Velo City Cycles

Here’s the thing – you can get bummed out @ the arrival of September (end of summer, back to school, shorter days, no more beachtime, etc) OR you can get excited!!!!

September brings us some of the best ridin’ weather our fair state has to offer, some great events, (Apple Cider Century anyone?) some relief from the heat and……..CYCLO-CROSS SEASON!

Not to mention lotsa cool new bike models and other Cool Bike Stuff.

So – as you may have guesed by now – we’re gonna go w/ EXCITED!

Read on for some details as to why………..

WEEKLY RIDES - Our ride menu is our pride-n-joy & a huge part of who we are. There are a coupla new ones this month so pay attention! (There’s gonna be a quiz!)

Tuesday Night Ride – 6pm.  You’re hip to this one, right? Biggest ride in town? Chosen as one of the “Best Shop Rides in the US” by Bicycling Magazine? Good, we thought so.  4 Groups w/ paces from 15-17mph to 24+, distances from 24-35 miles and all presided over by members of the staff so no one gets lost or left. And – the last TNR of each month is PIZZA NIGHT! (That’s the 27th this month)

Jan’s Recovery Ride – 8:30am Thursday.  Give those weary legs a shot @ comin’ back w/ this ride! 28ish miles @ 17-18mph and a stop @ the bagel shop.

NEW RIDE! Chris’ Gravel Fest – 6pm Thursday. Join Velo-Coach Chris K for a zippy ride on as many dirt and/or gravel roads he can find. You oughta have lights just in case! Great training for ‘cross, Iceman or whatever events you have comin’ up. Just plain fun too!

Thursday Night Lights Ride – 8:15pm Thursday. Watching the sun set and night fall from the saddle is one of our favorite things! Charge up your lights and come see why! 25-45 miles, 18-20mph pace.

The Bagel Ride, 8:30am Friday. A classic ride and well-known “very civilized way to start your day”, this ride will add 28-ish miles to your weekly total, most likely offer you a llama sighting and deposit you @ our reserved table @ The Good Earth Cafe for breakfast. Mmmm – sounds good ‘cuz it is! 18-20 mph pace as a rule.

The Sprint Ride, 8am Saturday. Legend has it that this ride actually pre-dates VCC by a decade or more……..who can say for sure? At any rate – it’s the fastest and most aggressive ride of the week featuring furious sprints for the Stop Ahead signs and speeds of up to 30+mph. Short (24miles) & sweet! The pack re-groups after each sprint (until they crest Beeline Hill) so c’mon out and see what’cha got!

(Little brother the “No-Sprint Ride” leaves at the same time and does the same route @ a more conversational pace of 18-19mph)

Note – All VCC rides are open to anyone and any type of bike provided that you wear an approved helmet, have at least 1 working brake and are cool w/ adhering to our “Ride Ideals” which are riding in a safe and legal fashion, sharing the road and watching out for one another.

There will always be additional info and updates on our FaceBook page on these and any other rides, projects, events, etc.

IT’S BIKE SHOW TIME AGAIN! (Already? Geez!) Hard to believe it’s been a year but the fact is that a goodly % of the staff will be wingin’ west once again to take a look at all the Cool Stuff this biz has to offer. (Hey, someone’s gotta do it!)

Here’s what we need from y’all – some ideas as to what we should be looking for out there – clothing? Wheels? Electronic shifting? GPS units? More stuff for women, fixxies, off-road, commuting, ‘cross….??????? Drop MC a line w/ your wish list and he’ll route it to the appropriate Velo-Citizen. (mike@velo-citycycles.com).  We want our shop to be your shop y’know!

SPECIAL RIDES THIS MONTH – As per usual there’s even more goin’ on around here than the weekly rides – here are a couple to consider:

Cyclo-Cross 101 Clinic / Ride, 6pm Wednesday 9/7 & 9/21. Got some questions about ‘cross? Looking for advice on how to deal w/ the barriers, get embro off of your hands, pick the perfect tire? Here’s a low pressure / no travel chance to get those and any other questions answered, get some barrier practice and enjoy a nice ride. Led by Chris D, just one of the many ‘cross fanatics here @ VCC this get-together will commence w/ a short Q & A session in the shop then head down to a nearby park for barrier practice and other helpful tips.

