Bike Shops blogs from BikeBlogCollection.com

Is Gran Canaria really all that “Great”?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:26:36 -0800

I was recently asked about “cycling on the big island”, and I shot off a reply about the best routes in Tenerife. Anyway, it turns out the person was referring to Gran Canaria. Oh dear. This was more or less my reply: Sorry I was a little confused there about which island you meant. [...]

Review: Pearl Izumi Cyclone Glove

Paul — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:57:00 -0800

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the road still looks delightful. Cold weather doesn't mean the end of cycling, just a change of clothes. One particular important piece of clothing is your gloves, and I tried out the Pearl Izumi Cyclone to see how it holds up.

This glove, at first glance, seems to have it all. It boasts protection from wind, water, cold, and vibration all while keeping a sleek and stylish appearance. Unfortunately as the saying goes, "a jack of all trades is a master to none".

On a cool fall day, this glove accomplishes the goal of warmth, but with its limited water resistance the warmth will not last long if there is rain. For those of us who bike in the Pacific Northwest, a water resistant glove just won't cut it. The lack of moisture wicking further hinders the glove's ability to provide warmth, so if the cyclist, like me, tends to have hands that sweat, these gloves would dampen, thus making it colder. If you want a winter glove I would suggest the Izumi Barrier or Barrier Lobster which performs much better and has been a proven glove for years.

The beaded silicone grips along the fingers and palm work wonderfully without wearing down and the Gel-Lite padding definitely helps on those longer treks to stave off vibration fatigue. Over time, however, it seems the stress caused by the constant push and pull of the gel pockets can cause tears in the fabric rendering the glove useless. If the padding is a necessity for you, the Izumi P.R.O. Lobster Wind Mitt is a better choice for durability and comfort, and if you purchase a seperate thin thermal liner it could handle even greater temperatures than the Cyclone.

For a serious rider, the padding is a dealbreaker. Casual riders may find that the durability is not an issue, and on top of that, if you live in a place where it doesn't rain everyday then this glove would do the job. If you are a serious rider I would give this a pass and go with one of the other gloves I mentioned, but with it's stylish looks, comfort, and protection against wind and cold, a casual rider would get their money's worth.

"Two [hundred] men enter, one man leave [the winner]."

Paul — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:39:00 -0800

In case you are a bit rusty on your 80's post-apocalyptic action movies, that was from "Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome", sort of.

Actually it was the theme to this year's Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC) held at the Portland International Raceway on November 7th and 8th. Hundreds turned out for the event, both to compete and spectate, many dressed as citizens of the savage city of Bartertown . The costumes and rowdy fans are the norm at Cyclocross, but this time Yakima Inc. took it to the next level and made...the Thunderdome. This 1300-square-foot lattice structure became the center of attention, standing over 20 feet high. It was the Cyclocross version of the fabled arena of death, but in this case, death is the place where people heckle you as you bike through. Folks climbed all over the giant dome to watch the mayhem as riders were pelted with marshmellows by people suspended from the top of the dome.

Of all who braved the course, only two emerged triumphant. Kari Studley of Seattle took the women's division and, for the second year in a row, Drew MacKenzie of Canada won the men's. They received the coveted "golden speedo" or "golden bikini" for the women (so as not to excite the already riled and savage crowd). Studley's win moves the 2010 SSCXWC to Seattle , ending Portland 's three year reign of dominance. Don't lose heart Stumptown, you'll get it back next year with a win in the Emerald City .

Bike availability in December January 2010?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:48:21 -0800

Hi Leslie, I’m looking to go to Tenerife for a week either in Dec or Jan, depending on work commitments it will either be Dec 6th-13th or else for a week early in Jan. I’m 6ft and my own bike is 56cm frame although a taller one would suit fine as well. I won’t know [...]

When and Where and What the Hell…

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:24:01 -0800

If you look up there just next to our search bar to the left, you will notice a small change.

Our hours have changed.

We are still open 7 days a week.
But, now we are running an hour shorter.

Sunday 12-4
Monday 10-6
Tuesday 10-6
Wednesday 10-6
Thursday 10-6
Friday 10-6
Saturday 10-6

This is not to inconvenience anyone. And we will go back to regular hours at the next Daylight Savings change.

Halloween Weekend Freak-Out

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:17:53 -0700

So Many Things to Do This Weekend

MURDER ON BROADWAY

We are sponsoring this one! Yup, the winners are going to get to choose from a huge amount of prizes. I’ve seen some of them (from Pablo’s for instance) that are incredible. We have donated a bunch of fun stuff including a Deluxe Tune. You should go. You should solve the mysterious murder. You should volunteer to help out the writing center called Metro Denver Promotion of Letters, which is who this Murder on Broadway benefits. Read the official flyer here. And all about MDPOL here.

BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
We aren’t even going to try to explain this to you. You should just go. See some films about movies. Don’t be scared. Read all about it here. There are a ton of options for times and activities.

PILLOW FIGHT??
We thought for sure this would be happening this year, but have not heard for certain. If it does, it will be incredible. If it does not happen, well, you weren’t missing anything anyways. (BOOOOO!!!!) (Not Boo, like scare you, but the BOOO of a disappointed crowd not yet angry enough to do anything real to you). What we know about it is here.

