Desolation Canyon Pictures

All pictures were taken by Meg and Mike Ketcham.

New In The "Choose Well" Sidebar

My CFO said I need to do more marketing. And, it's almost cyclocross season. Just in time, the Voodoo Wazoo could be your next bike. Why? Steel, single or gears, decent components, complete bike, or frame and fork, all provide so many many options. Who's in?

Mid-Mountain Trail, Park City, Utah

I just wanted to say a few things about Park City's Mid-mountain trail. I know, I hate driving a car to a bike ride, but I had to go to Park City anyway. And, I'm just like all the other humans who say one thing and do another. If you are looking for a trail that goes somewhere (as opposed to the many short sections of spider web of most trail layouts) with a linear nature, is single speed friendly, has plenty of short ups and downs, is technical and butter, and is 23 miles long, you may want to try this one. Better yet, don't do it. It's not worth your time. Just take the ski lifts up and ride your pogo stick-with-wheels-motorcycle-without-an-engine down the short spider web trails.

Back To Work

I'll be back in the shop today. The river trip is done. Patty's cameras on US 6 are done. The Mid-Mountain Trail in Park City is done. Back to work.

Six days on a raft
Sleeping under countless stars
Still swirling, dizzy

Floating

Fe700c Bicycles will be closed until August 24. Me and la familia will be floating through Desolation Canyon next week. So much for my training schedule, but my arms and upper body will be much stronger from all the raft rowing.

Tree Huggers

I hardly ever post pictures anymore. So, here is one of me and the kid taken in Jacksonville, ripped from my sister Lynn's website. It's evidence of our lefty, environmental wacko, tree hugging, anti-industrial, bicycle loving agenda.

More Hot Air

Here is today's Hot Air Words Of Wisdom: You have to inflate your bicycle tires before you ride. Really. Perfectly new inner tubes will loose around 5 lbs. of pressure every day.

Last week a nice family brought all of their bicycles to the shop. As usual, most of the bikes were not worth fixing. "I'll just make 'em run, and not put too much into them, OK? All of your tires look like they need new tubes," I said. "But you put in new tubes last year," they said. "Have you pumped up the tires since then," I said. "No," they said.

It was true. My tubes were in there. All the valve stems were leaning over, a sure sign of riding under inflated tires, two of the valve stems were cut off from leaning so far over. I started inflating. Every tube with an intact valve stem held air. Repairs done.

You have to inflate your bicycle tires before you ride. Really.

Two In One Week

I rode again today. And I went on a mountain bike, the first of the season. I finally have the new Redline Monocog 29er up and running. Watch out cyclocross racers, I'm going to start training. I've got 7 weeks to get in race shape.

Robert Goes For A Bicycle Ride

Really. I went on a long ride yesterday, about 60 miles, Logan to Franklin, ID. Some call this ride LOTOLA, Logan to La Tienda. It felt good to ride. I can still count the number of real rides this season on one hand, but I have now run out of fingers. I may actually get serious soon. The first Utah Cyclocross race is October 3. That's only 8 weeks away.

There Is No Such Thing As A Tune Up

I worked for 13 hours straight today at Fe700c Bicycles. I should be brushing my teeth, but I'm too wired to sleep. Perhaps I'll go back to the shop after I get a bite to eat and work until breakfast. There's only 9 more repairs and 2 builds to do. All 9 repairs came in today and 2 bikes were sold today. Yes, that's how I do it. I usually sell them before I assemble them. Weird ain't it? That's why adjustments are free for as long as you own your bike (not just 30 days). I build it, you ride it, if something is loose, I adjust it for free. If it don't shift, bring it back.

Speaking of bicycle repairs, at least several times each day, I get asked if I do "tune-ups." Well folks, there is no such thing as a tune up. Back in 1972, my father taught me to do a tune up on our Chevy Vega. It had points, condenser, and a carburetor. Today's fuel injected, computerized cars don't, and they do not get tune ups. At Fe700c Bicycles, neither do bikes. All the other shops in town (and in all the other towns and big cities) do "tune ups;" they check you bike over and do certain adjustments/repairs for a fixed price. This is the biggest rip off in the entire world. If someone tells you it's $69.99 to fix your bike, and they have never even #%!$ing looked at your bike, they are ripping you off. If you pay for a bicycle "tune up" you are a fool. "Oh, but our basic tune up includes adjusting both hubs, both brakes, both derailleurs, headset, bottom bracket, and cleaning and lubing your chain." Well, they are pulling your chain. What if your rear hub, bottom bracket, headset, and front derailleur are just fine. Does it cost only $49.99. No, it's still $69.99.

At my shop, I only repair things that are not working properly on your bike. Everything I do is itemized on the back of your ticket. These repairs do not have a fixed price. Let's take your front brake for example. It just may need some cable pulled and the pads centered. That's about $6. However, your front brake may need new pads, new cable, housing, and elbow, the brake arms pulled 0ff to clean and lube the posts, and one of the posts re-aligned (bent back in place). That's about $45. See, no one really knows what is wrong with your front brake until they put your bike on the repair stand and take an honest look at it.

Let's take your sad excuse for a rear derailleur, for example. It may just need a turn of the adjusting barrel. That's free. Really, that's free. Or, your rear derailleur may need the hanger aligned, new cable and housing, the H, L, and B sets adjusted (because the 18 year old "bicycle mechanic" who assembled your $1200 bicycle for $5 at the shop where you bought it had absolutely no clue, never touched the H, L, and B sets, and never even took off the rear wheel during the assembly, which is why your rear hub is so loose), and your jockey wheel and guide pulleys removed and lubricated. That costs about $40. Really, $40. Again, I repeat, no one really knows what is wrong with your rear derailleur until they put your bike in the stand and take an honest look at it.

My bottom line is this: I will put your bike in the stand and give honest free estimates for repairs. It usually costs less than the estimate, and usually less that $69.99. If you want to put a limit on how much you want to spend on your bicycle, I will write it on the ticket and not exceed that limit. Again, I do not do "tune ups" and I don't know what is wrong with your bicycle and how much it will cost to fix it until I take a good look at it.

Rant over. Goodnight.

P.S. Please read the above rant as humor. I know you may have to look for it, but it's supposed to have a humorous tone.