It's Reflection Time

I'm writing to you from deep inside the Winter Sabbatical. So far it's been a lot of family time. A lot. Lots. Of family time. ... And some time for wrapping up the years loose ends, and a few fun projects.

I'm sure you've seen a boatload of 'year end' lists and wrap-ups floating around. I've come across a few interesting (IMHO) stats from this year in Hub Bicycle history.

We did 1009 flat fixes, replaced 387 brake cables and installed 227 RiBMo tires (the shop fav). The crew suffered 2 broken bones (bicycle related) in 2013. But on a more positive note, Team Monster Truck had a great inaugural season with a number of folks completing their first CX races.

Monster Trrrrruck!

Enjoy the last bits of 2013. And here's to 1010+ flat fixes in 2014.

Radical Sabbatical

We've got one week to go until it's time for the radical sabbatical. Thant means you have until Saturday to get those last minute gifts and whatnot. We'll be CLOSED December 22 and will RE-OPEN on January 27.

What are we going to be up to? Erich and I are going to take a field trip to Milwaukee after the new year to hit Ray's MTB. Sound familiar? I went to Ray's CLE last year and had a blast. We'll report back on how much shredding is accomplished.

After Milwaukee I'm going to head to Singapore to thaw out for a while. I've packed a bike- thanks to the S&S couplers Mr. Paul Carson installed for me.

These couplers un-thread and allow the bike to split in half. Then it can be packed in (an oversized, but manageable) backpack.

I'll also report back here about any/all riding adventure/shenanigans happen.

In the final week of this sabbatical Hub will be the site of a basic and advanced fit clinic from SICI. What does that mean to you? Well,s two things- 1). if you need us Jan 21-25, we'll be available for evening appointments. Contact us here. 2) We'll be able to offer basic fit services at Hub. In the future, when we pass the course (fingers crossed!).

Anyway. That's the plan. And don't forget we're here this week to make all of your winter bicycle dreams come true.

The Sexiest T-shirt

We've got a new run of shop shirts. You'll recognize the design from this summer's shirts.

The Pru and that other building high fivin'!

For the colder weather, we've opted for longer sleeves and have printed these up on baseball tees- the sexiest of t-shirts. They're gray and darker gray, so you can wear it while you're wrenching and not worry about grease stains (much).

Now,I've gotten some push back against the level of sexiness claim. To be clear- I didn't say they were the sexiest article of clothing, I just said they were the sexiest of t-shirts. Think about it. Everybody looks good in a baseball tee.

Anyway, they're in stock, $25 ($27 and we'll ship it to your doorstep), available in the 'big 4' (S,M,L,XL) and are the perfect gift for the cyclist who has everything (but one of these shirts).

Follow the Leader

I wake up early most days. With the shop slowing down for the winter season, it means I have time for morning rides. I really love it- it's cold, quiet, and I usually have the trails all to myself. Or almost all to myself- I also bring along my riding buddy of the past 9+ years.

Cedar Hot Dog is a great trail dog. She gets in the zone. She'll run in front when I'm going slow, and then fall in right behind me when if I pick up speed. She's always right near me- she's not distracted by woodland creatures or other riders. She's learned to respond to the command "Scoot!" if I need her outta my way quick.

We ride the same trails pretty often. I like getting to know a trail really well. Some spots may be difficult to ride at first, but maybe you try a different line one day, or you get better at anticipating what's next, and you ride more and more of the trail. It feels like a nice accomplishment.

There's one spot on the trail we rode this morning that I've always had trouble with. There's a little rock pile flanked by a boulder and a tree trunk. I've tried a number of different lines, on different bikes, in different gears to get up and over it. I always have to put a foot down at the last second. Always. For years- I've been doing this for years.

This morning CHD was in front and ran up the obstacle in a way that I'd not thought of trying before. I like riding with other people to see how they ride and follow their lines- it helps to see the trails in a different way. So why not follow the dog's line? I did- and totally cleared it!

I Built a Bike

There are several things you could mean when you say you 'built' a bike. Most commonly it means you took a bicycle frame and other components and attached them to each other to make a ride-able cycling machine. We do that here at Hub Bicycle all the time -sweet fixies, super commuters, racing machines- what ever you want we can and will (and have) build(t) it.

