Escape Pod

Hub is officially on sabbatical. I've already crisscrossed New England to spend time with family- with my new MTB in tow. The nice thing about having the bike is that it's a good excuse to escape the crowd for a little bit. Not that I don't love my family, but I really appreciate a little bit of quiet time.

One Week

This is our last full week before close up shop for a month of bike adventure, recharging, and planning for 2013. There's still time to get a hold of a last minute gift or two for the bike nerd in your life (maybe that nerd is you, I won't judge...). Place an order with us by Weds (12/19) and we'll have it for you by the end of the world Friday (12/21). BTW, that speedy delivery is free (as it always is), yo.

I, myself, and working on a last minute project or two before I head someplace warmer for some cycling. Here's a little peek at my new bike, painted by the very talented fellas at Circle A:

Wimpy 2 Electric Boogaloo

It's the same color as another adventuring vehicle I once had. The pink stripes are a little washed out in this picture, so imagine they're a darker pink. I'll post up a full bike pic when this baby is ready to roll.

Another Non-Bungee Option

Friend of the shop, pickle impersonator, and all around good guy- Trombone Tally stopped by the shop yesterday to recycle a few bicycle bits and pieces. (We'll recycle stuff for you, too if you want. We can take metal, tubes and tires.) He very cleverly bundled up some old (and multiply patched) tubes with some "produce velcro". It's a thin bit of flexible velcro-ish material that sticks to itself along its whole legnth. It used to secure Romaine Lettuce.

You already know I'm against using bungee cords for securing stuff to your bike- and I gave you a couple of not too expensive/free alternatives. This stuff won't be enough to secure a box or bundle of groceries to your rack/basket, but I think it'd work beautifully to secure a lock, or hand pump or some other such accessory.  Trombone Tally mentioned that he uses it as an emergency pant strap as well. If you love reusing/reycling, vegetables, and bikes, keep an eye out for this stuff.
 

Gift Ideas

Need some ideas for the cyclist on your holiday gift giving season list? Well, I have 1,000,000 suggestions for you, but here are three to start:

Hub Bicycle Flat Fix Kit- $24
 

This kit has a CO2 inflator, patch kit, and the world's best tire levers in a not-too-big seat bag. Don't think your gift receiver knows how to fix their own flats? Let them know about our free Basic Maintenance Clinics.

Peterboro Bicycle Basket- $39-49

These classy (and surprisingly strong- up to 70lbs!) baskets are made a short 67.6 mile bike ride away from Hub Bicycle. Local, functional, good looking. There you go.

Park Tool Home Wrench Stand (PCS-9)- $144

 

Any PRO bike mechanic will tell you that having a repair stand is an essential tool. Lifting the bike off the ground and up to eye level makes diagnosing, adjusting, and installing just about everything on a bike easier. Flipping the bike upside down is for kids (or for people fixing flats on the side of the road, I guess). Plus- how are you (not you, but you know, the giftee) going to adjust those derailleurs if the shifters are underneath your bike?

Thnx

Hey! We're going to be CLOSED this Thursday and Friday. I'm going to Seattle. Rebecca's going on an adventure. And Erich will be nursing a Lord of the Rings hangover. See you Saturday!

Hand turkey!

Winter Plans

The shop will be closed for a month this winter- from December 23rd until reopening January 24th . Like last year, I'm planning to go on a bike trip. Unlike last year, I'm going to focus on off-road travel. I've started loosely making plans. Here they are so far: I have a new bike coming my way, any day now. It's going to be a 650b Get Rad Machine, in a mystery color (when given the choice I chose 'builder's choice'), built with theses parts:

I'm very, very excited about this bike. So, I'm going to pack up the mystery (get rad) machine, along with my riding buddy, and we're going to hit the road. We're going to look for single track here(ish):

I haven't forgiven you yet, Florida.

Just a girl in a truck with her dog and a locally designed and fabricated mountain bike, driving through the countryside looking for adventure. Sounds like the start to the greatest country song never written.

Favorite

We got new stickers! For your bike. Your favorite bike. I'm terrible at favorites- I don't have a favorite color, or food, or animal (Oh, wait. Yes I do.). Every trail I've ridden has at one time, or another been my 'favorite'. Just as every bike I've had has spent a least a little time as the 'favorite'. It's just too much work to pick out the most/best/greatest out of a bunch of good things. And, in the end, does orange care that it's your fave? So why try to force a choice of a 'favorite' by sticker? Well, if you have one bike, it's easy. And if you have more than one bike, we got a boatload of these- so you can have more than one sticker.

