I Miss Charlie's Face

Back in Bozeman, Montana, I often got to ride with this kid named Tejay Van Garderen. I remember once going up Charlie's Face just as hard as I could go (see picture above), feeling really good about myself, when Tejay just blew by me. Up the trail he turned around, headed back down, turned around, and blew by me again. Yes, I was riding really fast, and Tejay was just doing intervals around me. Tejay is now a pro in Europe and I'm still a want-to-be. Good job Tejay!

Top Ten

I don't really know when I will post new baiku. Probably when the mood strikes. A few days ago I imported all the old posts from the old blog into this new blog. I realized just how much I have posted in the last three years or so. So, I have put my Top Ten baikus/stories with links on the sidebar. I must say, some of these are pretty good and may be worth a second look. If you are new to this site they are certainly worth a first look.

More Bikes

Here are four more choices for reasonably priced high quality steel frames, all from Soma. Road, comfort road, welded, lugged, gears, singlespeed, fixedgear, so many choices, but they are all steel. I will be selling these frames (or custom complete builds) real soon. Fe700c Bicycles. All pictures by Soma.

Soma Delancey lugged frame and lugged fork, $795

Soma Speedster lugged frame and lugged fork, $795

Soma Smoothie ES frame, $400

Soma Smoothie frame, $400

Guide Service

I'm going to tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone. Really, this is an important secret. If it were to get out, it would change everything. It would alter the alignment of the stars.

So, don't tell anyone, but Logan, Utah is one of the best places in the United States to ride a bicycle. Really. It has the best roads, the best trails, and the best scenery around. There are few good restaurants, no place to buy a good beer, no night life to speak of, few art galleries, good people who follow a strange religion, and only one coffee shop. But, oh my gawd the riding we have. Cache Valley is a huge maze of empty roads with mountain views in every direction. The view is a circle of mountains really. The single track is some of the best I've seen. I would compare it with all the great mountain biking destinations I am familiar with: Moab, Fruita, Jackson, Driggs, Bozeman, and West Fir.

While in Bozeman, I did quite a bit of professional guiding. Now that I no longer have cheap Aluminum bikes to build and more free time, I am now offering myself as a guide to anyone who wants to come to Logan and go on a mountain bike ride. I know all the trails. I know the details that the guidebooks and mtbr.com do not, like where the cows are, where the mud is, where the downfalls are, and the difficulty level of each trail. Most importantly, I know trails not in the books or on the Internet.

Here's what you get:

• A professional ride guide

• Epic rides on the best trails without any effort on your part (other than pedaling) or ever getting lost

• A professional mechanic who can do nearly any trail side repair

• A gourmet lunch (I am a really good cook. Remember, we have few good restaurants.)

• Someone to carry your gourmet lunch, snacks, water, and tools

• Some of the best single track and mountain views you have ever seen or your money back

Cost:
Oh yes, there is a cost.

• $300/half day for up to three people (now don't sweat the math, that's $100 per person)

• $500/full day for up to three people. I'll let you do the math this time, because it's more complicated

• Advanced riders only

More Marketing

Above is the Voodoo Dambala. Like many of their bikes, it is made from real Chromoly steel. It's a geared bike, and it's a singlespeed. I like it. It's Fe700c. I would build it without the shocks and disc brakes, but I like it.



This is the Soma Double Cross pic I promised. It's the high class, better steel version of the Pake C'Mute (without the semi-horizontal dropouts). Nothing more needs to be said. This is the real thing. Like Coke.

What Are You Going To Sell?

Voodoo. Fe700c Bicycles will be selling Voodoo. I really like the Nakisi, above, a true monster cross. Voodoo has many steel frames that can do it all. Below is a prototype of what the Nakisi would look like built up with big tires.



I've been selling, and will continue to sell these. Below is the C'Mute. I am currently riding this frame nearly full time on and off road. Again, this bike can be built to do nearly anything: tour, cross, commute, or fixed gear off road.



I will sell Soma too. I'll post picture of the Double Cross tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. "Huh?" I have no answer for this question.
2. "Will there still be baikus on your blog?" Only time will tell.
3. "Do you have any cheap bikes?" The Walmart bikes are at Walmart.
4. "Why are you doing this?" I have lost my mind and my heart. Fe700c may allow me to find both.
   

Metamorphosis

When a caterpillar hides inside its cocoon, it emerges as a butterfly. No, I'm not changing into a butterfly, but change is good. I'm changing my business, its name, my blog, and my clientele. I will no longer be selling cheap used bicycles. A good pair of shoes costs more than $100. Bicycles have more rubber than a pair of shoes and a lot of moving parts. My work has been undervalued and under appreciated for too long. Soon, I will be selling only bicycles with steel frames and 700c wheels, no aluminum bikes, and no 26 inch wheeled mountain bikes. Will I still repair them? Sure. Metamorphosis. Stay tuned.

Louden Wainright III

I'll always be a want-to-be. Last night Patty, Tim S., and I went to see Louden Wainright and Hot Tuna in SLC. When you get close to real musicians, they put you in a trance. They make it look effortless. My review: Louden had somthing to say. Hot Tuna had somthing to play. Here is a song we heard last night.

Like A Flashback

This picture reminds me of the old days, selling used bikes in the front yard. Things have sure changed. This picture was taken in Missoula, Montana.

Jinxed?

