Whats up with headsets

Tech Questions #1- Headsets

Question from customer: "I'm looking at headsets, and the tech sheet says 1 1/8", non-threaded, integrated. What is all this?"

Our answer in three parts:

1. Headset size
2. Threaded vs. Threadless
3. Standard vs. Integrated

Definitions you will need to know.

Steer Tube - The part of the front fork that sticks up through the frame

Head Tube - The part of the frame that the Steer Tube passes through.

Headset - The part containing the bearings that allow the steer tube to turn freely in the head tube (more simply this allows you to turn the bike)

Headset size:

1 1/8" headsets are the most common on the market right now. Second most common is 1" and there are some 1 1/2"s out there but they are rare. Almost all modern mountain bikes use 1 1/8". The measurement is actually the diameter of the steer tube on the fork, so it is basically the interior diameter of the headset.

Non-threaded vs threaded headsets:
This refers to how the fork is attached to the frame. Threadless means that there are no threads on the steer tube so the fork is held on by clamping the stem to the steer tube. On a threaded headset the headset screws onto the top of the forks steer tube (this means that the fork has to be purchased with the proper length steer tube and can't be cut) In a threaded system it is the headset rather than the stem that holds the fork to the bike, and a quill stem is inserted down the center of the steer tube. Threaded headsets are seen mostly on older bikes, inexpensive bikes, and BMX bikes.

Integrated vs Standard headsets:

Traditional headsets have the cups pressed into the frame. In integrated headsets a sealed bearing inserts directly into the frame and then the top and bottom of the headset are the same as normal. Remember that with a sealed bearing the balls are completely contained so there is actually no movement against the frame so you don't have to worry about damaging the frame the way you worry about damaging the cups in a traditional headset. Integrated headsets are a little lighter and a little less complex than traditional headsets.

For the most part, the type of headset you choose will be dependant on what frame you pick. If the frame is set up for 1 1/8" integrated, that is what you will have to use.

USGP Derby City

Given that he is the CFO of a bike shop, it seemed only logical that he start racing. So this weekend shop mascot and Cookie Finding Officer Lane entered his first race. Now there is no going half way for this kid so he started out at one of the biggest Cyclocross races in the nation, Derby City USGP.


After a considerable amount of effort trying to corral him away from the big boy course he settled into his grove on the junior course which was complete with a couple of run ups, a mud pit (bikewash run off) and a staircase run-up.

A couple of warm up laps and he was off to the obligatory port-a-pot visit.


And then the start.

The first lap held some excitement with a three-kid pileup that blocked traffic right from the start. After a short pause Lane was able to take the inside line and get around. He blew through the Cannondale tent and was out on course.

As the only one with training wheels Lane was at a bit of a disadvantage on the back section because as it turns out when you are on an off camber slope, the training wheels try to push you over rather than hold you up. It is because of this section that his pit crew believes that he so narrowly missed the overall win.

He blasted through the mud pit and dismounted for the staircase where he did have to receive a little outside assistance lugging the bike up the stairs. Back on the bike he headed out for lap 2.




With an uneventful lap 2 under his belt, his race was over, but he was not going to stop for something as silly as everyone else being done. Like a true champion he headed out on a victory lap so while everyone else was at the award ceremony Lane was turning a few extra.



Eventually we had to drag him from the course, but if you ask him today what he wants to do, you are sure to get his new standard answer.

"I want to do cyclocross"

Never go on vacation

Ok, after taking a week off to go on a vacation with the family I have learned that Vacations are a bad thing. Those of you who were in the shop while I was gone or since, may have noticed some changes. We pretty much had some major disastor each day. One day a construction crew cut some fiber cable and took out phone and internet service to the shop (and half of LaGrange and Crestwood) which is no good when you run an internet buiness and like to process credit cards.

A couple of other snaffoos set us back a bit, but the big one occured when one of the employees downloaded a virus into our inventory computer. "I was just trying to charge my ipod, I swear..."

So that has blinked out one of the computers and made our cash register useless, so we are back in the stone ages and taking orders by hand. You can still order off our website, but we will have to wait for the holiday weekend to be over so the rest of the world will come back to work and we will can get our tecnical issues solved. (hopefully we won't have lost too much data). Anyway. I am back and we are trying to get ourselves back where we need to be, but if you see us running around like chickens with our heads cut off it is because nothing is working the way it is supposed to. Oh well.

