Just about every day I get an email saying, hey, I want to get a bike! I want to ride around town, do some shopping, maybe ride to work. I’m a little scared. I haven’t had a bike for a long time and I want to be comfortable. What should I do? First, the brief …
Category: Bicycles
Stop selling shit bikes to women
Step back. This is a bit of a rant. I have been working at the bike shop for almost a year now, and here is a true fact: I have seen many couples come in to buy bikes together, and not once — not ONCE! — have I seen a couple leave with a pair …
Talking to one of those guys
In these rainy slow bikeshop days one of my jobs is to call up everyone who bought a bike this summer and remind them that it is time to bring it in for a free warranty tuneup. Of course it’s not just a public service call (or as i like to call it, a summons …
Mail-order bride
There are two things you should know about riding a bike: it should be easy, and it should not cause you pain. This is what I say to customers in the shop when they are hesitant about buying a new bike. They look at me skeptically, expecting that, like dental work or pilates camp, riding …
Lost: my precious thing
Somewhere between Fort Rodd Hill and the Tsawous rez where I camped for the night, my little black notebook disappeared. All my notes from the past year at Upaya and beyond, my lists, contacts, ideas, drawings, quotes, maps, jokes. The archive of my experience, the fresh tracks of my mind. The one item most precious …