YETI DEMO

Have you ever walked into a shop to take a look at some of the uber high-end beauties and wonder how in the world they could be so expensive?  Have you ever wondered what the ride is like?  What would entice someone to drop $$$ like that on a bike?  How about experiencing one for yourself?  Your window of opportunity is coming Wednesday, July 13 from 3pm to 8pm at Rainbow Gardens!  We'll be there with several incredibly awesome, finely-tuned, and ready-to-ride Yeti models including the lightning-fast ASRc, the trail-eating SB4.5c, the do-it-all SB5c, the NEW quiver-killing SB5.5c, and even the gravity-defying SB6c!  Ride one or ride them all...just show up with a valid ID, helmet, and pedals, then we'll take care of the rest.  We promise you'll never have as much fun on two wheels!

Don't miss out on this year's 'Peak A Week' adventures!  We'll climb to the top of the tallest peaks in the Ogden area to soak in the best views accessible by bike.  Check out the schedule below:

DATE	TIME	PEAK	TRAILHEAD
Saturday, July 2	6:30 am	Lewis	Windsurfer Beach
Saturday, July 9	6:30 am	Grizzly	Geneva Rock - Perry
Friday, July 15-16	7:00 pm	Ben Lomond	N.O. Divide - OVERNIGHTER
Saturday, July 23	6:00 am	Mt Ogden	Wheeler
Friday, July 29-30	7:00 pm	Malan's	Rainbow Gardens - OVERNIGHTER

Notice that we're bike-packing in and staying overnight for Ben Lomond and Malan's.  If you can't commit to overnight, come anyway and head down early, but you'd be missing out...the mini-campouts are a ton of fun!  If you have any questions about locations, times, distances, difficulty, etc., don't hesitate to call us at (801) 476-1600.  It's going to be an awesome July full of a lot of elevation!  See you at the trailhead!

Still The New Kid...

If someone asked me to describe The Bike Shoppe in one word, I would easily answer with "thorough". Everything done here is done completely...there are NO untied ends. A quick Google search shows that this shop is the highest ranked bike shop from Logan to Salt Lake (and probably farther). I think the reason for our solid 4.9 star rating is this attention to detail. From every customer's bike that comes in to each new bike that goes out - no bolt is left untorqued or cable left too long or pivot left without lube. Each bike has to be meticulously checked by someone else before it can be marked complete. Being so thorough can be quite the challenge for a new comer like me, but it's a really good thing to get used to. Sure, I know how to change a tire - but I've never cared about the placement of the logos before! And it's not just tire logos...these guys obsess over the logos on the headset, spacers, and top cap. They fret over the placement of decals and the direction of closed QR skewers. I also never realized there was so much to proper cable management; that all cables on new bikes come too long and need to be cut to size and often re-routed; that wires should be trimmed at one inch from the pinch bolt and on and on....So for you mechanical types that like to work on your own bike: when you think you've finished - THINK AGAIN! Look for the little things that you would normally miss. Make it perfect. That's what we do...then we have it double-checked. So next time you pick up a bike from us, look a little closer. I'll bet you'll be impressed. In fact, the Shoppe guarantees it!

-Daniel Steiner

THE NEW KID

Well, I'm finally here.  For years I have wanted to work at a bike shop, and now I DO!  The accomplishment, however, is accompanied by a large slap in the face as I know next to nothing about bicycles.  My dad's friends got him into biking; he, in turn, got me into biking. My dad is the kind of guy that used gardening gloves and shop glasses for a few years before anyone could convince him to spend a few bucks to get the right equipment. So as a teenager with zero money I tried many times to convince him to get different bikes for us.  It sort of worked...once.  So, since that once, I'm still riding an eight-year-old 26er Stumpjumper. That and its 29er brother are the only bikes I've ever ridden.  But I got enough use out of them to know that I love biking.

Now I'm supposed to know everything...like EVERYTHING... about everything!  Every bike, every brand, sizes of random things, prices, history, what random component is compatible with what random component, and the fact that if you have an old Schwinn wheel you have to get a special tire even though it reads the 'same' dimensions.  Everyone here seems to know absolutely everything, and it can be a bit intimidating to be considered one of them. So if you, like me, are trying to make the transition from enthusiast to actually educated (and eventually an expert), I'll keep you updated on the things I'm learning.  I have to ask a lot of the questions that we're supposed to know, and it's kind of embarrassing.  Things like: "What exactly are 'SPD' pedals?" or "How do you know if a bike is your size??".  I'll save you the same embarrassment and pass on the things I'm figuring out.