So while vacation was largely a disaster, I did get a couple of interesting tidbits out of it. The first was this lovely picture of a bike locked up outside one of the buildings where we were staying. If it doesnt't strike you as funny, look again.

There were also some fringe benefits to being able to step away from my work for a while and rething my approach to a couple of things, so once we get all of our current problems sorted out, look for some cool things coming down the pipeline. Stay tuned...

Whats new...

Ok, so it has been a while since we posted, but there has been a lot going on at the shop (which is why the blog is getting neglected) So here is what is new in a nutshell.

New Sign out front.
So it only took a year, but the sign is hanging and looks good. People seem to be able to find us a little better which is nice.

Home repair taking off... Our mechnics have been keeping themsleves busy working on repairs, we still have some room to grow the home bicyle repair side of things, but people are starting to figgure out that it is easier for a mechanic to come to them that for them to load their bikes up to get to us. We are also running weekly special deals for our home repair customers that adds a little value to the service for them. If you haven't checked it out, you can get details here: http://www.goosecreekcycle.com/ServiceForm.htm

Little ones go mobile- The munchkins of GCC have gone mobile. Lane has discovered the Adams Trail-a-bike and often reuses to get off. This works to our advantage as he now helps out with post office and bank runs. When he is not on that he is terrorizing customers on his Free Agent Lil Speedy. The coaster brake is his new best friend, so I am going to have to buy stock in Cheng Shin Tires. Landon has taken the first step now and he and his mom went on their first ride in a Adams trailer.

New products- As many of you know we have had some supply issues with our road bikes, but we are working to resolve this. We do have one new brand in the pipeline (deatails later) and we are starting to build up some frames that we have always had access to but never stocked. Look for some Pakes and Somas to start hitting the floor next month.

The holdiday order fo Dekline Shoes came in a little early so we will have our shipment of new shoes soon. Along those lines, look for in store sale pricing offered first to our local cutomers that will go live online as soon as our new shipment gets here. all our casual and skate shoes are marked between $34 and $50 in store right now.

Online inventory expanding at a rate you won't beleive. We have restructured a little so that some of our online inventory is stored off site (it wouldn't fit in the shop) so while this is a little bit of a bummer in that you can no longer look online to know exactly what is in the store, our online customers will be served with a better selection of parts and still have shipping within 1 business day of their order. And hey, if you are local you can always just have it shipped all orders ship for only $3 and they arrive pretty quickly. The first expansion push was in the trainer department, check out the selection here: Trainers and Rollers

Anyway, thats it for now we have been so hectic at the shop that I am sure I have forgotten something, but stop in and see us and see all that is new.

Bicycle Service to your Door

Those of you who have been with us since the beginning... no the VERY beginning. Remember when we operated out of a small room dubbed "the ugly room" and the entire inventory was stored in a couple of Tupperware containers? Yeah then.

Well those of you who remember that will remember that at that time the logo we had on the business cards was "If you are going out, it should be to ride" At the time the concept was simple. The customers needed parts, I wanted to go for a bike ride, so I would get on my bike and ride the parts to the customers. It was win win.

The problem with all this is that I forgot to take into account one simple truth about cyclists. People who can install their own parts are generally people who like to hang out in bike shops. While they will grumble about wearing out a tire or breaking a spoke, they enjoy going to the shop to look at the new toys and put their hands on parts. What we realized was that we were not saving our customers the chore of going to the bike shop, we were impersonalizing what should have been a fun time out to see the gang at the shop.

So now, a little over a year since, canning the delivery service, we think we have fixed the glitch, and we are bringing back the "to your door" service from Goose Creek. To do this we have had to recognize that not everyone is the die hard, eat, sleep & breath bike stuff fanatics that we are. There is a portion of the population for whom going to the bike shop IS a chore. These are the people trying to shove a bike into their backseat, or borrowing a friends pickup so they can get both of the kids bike in to go get a flat tire changed. For these people we are now offering to your door repair service.

