The Best Kinds of Bicycle Shops
I love bikes. Bicycles of every shape, color, type and size will draw me like a fly to honey, so it took me a few years to discover that I do have a preference for particular kinds of shops.
So, you have your trendy, high volume bike shop, where you can find all the latest models from the cutting edge of bike technology and design. These types of shop are also likely to offer some type of repair service.
Then you have your smaller, perhaps family operated shop. In my experience this type of shop is even more likely to offer reasonably priced repair services.
You may have guessed that one thing I tend to notice about a given bike shop is the types and cost of their repair services.
Layering your clothing
There are times when multiple layers of clothing are a lot better then just having a single layer of clothing
A review of my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bicycle
A review of my Surly Long Haul Trucker after a thirty-seven day bicycle tour around Lake Superior.
Does a wider saddle equal a better ride on a touring bicycle?
One upgrade I made to my touring bicycle prior to my last major tour was a wider Brook's B67 saddle. This page discusses the saddle and the difference it made for my touring experience.
Riding with the lights on
Does it make a difference running your head and tail lights constantly on a touring bicycle?
Is Stealth Camping dangerous?
Stealth camping is often suggested as something people might want to consider trying. Is it safe, legal, and ethical to stealth camp?
Is Ultralight camping gear required for a bicycle touring adventure?
Should bicycle touring cyclists replace all of their current camping gear with the ultralight camping equipment that's now available?
Why Stealth Camp?
What are some of the reasons that experienced bicycle tourists provide for stealth camping during a bicycle tour? This page discusses many of the main explainations
After riding bicycles for years now, there’s one thing that always eventually happens again: bikes need to be repaired.
Most people pick up repair skills over months or years of riding, but if you need a repair done by someone else, it’s nice to have a local bike shop that’s prepared to assist you and your situation.
By far, the best shops out there are the ones that offer repair services at reasonable prices and deal in second hand bikes. Bike shops that are really good at one of these, are generally good at providing the other type of service.
Call around and find out which shops refurbish used bicycles. You may be surprised at just how nice a refurbished bike can be. Think about it, instead of adding to a landfill somewhere, an old bike can be made perfectly new and functional again… and become yours!
Of course refurbished bikes are also a great way to get a good bike while saving a lot of money as compared to a brand new bicycle. The more shops that deal with recycled bikes, the more people can afford to own bicycles. Less car exhaust and more exercise and human interaction is good all around.
When I visit bicycles shops that don’t like to work with recycling bicycles, I like to voice my opinion about what a great service that is, how attractive it is to be as a customer. It’s the little encounters in our daily lives that change the world everyday. Take part in recycling and help your little corner of the world!
Here are some more bicycle articles...