News > March “Quick Release” Newsletter!

THE QUICK RELEASE

A Newletter from Velo City Cycles

March 2009
Hey! March means dry roads and sunshine, warm winds from the south and west and a buncha cool rides, races and events on the calendar! (Okay - it sometimes means ice, snow and rain too - but we Michigan “Third-Coasters” are more than ready for that!). Here at the Cool Bike Shop we are poised and ready for another season. We’re determined to provice you w/ the service and value that everyone needs in uncertain times and we invite you to join us for a ride!

HOT DEALS ON WARM STUFF! As the flood of new spring clothihg rolls in we’ve put all the cold-weather gear on the Deal Wheel where you’ll find it @ 40-50% off! There’s still 4-5 weeks of “uncertain” weather when you might be glad that you grabbed a pair of booties, Amfib gloves, heavy tights, a balaclava etc and now they’re all marked way down. Gear up while the gettings good!

We have a good selection of shoes marked down 40-50% as well.
ALL TRAINERS AND ROLLERS 30% OFF! There aren’t many, but our existing supply of Cycle-Ops indoor trainers and rollers are on sale as are all of our Spinervals training DVD’s.
While we’re talkin’ deals - don’t overlook the fact that all 2008 bikes are 20-40$ off! The selection is dwindling fast but the prices are good and now might be the time to hit the road or trail on a new Cannondale, Salsa, or Redline .

MARCH “FUN-RAISER” RIDE COMIN’ UP on 3/22! This month brings us the ever-popular “Pineapple Bob Classic Ride”, a jaunt through Allegan County on as many dirt and gravel roads as we can find and link together! This ride is a classic and we’ve done it for a l-o-n-g time. Road bikes can handle it, ATB”s will do, but cyclo-cross bikes are best. There will be 30 and 40 mile loops w/ maps and we’ll meet back @ the shop for food, drink and celebration after the ride. Roll-out time is 2:00pm.

INDOOR RIDES KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON FOR ONE MORE MONTH! You still have time to join us here @ the shop for some fairly intense indoor training for the rest of March. We ride @ 8:00pm on Wed. and 8:00am on Sat. for 45-80 minutes of interval or tempo work. Bring your bike and trainer, we’ll provide the rest.

ONE MORE MONTH FOR YOGA TOO! Since the Tuesday Night Ride will start back up on 4/7 we’ll have to suspend our yoga sessions for the time being. (We’re working on it!) So - that means you have exactly 4 more chances to join us as Heather continues to take us on a journey towards greater core strength and flexibility. The time is 6:30pm and the minimum donation is $10. (All the proceeds go to JDRF)

Stay tuned as we try to find a time to continue classes throughout the season. It might not happen - but not from lack of effort!)

COLOR IS NOT CUSTOM! Last week MC and Rhonda attended the Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club meeting in GR. It was the annual “Bike Show” night and we were invited to join other area shops in introducing new stuff. One shop went on and on about the new “custom program” that their #1 bike line was bragging about. It seems that you can go on their website and spec out the components and colors on your new bike. It sounded like fun, as long as you accept the notion that switching the color of your bar tape or brake hoods qualifies as “custom” but here’s the thing………you get the exact same frame as everyone else does!

Not very “custom” at all, if you ask us.
Now - for the same amount of money and in the same amount of tiem we can provide you with a Seven Alaris “Gateway” titanium bicycle. That is correct - for the same amount of money that many folks spend on production bikes ( $4000) and in the same amouint of time that many folks wait for that same production bike (4-5 weeks) the ace frame builders @ Seven Cycles will build you a frame that is truely custom in every sense of the word!
Custom tubing. Every tube chosen for your needs. And only yours.
Custom fit. Need a long top tube? A higher handlebar? No sweat.
Custom handling. Want an extra-stable ride? Super-responsive handling? You got it.
Custom details. 3 bottle mounts? Room for fenders? Okay.
Seven builds more custom frames than any other builder in the world and in fact - it’s all they do. Steel, ti, carbon - they do it all. Road, dirt, tandem, ‘cross, touring, commuting……whatever your dream bike needs to do - they got’cha covered. As Seven’s #1 Michigan Dealer we’ve seen first hand the type of stuff they can do.
Now - we know that the majority of our customers will never be considering any bike in this price range and that’s fine. There are tons of great bikes of every catagory for lots less $ and we have a store full! But - there’s only 2 reasons not to get a custom bike- you don’t want to wait and you don’t want to pay. Our feeling is that if you are gonna wait and you are gonna pay then you deserve a real custom bike, not a stock bike w/ new bar tape! (Besides - we’ll gladly let you pick your bar wrap on any bike we sell!)

Speaking of Rhonda……….she’s the newest member of the staff. A long-time fixture on the West Michigan cycling scene she’s an avid rider, racer and commuter livin’ up Grand Haven way. She’ll be here 3 days a week and she’s all about helping you get whatever it is that you are looking for from your bike and your riding. When you stop in to meet her ask her to tell you the “MC’s fresh salsa story”, it’ll make her grin.

As many of you are aware - Ted moved on last month to take a gig @ Ada Bike Shop and that means that Jeremy “Berger” Berghorst is at the controls in the service department. He’s more than ready and your bike(s) wil be in good hands so bring ‘em in for a tune-up now before the weather breaks for good and we get swamped!

EVENTS TO CONSIDER!
Lotsa cool reasons to get out on the bike this month. Check out this list and contact us if you need more info on any of these……..

3/14 - Kisscross AlleyCat, GR www.kisscross.com
3/21 - Mtn Bike Race @ the GR BMX track.www.grbmx.com
3/22 - Pineapple Bob Classic (info above!)
3/28 - Barry-Roubaix Race www.kisscross.com
3/29 - Fisk Knob Time Trial www.fusioncycling.org
4/19 - Yankee Springs Time Trial www.yankeespringstt.org
GIVE US PICS! If you’ve ever had the opportunity to spend any time in the bathroom here @ the shop you’ve not doubt noticed that there are approx. 17 gazillion bazillion photos on the walls. We’d like to have a picture (or 2, or 3) of you on there as well so feel free to drop a few in the mail or swing by w/ some. (Note - we’re talkin’ “real” pix here - the kind we can stick up on the walls!)
Okay - that’s all the news that fits for this month! We hope to see you on the road, on the trail or in the shop. We’ll close w/ a quote that MC spotted in a book review in USA Today last week:

“Bicycles are trust and balance and that’s what love is”
Nikki Giovanni

Take care, ride lots!
Berger, Sandy, Aaron, Greg, Rhonda, Matt & MC