 

Wait! But what if your bikes find out that they're all your favorite? Here's the thing- bikes are inanimate objects, so they won't know if none/all of them are favorites. Have a bike you feel 'eh' about? Maybe this sticker will make you feel better about it. Try it out.

 

This bike has no idea that it's only one of a number of favorites. 

Swing by the shop to pick up one (or more) of these babies. Or hit us up on Twitter for one.

CLOSED TODAY

Winter is Coming

Nerds.



But seriously. Remember this? Well that little baby of a frame has grown up into a complete bike:

This one goes to 7.

So far it's been test ridden by a half dozen individuals, and has caused two of those individuals (real grown humans) to giggle. In addition to being hilarious, it eats concrete parking stops for breakfast. Riding over those concrete parking stops has the been the extent of 'getting rad' that this bike has seen so far, but I see a long, snowy, muddy, rocky, rad future for it.

I think I'm going to take it with me to the Wicked Ride of the East, and see what happens. I may even write up some thoughts about how it rides, but given my recent track record on updating this ol' web log- I wouldn't wait up for the review. 

Wanna take it for a rip through the parking lot? Stop by and try it out!

CLOSED MONDAY Oct. 8th

We're going to be closed on Monday, October 8th (for Jour de l'Action de grâce). We'll see you on Tuesday!

Pardon

This past weekend I spent one bazillion hours installing a point-of-sale system in the shop. I didn't heave any electronics out into the middle of Cambridge St. in anger, so I'm going to say it was a success. What does that mean to you? Well, our work orders, inventory, record keeping and special ordering will be located in one nice n' streamlined place. It'll be the same friendly, professional service you've grown to love (or at least tolerate), now with more efficiency! Plus- look! Clearly marked price stickers!:

(That's a pair of winter gloves. They're back!  No joke. It's getting chilly out there.)

It also means that things will be a little slow/clunky as we all get up to speed on this. I spent 20 minutes trying to tell the computer I finished a flat fix- so please pardon our slow/clunkiness.

Air

The issue of how often to put air into a bicycle tire has come up on three different occasions in the last couple of hours, so I guess it's time to talk about it.

How often should you put air into your bike tires? There are many variables that effect the air pressure, but all of that aside if you ride regularly you should be putting air in your tires at least ONCE A WEEK. No joke. (I'm sure you can find nit-picky forum posters/comment section regulars all over this great world wide web who'd disagree with me, but I'm not talking to them. I'm talking to you, regular bicycle rider.) Bicycle tubes are slightly porous and will lose air over time.

How much air do you put in those tires? It depends on the tire. You should be able to find the pressure recommendations right on the sidewall of the tire. Like this:

Just find the number, find a pump (we keep one right outside the shop for you to use for free!), and pump it up. Once a week.

No Relation

Check this out:

What are you looking at? Traffic? Yes. But also the new Hubway station just steps from the shop! Look. It's right here:

Want to leave your bike with us for some TLC during your lunch break, but don't want to walk back to the office? Now you don't have to!

For the record- Hub Bicycle Company is not affiliated with Hubway. And we were named first. Copycats.

Labor Day Wknd

What a nice summer. The weather's been beautiful, and we've been busy. Real busy. The crew here has been working their tails off cranking out high-end work in record time.

So to celebrate the last gasp of summer (unofficially) Hub is going to be closed Sept 1st, 2nd and 3rd. What are we going to do with a full holiday weekend off? Well, I'm going to rip it up on the Carriage Roads, just like John D Rockefeller intended. Erich mumbled something about 'Allston Christmas' and then laughed maniacally. And Alma's back to her grind as a student. So there you go.

