The Spoken Wrench

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol3 no8
Post-Interbike! 6″ Crescent Wrench

There’s only one industry trade show left: Interbike. We’ve got a love hate relationship with it, in large part because it’s hosted in Las Vegas. And well, Vegas isn’t our idea of a good place to have a bike show, but it’s always been there, and at the rate we’re going it will always be there. The good thing is that we get to ride all the new bikes and try out the new stuff, and all that jazz before we order it. You know, to make sure we actually like what they’ve got to offer.

Tip of the Ice-Berg: Interbike Style!
In John’s Post-Vegas fuzziness, he’s only coming up with a few of the things he’s seen. The rest are momentarily lost to that “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” thing. And we don’t want to ask. And the rest, well, I can’t read his notes, and neither can he. When the translation is done, we’ll let you know.

• Mobiky: So a few issues back, I mentioned that there was a new folding bike in town, and whet everyone’s whistle, and then told you nothing about it. Well, here it is: We’re now Mobiky dealers. You might have seen them at Sharper Image, you might not have, but they’re great folders. They told in seconds, feature a 3 speed internal hub, with a double/idler gear like the DaVinci tandems, so the small wheels aren’t a penalty. They roll when you’re done, and stand on their own. (great for leaning on if you’ve got a bad knee…) They unfold in another three seconds. If you dawdle.
• New DaVinci Tandem: DaVinci has a new tandem for 2008, the Grand Junction. At around $2850, it’s the least expensive tandem DaVinci has ever offered. John rode the prototype in Vegas, and it ROCKED. I mean ROCKED hard core. With Shimano equipment and the same tube set as her more expensive cousins, the Grand Junction is just that, grand, and IPS makes this one sweet deal. The bike comes in two colors, red or blue, and three sizes: small, medium and large/small. We’ve got six bikes on order. If you want to get in line, $500 covers your spot in line and tandem clinic. And while this is the ‘entry level’ DaVinci, there’s nothing entry level about it.
• Lake Shoes: We’re constantly in search of a better winter shoe, which means we’re constantly in search of the next winter shoe from Lake. No one does warm comfortable winter cycling shoes like them, and we’re happy to say they’ve gotten even better than before. With a segmented upper so it lays better and a Vibram sole so it lasts for near forever, the Lake MX Z302 is probably the best we’ve ever seen. And for those who prefer to do their winter riding indoors or at a spinning class. We have the Lake I/O (indoor/outdoor) 1. At just around $100, these shoes are great for recreational riding and spinning. The I/O1 features two Velcro straps, non-marking Vibram soles, and a super breathable mesh upper.

Unicycle.com
Unicycles are growing in popularity, who would have ever thought of downhill racing on a unicycle? Well, not me, but someone did, and we’ve been seeing more and more of them. So, in honor of the growing demand for a better selection of unicycles, we’ve become a Unicycle.com dealer. Anything they’ve got on their website, we can get. We aren’t going to stock anything right now, but we’re certainly hoping to connect more people with the perfect unicycle. And those strange parts they are sometimes in need of. So, if unicycles are your passion, or you’d like them to become your passion, check out unicycles.com and we’ll get you whatever it is you’re looking for. (They’ve got instructional videos and whatnot, for those of us who have never had the guts to actually try riding one.)

Nite Hawk is Here!
Its officially fall. And the weather is beautiful, if a little chilly. And its getting darker ever earlier. Just because its dark, doesn’t mean you’ve got to stop riding though. It does mean that you’ve got to be prepared. One great way to be ready is a Nite Hawk Phoenix Helmet Mount system. They feature a one touch power button, 4 hour charge time, helmet and handlebar mount, and it only weighs a pound. Most other lights like this weigh a lot more. The Nite Hawk battery fits nicely Velcroed on to the frame, or in a jersey/jacket pocket. They usually retail for $149 (139.00 + 10.00 shipping from the manufacturer) but we’ve got them for $100! We’ve got a bunch, but they won’t last long. If you’ve got to have one, give us a call and a deposit and we’ll put your name on one and set aside for you.