What I haven't done up until now is 'build' a bike. Or more accurately- a frame. I started the process in April(ish) by buying a box of steel tubes. After many months of planning, cutting, filing, brazing, more filing, sanding, etc. it was finally ready to ride this week.

This is my first attempt at frame building. So I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. Early on I decided to name this project 'The Practice Pancake'- after the first pancake in every batch that comes out less than perfect. You know, sometimes the pan is a little too hot, or not hot enough. It takes one to gauge how the rest of the batch is gonna go.

That's how I approached this bike. One to warm up (or cool down) the pan. I didn't want to over think it, or make it seem too precious. This bike is a tool that has/will serve two purposes- to teach me how to make bike frames and to transport me from point A to B. It was a fun process, and I learned a lot.

It seems to me that frames are best built when the full plan is set ahead of time. I'm more of a plan as-I-go kind of gal, so this was a personal growth project as well. The biggest mistakes I made were because my plan wasn't fully formed at the start, so I know what I need to do for the next one.

After building it I built it with my existing commuter bike parts. It's rocking a disc brake mullet (disc brake up front, road brake out back) because of some serious non-planning...practice makes perfect (pancakes). Mr Paul Carson is responsible for the metal-flake purple finish and it looks great. If you're in the market to get a bike powder coated- give him a shout.

Pic by Bike Safe Boston

The thing that struck me the most about that first ride is how unremarkable it was. I poured many hours, tons of thought. love (and a little blood) and I built a bike and it rides like a bike. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't be able to tell that there was anything different about this little baby (right before crashing, because riding with your eyes closed is a terrible idea). In the end, I set out to build a bike and that's what I did, so mission accomplished. On to the next bike.

Memories

I got to visit Kryptonite HQ this week. Did you know they're in Canton? They are.

They've been in business for a good long time, and there was a nice display of vintage/throwback/old advertisements in the entryway to the office.

This ad hung in the tiny, grimy basement bath'room' of the very first bike shop I worked in. It was more of a bath'cubicle', and the partial walls were covered in bike posters. While it isn't their most clever advertisement, IMHO, it does bring back memories of my early days in the bike industry.

I mentioned this to the good fellas at Krytponite, and they were kind enough to find a copy for me (laminated even!) to add to my very own grimy bike shop bathroom.

Cool Weather

Fall! The favorite season of New Englanders means perfectly comfortable days and cool nights and mornings. It won't be too long before we sink into full-on cold weather (sorry to bum you out). We've brought in a new option for gloves this season that'll protect your mitts from frost bite but will still let you use that smart cellular telephone of yours.

That little 'on button' symbol on the index finger means you can still interact with touch screens. I tried it out- it actually works. In stock now- $30 and they're yours.

Interbike

We're gonna be CLOSED this Weds, Thurs & Fri ( that's 9/18-9/20 for those of you who have a calendar handy). We're going to Interbike to figure out what latest and greatest we need to stock up on to make all of your bicycle dreams come true. We're doing it for you.

We'll be back for regular biz on Saturday. See you then!

#CannoliFriday Fundraiser!

This is Becca. She's a pal of the shop and an all around good human. She's going to ride her bike from NYC to DC for the climate. She's raising money for the BCU, and the climate and for all of us (because we ride bikes and are affected by climate).

This Cannoli Friday (9/13/13) she's going be drawing portraits of you and your bike in exchange for a donation of $5 (or more). Stop by the shop 5:00ish- 7:00 to kick in a few bucks to a good cause and get some (what I assume will be) fridge worthy artwork.

They will be photo-realistic if your face looks something like this:

                                                                       Photo credit: @thehum

In addition to the 'art' for a good cause we'll have pops from Real Pops, natch. Come try one out before summer's gone.

Looking Ahead

Summer is wrapping up. It's been a really good one. We're going to close up for a couple of days, to enjoy one last camping trip in my homeland. I'm looking forward to a couple days of gravel grinding, or as I used to call it when I was a kid 'going for a bike ride'.

