Velo City Cycles

Ahhh – November! The Iceman! ‘Cross races! Shorter days and darker nights! That’s okay – the Cycling Heart of West Michigan beats strong and there are still lotsa reasons to get’cher giddy on! Here at the Cool Bike Shop we’re busy assemblin’ new bikes, unpacking all sorts of cool new stuff and planning all manner of rides, and events. So – settle down by the fire and let us tell you alllll about it………..

WEEKLY RIDES – Weekly rides !?!?!? In November!?!?! Well, in a word…..Yep! There’s a surprisingly large group that rides outside all year ’round and as long as folks keep showin ‘up we’ll keep havin’ rides. Our weekly ride menu is in many ways the very blood-n-sinew of the shop – what makes us who and what we are. (All rides leave from the shop unless otherwise noted)

The Tuesday Night Ride rolls @ 6pm. These days it’s pretty much a full-on night ride so come prepared w/ lights front and rear. 2 groups @ most, both led by Velo-Citizens so no one gets lost or left behind. Plan on 25-30 miles and the last Tuesday of each month is PIZZA NIGHT! (the 29th this month)

Kreple’s Thursday Night Gravel Ride departs from the Holland Christian High School lot on 40th @ 6pm. Be prepared for 35-40 miles of pavement and gravel. Lights required!

Jan’s Recovery Ride is Thursday @ 8:30am. We’ll do 25-ish miles @ a “recovery” pace of 17-19mph then hit the bagel shop.

The Bagel Ride is Friday @ 8:30am. A long-standing tradition and “very civilized way to start your day”, the BR offers you 28 miles, a llama sighting and then breakfast @ The Good Earth Cafe where our private heater often comes in handy!

Note – All VCC rides are open to everyone and every type of bike but we insist that you – wear a helmet, have at least 1 functioning brake on your bike and agree to obey the rules of the road and ride safe.

INTRODUCING – MUKFEST! If you’ve been paying ANY attention a’tall you’re well aware that we’ve fallen under the spell of the Salsa Mukluk! This so-called “Fat Bike” features 4″ wide tires that can be ridden @ air pressures as low as 6-7psi, allowing you to ride on the sand or snow! They have to be ridden to be believed – as they turn an ordinary trail ride into something else enTIREly. (Har!) To help spread the word and the love we’re gonna have a FatBike ride every month and November’s MUKFEST will be on Sunday 11/20. Join VCC’s resident MukFreak Chris D @ Pigeon Creek County Park on Standale @ 2pm. We’ll have our @ demo Muks out there so you can try ‘em. (Bring your ATB or ‘cross bike so we can all share). Watch our FaceBook page for more info as the day draws near……

SWEET DEAL DEPARTMENT - As the temps drop and the daylight fades it can be a really smart time to go bike shopping! Every 2011 Cannondale, Cervelo, Electra & Surly bike in stock is marked down and just might be your dream bike! How ya gonna know if you don’t come and see?

Here are just a few examples:

Cervelo RS, 58 cm. Equipped w/ a full Ultegra group this bad boy sold for $3500 in 2010. Make this one your ride for only $2500! That’s less than the 2012 version w/ Sram Rival! Just one!

2009 Cannondale F5, XS. The best deal in the shop @ the moment…and we have only a few left. This full-on trail-worthy ATB sports a Rock Shox fork, Avid disc brakes and a Sram drivetrain. The retail in ’09 was $750 and the current price is ONLY $375! If there is anyone in your household ‘tween 5’0″ & 5′ 5″….they oughta be looking at this bike!

Cervelo P1, 51cm – The best tri bike you’ll EVER see for under 2 grand is now only $1325! Just one!

That’s just a taste – at the risk of repeating ourselves every 2011 (and earlier!) bike is marked down. The sale price still includes everything that makes a Velo City bike better – superlative assembly, personalized fit and our TLC Service Package – so maybe, just m-a-y-b-e you oughta swing by and look around, huh?

(Fine Print Dept. – All sale prices limited to stock on hand, no returns, etc. Layaways ARE considered however)

RIDE OUTSIDE! – So, it’s a little cooler now, and it gets dark kinda early, so….how ya gonna continue to ride comfortably and safely? You will hopefully not be shocked to hear that we have some ideas! The shop is packed w/ all the gloves, booties, socks, hats, vests, jerseys, jackets, knickers, tights, toe covers, balaclavas, arm, knee & leg warmers from Ibex, Pearl Izumi, Castelli, Cannondale, Smartwool, Defeet and others to allow you to stay warm and dry as the season changes. All carefully chosen by our staff of dedicated year-round riders – we have the stuff you need! We’ll be glad to help you figure out the best way to  build the wardrobe you need too!