In the mean time, I've found that using works like "compliance", "components", "sealed cartridge bearing", and "mechanism" help me blend in with those who actually know what they're talking about.  Wish me luck!

Until next week....

- Daniel Steiner

Group rides are back!

May is awesome!  Not only have we survived another year of April showers and windstorms, but we can now enjoy some warm hours of daylight after work.  Plus, nothing beats getting up into the hills in the Spring!  But the best thing about May?  May is bike month!  I hope this post serves as a reminder to go find your once-loved two-wheeled steed, dust it off, make amends, and get out and ride!  If you need a group, we'll help.  We start our group road and mountain rides THIS WEEK!  Road rides will be Thursday nights (weather permitting), and mountain rides will be Saturday mornings.  Take a look at the schedule below and come ride with The Bike Shoppe crew. 

ROAD RIDES:  (Each week we'll be riding different routes from the park.)

• May 5 - 6:00pm - Mountain Green Kent Smith park (5457 W. Old Highway Rd)
• May 12 - 6:00pm - Mountain Green Kent Smith park
• May 19 - 6:00pm - Mountain Green Kent Smith park
• May 26 - 6:00pm - Mountain Green Kent Smith park 

MOUNTAIN RIDES:

• May 7 - 8:00am - Pleasant View trailhead (Stan's trails north)
• May 14 - 8:00am - North Ogden Divide trailhead (Rattlesnake)
• May 21 - 8:00am - Wheelers trailhead (Sardine) 

Any changes to ride times or locations will be posted to Facebook 24 hours before the ride.
If you have any questions about locations, don't hesitate to call us.  See you on the bike!

Ode to Aaron Danger Mecham

Show off!

Friday, April 29, 2016 at 1:00pm, The Bike Shoppe lost a valuable member of their family.  Aaron Danger Mehcam has decided to move on in his career, and he'll be missed.  In the short time he worked with us, he became a favorite of employees and customers alike.  We'll miss his witty remarks and his quirky humor.  We'll miss him giving meaningless details about artists as they come over the radio.  We'll miss his ability to remember every detailed spec of every product known to biking.  We'll miss riding with him (we've enjoyed some pretty epic adventures together)!  Thank you for the time you spent with us Aaron.  You've definitely had a positive influence on our lives, and we hope you'll remember us fondly.  We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.  We love you. 

The Bike Shoppe

Trying out the new Trek Madone in Wisconsin cornfields.

 

Tearing it up Enduro-style on his Yeti SB6.

...Always the best at impromptu strike-a-pose.

Don't ask...

Last day at work.  See you around amigo!

SRAM Red eTap

Every now and then something comes in a box so awesome that you decide you have to have it. SRAM Red eTap is that something. I've always been impressed by Shimano XTR and DuraAce packaging, but none of it compares to eTap. It is nice enough I've started planning out my next bike build, despite LOTOJA being my freshest memories on a road bike. (Man was not designed for that many hours on a bike saddle.)

 Some information about how eTap runs:

-The right paddle shifts the rear derailleur into higher gears.
-The left paddle shifts the rear derailleur into lower gears.
-You press both paddles at the same time to shift the front derailleur.
-You can swap batteries between the front and rear derailleur in case you forget to charge them. The derailleur will stay in the gear it was last in when the battery dies or is removed.
-The wireless technology it uses was created specifically for SRAM eTap. It relays signals instantly and can send multiple signals at once. Being able to send multiple signals at once means you can shift the front derailleur while shifting the rear.

Why does it even matter? The mechanical Red is lighter and less expensive. But it's not as cool. The benefit of electronic shifting is that your shifting is consistent, accurate, and extremely quick. The benefit of wireless is that it works well with any bike you add it to. Being a bike mechanic, this is a big deal to me. I've had numerous issues trying to get electronic cables and junction boxes to fit where they weren't meant to. Keeping cables in a good position on frames with external routing can look unsightly. Very few people are going to be adding eTap to a bike that has external routing, unless that frame is a gorgeous, lugged steel or titanium frame.

eTap is available now. It's in stock at The Bike Shoppe. Its cool. And should I stumble upon a large sum of money that takes care of my financial woes, it will be on my bike. Or I'll put it on a credit card and have Future Me take care of Present Me and pick up the bill when it comes due. It may help me ride Salt to Saint as a solo entrant. There's my justification, I must have it now.