Closed for 10/28 and 10/29

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:02:37 -0700

Due to this:

We are:

CLOSED FOR THE DAY.
And we will see you tomorrow when our employees and customers will be in less danger of dummy drivers and crazy out-of-towners!

Spot Ninja (Fixie Belt Drive)

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:31:18 -0700

This bike is a one of a kind. We acquired a fixie from Spot after Interbike. It has about 16 miles on it, so we are discounting it for Spot.

It is a 54cm bike, by the way.

Here is a breakdown of what you are getting for your money:
1. Handbuilt frame from Spot – $1600
2. Cane Creek Track Wheelset – $600 (more info)
3. Everything else – More than $100
Over all value for this bike is way more than the asking price!

Come ride the ninja. As they say “Only a Ninja can kill another Ninja.”

Phone/iPod-charging Hub!

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:22:15 -0700

Check this out: Now you can use a generator hub for more than just a headlight. PedalPower+ makes a hub with a DC output, so you can actually charge your phone, iPod, GPS or whatever small electronic device you might take on a long ride (sorry, the curling iron is just too much). They even make a universal cable that converts AC dynamo hubs into DC. How sweet is that?

Well, Bikewagon is actually the first company in the ol’ US of A to offer these products for sale, so check out the PedalPower+ brand page on our main site and see what they have to offer!

Michelin XC Dry 2 review

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:12:36 -0700

Wear Rate: I bought these tyres on sale at Decathlon some time last year and they have not lasted long. In fact after only a few months use, one potential client looked at the tread and rather cheekily told me “this tyre is no good for me”. It was at that point I realised these tyres [...]

News in Tenerife for Autumn 2009.

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:51:56 -0700

The Autumn season is finally here! Thanks to all those that are coming to cycle Tenerife! I finally had time to take new photos of the bikes for the webpage, so you can see exactly what you are getting. All of us here at Tenerife-Training have been anticipating a busy Winter season for quite some time. [...]

Can you recommend the best cycling route for me?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:37:27 -0700

Things are going good, So im flying over on tuesday the 11th Tenerif south, then im gonna take a coach up. Just can’t fly to the north from N.Ireland. and back again on the 18th December. Im staying in the Masaru Apartment, their december offer is very good. Be nice to have a bike for most of that [...]

At This Time

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:23:31 -0700

We are settling in nicely

We have a few announcements to let everyone know about:

Demo Bikes are on sale.

The prices are great. The deals are amazing. And the bikes are really fun. If you are in the market for a mountain bike, you would be silly not to consider these deals.
More here.

Sunday Morning Cupcake Ride this Sunday.

We are going to The Shoppe on Colfax to have a delicious breakfast. This is a special treat. So special that we are moving the time up to 9 am. NO EXCUSES. Go get your calendar and mark it down. Set your alarm clock and come out for a ride with us on Sunday.
More here (and here.)

Thank you for helping us out.

We have had a huge number of people come by to thank us for moving to our new space. You have no idea how great that is to hear. It is a pretty large task to move a bunch of stuff, but it is even greater of a task to move a living community to a new and different part of town. So thank you for making the effort with us and for helping us grow to be what Denver cyclists need. We have a number of plans that we will be implementing over the next year to further improve Denver’s cycling experience. We will be telling you all about it soon.

Sale on Demo Bikes

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:00:12 -0700

Here goes our quick and (cleaned after last use) dirty list of Demo Bikes for sale:
All of these are Mediums.

1. Titus Racer – X Carbon: Regular Price $5100 Demo Price $2950
2. Titus Racer – X Aluminum: Regular Price $2800 Demo Price $1300 SOLD
3. Maverick Durance: Regular Price $4500 Demo Price $3200 SOLD
4. Giant Trance X2: Regular Price $2700 Demo Price $1500 SOLD
5. Giant Reign X1: Regular Price $2900 Demo Price $ 1600 SOLD
6. Knolly Endorphin: NOT FOR SALE. SORRY. WE LOVE IT TOO MUCH
7. Knolly Delirium T: Regular Price $5500 Demo Price $ 3800
SOLD
8. Jamis Dakar XAM: Regular Price $3600 Demo Price $ 2000
9. Titus FTM: Regular Price $4200 Demo Price $2450 SOLD

Got it? Good.

That is all for now. If you want them, you can come get them. Once they are gone, they are gone. All of them are in great shape, because we maintain the hell right out of them.

Some Good Stuff

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:01:46 -0700

Just A Few Good Things

Okay. This has to be short. And it has to be good.

1. We are having a bike-in movie on Tuesday. THIS Tuesday the 22nd of September. We apologize for the short notice, but it follows the theme of the short movies. Flyer is here.

2. We are officially a Kona Dealer! Their website is here. Needless to say, we are more than a little bit excited. Look for some of the bikes to be arriving over the next few weeks. Any requests?

3. We bought an espresso machine. And you know what that means. Trouble. But, not for a few months.

4. The cross team is still being put together. Sorry for the delay, but it will be worth it. We want everyone who joins to be super happy, so we are setting things up just right.

In Summary

Everything is going well at the new store. Thank you to everyone who has made us feel so completely welcome to the new neighborhood. If you haven’t been by yet, please come see us!