And……..you’re gonna want lights! We’ve tried ‘em all and products we have to show you from Serfas & Planet Bike are – to say the least – the set up!

Or……RIDE INSIDE! Too cold? Too wet? Too dark? Too much hassle? We get that, truly we do. That’s hy we also offer you the complete line up of Cycle-Ops trainers, as well as Kreitler rollers & a variety of workout DVDs and such. Indoor training is a remarkably time-efficient way to keep your fitness over the winter – no bundling up, cleaning your bike, etc.

INDOOR GROUP WORKOUTS WILL BEGIN IN DECEMBER!

SPEAKING OF THINGS THAT BEGIN IN DECEMBER…Our popular Velo-Yoga class, led as always by Heather Allegrina, will commence on 12/6!

WHY YOU NEED WOOL, A PRIMER…….If there’s one thing that nearly every rider here (i.e.- everybody) agrees on it’s how amazing the modern 100% Merino wool clothing is to ride and live in! It’s cozy, it keep you warm when you’rte wet n’ sweaty, it doesn’t stink, it’s easy to wash……..it’s dang-near perfect! A micro-thin wool baselayer from Ibex or Smartwool is the 1st thing many of us put on for the morning ride and the odds are that it stays on all day! The Ibex wool knickers are fast becoming our favorite recommendation for chilly legs and we don’t havfta tell you how much wool socks rock! In short – wool is the BEST thing to have against your skin…head to toe!

We stock wool gloves, hats, baselayers, jerseys, knickers, socks and warmers from Ibex, Smartwool & DeFeet. We CAN cover you head to toe!

IBEX INTRODUCTORY DEAL – TAKE 25% OFF ANY IBEX BASELAYER OR JERSEY IN NOVEMBER!

‘CROSS BIKES (AND ‘CROSS SEASON) ROCK! It could be said that our all-time fav bikes are cyclo-cross bikes. (CD might get over his Mukluk infatuation @ some point). A decent ‘cross bike eats dirt and gravel roads for lunch, is capable of smooth trails like Luton or Bass River and is a tire swap away from replacing your road bike! How cool is that? Besides – the Michigan ‘Cross Race Season is in full swing as this is written – w/ no fewer than 8 races in November alone! We are proud to offer you ‘cross bikes from Ridley, Cannondale & Surly so we have a bike in your price range!

Repeat after us – “Cross. Bikes. Rock!”

ARR THERE MATEYS, BE YE A-FOLLOWIN’ WE ON FACEBOOK YET? Sorry about that, we thought it was Nat’l Talk Like A Pirate Day there for a sec……..however – the question still stands! Given all the stuff we have going on around here the flat-out BEST way to stay in the loop is to follow us on FB. You’ll get reminders of the Weekly Rides, up-to-the-minute Jan Cookie Status,  race reports, the headsup on FaceBook Only Daily Deals, the occasional joke or picture…………and we promise not to get all “business-y” on you! (Hey – if we do you can always “un-friend” us, we can take it!)

RIDE, RACE AND EVENT CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER (& BEYOND):

11/5 Iceman XC Race

11/13 KissCross CX Race – Cascade Park

11/13 Tailwinds CX Race

11/19 Stomach of Anger CX Race

11/20 VCC MukFest – Pigeon Creek

11/20 Tailwinds CX Race

11/20 Einstein CX Race

11/24 Turkey Day, shop closed

11/26 Last Call Band @ The Saugatuck Brewery

11/27 KissCross Season Finale – Smallenberg Park, Holland

12/3 Registration opens for Barry-Roubaix Race

12/4 State CX State Championship Race

12/4 Shop “Crazy Bastard West” rides commence (Every Sunday)

12/7 VCC Indoor Rides start. (Every Wed and Sat through March)

12/11 VCC “Fun-Raiser” Ride – The Chili Chilly Ride!

See? It there a lot going on around here or what?!?!?! Add all the Weekly Rides and other stuff and you got’cher self a full schedule! That’s why we LOVE the cycling scene here on the “3rd Coast” as we do!

So – here we are @ the end of yet another Quick Release…it’s been a fantastic season – and we thank y’all again and again for that – and we’re as fired up as we’ve ever been as we roll into the “off-season” (there ain’t no off-season!) and look ahead to 2012. We’d like to invite you to stop by, have a cookie, chat about last week’s race or tomorrow’s ride or maybe check out some Cool Bike Stuff. We’ll be here………..so we’ll see you on the road or trail!

The Velo-Citizens (in “chronological” order,  you guess which direction) – Alex, lil’ Mike, Aaron, Berger, Nate, Kaat, Chris, Keith, Sandy & MC

“A bicycle, if understood correctly and used to its full potential, is actually a key to a completely different and more rewarding way of life.”  Bike Snob NYC