Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no10

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no10
November, Movies Movies! And more Parties!

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the Spoke Wrench.  This is the tool, according to Randy, that can either make you a hero or a scape goat.  Or, a little knowledge can kill you.  Truing your wheels is important, very important.  Doing it right is even more important.  A little tension goes a long way.  Too much tension, and your previously mostly true wheel can resemble a taco.  And while a spoke wrench is the key to a true wheel, at least as important is knowing what to do with that spoke wrench.  So watch for our classes in January, so you can learn to use this tool.

Movie Night and PARTY!
Repairs for Spring!
Trainers are In!
Road Bikes, Single Speeds and Cyclocross, Oh My!
Sugoi clothing
Electra offering a rebate!
Gift Cards!

Movie Night and PARTY!
Monday, November 30 7PM David, Art Bull and Trevor Smith will host a slide presentation on their Great Canadian Adventure to Montreal and Quebec this past summer.  This is also David’s good-bye party, as he embarks on a new adventure to New York City.  As usual, with movie nights, Hors d’œuvre and drinks will be served.  RSVPs are a must, call the shop, or email Randy, bicycledoctor@continentalbikeshop.com

Repairs for Spring!
I know, its not spring yet.  Its not even technically winter yet, but its been pretty cold, and then again, pretty warm this month.  But, now is the perfect time to bring your bike in.  You can get it back quickly, stock up on some cold weather riding gear, and most importantly, beat the spring rush.  Or, instead of getting your bike back quickly, you can leave your bike for its own vacation, and we can upgrade your kit, do a drive train clean and tune up, and make your bike better than new for spring.

Trainers are in!
Cyclops trainers are here!  We’ve got the Mag, Mag+, Magneto, Fluid2, and rollers in the store.  Trainers are a great way to get a head start on spring, and keep riding.  They’re also a great way to use up a mostly used tire that’s still got some life in it, because the last thing you want to do is put your brand new Vittoria tire on a trainer.

Road Bikes, Single Speeds and Cyclocross, Oh My!
700c go fast bikes are on sale!  From 15% to 25% off, depending on the bike!  Sale applies to in stock bikes only!  Come in and test ride before the bikes are gone and the snow flies!

Sugoi Clothing
Need some cool weather gear?  We’ve got it from Sugoi, the newest addition to our clothing line up.  We’ve got arm and leg warmers, balaclavas, gloves, tights, and shoe covers for your cool weather riding pleasure.

Electra Rebate!
Electra has decided to reward cool weather cruisers.  If you buy any Electra bike, with a retail price of $399 or more, between now and 12-31, you can get a $25 rebate right from Electra.  We’re not sure why they decided to do it, we’re just happy they are.  Every Electra you buy qualifies for the rebate, and if you buy two, then well, you get $50 back.  If your chosen Electra retails for less than $399, don’t worry, they will still send you a rebate.  This time for $10.

Gift Cards!
It is that time of year!  Get your holiday shopping done right!  Know someone who likes to shop at Continental?  Want to convert your ridding buddies into Continental customers?  There’s no better gift than a gift card then.  They never expire, we’ve upgraded to real cards, no more paper gift certificates, and we don’t charge pesky fees like some credit card companies do if you don’t use your card.  So stop in, or give us a call, and make your holidays a cheery yellow and black.

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no9

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no9
October, Trick or Treat, Mostly Treats, Edition

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the Headset Wrench.  Threaded headsets require a couple of wrenches to get them good and tight, otherwise you’ve got play in your headset and that’s never good.  Headset wrenches are designed to tighten the locking cups of a threaded headset.  Always good for your bike.

Park Tool School Classes!
SoSS!
Women’s Clothing Sale!
Rewards Program
Movie Night?
Road Shoe Sale!
Cyclocross on Sale!
Spinning Class?

Park Tool School!
There’s always more you can learn about a bike.  Always.  But you have to start somewhere.  One of the best places to do that is at the Park Tool School.  Over four weeks, you lean how to tune up your bike, everything from changing a flat to adjusting your derailleurs and brakes.  Classes cost $125, and a $50 deposit is required when you sign up to hold your place.  The cost of the class also includes a copy of the Park Tool School, Big Blue Book of Bike Repair.  Dates are November 10, 17, 24, and December 1.  Call the shop 248/545-1225 or email bicycledoctor@sbcglobal.net to RSVP.

SoSS!
No, we’re not sending out bad Morse code.  And we’re not a ship- last we checked.  SoSS is Sale of Single Speeds.  And when I say single speeds, I mean road single speeds, not cruisers, and only bikes we have in the store.  Bianchi San Jose and Pista, Kona Paddy Wagons, and Giant Bowerys are on sale, 15% off.

Women’s Clothing and Shoes!
Women’s clothing is on sale, 40% off!  So if there’s something that’s looked interesting, but you weren’t  ready to get, now might be the time.  Also, all women’s cycling shoes are 20% off.  Diadora, Cannondale, and best of all, Sidi shoes!  Need new shoes?  Needs a second pair of shoes?    Need Spinning shoes?  Now’s the time to get them.

