Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no11

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol5 no11
December, Happy Holidays! Stay Warm edition

As the year draws to a close, no matter what holiday you choose, we hope its merry, festive and bright and the best it can be.  So from all of us at Continental Bike Shop, Happy Holidays!

Holiday Hours!
Thanks for coming out!
Trainers
Gift Cards!
Repair Classes
Movie Night!
Electra Rebate gets Better!
Repairs!

Holiday Hours!
Hey, everyone needs some time off for the holidays.  We’ll be open December 24th, 9AM-1PM, for you last minute Christmas shoppers.  We’re closed, as always on December 25th.  For New Years Eve, we’ll be open 10AM-2PM.  Sometimes hockey really is more important.  We’re also Closed on January 1st.  Happy Holidays!

Thanks for Coming out!
For everyone who came out to the Slide Show/Farewell Party, thanks!  It was standing room only and a huge success.  We wish David all the best as he embarks on something new.

Trainers!
Why waste winter?  There are plenty of ways to make winter riding fun.  Either by dressing appropriately for the weather with our new Sugoi cold weather gear, or by keeping in shape on your trainer or rollers.  We’ve got the best trainers from Cycleops, the Fluid 2 and Magneto, with progressive resistance, and the Mag and Mag+ with adjustable resistance.

Repair Classes!
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 Wednesdays, January 13th, 20th, 27th, and February 3rd.  RSVP to Randy at bicycledoctor@continentalbikeshop.com.

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.

If you buy a $50 gift card, we’ll give you $55, for $100, you get $115 on the card, and if you buy a $200 gift card, you actually get $240 on the card.  Its our version of economic stimulus, no hidden taxes, fees, or long term repercussions…  To qualify for extra gift card money, you need top purchase the gift cards before December 31st!  Remember, gift cards never expire!

Movie Night!
Are you interested in another movie night?  We’ve got a copy of Catch the Wind, the Mike Walden story, that we’d love to show if there’s enough interest.  Please call or email Randy at the shop, bicycledoctor@continentalbikeshop.com.

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.

Like I said, it gets better.  Now through the end of the year, we’ll match whatever rebate Electra is giving on any Electra, in stock or special order.  And now we’ve got more Townies in stock to choose from.  They make great gifts!

Repairs!
I feel like a broken record.  Every year, all winter long we tell everyone to get their repairs in while its cold and you’re not thinking about your bike.  Because neither is anyone else.  And every spring, people want their bikes tuned up on the first nice day so that they can ride as soon as possible.  Now is the time to get your bike in for service!  NOW not April 1st!

And to make that a little more appealing, and easier… Tune up-Drive Train Cleans that usually run $150 are $100!  Now through February 13th!  Get your bike in now and get ready for the spring!  Airing your tires on the first warm dry day is far better than finding out something catastrophic needs to be fixed.

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 vol4 no15

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol4 no15
Winter weather and Wrenches Edition

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the Allen Wrench. Next time you look at your bike, you’ll notice that along with the numerous Phillips head screws, mostly Allen bolts. In mostly 4 and 5mm sizes, though the occasional 3mm and 6mm bolt are not unheard of, it just depends on what that bolt might be doing. So, we salute the allen wrench. Without which, we’d get very little bike building and fixing, and seat adjusting done.

And Gene Diggs, who gave me the suggestion of wrenches now that we’ve moved past the alphabetical inspiration.

Give the Gift of Cycling (the easy way)

Bikes are notoriously hard to wrap. Its not like you can put it back in the box we took it out of, that requires more dis-assembly than most people want in a gift. I mean, its fun to put together Lego, that’s the point. Putting together a bike… probably not what you want to be doing. We’ve got shiny new gift cards that make gift wrapping a cinch. They don’t fit into water bottles quite as well as gift certificates did… but they go nicely with a Continental Bike Shop mug.

Gift cards, like their predecessor, never expire, never lose value, etc. If you can’t make it in, we can mail it to you for $5. We’ll ship it USPS Priority Mail, and make sure it gets where ever you’d like it sent.

Calling all Volunteers…

We’re looking for someone with some artistic skills of some sort, who’d like to create a window display for us. We’ve got two great display windows on John R that need some bike related love. If you have any ideas, or you’d like to get in on the nitty gritty, let us know.

A Bike Spa, You Say?

Actually, Waterford Precision Cycles says your bike could use a good spa treatment if you plan on riding throughout the winter. A good cleaning, lubing and polishing to keep everything working as it should, and protect your investment. Waterford’s in Waterford Wisconsin, and they get their fair share of snow there too.

Speaking of Bike Spas, now’s a great time to get your bike in for a little TLC. Why wait weeks in the spring when you can get your bike back the next day in the winter?

Slide Shows, Rides and Maybe More Slide Shows…

Dave, Art and Trevor will present their recent ride in Nova Scotia sometime in January, as soon as we have a date, we’ll let yo know.

If there’s anyone else who’d like to do a slide show about a recent ride let us know, we’re looking for a few more for January and February.

More Repair Classes…

There’s still room in the January repair classes, which meet Thursday, January 15th, 22nd, 29th, and February 5th, beginning at 7PM. Classes usually last about two hours, and we cover basic maintenance…

Classes are $125 and include 4 weeks and the Park Tool School Manual. They’re on Thursdays at 7PM, and are approximately 2 to 3 hours long depending on how much everyone talks. If you’d like to RSVP for a class, you can email me back, and I’ll put you on the list, or give us a call and we’ll put you on the list. Either way, in the fairly near future, we’ll be needing (at least) a $50 deposit to hold your spot. Which you can call in a credit card number for, or mail us a check. We’ll happily accept either.
If you have any further questions, let us know!

Advanced Repair Classes

If you’ve ever wanted to get down and dirty with your bike, in a much more detailed way than in the Basic Repair Class, we offer Advanced Repair Classes. The differences break down to the difference between a tune up and an overhaul, well, and you have to take the Basic Repair Class before you take the Advanced Repair class.

You’ll overhaul your bottom bracket, headset, hubs, replace a couple spokes, and a drive train clean. There’s not a whole lot you won’t be removing from your bike this time around.

Classes will run Thursday nights at 7PM, February 19th, 26th, March 5th, and 12th. Cost is $150 for 4 classes, and that covers the class and shop supplies, and us holding on to the pieces and parts that will rejoin your frame at a latter date. Like usual, a $50 deposit holds your spot. We’ve got room for 4-6 people… so if this is your cup of tea, or ball of wax, or… the bike related analogy fails me right now… let us know, and quick.

If you have any questions, please email us, liz@continentalbikeshop.com, or give us a call.

Holiday Hours…

We’ll be open Christmas Eve from 9AM to Noon. That’s all. Actually, it’ll be Randy. So if you need some last minute gifts, or to pick up that layaway at the last minute, we’ll be here. We’re closed for Christmas, December 25th. We’ll be back doing our thing on the 26th. We close at 3PM on December 31st, and we’re closed on January 1st. We’ll be back on the 2nd, bright eyed and looking forward to spring.

As 2008 draws to a close, we’d like to take an opportunity to say ‘Thanks.’ Thanks for making Continental your bike shop. Thanks for your continued patronage and support throughout 2008. Thanks for being you, and making our job all the more enjoyable because of it. (Thanks for reading the whole Spoken Wrench. Sometimes we save the best for last.)

Happy Holidays! Whichever holiday you may choose to celebrate, we hope that it is full of warmth and good cheer. May your 2009 be bright and full of everything you hope it can be.

~The Staff at Continental Bike Shop.