Watch out for moving trucks out there, and we'll see you on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

craigslist Buyer's Guide

Craigslist- a place for finding all kinds stuff (except weapons, food stamps, and body parts), bikes included. If you're patient. Really patient. And you keep a few these four things in mind:

One!
Know what you're buying. Some bikes come from bike shops. Those bikes hold up better over time (and multiple owners). Other bikes- mostly from department/big box stores- don't hold up as well. These brands are department store bikes:
Magna
Free Spirit
Huffy
Murray
Next
Ross
Genesis
Pacific
 Royce Union
Roadmaster
(newer) Schwinn
(newer) Mongoose

This means they weren't originally assembled by trained bicycle mechanics. They were originally assembled by the guy (I assume) who's also responsible for assembling grills, flat pack furniture, and baby cribs. They have 'entry level' (read: cheap) components, that don't last as long as their 'mid level' counter parts. Many of the components I've seen on these bikes aren't serviceable- so when they go outta whack you're looking at replacement, not adjustment. Bottom line- they may not be 'bad' bikes, per se, but they have a short working lifespan. If you're buying one used it's short life is even shorter. I won't say don't buy one of these bikes, but......... don't buy one of these bikes.

Two! 
The guy who posted his used bike is 5'10", and so are you, but that doesn't mean his bike is going to fit you. Maybe he's been riding a bike that's too big or too small for him this whole time. Maybe he has oddly short legs, or long arms. Maybe you have oddly long legs and/or arms. Bring a multi tool with you so you can adjust the seat when you take it for a test ride.You were going to test ride it, right?

Three!
Test ride it.  Make sure there's air in the tires, that the brakes work, and that the quick releases are tight. Put your helmet on. Then take it for a spin. Keep an ear out of creaking, squeaking, clunking, etc. Noises don't mean you shouldn't buy it, but it will be helpful information to pass along to the mechanic when you bring it in for a check over.

Four! 
Bring it in to your LBS to get it checked out. Even if the posting claims that it's been "recently tuned up".  "Recently tuned up" is a relative term that can mean anywhere from 'tuned up at an actual bike shop' to a 'buddy of mine (who knows alot about bikes) looked at it'. At the very least you want a trained set of eyes to make sure it's safe and worth the money.

If you don't want to wait around for your dream bike (in the right size) to pop up on craigslist, you can always check out what the fellas at Cambridge Used Bikes/ Metonomy Used Bicycles or support the good work being done at Bikes Not Bombs by buying a used bike from those folks.

Hug a Trail Builder

I got out of town this weekend, and decided to see what some out of town MTBing would be like. Not great, it turns out. The trails were overgrown, eroding, and had tons of broken, tetanus-inducing 'bridges'.

Pbbbbbbt.

I got a 4 mile ride in before I gave up. It was a really great reminder to appreciate the great trails I get to ride close to home. Those trails (I'm looking at you The Fells, Landlocked Forest, Harold Parker, etc.) didn't magically appear. They also don't magically maintain themselves. People built them, and people maintain them. People like the good folks at IMBA and, closer to home, NEMBA.

So hug a trail builder today. Or even better- donate or volunteer.

The Deal

It's getting to be the time of year when new folks are moving into town. These new folks are having to find their new grocery stores, barbershops, dive bars, coffee houses, and bike shops (that's my favorite part of moving- find my new local ___________ ).

For those of you looking for your new bike shop, let me tell you what we do here. We're a bicycle service shop.

I used to tell people that Hub was a "bicycle repair shop", but I think that phrase limits the scope of what we do. We repair bikes that are broken, but even better than that we maintain bikes before they get broken. We upgrade, box for shipping, unpack from shipping, convert, outfit, trick out (and so on) bicycles. We also stock all of the parts and gear to keep bikes (and their riders) rolling safely.

That being said- we can get you a bike if you want one. But, we don't sell bikes in the same way a 'traditional' bike shop does. We can build one up for you. Surly and Soma are some of our favorite bikes/frames to work with. We can help you pick out each individual part, or we can recommend a build kit. Or if you want a super pro, super custom bike (or pedicab) we can send you to our friends at Commonwealth. But if you're looking to roll a bike off the showroom floor, we're not your gals/guy.

 So why not sell bikes? Well, by focusing our resources on bike service, we can provide the best work in the best turnaround time in town. That's our deal.

According to Google Earth...

Hub Bicycle Co. is just a hole in the ground.

World Traveler

We pack bikes for travel here. It's not our most requested service (that would be flat tire fixes), but we probably box up 3-4 bikes a month. Bikes get boxed for shipping, for going on airplanes as checked luggage, in moving trucks, or on Amtrak (I hear the rates are reasonable). You can buy bike specific bags and boxes, but unless you're going to do multiple trips it usually makes the most sense to pack in a regular ol' bike box. They're the boxes that bikes get shipped from the factory in- they're sturdy enough that if they're handled with reasonable care you can get a use or three out of them.