Ride Club Rewards
If you haven’t signed up for the Ride Club, why not?  Members get money back twice a year for shopping at Continental.  This year’s rewards went out at the end of September.  They’re good on anything in the store, but you have to hurry, they expire on November 1!

Movie Night?
Do you have pictures, a Power Point presentation, video, or some other way you’d like to share a bike trip with us?  We love hosting these nights, we just need riders who aren’t afraid to get up and talk about their trips.  Past presentations have included everything from Mountain biking in Mexico, to Vintage road rides in Italy.  If you’re interested, let us know!

Road Shoe Sale!
We’ve got a bunch of road shoes still, and we’d really like to help them find new homes.  So, we’re putting them on sale too.  All in stock road shoes are 20%off!

Cyclocross on Sale!
Just in time for some great cool-weather riding or your local cyclocross race, we’ve got all of our cyclocross bikes on sale!  2009 Kona Jake’s and one lone Cannondale looking for a new home are all 15% off!

Spinning Class?
Calling all spinning class aficionados!  We’d like to host Spinning Classes this winter at Continental, but, we have a small problem.  None of us have any experience running a spinning class.  If you’re interested, give Randy a call.  Classes would be after hours once or twice a week depending on interest level.

Hey! Just a note.  If its on sale, its only on things that are actually physically in the store.  Special orders only if available from the vendor and PAID IN FULL up front.

That’s all for this edition of the Spoken Wrench.  Here follows the legal mumbo Jumbo.

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol4 no9

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol4 no9
Its already September, Interbike and Fall is in the Air Edition.

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the letter “V” for Victory, Vigorelli, and Velox rim tape. Victory seems pretty self explanatory, and the parts of it that aren’t, well, this is not a political newsletter for a reason. Bianchi will welcome their much loved steel frames back for 2009, including a new version of the Vigorelli. And Velox rim tape may be the greatest thing to happen to a rim with spoke holes, ever.
Interbike!
Paddy Wagon rides anyone?
Bike Lights! And all that Fall stuff.
If you can spare your Monday…

Interbike!

The show is rapidly approaching, and we’re mostly ready, (though obviously not packed yet) for our annual trip out to Vegas. The shop will be closed September 21-24 for Interbike. Yes, we’re always closed on Sundays. But we just want to make sure everyone hears. We’ll be back Thursday 25 September, at 10:00 AM, no earlier. We’ll be sleepy, and probably in some serious need of caffeine, but we’ll be here with lots of new information on 2009 stuff.

Paddy Wagon rides anyone?
No, I’m not offering free rides in a police car, thats only for special people, the 2009 Kona Paddy Wagon’s are here. Now, the Paddy Wagon is a bit of a flasshy single speed, what with yellow wheels and all, but otherwise, the grey is good and understated. If you want understated. The yellow wheels do much for the not so understated look.

2009 Jakes are also in, just in time for cyclocross season. They’re red. And flashier than last year’s black. So if cyclocross, or the world’s greatest commuter bike, is in your future, stop by.

And remember, don’t get mad, get ‘cross.

Bike lights and all that Jazz.
It is September in Michigan, which, despite what the weather may do between now and the 21st, means that fall is definitely on the horizon. Which means that, well, riders are going to need some lights. (State law says, bikes must have a headlight and a taillight while riding between dusk and dawn.) So, that means, commuters, anyone who might believe that night is a perfectly good time to get ice cream, and anyone who might want to venture near Ferndale, needs a bike light. For everyone wanting to see where they’re going, as well as be seen, this year’s Light N’ Motion Stella lights have mostly arrived, as have the NiteRider MiNewt (which you can charge with a mini-USB cable). The MiNewts start at around $100, and the Stella’s we have in stock start around $130. There’s a $90 version that uses AA batteries, but those are due in October.

If you can spare some of your Monday….
Monday 8 September, the Public Health and Safety Committee for the Detroit City Council, will be discussing and hearing comments on the Detroit Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan, hopefully, (as shakeups in the Mayor’s office and city government could possibly push back the hearing). It is the first step in getting the Master plan recognized by MDOT and getting their help. There’s a lot of plan in that master plan, but it calls for 400 miles of bike lanes and other ways to connect cycling destinations in the City.

So, if you’ve got the opportunity on Monday, go out and tell the Council, we need a more bike friendly city. And this is one part of that goal.

When: Monday, September 8th at 11:15 AM
Where: City Council, 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Jefferson at Woodward.

As I mentioned earlier, the meeting is supposed to be on Monday. But to be certain, please call the City Clerk for verification. 313.224.3266. Thanks to Todd Scott, the Detroit Greenways Coordinator for the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, for the heads up.