Keith’s “Adult Beverage Ride”, 11am on Saturday 9/10.  This is something our resident brewer has been dreaming of for a while and now – it’s time! The route goes from the shop to a stop @ the Saugatuck Brewing Co – then to Fenn Valley Winery – then ends up @ New Holland across from the shop. 45-ish miles, an easy pace and some hook-ups along the way!

Dawn Patrol, 5am Friday 9/9 & 9/23.  Yep, that says “5am”! When we did the 1st Dawn patrol we nevered figured that it’d become a regular deal……..who knew? Still – we do ‘em twice a month and there’s always folks eager to join in the fun! This ride will get’cha 50-ish miles before linking up w/ the Bagel Ride for a total of 75ish before breakfast and that, friends is a great way to start a day!

IT’S TIME FOR ‘CROSS!  “Cross” in this case is shorthand for “Cyclo-Cross”, that crazy form of bike racing that takes place from Sept-Dec all over the USA and Europe. The local ‘cross scene is hopping w/ races, clinics and rides all over the place. Even if you have ZERO interest in racing you oughta make it a point ot watch at least one – it’s basically a bike race combined w/ a circus!

We’re ‘cross-crazy here @ VCC – always have been. The vast majority of the staff races, we offer the aforementioned “Cross 101 Clinics” and as you might expect….we have everything you need to enjoy yourself!

Cyclo-Cross bikes from Ridley, Cannondale & Surly from as little as $1050 and as much as you wanna spend.

Tires and wheels and brakes and embrocation and all the clothing, footwear and accessories you could ever need.

And most important – we’re fueled (as always) by our love for the sport and our burning desire to share it w/ you. We’re here to answer your questions, make sure you know what’s going on (and when) and to help you figure it all out.

(A complete calendar of MI ‘cross races is included in the Event Calendar @ the end of this newsletter!)

THE ‘CROSS BIKE AS UBER-BIKE……..SUBMITTED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: One trend we’re seeing among local riders is folks taking advantage of a ‘cross bike’s inherent versatility to make it a true year-’round ride. Since a good ‘cross bike is literally a tire swap away from serving as a perfectly capable road bike an increasing # of avid local riders/friends have replaced their road bikes w/ a ‘crosser and then simply switched back to the fatter tires for the ‘cross season.

Now – don’t get us wrong…..we’d be delighted to help you add to your stable – it’s what we do after all – but the fact is that a decent ‘cross bike can serve quite capably as road bike and  ‘cross bike! And that’s what’cha call a great deal!

So w/ that in mind…….feel free to stop by and ride one of the many Ridley or Cannondale ‘crossers we have here for you to check out. At the races you’ll see MC and Chris on their new Ridleys, Aaron and Berger rockin’ Cannondales & Kaat riding the same Seven that she’s ridden 4000+ road miles on this season. (See what we mean?!)

HUP HUP HUP!

SPEAKING OF GOOD DEALS…….check this out………………….!!!

Every 2011 bike from Cannondale, Cervelo, Co-Motion, Surly and Electra is now marked down from 10-25% !

Given the price increases we’re seeing on 2012 models thus far  these deals look even better!

(The usual “fine print” applies – sale prices only apply to bikes in stock)

SUPER SPECIAL CANNONDALE MTN BIKE DEAL! 50% OFF!!

We’ve just been offered a remarkable deal from our friends @ Cannondale on a 2009 F5 Feminine Mountain Bike. This is a completely trail-worthy bike, ready for the local trails, the Iceman race or next Spring’s trip to Moab. It features a light aluminm frame, a Rock Shox fork, Avid disc brakes and a solid list of drivetrain & wheel components.  Again – this bike is ready-to-rock!

The only “catch” is that it’s only available in one size – XS. Now – due to Cannondale’s frame design we’ve fit women on this bike ranging from 5’2 to 5’6′ so it’s not as limited as you might think.

We’ll have them in stock in a week or so….every time we bring one in we sell it – so you can sit on it, ride it around and see for yourself. If there is anyone in your family that might fit on this bike – whether they are looking for a solid bike to ride back and forth to school or one to race the 12 Hours of Pando or anywhere in between – you really need to check this bike out!

 (Okay – “Hard Sell Mode” -off, but we are excited about this bike!)

2009 Retail $750.

Now – $375!