This particular box is super sturdy. It must have been in a batch of particularly well made ones. It first contained a new bike that was shipped to a shop in Portland, OR. That's where my buddy, Mr. E picked it up to pack his bikes for a move to Texas. Where I grabbed it from him to bring the Brown Machine back after my winter adventure. It's now going on a moving truck, headed for who knows where (probably the person moving, that's who). It's still in wicked good shape, so I hope it gets passed on for another journey.

SAG

I'm packing up the crappy wimpy shop truck for a weekend of SAG wagoneering! It's time for the American Diabetes Association New England Classic Tour De Cure. This will be the 4th year Hub has supported this ride (yes- since even before Hub existed). It's a good time. Lots of bike eye-candy, good people, plenty of flat tires to keep busy, and I'm told that if everybody finishes the ride diabetes will be cured money gets raised for the ADA.

Working support for a charity ride is the bike mechanic equivalent of camping. You do all of the things you's normally do in a day, but simpler and outside. It can require some creative problem solving. You never realize how often you rely on a bench vise to do your job, until you don't have access to one.

I'm stocking up with tubes, tires, extra cables, a chain or two, a handful of misc. bolts and brake pads.

There's a good chance I'll go through a bunch of tubes, and a tire or two. If you're headed out for any charity or organized rides this summer you clearly don't need to be this well stocked. I'd recommend a tube, tire levers, an inflation device (my faves here and here), and a multi tool. That should have you pretty well covered.

The shop will be open for regular hours- I (Emily) won't be here, but Erich will be. You know Erich? Nice guy, glasses, kinda beardy, knows a lot about bikes. If you don't know him- stop by on Saturday and say 'hi'.

Alma's First Tune Up...

is in the books and totally PRO. 

CLOSED July 4

That's it. We're going to be closed July 4, and back open for regular business on July 5. In the mean time, check out this wicked patriotic injury I've sustained:

Red, white and blue, baby.

Two Seasons From Now

It may be in the 90s today, but it's never to early to start thinking about winter. And winter biking.

Erich said if this bike were a noise it would be the sad trombone. I think it would be the circus song. Either way, it wouldn't be a normal noise.

BYDTWM

It's 'Bring Your Dog To Work Day Morning'. 

(She doesn't like kids or cat people, so she's not really cut out for retail.)

Summer Special

Happy first day of summer! We've got a sweet, sweet deal for Bicycle Benefits members (one sweet is enough- I don't want anybody getting too excited). Today only- free sunglasses with purchase!

Just show us your Bicycle Benefits stickers when you check out and we'll toss you a pair of shades (until we run out). They even fit over other glasses. I know- I've been wearing them the last couple days and I only look slightly more nerdy than usual. Why free sunglasses? Because I know you don't need another water bottle, that's why.

Not a Bicycle Beneficiary? We've got the stickers here! They're $5, and they'll get you deals all over town. So stop in, enjoy some AC, and grab some shades.

Visitor

I get into the shop real early these days, as there's tons of work to do. The shop is usually a little stuffy first thing so I prop the back door open for a little fresh air. I propped the door this morning and as I went to put my bag away I heard a fluttering behind me. A black-capped chickadee had followed me in. She/he flew around the shop for a while and then found a perch on the wheels in the front window.

Hanging out on the hand-built 29er wheel. This guy/gal has good taste.

I did the only thing I could think of- left my helmet on and waited for her/him to find the open door again.

QR SkewR

Quick release skewers- Great for tool-free fitting your bike into the back of your two door's trunk, or easy flat fixin'. But with great convenience comes great responsibility (sorry, that was terrible). There's a right way (safety first!) and a number of wrong ways to use these babies. Using them the right way isn't rocket science, but they can be a little confusing, especially if they're new to you. If you only know and remember two things about quick release skewers let it be these two:

One! What the crap are those little tornado springs that fall off when you take the QR apart? Well...There are three parts to the QR skewer. 1). The skewer itself- A lever on one end, threaded for a nut on the other. 2). The nut- to go on the threaded end of the skewer. And 3). two tornado shaped springs.