Even though summer isn't out the door yet, I've started planning for Radical Sabbatical 2014™. Last year I road tripped with my mountain bike. This year I'm going to plane trip with my mountain bike thanks to these guys:

Where am I going? You'll have to stay tuned...

Grip Rings

We've got Grip Rings in stock! You may have seen their Kickstarter a while back. I'm really excited about them (which is saying something, as I am a grizzled, jaded bike mechanic). They look good, work with lots of handle bar situations, are easy to install and feel great.

You can customize the color, but more importantly the length. If you have a bike with twist shift style shifters you know that most grips come in a length that needs to be cut down to fit your handle bars. That works alright, but leaves you with an uneven cut edge, or weird transition from shifter to grip.

It takes 5 to 8 Grip Rings make a grip. They're made of silicone rubber, and they are wicked comfy. I don't ride with gloves during the warmer months, and I can say hands-down (ha! get it?) these are the most comfortable grips I've used. And they look good:

I've been using them on my commuter and mtb for a couple of weeks. They were a piece of cake to install- stretchy enough to pull over the end of the bar without any help, but they do say you can use a little water or rubbing alcohol if you need to. I haven't gone easy on them. I made sure to crash them directly into the ground at Gnar Weasels a couple of weeks ago. They shifted a little during the crash (there was a dent in the dirt from where the handlebar landed), but they were really easy to slide back in place.

A set will run $18-30, depending on the length and color combo you want to roll with.

My Other Bike is a Hubway

I accidentally left myself bikeless last night. That's what I get for starting a project on the bike I planned on riding home. Thankfully, our closest Hubway station was nicely stocked. I feel really lucky to have such a great resource right in the neighborhood.

Ice Cold

It's the last day of the heat wave. Hang in there, we're going to make it.

As you know, it's important to stay hydrated in hot weather. It just so happens we got a fresh batch of water bottles a couple of days ago. To celebrate their arrival, and to keep everyone hydrated we're putting these babies on sale for $4.

And for today- when you pay $4 you get a fresh, clean bottle filled with icy cold spring water.

 

 

4th of July

It's been crazy busy here. The Hub crew has been working super hard since... well, pretty much since the end of the winter sabbatical. I think I can speak for everybody here when I say it's time for a long weekend to ride bikes.

We'll be camping, riding bikes, and brainstorming ideas for the newly formed Team Monster Truck/ Hub Bicycle racing/riding/having fun team. More info on the team to come- expect rides, and beginner clinics, and fun times, and whatnot.

So, to summarize, we will be CLOSED July 4, 5, 6 and 7. The shop will re-open for regular biz on Monday July 8. Have a great weekend!
 

Names

This bike's name is Michael Jordan.

He's tall, and wearing black & red.

I'm not one for naming my bikes. I tend to refer to my bikes by their color or their function (the commuter, the mountain bike, the other mountain bike).

There's a good number of folks who come by the shop who have great (and much more creative) names for their bikes. My favorites include: Gary, Blueberry, The Magistrate, Frank the Tank, Big Orange, Little Green, Frenchy Blue, and Sparkleboogie 2 Electric Boogaloo.

Bike Party

Going to tonight's Bike Party? We are too! Want to ride over there with us? Join us for a Bike Party pre-game bikepool to Dewey Square. We're leaving Hub Bicycle World HQ at 7pm sharp(ish)!

Time to Neglect the Web Log

Biking is up and so are tunes ups at Hub Bicycle (I don't have a Power Point slide to prove it, so you'll just have to believe me). Breathing, eating, sleeping tune-ups hasn't left much time for updating the web log.

I do want to take one second to let you know that it's almost time for the Redbones Bike Party!!

We'll be there with our pal Josh Safe Boston for a classic HUB x BSB collabo. Stop by our table to say hi.

Cannoli Friday

If you haven't heard, Fridays are pretty awesome around here. It started months ago when friend, lawyer, local bikelebrity and safe biking enasthusit, Josh, brought a box of cannolis from Modern Pastry to the shop to share. Since then we've been observing Cannoli Friday nearly every week. Except last week.

