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.

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol4 no5

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol4 no5
Spring Has Sprung April, No, you can’t have your repair back tomorrow Edition.

Just a small note to say that, well, we told you so. Spring has finally landed in Michigan, and for once, we’re pretty sure it might stay awhile, at least until May rolls around and summer suddenly appears out of nowhere. Repairs are a little behind schedule. Actually a lot more behind schedule than we like, but well, there is a reason that throughout the long winter months we ask nicely, and repeatedly that everyone bring their repairs in while there’s still snow on the ground.

So, we’re about a week for turn around on repairs. But the sooner you bring it in, the sooner you’ll get it back. Just saying…

And, If you happen to have a bike that’s already here, and done, we’d really like for you to come pick it up, and uhm, help us make a little more space.
This Month’s Tip
Bring your bike in for repair while there’s still snow on the ground, and there’s a reasonable expectation of there being more snow before you get a chance to ride the bike.

Now that that’s over, on to the real advice for the month, small things to do to make the season better:

• Make sure your tires are properly aired up ever before every ride. We know it sounds like something we shouldn’t have to mention, but properly airing your tires does a world of good. Fewer flats, (the glass-and-pothole-induced-flats aren’t included in this because, well, that stuff just needs to be avoided), better ride, and more efficiency. Basically everything they tell you about your car tires, sort of applies to bike tires.
• In the same vein, wear a helmet. Something like an 85% reduction in head injuries just from wearing a helmet. Helmets, however are not a license to do stupid sh*t..
• Lube your chain when it needs it, like if its making noise, or looking like you might be able to enter it in the “most rusted” contest. We use T-9 from Boesheild. Its waxy and doesn’t build up the way some of its competitors do. *cough*white lightning*cough* If you are going to lube your chain, with T-9, spray or drip it on, wait at least two hours, and wipe the excess off. Voila. Well lubed chain.
• Bring a multi tool, patch kit and/or new tube, tire levers and some sort of inflationary device with you. Just because you never know what you might run into, literally and figuratively, on a ride.

News and Notes
In 2007 the League of Michigan Bicyclists asked cyclists about both their impression of the LMB and how well (or possibly not) they were doing with bicycle advocacy and at the same time, asked what bike shops the preferred. Well, we’re happy to announce that we’ve been named one of the LMB’s Consumer’s Choice Bike Shop for 2007. Makes us happy. We love winning awards for doing what we do, but getting a consumer award, instead of an industry one rocks! So we wanted to say thanks for thinking of us as your bike shop, and if the LMB asks again this year, vote for us again! Thanks for making us your bike shop.

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol3 no4

Continental Bike Shop presents the Spoken Wrench vol3 no4
June 2007

This edition of the Spoken Wrench is brought to you by the letter “K” for Kona. Ever wonder if people really jump off mountains while mountain biking? They do. But generally mountains are required. The people at Kona believe that if you can ride it, they should make a bike to handle it. And they do. They also sponsor all sorts or advocacy and trail building. And the Kona Midwest Mountain Bike Team. All in all, we think they’re a pretty cool company, with a lot of style. Check them out at Konaworld.com

New Hours!
If you’ve seen our website, listened to our answering machine message or happened by, you’ve noticed our hours have changed slightly. Now, and until we decree otherwise, we’re open ever weeknight till 7PM! That’s right, Monday – Friday is now 10-7! The change is for the summer, or until we decide other wise, somewhere after the end of summer. We promise if things change, we’ll have just as much fanfare next time!
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BRING YOUR REPAIR IN NOW!
Its summer, finally, in Michigan: those fleeting three to four months of riding when every charity ride known to humanity takes place in Michigan. This is a special reminder for all you charity riders out there, especially the WAM riders. Please! Please! Please! Bring your bike in now! If you bring it in the day before the ride, we won’t laugh at you, (or at least we’ll try not to) but we will politely remind you that there are 300-700 other riders who wanted the same thing. And no, you can’t have your bike back for the ride the next day, it’s just not possible. So, before it’s too late bring in your repair, and we should be able to get it back to you in about three days. I’m sure there are rides I missed, and we’ve got nothing against them. But that’s what the LMB calendar is for.

Knock out Lock out
Suspension is great. It helps keep your wheels on the ground and you on the bike. But what if you don’t want it right now? Can you turn your suspension off? If you’re not riding a Cannondale with a HeadShok, it can be a mighty large order to fill. But, we’ve got a solution for you. Actually, its Kona and Rock Shox that have the solution. Rock Shox Turnkey. Turn it on. Turn it off. Can’t get a whole lot easier than that. Rock Shox is now part of the lovely SRAM family, so you’ll hear no complaints on that from us. It’s easy to use, with a little knob on the top of the right side of the crown, which flips from on to off with little effort, but it’s not something that you’ll accidentally hit without meaning to. If that’s something you’re looking for in a mountain bike, don’t wait! If it’s a Kona, and I haven’t got it, it’s probably not elsewhere to be had. So don’t sit and twiddle your thumbs, come on, get acquainted with Turnkey!

Bianchi Celebrates Celeste
Celeste is one of those colors that you either love or hate. Very few people can manage to be ambivalent towards it. One thing is certain. When you see that color on a bike or jersey on a race podium, you know it’s Bianchi. To commemorate their 120th anniversary, Bianchi released the 1885 frame, in celeste, with ‘1885’ printed on the top tube. The 1885 features an aluminum frame with carbon fork and seat stays. To commemorate the three times a Bianchi team won both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, (1949, 1952 and 1998) they released the ‘928 Carbon’ and ‘928L’ carbon lugged frame. With 120 years of experience we have to figure they’re doing something right. Both frames are available in a couple of different parts configurations, from both Shimano and Campagnolo. We’re personally fans of the 1885 with a Campy Veloce setup, and the 928L with Campy Chorus. And we unanimously agree that everyone should at least test ride them. (Well, I’m sure it would be unanimous if I bothered to poll anyone. But John definitely says “Test Ride one!”)

Did you know that supposedly celeste was the color of the Queen of Italy’s eyes? Thankfully, celeste has evolved over the last 120 years, from what Bianchi now calls ‘vintage celeste’ or ‘gang green’ (hazel green) into the very bright celeste we all know and love. I would worry if the queen’s eyes were modern celeste.

Salsa! MMMM! Spicy!
No, we haven’t started serving chips and salsa, even though it sounds yummy. Bike grease + salsa just doesn’t sound very tasty. However, we are serving up some Salsa frames. Last month was all about 29ers, and I may or may not have mentioned, that two of our 29ers are lovely Salsas. If you’re looking for a soft tail 29er, the Dos Niner is the way to go. For a less is more approach, the El Mariachi is the way to go. With a rigid frame and fork, and a 1 x 9 set up, its fun, and no frills, it’s as cool as a single speed, and more practical for those of is, (me included) who think gears are an important part of riding.

Single Speeds
Ever feel like you want to ride BMX, but maybe you’ve out gown it? I missed BMX, my parents rightly figured I’d try to jump over something I shouldn’t and would never let me try. But there’s something alluring about just having one gear, even though I pretty firmly believe in having at least three, preferably seven. So if you want to recapture those glory days, or try your hand at the BMX riding you never had before, try a single speed mountain bike. We’ve got quite a few to choose from.