The springs seem to be confusing to many folks. Their only job is to keep the QR centered inside the hub axle, to make installing the wheel easier (a QR can function just fine without them). If they aren't installed properly, they can make it difficult/impossible to get your wheel to line up in your bike's frame. The trick is the little end of the tornado has to be facing the center of the hub. Why? The big end covers up the end of the hub axle- which is the part that actually comes in contact with the frame, specifically the dropouts. If you cover up the end of the axle, it won't fully contact the dropouts and wonkiness occurs. Check it out:

Two! Most QR levers say "open" on one side and "closed" on the other. Look at your bike right now. If you can read "open" on the QR lever- don't ride that bike!

The lever is not designed to be used as a wingnut. You need to tighten the nut just enough to allow you to flip the lever to the "closed" side, with a little resistance. Take a look at this video (complete with sweet background jamz) if you'd like to see the QR in action.

Now you know.

Bike Party!

Redbones Bike Party! This Monday (June 4). POSTPONED until Monday June 11... We're going to close up at 4:30 so we can join in the BBQ and mayhem. We'll be there giving out free advice and stickers! See you there! (So many exclamation points!!!)

Better Than Flowers

I got home to a present from my better (at being thoughtful) half yesterday. Flowers? A puppy? A romantic, candle lit dinner? Nope. Even better- an anti-fatigue mat for my work bench!

DIY?

Should you work on your own bike? That is a very good question. It's one that I get asked often. I also see talk about it on various blogs/comment sections. People have very strong opinions (as they often do when they don't have to attach their real name). Here's my humble opinion on home wrenching. If you're doing it for fun, or for a learning experience- yes, work on your own bike. If you're doing it to save money- no, don't do it.

Bikes appear to be simple machines. You can see almost every moving part on them, so they don't seem as mysterious as a car or refrigerator.  But there is enough going on with bicycles, enough to know about them, that people (such as myself) make bicycles their careers. It takes a long time, and a lot of (expensive) mistakes to get good at bike service. You don't know that the Deore hubbed wheel you bought on Amazon won't fit on your track bike until you do it. You're going to spend $15 on a chain whip you don't need, because you have a freewheel. Your going to have to buy extra front derailleur cables, because you'll fray them from too many adjustments. And that's all ok because that's how you learn. But it's not cheap.

There are lots of things you could do to save money. You could make your own clothes- fabric is cheap- but you probably don't. Unless you enjoy doing it. You could bake your own bread- flour is cheap, yeast is free- but you probably don't do that either. Unless you enjoy baking (and yeast hunting). If you're not having fun, you're wasting time and money on a pain in the ass activity.

Back to the folks who like to tinker- there are tons of resources for home mechanics. I'm sure you already know about the internet- which is great and has some good nuggets of information. It also has giant boulders of bad/mis information. So where does one go for easy to find good, reliable information? (Here comes a not-so-subtle plug) Your friendly, local bicycle shop. That one guy on that one forum can't tell you what's compatible with your bike, but I can, because you can bring it into the shop where I can see it and we can talk about it. Mechanics (I guess I can't speak for all mechanics...), many mechanics I know really do like talking about bikes, and the technical aspects of them. Our friends and loved ones are tired of hearing us talk about chain wrap capacity, so if you want to know about it please ask! If your mechanic is too cranky to answer your questions- find another one. We're not all cranky, I promise.

Really I just wanted to say, if you don't want to work on your own bike, don't feel any pressure to do it. You aren't a bad bike owner, you're just good at not doing things you don't find fun. If you do find it fun, and you want to tinker- do it! And use your LBS as a resource.

Bike Month

I know I'm a little late with it, but...Happy Bike Month! It's that most wonderful time of the year when bicycles and the people who ride them get a tiny sliver of attention. To those who say "I bike every month, so May is nothing special.", I say "Bah humbug, you smug Debbie Downer". This is a time to encourage our fair weather cycling (or non-cycling) friends to get on their bikes. The more people on bikes on the streets the better things are for everybody. Plus, there's free breakfast. Free breakfast.

There are tons of events about bikes, and biking to work, for fitness and general transpo. Check out Bay State Bike Week for a state wide list of events. Sign up for the Mass Commute Challenge to register your bike week miles (ps. the Bike Bash is really fun). The bikeyface Bikenic will give you a chance to talk with folks of all cycling abilities, and it's a picnic! Check out the Rush Hour Race, on Monday (my money's on Bike Safe Boston, obviously).