This week, Cannoli Friday is back, and we're putting it to good use. We'll be collecting donations for The One Fund Boston. Stop by this afternoon (after 4pm-ish) for a delicious pastry and good company and give a few bucks to help our neighbors.

"I can't wait for this week to be over."

You said it, Springfield NBC affiliate reporter.

The last seven days been stressful scary awful. In both a small and big picture way. For me, they started with a broken thumb last Friday (yes, it was bike related and yes, it's hard to work without a thumb). Then Erich broke his arm, reducing the Hub Bicycle Mechanic Team down to two working right arms. I want nothing but to do the best work in the quickest turn-around time. We're still cranking out the same quality service you've come to expect, but at a slower pace that I'm finding difficult to be ok with. All of that seems small potatoes, though.

Sunday night was the wildly fun and successful Midnight Marathon Ride (yes, I rode, broken thumb and all).

Then the Marathon on Monday. My dear friend, Josh, said it best with this post on his website Bike Safe Boston. Sad, unsettling, angering- I can't say it any better than the hundreds blog posts, tweets, and columns that have come out over the last week.

Yesterday I arrived at the shop wicked early to try to get some work done. I looked out the window shortly before 7am to see a CBS news van pull up on Cambridge St. Shortly after that Fox, CNN, AP, NBC, ABC, etc... It was surreal to be watching a live stream of the news shot from a helicopter hovering over the building I was watching the news in. I didn't know the two that lived in the house on Norfolk St, but I did know a lot of their neighbors. I recognized so many faces in the crowd that gathered in front of the shop (many evacuated from their houses, some still in pajamas)- both of folks who are customers and those I see when I walk to the bank, or post office or lunch. I know that this is also not a unique feeling, but this past week reinforced my love for the city and this neighborhood in particular. Some terrible people lived here, but so, so many more good people do, too.

Today the news crews are gone. Many folks have remarked at how well and quickly things seem to be getting back to normal. We're getting back to work, and continuing to will broken bones to heal up fast. So, thanks for your patience, and continue to stay safe out there.

Hey Ladies

This stuck in your head now? Yeah, me too.


Anyway- this Thursday is the Team Luna Chix Mountain Bike Boston Second Annual Season Kick-Off Maintenance Clinic (T.L.C.M.B.B.S.A.S.K.O.M.C.)! Come if you want to learn some basic maintenance, hang out with some bike riding ladies, and learn which wines pair best with Peanut Honey Pretzel. 

7pm at Hub Bicycle World HQ, $20 suggested donation to be given to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Stunt Double

I'm heading out of town this weekend. I'm off to CA with Team Luna Chix for some mountain biking and I've been promised "new instructional skills to take back to your community to share with other women". I'll bring some back for you.

In my absence I'm leaving Midwest Tim as my stunt double. Squint a little- we look exactly alike. He's a former bike shop manager, turned grown-up office job haver and all around good dude. I know this puts him at the risk of falling off the wagon (or is it onto the wagon?), so make sure he doesn't have too much fun, ok?

We'll be down a pair of wrenching hands while I'm gone, so I expect we'll have to add a day to our turn-around times. If you don't want to leave your bike off with us for a few days, please take advantage of making an appointment. If you don't mind that your bike stays with us for a little while, then carry on. And don't forget- Hubway is back! So you're never really bikeless.

 

Spring is Tomorrow

Remember when riding bikes in the snow was new and novel and fun? Those days are long gone. I'm really looking forward to getting three full seasons between me and winter, so I can fully appreciate how fun it can be. Today's commute in was particularly unpleasant- if you ride, be careful out there!

Help Wanted

It's that time of the year again. Bikes are rolling in in dire need of tune ups (wintering in a snowbank does terrible things to your bike...). Erich and I can't tune them all ourselves (I mean, we can, but a girl needs a day off to ride her bike, right?) so we're looking for someone to join the Hub Bicycle Dream Team. Not to repeat myself too many times, but bike industry experience is required. Please pass this along to anyone you might know who might be interested. Thanks!