Four years ago we went to Antelope Island. Patty says it was on my birthday. I hopped out of the car, jumped on my bike, and started to pedal across the 7 mile causeway. I pulled off onto the shoulder to make a quick adjustment and picked up several hundred goat heads in each tire. Great ride.


Today was going to be different. I came prepared. Tubeless. We jumped on the bikes, rolled down the hill, and my back tire was flat. Where did that big sidewall gash come from? I've never had a sidewall gash in my life!

I will never take a bike to Antelope Island again. Really.

The place is pretty. The bugs ate us alive.

Pooped

Build bikes, sell, repeat
At the shop at 2:00 am
And tonight 'till eight

No wrench tomorrow
We ride Antelope Island
Mother's Day, hammock

Recycled & New Bicycles, New Shop Hours

Please note the new shop hours at Recycled & New Bicycles:

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 to 6

I'm Back

Rentolo became Rentover, Reno to East Wendover. OK, I bailed. It started to rain. My rear wheel was suspect (I had to replace all the drive side nipples. Try that as a roadside repair. Never tour with alloy nipples). Patty came and got me. I'm dry. I'm safe. I'll get a full report blogged later. For now, here is the nutshell: Reno, Dayton, Fallon, Eureka, Ely, East Wendover.

Rentolo

The blog is lame of late. I've been too busy to type. Recycled & New Bicycles will be closed next week. I'm going on a long ride, Reno to Logan. I will try to give an update from the library in Austin, NV. If not, wish me luck and strong legs. It will be 700 miles in 6 days.

Easter Sunday

The seagulls waited
Circling, hungry, and watching
Alert for colors

They waited some more
They arrived four weeks ago
Gulls, sans calendars

The children brought eggs
Their parents and their parents
All with Paas hued eggs

Thousands of bright eggs
Blues, oranges, pinks, greens, purples
Easter hard boiled

They threw all their eggs
Down Old Main Hill, USU
A feast of color

I could not watch it
We ate eggs when I was young
Pearl Street, Trout River

They all drove away
Colorful shells on the grass
The seagulls moved in

A feast for seagulls
Yoke-billed and albumin filled
They left only shells

So I pedaled hard
All the way up McMurdie
Post-holing in snow

Up Pisgah Mountain
A stupid-hard long bike ride
They make me happy

Alone with Mother
Sagebrush wet in the snow melt
Nuthatches singing

The end of the road
After the last knee deep drifts
Egg shells on the ground

Some lone woods-person
Happily ate Easter eggs
For sunrise breakfast

Thank You

I got an email from Jasmine today. She lives far away, but reads my blog. I have friends in the UK, reading too. I just want to say thank you all for reading. And, I want to say thank you to my customers. I appreciate you all buying bicycles and trusting me to do your repairs. Recycled & New Bicycles is a very busy shop. There is no waiting list for repairs as of yet, but it's not far off. Thank you too, for your paitience. I have to go back to work now and build JH's new fixie.

Spring Returns, The Reviews Are In

I did a short ride on Sunday. The Logan-Smithfield Canal trail was nearly snow free. Not mud free, but it was nearly snow free. From Smithfield, I did the tour of Amalga (tour of the smelly dairy farms). The flooded Bear River floodplain was full of singing frogs. It's amazing how much greener the bottoms are compared to the benches. It gets whiter as you go up and greener as you go down.

Well, I've been flamed on mtbr.com. I guess that will teach me to yell at people and tell them to get out of the shop. I know, however, I will never change my ways. I sold over 100 new bikes last year and over 50 used bikes. I had a two month waiting list for repairs. "Second rate" they say. Fine with me. Don't come back. I've got plenty of happy customers. Especially the one's that get micro loans and free bikes. I've learned one thing about retail: you can't make them all happy.

Enough. I'm going to work. I have a lot of bikes to build.

Can I Do A Short Rant, Please?

Support you local bike shop. They probably have a lot of knowledge about bicycles and bicycle fit. It may cost a little more up front, but buying a bicycle from a professional will save you money and discomfort in the long run.

Yesterday, I got this call:

"Hey, it's Ringo, I'm a friend of John. I came in there, oh, about a month ago looking for a triathlon bike for my wife. Yeah, I pumped you for information for a half hour, and well, I bought her a bike on EBay. She does not like the bars. It has shifters on the end. Do you have any cheap used bars, you know, road bars. I also need brake/shift levers. I want Ultegra or 105 level stuff. Do you have those cheap or used?"

I lost it. I told him to go look on the Internet for cheap parts and hung up on him.

I never got to tell him that new 105 levers would cost $279, a good bar $79, a stem for proper position (different than time trial bar position) $59, new bar wrap $12, plus $80 labor to take the old stuff off, put the new stuff on, wrap the bars, and adjust the derailleurs and brakes. I knew what his reaction would be. Could you imagine if I had said this:

"Yes sir, it will be another $509 to make your cheap EBay bike ride like a normal bike. By the way, does the bike fit?"

Bottom line: Find a local bike shop run by a professional you can trust (if all you see are teenagers, walk out). Listen to the professional when they tell you to buy a $520 entry level road bike that can be used for everyday riding and that anticipated triathlon. Listen to them when they talk about bike fit and function.

Never mind. You have EBay and Google.

Tour De Gainesville Video, 2008

Here is the updated version, with music. Saturday is the 2009 version. If I had a magic carpet and a time turner I would show up for this year's roll out. Ding.

Tour de Gainesville 2008 from Lindsay Levkoff on Vimeo.