Bicycle Racing

I'm not a generally competitive person. I just don't have that drive to win at any cost, that is required (or at least is super helpful) to be good at sports. I enjoy a good pick-up game of soccer, ultimate Frisbee (yeah, I said it), whatever... but beyond that I've found that teams like to have people on them who actively try to win the game, so I steer clear of team sports. Individual sports aren't really any different. People like it when you try to win. Despite my lack of competitive drive, I raced the Massasoit Lung Opener this weekend. 

It was actually my second MTB race of the season. I also raced the King of Burlingame TT last month. I'll admit that before that race I called my better half while sitting in the parking lot to say something along the lines of "I'm nervous. This isn't fun. Why did I sign up for this? Wah." Don't worry- I got a nice helping of tough love. "Stop being a whiny baby and ride your bike." After being a big baby, I did get on my bike and race. And I enjoyed myself overall. How did I do? I don't know, because my results got lost. I know I didn't win, and I also didn't come in last. Beyond that, I don't know that I care to know how I did.

So if I'm not trying to win, I don't really care about my results and it's not 100% fun 100% of the time- why race at all? Good question.

Two reasons, mostly. One- it's a great learning experience. This weekend I learned that I'm much more motivated by staying ahead of the people behind me than trying to keep up with/pass the folks in front of me. I learned that warming up is a very important thing to do. I learned that Novice Women mountain bikers don't like the descents and that's a good place for me to make up for my lack of fitness and competitive drive. Two- it feels really good to finish. There's nothing like pushing yourself to ride hard to help you really enjoy not pushing yourself. Sitting down is much more satisfying after you've been racing than, say, if you've already been sitting down all day.


In conclusion, bike racing is good for learning things and appreciating not bike racing.

More Help Wanted

We're in high gear now! I need more help. Please pass this along...



Hub Bicycle Co., located in beautiful Cambridge, MA, is hiring! Are you a talented mechanic with current bicycle industry experience looking for a small, but growing, service oriented shop to work in? Do you believe that bicycles make the world a better place? Are you comfortable working on the full range of bicycles and components- from big box specials to carbon race rockets? Hydraulic brakes, wheel building, suspension, and three speed hubs? We should talk.


You can expect full time employment, competitive pay based on experience, employee discounts on bikes/parts/stuff, opportunities to participate in advocacy, community education & trail building, a relaxed & positive work environment AND a month of paid vacation during the off season. Please email a cover letter and resume to Emily (emily@hubbicycle.com) if that sounds good to you. Thanks!

This is a Real Thing

I started working in bike shops in 1995. That year my boss had a retro-style cruiser with a 7 speed internal hub. Oh man, did I covet that bike. Every once in a while I got to use it for shop errands. The one thing I could never figure out was what the hell was going on with the bell on it. It had a floating eyeball in the center- Ok. That's badass, I guess. But around the side were dinosaurs. What???

I always assumed there were a pile of leftover eyeballs and also a pile of leftover dino bells lying around a factory someplace. And maybe someone thought "Hey. let's get rid of these things by just combining them. Maybe nobody will notice how weird it is..."

It turns out my hypothesis was not true. Seventeen years later these weird bells are still available (unless those piles of leftovers were huge). We've got 'em here at Hub, in fact, for $7. I mean, how could I not bring them into the shop. If the dino/eyeball bell doesn't do it for you there's always the 'demon pumpkin' horn...

Reflective

Have we got a t-shirt for you.

You've heard of Bike Safe Boston, right? Bike Safe Boston is behind those very smart Bicyclists' Accident Reports (we've got 'em here, come pick up a couple... they're as free as they are smart). Well, this Bike Safe Boston shirt is a biking safety two-fer.

Number one- it's reflective!

The print on the front and back is retroreflective. By day, it looks like regular ol' print, but by night, hit it with a light source and get noticed.

The second 'fer is that 100% of the profits go to local bicycle advocacy. Mass Bike, the Boston Cyclists Union, and Livable Streets help to make the world a safer place for cyclists (and peds, and drivers, and just about everybody who transports).

Sizes S-XL in stock now for $29.

Coincidence?

I was catching up on some bicycle blogs this morning. Like you do. As I was reading the newest post from Bike Snob NYC This bike came through the door:

I was reading the sentence about 'cockpit sausages' when a 'cockpit sausage' appeared. What?!? Looks like I need to find a blog post about free, sub-25 lbs., 120mm travel trail bikes being given away to  small business owners.  

