Evolution

Sometimes, like X Men evolution, our shop organization takes a giant leap forward.

still working on our totally ripped biceps

A real clothing rack! Made out of an old Campy rim / Nuke Proof hub wheel. Finally we have a place to show off our awesome shop jerseys and shirts. Now if you want to look at one all the rest of them (or a helmet) won’t fall on the ground and get dirty / roll away! We need more hangers.

Not down with the darwinian theory or comic book characters? The MASI Evoluzione will grant you the super speedy superpower you seek with no waiting for generations or messy skeletal grafts.

See the camera reflection?  Cool!

And, for no good reason other than we noticed, check out our bike shop signs in another dimension, here they are reflected in the windows across the street. See us on the flipside!

 

Sticker It To the Man

Dear car:  It’s over, I met someone else.

And you can take the TV with you.

I’m going to be okay!

 

 

Moving On

After much consideration we have decided that it is easier to open a bike shop than to move one.

But we are getting there, er, here! In non-moving news, winter finally seems to have found us here in Iowa City. In addition to our normal winter cycling enhancement products like studded tires and generator hub set ups, fenders, and internally geared hubs and we are expanding our stock in other areas to keep you warm and walking!

Winter gloves are a new addition to our ever expanding apparel section. The Lobster mitts from Pearl Izumi are a Steve favorite, he is still using a pair he bought in 1994!

We also have Yaktrax and are starting to carry Crescent Moon snowshoes, too.

We took an Amtrak trip out to Colorado for a week over our break  to top off our spiritual rechargeable batteries and do a little snowshoe testing, too. We stayed at the Shadow Mountain Guest Ranch and we highly recommend it.  An overnight on the train will get you there and back, and they will gladly pick you up and drop you off at the station in Granby.  Back to snowshoe review, the Crescent Moon’s were pretty awesome with a simple and effective binding and toe spikes to help us get up those steep mountain sides. Don’t hide from winter – enjoy it, we do!

 

Don’t Stop It Now

SOPA. PIPA. what a bunch of BLEEPA!  Don’t take our word for it, Google it.  Or Wiki it.

Sign the petitions, write the reps, the future of our bike shop blog being cool depends on it!

 

We’re Open!

Today is the first day open in the new space, right next to our old space! Door is on the south side now, facing Prentiss, come on in.

And happy Martin Luther King Day, too!

 

Bike Free Move

We have our new space mostly prettied up now!  The floor was (hopefully) the biggest hurdle.

It was kind of “aesthetically challenged” so we ground it and buffed it and even washed it.

Using our Bikes at Work Trailer sans bike to lug stuff over.  Works like a charm!

Sneak peek of floor, south facing window sunlight bounty, and the wall soon to be covered in lots and lots of bike stuff!

 

Serious Like 15% Off

We keep harpin’ on our impending move, we know.  It may just be wearing thin.  But, here’s the thing — we’re moving, right?  And, the less stuff we have to schlep, the better.  So, how does 15% off everything in the shop sound?  Including select bikes, like this here Pugsley:

This last-ditch effort to lighten our load is effective immediately until we close for three weeks on Saturday at 2pm.  Come buy some stuff fer cheap!!  Like:

• Arkel bags

• Bianchis

• Nokian studded tires

• SKS Longboard fenders

• Really, almost everything I see as I look around the shop

 

Stuff not included in the sale would be used bikes and special order items.  Long Haul Truckers are not included, only because we’ve already got them marked down.  If you have questions about specific items, do ring-a-ding on our telephone, or send us some ones and zeros.

 

Expansion

We are hard at getting our new space ready.  The signs are up and the windows in!

The phone lines are installed and a new toilet seat is at the ready.  Some schlepping has already begun, which makes a good excuse to test the limits of long bikes.

As per our motto, “Next Year,” we plan to be open in the new space Monday, January 16th.  We will be officially closed for the weeks around the holidays (Dec.25-Jan.16).  Bear in mind, though, we will be available by appointment, so if that bottom bracket seizes or that ratty tire finally blows, email us, call or just swing by.  We may be in the mood for a break in the moving madness to do a little wrenching, chatting, etc!

 

A Few Favorites

We ordered a complete sidewall dynamo light set up for a customer through Peter White Cycles.  This is not it.

1/4″ ball bearing included for scale

The new technology is lighter, svelter and brighter.  And more expensive, but you get what you pay for in most things, and in dynamo lighting systems in particular.

And don’t forget we are offering a special deal on handbuilt custom generator wheel setups including headlight while supplies last!  Today we also got our first pair of Crescent Moon snowshoes for stock.  Made in Boulder, PVC free, best bindings in the business according to Backpacker magazine.  Now we are just waiting for that snow we ordered…

More appropriate (I just heard thunder!) to our rainy 50 degree December day, we recently received a couple of sets of the new improved MK Fenders!

Thinner than before, newer excitinger inlay patterns, plus longer for better wrap around the wheel and better spray protection.  Made in Iowa wood fenders – for sure one of our very favorite things!

 

 

 

30th Century Bicycle Agrees!

December 13, 2011

U.S. Safety Board Urges Cellphone Ban for Drivers

By MATT RICHTEL

A federal traffic safety agency is recommending that states prohibit all drivers from using cellphones, for talking or texting.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that it had voted to recommend the ban on the use of mobile devices by drivers, citing what it said were the risks of distracted driving.

The recommended ban applies to hands-free devices, a recommendation that goes further than any state law to date. The agency said it is recommending that drivers be allowed to use their phones for emergency purposes.

“No call, no text, no update is worth a human life,” said Deborah A. P. Hersman, chairman of the N.T.S.B., an independent federal agency that is responsible for promoting traffic safety and investigating accidents and their causes. It will be up to the states to decide whether they want to follow the agency’s recommendation.

She said the decision was a hard one because such a ban would be unpopular among some people. But she said its time had come, given what she said were growing distractions in the car and the spread of increasingly powerful mobile devices.

“This is a difficult recommendation, but it’s the right recommendation and it’s time,” she said.

 

Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/technology/federal-panel-urges-cellphone-ban-for-drivers.html?_r=1&hp