Googling a more bike friendly way!

Google has added a bike route feature on Google Maps. So far Champaign has campus and and a trail just outside of the bike shop. This is a big step forward in showing the world that the bicycle is a viable way to get around town. Hopefully the routes will expand so people can see safe routes on the internet.

At the shop we offer maps of the area with all the routes deemed safer to ride by bicycle for the ultra low price of $1.

Hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather today!

John Henry

Handle Bars!

I am going to try and blog more to make this page more worth visiting. Two in as many days is a huge increase.

Today was a catch up day at the shop we have been so busy with last weeks spring rush today was a nice change of pace, kind of. We played catch up today Jason checked in the biggest pile of parts I have ever seen at the shop. In addition to that MOAR STUFF came in, including another shipment of bicycles. This weekend left some fairly serious openings in the bike shop floor and I had to get 7 or so bikes out of their boxes as well as rearrange some to make room for new models. For example there is a new madone 4.5 on the floor.

Yeah its not M'erican carbon fiber however is attractively priced at $1999. Which makes it the cheapest full carbon fiber bike we sell. Also it was redesigned for 2010 which makes it ride significantly nicer than last years 4series frames. (I would know I rode them both back to back, Its one of the perks of the job) This bike is a great upgrade from what ever aluminium bike you are riding on currently. It seems every bit as stiff as the 5 and 6 series bikes. However it does not seem as lively of a ride. That may be in part due to the heavier parts on the bike further testing needs to be done by an independent source.

Also this came in today. This photo does not do the bars justice.

Bontrager XXX lite bars

Weighing In at 114 Grams the packaging that comes with the bars is required in order to keep them from floating away. I am quite excited to see these on my Mountain bike. They are so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend it.

This is the first step in operation save weight on my mountain bike

coming soon to it

lighter SRAM X.O Shifter and deraileur and casette as that is worn out as well

Ligher and stiffer Shimano Deore XT Crank

A 1X9 setup

Some lighter new stem

Lighter weight seatpost and saddle

The Stans Wheelset mentioned in my last post

Turns out when its all said and done the bike will effectively be an aluminium Superfly. I cannot wait.

John Henry

Time to get out and ride!

If you had not noticed and judging by how busy Saturday was at the shop you have.

It is starting to warm up a bit. I would not be surprised if there is one more cold streak before winter finally throws in the towel but I am enjoying the nice weather. Indoor trainer rides have stopped at the shop and group rides are spinning up.

If you are like me you have not ridden near as much over the winter as you should. I am looking at the new Trek Madones to save me in the coming group rides at least until my legs come around. I however already have a fine road bike and perhaps more importantly have college to pay for first. Whats your excuse? Several 2009 demo bikes are still here. These bikes have been tried and ridden before, but still carry full warranties and guarantees not to mention they are hundreds of dollars below msrp at this point come check one out!

Unfortunately Kickapoo state parks mountain bike trails will probably be a mud fest until we get a good dry streak but I remain hopeful that there will be some days in late March April. Over the winter my Mountain bike did see some use as snow and ice made me leery. As a result I managed to wear out my drive train It now skips when I pedal hard. If your bike has suffered through a tough winter or just sat and collected dust its time to get repairs done!

On this front of the cycling world I am torn between Treks Full Suspension top fuel and fuel and the 29ers from Gary Fisher. I love the new Gary Fisher Superfly 100 the way parents love their children, meanwhile the Fuel and Top Fuel from trek teases the engineer half of me with every bit of tech and suspension jargon out there. The 2010 mountain bikes from Trek and GF are spectacular. Even the lower end models will let you go ride through nature with style and dare I say, grace.

New for this year we carry Stans/No Tubes product. This means that some of the best mountain bike rims period. are available to you. Just be sure to ask about their wheel sets. We keep in stock their sealants and conversion kits so all you tubeless fans can run tire pressures that make fresh Peeps seem firm. I cannot wait to get the White ZTR crest rims on my X-Cal they should take Pounds off of my bike.

Hope to see you soon.

John Henry

The retro grouch buys a bike

Most people wouldn't call me an early adopter. I like technology that has been proven over years of use and abuse, so more than a few have been surprised to see me riding a new bike for past month. Trek's Belleville may be a new model, but it is a resurrection of technology that has been around for decades.

Part of Trek's ECO line of bicycles, the Belleville is a 3 speed utility bike. Like all the bikes in the ECO line, the Belleville has been designed to minimize the environmental impact of the bike, from manufacture and shipping to usage and the eventual end of life. Trek is following the Okala method to minimize the footprint of their Eco bikes and this is visible all over the Belleville. For example, most bikes are shipped in a cardboard box stuffed with Styrofoam and plastic. The Belleville, however, uses biodegradable terry cloth and string to pack the bike. This in particular impressed me because it shows that Trek is dedicated to being more environmentally friendly, even in ways that the customer will never see, nor probably even hear about.

The Belleville comes stock with a Shimano 3 speed hub in the rear, a Shimano generator hub in the front, front and rear dyno lights, a chainguard, fenders, racks and a beautiful blue powder coating over the entire bike, including the racks and fenders. I've been riding my Belleville over ten miles everyday for the past month and find it is just about the perfect bike for my day to day city riding. The porteur style front rack can carry a large pizza and a case of beer without any trouble while the back rack supports panniers and a rear trunk that together can hold 2 weeks worth of groceries. The fenders work just as they should, though I would like to see some mud flaps on them to keep the splash down a little more. One of the best parts about the whole package has to be the dyno lights. They just work. Its really nice not having to worry about batteries or carrying lights everywhere you go. The front is bright enough to really see the road on those streets without lamps while the rear has a capacitor to keep it lit at stop lights, even when the bike is not moving.

I especially like the fact that Trek has decided to use technology in the Belleville that has been proven over decades of use. The cromoly steel in the frame is the same material used in my 40 year old road bike and the rear hub has the same design that Shimano has been using for 35 years. In fact, my only gripe about the bike is also the one substantially new design component. The integrated stem and handlebar, which is modeled after boutique custom bikes coming out of Portland, lacks the adjustability of standard stems. For the vast majority of people, this isn't an issue, but some people this may put the hands at an uncomfortable angle.

Aside from the one gripe, I am very impressed with the design of the bike. At $659, the Belleville is much more moderately priced than the competition, and with the racks, lights and fenders it is a great option for people who need a bike to replace their car.