Help Wanted

Happy last day of 'winter'. Things have gone from busy to busier around here, so it's time I got a little help. I wrote a help wanted ad- please pass it along to any unemployed or unhappily employed bicycle mechanics you know. It goes a little something like this:

Hub Bicycle Co., located in beautiful Cambridge, MA, is hiring! Are you a talented mechanic with bicycle industry experience looking for a small, but growing, service oriented shop to work in? Do you believe that bicycles make the world a better place? Are you comfortable working on the full range of bicycles and components- from big box specials to carbon race rockets? Hydraulic brakes, wheel building, suspension, and three speed hubs? We should talk.


You can expect part time employment (with the possibility of full, for the right person) competitive pay based on experience, employee discounts on bikes/parts/stuff, opportunities to participate in advocacy, community education & trail building, and a relaxed, positive work environment. Please email a cover letter and resume to Emily (emily@hubbicycle.com) if that sounds good to you. Emails only, please. Thanks!

Bike Sharing is Caring

Moments after I reading about the return of Hubway (no relation) on Boston Biker, I received this in the mail:

Why would someone who already owns an unhealthy number of bikes (yeah, I said it) want to join a bike share? I think it's a good idea (good for people who don't have a bike, good for people who want to try out biking before committing to it, good for tourists, good for people making burrito runs at lunch time, etc.) and it makes sense to support good ideas. I'm not sure how often I'll take advantage of these bikes- although I'll have more opportunity to with the expansion of stations into Cambridge- but I'm really looking forward to going on a lunch run or two on one of these babies. Learn more about it, or join (it looks like there's a spring special happening...) here.
   

Eleven

The last time I posted here was two weeks ago?!? Time flies when you're making bicycle dreams come true. Like this one:

From single speed to 11 speed in a single afternoon. Now would be a good time to make a "goes to eleven" joke, but I'll let you take care of that- I've got to get back to work.

Old Dog, New Bike

If you don't mind being a little chilled, the past couple of weeks have been great for riding. I've been fitting in a little singletrack time in the mornings when the trails are nice 'n frozen.  I coaxed my riding partner out into the cold Actually, I didn't have to do anything. She was born ready for winter riding.

Look at that face.

I got a new single speed MTB frame recently (don't worry- one in, one out- enjoy your new home, Frankenbike). Maybe I'll write more about it later. Or maybe not. We'll see. I will say it's pretty sweet. Not that I'm overly concerned with weight- but I'm pretty excited that this bike built up more than 2lbs lighter than my last setup.  It makes me feel fast.  Like awesome bike racer fast. It's really a feeling more than an actual improvement in performance, though. I'm pretty sure I look like this when I ride (oh, or this- thanks, Jody).

It comes with operating instructions right on the top tube and it's sporting this years hottest fashion accessory- the NEMBA Headcap. Don't be jealous. Get yours here.

That's a First

Unfortunately, I've heard plenty of stories of bikes and their parts being stolen. Whole bikes lifted up and off of the sign posts they were locked to. Cable locks quickly snipped. More than a handful "Well... I actually forgot to lock it..." Hundreds of wheels, and seats/seat posts taken by (best case) hungry orphans who needed the bike parts more than you.

Yesterday, a woman dragged her bike in because a hungry orphan stole the front tube from her bike. Just the front tube. The thief went to the trouble to remove the wheel from the bike, remove the tire from the rim (with the tire levers he/she just happened to have in his/her pocket), remove the tube from the tire, and then leave the wheel and tire in a nice pile beside the bike.

That's the first time I've ever heard of someone stealing exactly and only the part that he/she needed.

If you're ever in desperate need of a tube and you're thinking about stealing one- don't. Just stop by the shop- I'll give you one and we can work out a payment plan.

Three Things

One- I got around to downloading pictures from my trip adventure (that I will stop posting about soon. Hopefully before you get wicked, wicked sick of hearing about it.). Check out this one:

 Don't make me punch you.

Two- I love it here. I love that even though it's the dead of winter (albeit, a strangely mild winter), I saw nine other cyclists on my commute home last night. I love how genuinely excited everyone is to still be bike commuting this time of year. Warms my bikey heart.

Three- Hub is two years old today. My deepest thanks for the support that have made these two great years possible.