FAQ

Hey. I've had a really great time meeting folks around the neighborhood, and in the cycling community as I've been setting up shop. There's one question that nearly everyone has asked- "What's your deal?"

Well, is Hub Bicycle Co is a woman owned, bicycle repair shop in beautiful East Cambridge, Massachusetts, providing top notch, pro bicycle service and some selected gear (mostly for commuting and MTB at the moment). Right now it's a one woman show (that will be changing in the near future). Or, I guess, it's a one woman + one shop dog show.

Cedar- part time Shop Dog, full time goofy Lab
I grew up in Maine, and got my first shop job while I was in high school at Southwest Cycle. I went to college, got a 'grown up' job, hated it, and got back into bikes in 2003. I moved to Oregon. While I lived there I was lead wrench at two shops, installed my body weight in fenders every week, rode some good single track, learned why 'rain bikes' exist, started cyclocross racing, worked on 'Burning Man bikes', managed a shop, learned to glue tubulars, got sick of the rain, enjoyed the bike boulevards, generally fell in love with my career and missed New England something fierce.

I like riding to get things done (groceries, laundry, A to B), and I love riding off road. I believe bikes are an important tool in changing how we impact the planet and that if it can be repaired it should be (the first two Rs are reduce, reuse...). I also believe it's important to support/advocate for safer streets for cyclists, trail access for cyclists, and women in cycling. Hub Bicycle Company reflects those beliefs.

So, that's the deal. And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!

Patience.

My most excellent UPS guy (I knew I'd like him the minute he called the Shop Dog "Killer"...) just dropped off a bunch of cool stuff. Like this:

Don't walk that fixie flat home, fix it!

Bikes aren't just for lookin' good anymore. Put that thing to work.

Also in the shipment are the makings for a new front wheel for The Tractor.


Unfortunately building this wheel isn't on my top 100 list of priorities, so I'm exhausting my willpower to not build it right this minute. Wheel building is one of those activities that gets treated with religious reverence in the bicycle wrenching community. Part nerdy bike science, part finely tuned art...An expertly build wheel will need very little (if any) regular maintenance. If you build wheels you get a certain amount of street cred (do people even say that anymore?... street cred?... What's a better way to say that?)

I really learned to build wheels one winter when my boss (who was prone to over-shop 'close out sales') acquired enough parts to make a metric ton of hand built wheels. So I built them. Practice makes perfect, right? I like that it takes patience, a certain amount of focus, and in a way, it's relaxing. I also think it's remarkable that you take a pile of separately weak and useless parts, put them together, and end up with one of the greatest inventions of all time. But, alas... not today.

See you all on Monday!

Nutcase

One week!

I'm excited about opening the doors. It's really shaping up in here. Orders are coming in, and so far the best one has been from Nutcase Helmets. These helmets are as cool as they get. Check it:



Those are just a small sample of the designs Nutcase has. You'll have to come by the shop to see the rest. I appreciate the use of art and humor to make these babies more attractive to wear. Are helmets sexy? I guess it depends on who you ask. Are they important? ABSOLUTELY. Stop in sometime and I'll tell you a very personal tale of a man who bonked his helmet-less noggin, and what it cost him. In all seriousness, wear one.

If crazy designs aren't your thing, there's also a selection of super slick 'Super Solids', too.

Internet and soap

The website is 87% working and 100% on the internet!! I'm not ashamed to tell you how stoked I am that it actually works. It's a little bit like magic. As a mechanic, I have good luck with mechanical things. Digital tends to be a little hit or miss. In fact- I took most of the pictures on the site with a Pentax K1000, because of an 'incident' with my digital camera. What the ol' K1000 lacks in instant gratification, it makes up for with a real shutter sound.

Anyway...

www.hubbicycle.com

There are a few misplaced links to fix and a couple of sections to finish, but we're now one step (or .87 step) closer to opening.


Also today I got soap:


Regular soap just can't hold up to what happens to your hands in a bike shop. If it's not scratchy, it's not working.

Do you think you can stick a straw through a potato?

You can. I guarantee it.

It's a long story, but I once knew a man who was a motivational speaker. In addition to teaching the power of sticking straws through potatoes, he said the first step in achieving a goal is to state it publicly.

In that spirit (the goal achieving part, not the part about potatoes), I'd like to let you know that Hub Bicycle will be open for business February 1st. There's a ton to do between now and then, but I'm looking forward to getting to the bike shop part of this bike shop business.

Snow Day!

Today is the opening day of snow bike season!

"Snow biking?" you say, "That's sounds miserable."

Sure, there are a few drawbacks to riding your bicycle in the snow. Like:

1. It's cold.
2. It's a little squirrely.
3. Brown snow


But you can get over most of that. Let's address these points:

1. Wear layers. When you spin the pedals you'll start burning up that burrito/pancake/apple/latte you had for breakfast and you'll warm up. As long as you're properly layered you can keep that hard earned heat all to yourself (or strip down in case of overheating...). I also think that a few lighter layers are easier to maneuver in than one big bulky one. I prefer the raincoat/vest/fleece/t-shirt combo over a ski jacket any day.

2. Ride slower. What major form of transportation isn't a little slower when it's snowing?

Pay attention. Drivers tend to be more aware when the weather's not great*, but you should still be extra mindful of the traffic around you.

Ride with the minimum air pressure suggested on your tires. It'll give you more traction, but beware of hidden pinch-flat traps like potholes and curbs. If you have the option, ride a mountain bike. The wider, lower pressure tires and lower gearing all help.

I also try and wait until the plows have made a pass or two.

If all else fails and things get slip-slide-y, don't panic. Just like in your car, no sudden movements, just go with it and you'll probably be fine. Or you'll be in a snowbank. Wear a helmet.

3. Brown snow is gross. The problem is that cakes up (see picture above), which makes fenders less practical. You can still ride with brown snow caked up into your fenders, but when you drag your bike into your apartment building and all of that sludge melts onto the floor, someone is going to be bummed.

So what's the solution? Rain pants! I know this is New England and only lobstermen are supposed to wear rain pants. New Englanders hate rain pants the way Pacific North Westies hate umbrellas. You stay dry, warm (it's one more layer), and brown snow free. Without fenders you can just kick off all of that snow before you drag your bike inside. I also happen to prefer the look of a bicycle sans fenders... but maybe that's just me.

Happy holidays and happy winter riding!

*This statement has not been verified and may be wishful thinking.

The list

Checking things off the 'to do' list.

Painting. Done.
Work bench. Built.
Phone. Check (617.441.2500).
And so on...

It looks like Hub could be open for business in the dead of winter, which would seem like a less than ideal time for riding bikes. But you would be surprised, my friend, to find there are die hard cyclists here. New Englanders are rugged. Not swaggering, cowboy rugged, but stoic, grumpy rugged. Merriam-Webster defines stoic as: "one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain". So there you go, that explains the winter biking.

Now, back to work.