, but lately my focus has been on light commuting, beer drinking and snack cakes. So with the exception of the fact that my extra layer of blubber helps me float a little better in the swim, I am singularly unprepared for an Ironman.
Truth be told, I probably wont actually do it, but I am putting this post up on the shop blog just so there is a public record that I said I would so now maybe I will have to. I have a year, so I am starting with baby steps. Baby step one was to take a bunch of steroids to try to get rid of this terrible case of Poison Ivy I contracted clearing trails at Briar Hill. Steroids can only help right? Also, and mainly because I was told that the chlorine would help dry up my poison ivy, I got in the local pool for 20 minutes this morning before work.
So there you have it. Day 1 training: Don't drown for 20 minutes. Mission Accomplished.
The Shop rats (Lane, Levi and Cam) set up their annual "lemonade" stand in the Goose Creek tent while the mechanics nervously check split times of the bikes we built or serviced going into the race. While we like to see our riders do well, the main thing we are looking for on our little electronic devices is even split times. We are equally happy with a rider who's average pace is 14MPH at every split as with a rider whose pace is a solid 22MPH. What we are looking for is the dreaded "Long Split". The Long Split is that one where there was clearly a problem. A suddenly drop from a 20MPH pace to a 10MPH pace screams mechanical problem. And mechanical problem means either a crash, or we made a mistake.
This year we continued our clean streak. To date, none of the bikes (at least that we know of) that we have either built for or serviced going into the race have had any major mechanical problems. We like to think that this is a testament to the almost neurotic testing and retesting we do on bikes especially when someone has flown half way across the country or world to get here for this one ride.
But something new happened at the 2015 Louisville Ironman. This year the Shop Rats moms showed up and put their heads together and issued a challenge. In past, I had actually been forbidden from doing this race on account of the time it would take to train for it. But now with the kids in school and a little extra time in the margins of our lives there is a possibility of getting back back to racing.
Now keep in mind, I am not a triathlete. I have done one sprint triathlon. If you look back far enough into history you will see that I have a background in 24 hour mountain bike racing, so the distance here is maybe not as daunting as it might otherwise be, but lately my focus has been on light commuting, beer drinking and snack cakes. So with the exception of the fact that my extra layer of blubber helps me float a little better in the swim, I am singularly unprepared for an Ironman.
Truth be told, I probably wont actually do it, but I am putting this post up on the shop blog just so there is a public record that I said I would so now maybe I will have to. I have a year, so I am starting with baby steps. Baby step one was to take a bunch of steroids to try to get rid of this terrible case of Poison Ivy I contracted clearing trails at Briar Hill. Steroids can only help right? Also, and mainly because I was told that the chlorine would help dry up my poison ivy, I got in the local pool for 20 minutes this morning before work.
So there you have it. Day 1 training: Don't drown for 20 minutes. Mission Accomplished.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
No Pro Family rides
Starting in March 2015 there will be a series of what we are calling NoPro rides. Generally these are 40-60 minute rides at a casual pace. Perfect for pulling kids in a trailer or just getting your heart rate up in the morning. Incidentally, If you are doing the Humana Vitality thing, I have also designed them so that if you run Strava they will just perfectly meet your daily exercise requirements. To Start with these will be out and back rides on the Bike Path, starting from the public library in LaGrange, but I am also working on putting together some neighborhood loops that will be safe even for little riders and relatively free of hills. The first of these rides is on Wednesday March 4th at 8:30am
These rides will continue EVERY Wednesday at 8:30am unless raining and until it gets too cold as fall turns to winter.
Bike,Trailer and Trailer Bike rental Special deal on Trailer rental for this ride. For $2 and a little advance notice I can bring a trailer or trailer bike for you to ride for the ride. If you don't have a bike, you can rent a hybrid for $5 for the morning. (please note that these are special rate for this ride only, weekly or long term rental rates are available)
These rides will continue EVERY Wednesday at 8:30am unless raining and until it gets too cold as fall turns to winter.
Bike,Trailer and Trailer Bike rental Special deal on Trailer rental for this ride. For $2 and a little advance notice I can bring a trailer or trailer bike for you to ride for the ride. If you don't have a bike, you can rent a hybrid for $5 for the morning. (please note that these are special rate for this ride only, weekly or long term rental rates are available)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)