As of this week we are launching our pilot program for Buckner, La Grange, Crestwood, Prospect, Goshen, Skylite and certain Lousville Zip Codes. Basically the east side of Louisville and all the little towns between there and our shop. Customers will be able to contact us either by filling out a form on our website or by just calling the shop. We will set up a time and then come out for their bikes. Simple repairs will be performed on spot, for more complicated or time consuming repairs, we will actually pick up the bike, bring it to the shop, do the repairs, and return the bike when it is done.

There is a small premium, between $5-$15 depending on location, but considering that our normal labor costs are lower than many of our competitors anyway it all comes out in the wash. For instance if you live in St. Matthews, a tune up would be $25 + $15 for the pick up, so your total tune up cost would be $40 which is about what you would pay if you took it into your local shop anyway.

Official advertising for this service will start in the next couple of weeks, and we will have to get the vehicle painted up and some official uniforms for the guys so people won't think we are going to steal their bikes, but a temporary service request page is now up and functional and you can view it here: http://www.goosecreekcycle.com/ServiceForm.htm

I realize that if you are reading this blog you are probably the sort that likes to come into the shop yourself, but spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Thanks and see you out on the road.

Dirt Sweat and Gears.

Ok, so our trip down to Dirt Sweat and Gears last weekend was a bit of a milestone for me. Not necicarily a good milestone, but lets call it unfortunate timing on a change that was three years in the comming.

For a number of years I raced in with the pros in the hyper-endurance events. To me it seemed a bit silly to travel around the continent to compete for a secondary prize like a age group award or an amature tite. On a number of occasions I have sat back and compared lap times to discover that a race that left me back in the double digits somewhere in the elite race would have put me on the podium or winners jersey had I only been competing for one of the lesser prizes.

At the beginning of this month we celebrated my sons 3rd birthday. This marks roughly three years since the last time I went out on a ride that I considered a "training ride". It also marks the first time that I fealt comfortable registering for a race as an amature rather than a pro. Although I have only got about 12 hours of time on the bike logged this year I was still really concerned what might happen if I actually did well in the amature ranks? As I said to one of my friend going down. "I will feel like a schmuck if I do well here"

The ultimate irony is that the training I did for this race was actually better training than most of the seasoned racers who showed up. For those of you who haven't heard the details of the race, the rain started while we were on the start line. Rain made the trails sloppy, but the rain stopped soon after we started. Most of us turned the first lap in about an hour and a half, and then everything turned to peanutbutter. Mud clogged every aspect of the bike every time the wheels turned making almost the entire course unridable. Without a doubt this was the slowest and most demoralizing race I have ever done.

My second lap took around 4 and a half hours. The picture above was taken sortly after I discovered that it was faster to carry the bike than to push. Pushing the bike was nearly impossible because the wheels wouldn't turn, so most people moving forward had their bikes in the air. Sortly after this picture was taken, I walked past my friend who is a much stronger rider than I am. It was then that I realized that my training for this race was better than most. While everyone else had been out riding bikes, I had been carrying a 40 pound toddler around all day. You tell me, if you are going to carry a 50 pound mud coverd bike through the woods, which is better training?

So I walked. Lap two took roughly three hours longer than expected so I was low on fluids, but I took on a lot of energy and fluid in the pits and went on out hoping that it would either start raining again or dry up so the third lap would be more reasonable.

My third lap took 5 hours. At one point I got stuck. I tried to ride down a hill to a gully, and my wheels locked up and I almost made it to the bottom. Three of four steps dragging my bike to the bottom left me in a ditch trying to get out the other side. My bike was so caked with mud that I couldn't lift it and the wheels were so clogged I couldn't push it out the other side. I was stuck. Eventually I took on some fluid and cleaned enough mud off the bike that I could lift the frame and carry it out the other side.

What I didn't realize as I was slogging along was that only two amatures actually went out on the third lap. So with a 2 mile and hour average, I walked my way to the podium. The leading pro did four laps and my three laps would have put me in 4th in the pro catagory.

So while I do feel like a schmuck for taking a podium in the amature I have to think that this race was an outlier. As we return to the racing season I thing the advantage will again return to those who train by riding their bikes.

Don't get a Flat...

Ok, someone forwarded me this picture. There are times when i complain about narrow shoulders here in Kentucky, but my days of complaining are over....