Hub Bicycle Co., located in beautiful Cambridge, MA, is hiring! Are you a talented bicycle mechanic with industry experience looking for a small, but growing, service-oriented shop? Would you love to have every Sunday off to actually ride your bike for fun? 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 seasonal employment (with the possibility of a year-round gig, 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. Conversational Spanish and Portuguese skills are a plus, but not a requirement.  Please email a cover letter and resume to Emily (emily @ hubbicycle . com) if that sounds good to you. Emails only, please. Thanks!

Check Your Brakes

We've been working on a ton of brakes in the last couple of weeks. All of the sand and salt that's been on the streets really does a number on brake pads. Mix that with rain and slush and you've got a perfect slurry for wearing out brake pads. If you've noticed that your brake levers take a little more pull to engage, you're in good company.

If you want your bike to stop better (and you probably do), your bike needs either a brake adjustment or brake pad replacement. Here's how to tell if your pads need replacing-

You don't need any tools, or even to remove the wheels to see if you need new pads. Just take a look. Brake pads have grooves that run top to bottom. This allows for water and junk to be cleared from the rim while braking, and they also provide wear indication. If you don't see those grooves- the pad is worn out and needs replacement.

You can see that the two "Partially worn" guys in the picture are more worn out on one end than the other. That's not uncommon to find (brake pads often need to be angled to stop brake chatter and squeaking). In that case you'd want to think about replacing those pads when any one of the grooves disappears.

Don't be alarmed if it seems like you're blowing through brake pads this time of year. It's (probably) not your fault (I don't know... maybe you're brake crazy or something). It's the weather. Just replace those pads and remember that spring starts on March 20.

OPEN today

Hope everyone had a safe and cozy weekend. I rode through the obstacle course that are the Camberville roads today to open up the shop. It's gross out there. Just to echo everybody else- don't drive if you don't have to today. And if you do (or if you're riding bikes, or walking, or public transporting)- take a deep breath, be patient, and think about how awesome it's going to be when spring gets here.

Blizzard

We're here! And we're open!

Yes there is a blizzard. The craziest, most dangerous blizzard the world has ever seen, if you ask the local news about it. I know there aren't going to be a whole lot of folks riding bikes today, but (1) there's work to be done here. (2) I've got a perfect commuter bike for this occasion. And (3) the shop is warmer than my apartment.

We're going to be here drinking hot chocolate, building wheels, and watching bike videos. Come by and have a hot chocolate with us, if it's safe for you to get here.

We're most likely going to close up a little early- but I'll post it here, on all of our social media, put a sign on the door, change the shop phone message, write it in the snow, etc.

Trade You

Bikes are filthy. I'm not complaining- a dirty bike is a bike that's being used for the greater good (I assume). We clean every bike that comes in for service because it allows us to inspect for damage and wear. A clean bike also looks better, works better and parts last longer. To properly clean bikes we need rags.

We go through a boatload of rags. Especially this time of year- the bikes we're seeing for tune ups are covered in road salt and grime. As soon as the weather warms up a little all of the dusty 'stored in the basement/garage' bikes will be coming of of hiding. Old t-shirts are my personal favorite rag choice- absorbent enough, soft enough, and strong enough to last through multiple uses. Also- cheap and plentiful (sometimes). Last spring I did a major purge of my own t collection, and it's lasted pretty much until now (I had a lot of shirts to get rid of). This year I can't spare any more shirts, so I'll trade you for yours.

Bring in 4 old cotton t's- washed, please, I don't want your armpit stank in the shop- and get a FREE FLAT FIX. You know those shirts that are too worn out/embarrassing/stained to donate to Goodwill- we'll take 'em. 

We'll give you a card- you don't currently have to have a flat to get in on this.

You aren't going to wear that shirt you got at that 5k three years ago. We need it, and we'll put it to good use. Maybe we'll even use it to wipe your bike down when you bring it in for that flat.

We'll keep this deal going until we have enough rags, which is going to be a while. I'll give you fair warning so you'll have plenty of time to get your hands on some free flat fixing.

Two Questions

Curious minds want to know (also, I may have a gentlewoman's bet to settle). Help out by answering two questions?

T-shirt SALE

We've got a new T-shirt for 2013 (details soon), so we need to move out the previous model years.