Yep – Three. Seventy. Five.

HEY! WHATEVER HAPPEND TO THE “FUN-RAISER” RIDES?!?!?!? Great question and we’re glad you asked! With the calendar as crowded as it is in the Fall ‘now days we struggle to find an open date for our series of food-themed Fun Rides. You’ll see more in the Spring but there will be 2 this Autumn! Mark your calendars!

10/9 – The Pineapple Bob Classic is the grandaddy of all Fun-Raiser Rides and the inspiration for Crazy Bastard Rides near and far! 30-40 miles of asphalt, dirt and gravel roads and then back to the shop for tacos! 2:00pm

12/11 – The Chilly Chili Ride offers you a chance to ride your bike and then eat as much chili as you can hold! More details later! 2:00pm.

THE LAST CALL BAND RIDES AGAIN! No matter how we try we can’t seem to kep MC from high-jackin’ the QR to blabber about his band.  Sorry about that. Here’s the scoop on a coupla chances to see & hear ‘em:

Sat 9/24 – Saugatuck Brewing Co. 7-11pm

Sat 10/1 – Park Theatre w/ 2 other bands doing a benefit concert for Community Action House.  Details on FB in a bit.

RIDE AND EVENT CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER: (* means more info elsewhere in this newsletter)

Wed 9/7 – ‘Cross 101 Clinic/Ride @ VCC*

Wed 9/7 – CX Training Race#1, Kent Co Fairgrounds.

Fri 9/9 – Dawn Patrol*

Sat 9/10 – Keith’s Beverage Ride*

Sun 9/11 – KissCross CX Race #1 – Plaster Creek Park, GR

Wed 9/14 – CX Training Race #2 – Kent Co Fairgrounds

Sat 9/17 – Harber Springs Tour

Sat 9/17 – Tailwinds CX Race

Sat/Sun 9/17-18 – 12/24 Hours of Harbor Springs XC Race

Sun 9/18 – KissCross CX Race #2 – Highland Park, GR

Sun 9/18 – Cycle For Life Tour, Holland

Sun 9/18 – Tailwinds CX Race

Wed 9/21 – CX Training Race #3, Kent Co Fairgrounds

Wed 9/21 – ‘Cross 101 Clinic/Ride @ VCC*

Fr1 9/23 – Dawn Patrol*

Sat 9/24 – Last call Band @ SBC*

Sun 9/25 – Apple Cider Century, Three Oaks

Sun 9/25 – Stomach of Anger CX Race, Lansing

Sun 9/25 – Pando XC Race

Wed 9/28 – CX Training Race #4, Kent Co Fairgrounds.

Fri/Sat 9/30-10/1 – 2 Be Continued 24 Hour Road Event to Benefit LiveStrong,  Zeeland.

Sat 10/1 – Cry Baby Classic XC Race, Harbor Springs

Sat 10/1 – Last Call Band @ The Park Theatre*

Sat/Sun 10 1/2 – White Pine Trail Tour

Sun 10/2 – KissCross CX Race #3, Kalamazoo

Sun 10/2 – Tailwinds CX Night Race

Sun 10/2 – CX Race Traverse City

Sun 10/9 – The Pineapple Bob Classic*

Info on all these events is available here @ the shop – just ask!

So – see what we meant waaaaay up there @ the top of this letter? There’s a ton of cool stuff comin’ up this month, plenty of reasons to be excited for September and hopefully a reason or 2 to stop by the Cool Bike Shop and say howdy. We’ll be here, holdin’ down the fort, unpackin’ all the cool new stuff, assembling all the sweet new bikes and adding everything we can to the West Mi cycling scene.

Stop by when you get a sec, have a Jan Cookie (FaceBook’ll tell ya when they’re fresh!), pick up a copy of CycloCross magazine, check out the new Cervelo S5 (hottest 2012 model so far by a looooong shot!) or that sweet deal on the ’09 C-Dale F5……or maybe to just hear about  last weekend’s race or tomorrow’s ride.

That’s what we’re here for, y’know?

See you on (or off) the road……be safe & ride lots!

Your buds @ VCC:

 Keith, Berger, Aaron, Sandy, lil’ Mike, Kaat, Chris & MC

“Train your weakness & race your strength.”

Chris Carmichael