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol3 no7

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol3 no7
6” Crescent Wrench version

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the letter “Q” for Quick little updates… Little stuff, in a timely manner. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming next time. We decided to call these the 6” Crescent Wrench, “little enough to go with you, big enough to do some damage.” Things like the monthly tips will be missing, in an effort to get you more news when it matters. Like right away while there are still sale bikes to be had.

We’re changing our Hours!
I promised that when we went back to our old hours schedule I’d let everyone know. Well hats what I’m doing. Sort of. But we’re not changing them back, we’re modifying them a little at the same time. Tuesdays and Wednesdays we’ll be closing at 6PM like we used to, but we’re adding Friday to that was well. So, beginning October 1st we will be open Monday and Thursday 10AM-7Pm, and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10AM-6PM, and Saturdays, 10AM-5PM. Mark your calendars!

Konas are on sale!
Summer has unofficially ended, but around here that only means that the riding gets even better. Why ride in the oppressive July and August heat when you can ride in lovely September, October and (hopefully) November weather? At least that’s what we think, and one of the benefits of the weird schedule the bike industry seems to keep is that when the riding’s best in Michigan, so are some of the sales. Including one from Kona this year. Everything they’ve got left is 15% off! There’s not a huge number of things left, but it’s a nice variety. And if you’re looking for a Kula Supreme, they’re even more on sale! Fine print: Sale price does not include shipping charge.

Cannondale Sale!
Last time we told you about the Synapse framesets that Cannondale had on sale, and if you’re still interested, come and get one soon, there aren’t very many left. If you want a whole bike, the remaining F2, F3 and F2-9ers on sale. Maybe its time for a downhill, dirt jumping machine? They’ve got Perp 1 and 2 and chase 2 and 3s on sale. Like I said earlier, it’s the best time to ride, and Cannondale apparently thinks so too, or why else would the bike world have such a weird production schedule?.

The Not-Sale Sale
Confusing, no? Townies aren’t on sale, but nearly. This is your last chance to get them at their current prices. For next year everything is going up somewhere between a little and a lot. We’ve got a number of Townies hanging around, and if you’re interested, now’s the time to get them, before the global economy makes us cringe even more, and hike our prices $20 to $40 on everything- well, almost everything.

Get ‘em While They Roll.
Looking for a new set of wheels? Want to be able to run disc or v-brakes? Want them in black? (yeah, I’d want black too…) Then get yourself a shiny new pair of Mavic CrossRide wheels today. We’ve got three pair left, and why would we want to hang on to them when you might need them? Especially for the lovely price of $210 for the pair (plus tax, we have to pay the governess.) Cross rides are great wheels and work with any standard rim brake, and 6-bolt disc calipers. Once they’re gone, they’re gone, and we (and some others) are wildly confused by what, if anything they have morphed into for 2008.

Cyclocross for the Wee Ones!
Cyclocross frames tend to be really tall because of the high bottom bracket, meaning that even the smallest frames are probably to large for your average 7-9 year old. Perhaps, you know someone who’d like to go faster? Perhaps that 24” mountain bike isn’t cutting it keeping up on longer rides and weighs a ton? Redline has the solution for you. They make a 24” Cyclocross bike for kids, the Conquest 24. Nicely outfitted with Shimano Sora 8 speed components, small road bars and a 39cm frame this is the perfect bike for any kid who wants to go fast, and perhaps not have to worry too much about flat tires… They originally retailed for $670, now they’re on sale for $570! Can’t beat that for a fast little Cyclocross ride!

Shop Jerseys are Back!
Show us some love! We’ve got shop jersey’s back in stock, in black and yellow. Pay no attention to any whispers you might have heard saying we were re-designing our shop jerseys. Pshaw! We love them, and so apparently does everyone else. What was that? Its getting cooler? It is, and just for that purpose we’ve got long sleeved shop jerseys as well. The same as their short sleeved brethren, but with our web address down each arm. What could be cooler? Nothing!

Light N Motion’s Here!
Last week I mentioned that our Light N Motion lights would be arriving soon, and they’ve here! We haven’t had a chance to check out the new Stella lights in depth yet, but we will, and if you’d like to take a look at them, we’d be happy to show you. We weren’t expecting them for some another three weeks, so it’s a nice little surprise. Come in, check ‘em out and Be Seen!

Paris-Brest-Paris
There’s a lot if riding between Paris and Brest France, even more if you do it in reverse too. Which is precisely what the Randonneurs do when they ride from Paris to Brest and back, for 750 miles, in 90 hours. It’s a grueling ride, and we wanted to give a shout out to Mike Murray who rode the P.B.P. this year, and made it to the finish line in time. That’s some feat, and one most people don’t even want to think of attempting. Congratulations Mike!

Green Mountain Stage Race
Vermont looks like such a pretty place to ride, as long as you like hills. And mountains. What looks like lots of mountains, that over four days on Labor Day weekend, riders get to experience in the Green Mountain Stage Race. Congratulations go out to Dave Linden who took 11th place in the Masters 50+ category.