All Hub shirts are $7, 'til they're gone. In any color you want as long as it's brown. 

Your Bike is Cold

It's really, really cold out. If you've ridden your bike today give yourself a pat on the back. Really, you can talk up being a hard core, year-round cyclist all you want, but you can't say that riding a bike into -6 deg. headwinds doesn't suck. You may have also noticed that your bike isn't working to it's fullest potential.

There are a number of things that can freeze on your bike. Grease, lube and water all freeze. Biking in Heels has a nice post about her adventures in frozen shift cables.

I've talked to a number of folks today (that number is 4) who described a problem as "I'm pedaling and then all of the sudden the bike stops moving forward. Like it's not 'catching'." What's happening there is that the pawls inside either the freewheel or freehub body are getting stuck in frozen grease, and not able to catch, they can't help push the wheel forward. Here's the inside guts from an old freewheel:

 

 That little guy is stuck down because of grime, not frozen grease, but it's the same idea.

Ok. So what do you do about stuck pawls? The easiest thing to do is warm it up a little. Just bring it inside for a bit. It won't take long, and it doesn't need to be in the warmest room in your house. Just wheel it in to an entryway for a couple of minutes before you roll out. It'll really help.

Almost Back in Action

Brrr.

I'm back in town. Bundled up and getting ready to open back up for biz tomorrow. It is COLD here. But it's not raining, so the trails are good to ride. Winter is actually a fun time to ride just about every kind of bike, as long you're dressed properly. You know, "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing...blah, blah, blah".

I wrote about bundling up a couple of years ago. I just re-read it and I still agree with most everything. I would add that these days I use sock liners (they're cheap) and I've splurged invested in a nice wool base layer t-shirt (not cheap, but worth every penny).

Anyway- we'll be back in action TOMORROW (11am-7pm Monday through Friday and 12-5pm Saturday)!!! Stop in for some PRO bike service, or to warm up (I'll crank up the heat to the mid-60s just for you) and say 'hi'!

Personal Record

I rode 34.2 miles of singletrack in one sitting today. That's a personal record. I rode the Bartram Trail near Augusta, GA. I heard about it from Drew at Andy Jordan's Bicycle Warehouse (crazy, but that's almost what I named the shop instead of Hub). The internet is great for a lot of things, but sometimes you just need a bike shop (subtle, right?). Rather than read through 1000s of anonymous trail reviews on a dozen different websites, sometimes it's good to talk to a real person who's ridden the trails. You find those people at bike shops.

Drew let me know that the western section of the trail was more challenging, so I started there.  The trail is 15.5 miles long (out and back for 31), plus a small loop (3.2) and runs along a reservoir.

It's super flowy, fast, not very technical. After doing the recommended section, I didn't feel like stopping, so I didn't. I don't have anything to do for the next 5 days so why not keep riding? Most rides I get to do are 1-2 hours, 6-7 miles. It's been a real treat to get out for some long rides my longest ride.

Soggy Feet

Oh man, this weather is killing me. First it was mud, today it was freezing rain.

This weather has also been killing my gear.  My bike was coated in a thin layer of ice in the back of the truck today. Worse than that (it's actually not all that bad, really- nothing a wipe down and a little chain lube can't fix)- I forgot that my MTB shoes were also in the back of the truck. They were back there for entire 7 hour freezing rain drive. Oops.

It's not the first time I've ended up with a pair of soggy shoes (usually it happens when I'm actually riding, not driving). The important thing in this situation is to dry them out as soon as possible. For two reasons- 1) You may want to use them again soon. 2) They longer they take to dry out, the more of a 'funk' they'll develop (trust me- it's gross).

All you need to speed up the drying process is some newspaper.

 

Not news.

Open up the shoes as much as possible- loosen the laces, undo the velcro. Crumple up a couple pages into balls and stuff them into the shoe.  Give it a little time to soak up water. I waited about 30 min. Pull out the soggy paper, replace it more dry paper, and repeat the process until the paper you pull out is dry. It took three rounds of paper to dry these babies out.

This works great with all kinds of shoes. No joke.

Tyler SP

11 miles of fast, fun singletrack in Tyler State Park.