30th Century Bicycle

We recycle more than cardboard around here.  Beer bottles, too, must occasionally go back whence they came.

The cargo bike is perfect for this.  The proceeds went to a new six pack, what else?

In other recycling news, this Trek Lime was rescued from dormancy at a garage sale and came with some fenders, unattached and without hardware of course, so we took care of that detail for the excited new owner.

New and shiny Wald fender stays and a split of the front fender to get around that pesky fork for a full custom fit.  A limer Lime I can not imagine, glad to have helped this one get out there cycling again!

We are back.  Our overnight tour was a smashing success.  We rode down to Hills, and then beyond.  Maybe 15 miles from our house.  We had permission to stay at a cabin on a little piece of land down there and it was an incredible place to be!

Loaded.

The ride was great, and the view from the cabin could not be beat.

We enjoyed a fire, drank a bottle of wine, and slept on the porch.

We were treated to the sounds of a Coyote howling party, a few owl hoots, the occasional Cow moo, and the buzzing of many skeeters.  It was a great trip, we look forward to getting in a few more this fall.  We highly recommend the short overnight tiny style bike tour!

It has been raining unpredictably often this past week in Iowa City.  When getting out of town for a ride I (steve) usually take my cell phone with me, and it does not like to get wet, so for years I have made it a point to take a small plastic bag with me, just in case.  But no more must I worry or hunt for a bag before leaving the house!

Last week I started using an Arkel seat bag, which is a hard plastic shell around a removable dry bag.  It is a pretty great set up.  Not only does it have the space to carry what I need, it has extra to stash my cellphone if it starts pouring or circumstance demand that I cross a creek.  100% waterproof, and no zippers, which any gravel rider will tell you gets all gummed up if you ride when it is soupy.  And it is orange, which matches my bar tape.  They make a variety of colors so you can probably find one to match your bartape, too.  If you ride with cellphone, iphone, ipod, or fresh baked cookies, this bag will keep them from getting soggy.

It has been a busy week here at the shop, lots of repairs, still trying to keep used bike stock up, and building some new bikes, too.  Last night we did get out to celebrate a birthday,our favorite restaurant, The Red Avocado turned 10 years old!

And lookit that, the band that played our Grand Opening was there.  It was a great festive atmosphere, and Cody and I were both pretty impressed from our new perspective that Dave has been living his dream for 10 years now.  Congratulations, Red Avocado!

One last thing, until we blog again, we got this photo in our email this morning.

We sold this frame to someone looking to build a singlespeed and look how it turned out.  Go Hawks(!) for sure, but he goes to school over in Beloit, WI.  A nice looking ride, we have a couple of other frames with horizantal drops in here, so if you want to build your own single come check them out.

A few pictures of some of the action that got us excited here at the shop over the last few days!

Yesterday a bike came to us via bike, we love this stuff!

The coolest stem I will see all day!

We love an old Bridgestone, and were happy to help get this CB-2 back on the road.  And with a monster WALD basket, too!

Touring!  Touring!  This 7sp internal touring rig, bobber and all, is out in the wilds of South Iowa & North Missouri this week, piloted by our favorite Foxhead barkeep, Josh.  Touring!  Touring!

We have not just been slobbering over other folks bikes, we have managed to get a couple of used bikes ready, and we have a few more close, so if you are in the market be sure and check the Current Used Bikes page up top there.

We sold four used bikes this week.  We try our hardest to get a good selection of used bikes ready for the weekends, and now we are down to just one kiddie bike, unless we can bust something out quick tonight.  DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED, USED BIKE SHOPPERS!  One thing I learned in my time volunteering at the Bike Library, There Will Be Others!  We’re working on it, we want you to get the used nice bike of your dreams.

Friendly visitor of the day, Lola!

She gets a little hot sitting out in the sun at the coffee cart, so she comes in to chill on the floor.  A shop dog of our own is most certainly in our future.

The sun does its best to make us hot in the shop, too, especially on sunny mornings when it heats up our space through the windows before we even get here.  We thought of elaborate curtains and blinds and awnings but finally arrived at the greenest re-use solution, bike box cardboard rectangles.

They do the job nicely.

We have been continuing our brisk used bike trade, as such we are moving the SOLD! used bikes to their own page here on the blog for continued perusal.  Yesterday we had our first used bike come back to us.  It was purchased by a student who was here for the summer term, now he has gone off home and sold the bike back to us.  Sort of a long term rental situation, but better for him, us and you, if you get the bike the next time around.

Oh yeah, one last thing, you may have heard our message of support on Iowa Public Radio?  Cody and I have been individual contributors in the past, it is nice continuing the relationship as a business.  We have not even heard the spot yet, but it is nice to hear about it from others.

Last night I (steve) continued my test ride program, and took the MASI Speciale Commuter home.  It is a very nice bike.  If I were to get one for myself I would make a few changes (platform pedals, riser bar, fenders)  right away, but this is a fine package to start with for sure, no matter which direction you might want to take it.

I have long wanted a bolt on front wheel for my ss townie, so why not just buy a bike to get there?

As I was riding to the shop I was looking around at the piles of couches and carpet and moldy blankets that are currently littering our streets and curbs here in fair Iowa City (moving season in a college town) and I did espy a pile of bikes not on curb or corner but up a tree.

Not sure what is going on here, other than the obvious, but it is good to see a fire extinguisher hanging in such close proximity.  For safety!

Today begins August, and so a new name onto the Your Change Can Make A Difference Can.  Last month we raised $39.27 for all the critters at the Iowa City Animal Shelter!  This month we are going to donate the money to the MYEP.  That is the Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program and they are moving to new facilities soon so they need all the help they can get to keep their operations running smoothly through the transition.  In the past the MYEP has had a bicycle repair program as part of the offerings, no word on whether or not that will continue at the new space, but if we donate enough money to them it will surely help keep that worthwhile endeavour alive.