spring?

Perhaps it’s here… and perhaps not.  But, we can’t complain after the stellar, mild winter we’ve had… at this rate, what’s another 6 weeks of ‘winter’ here in Victoria??

Winter or not, we keep getting more bikes rolling through the door… a few Electra cruisers have been perking up the days with their jazzy colours, the 2010 Long Haul Truckers are looking great this year in an amazing blue and a little less expensive, and the Electra Ticinos are sublime.  We should have our Bromptons walking through the door in the next day or two – Joe is so excited, he can hardly contain himself!  If you see a streak of British flying by shouting ‘wheeeee!’, that’d probably be Joe taking our demo for a test ride.  You should come by and check ‘em out, they are pretty amazing how well and smooth they are put together.

The KHS Urban-X is my bike de jour right now – $499 and well spec’d for the price.  With cassette rear wheel and cartridge bottom bracket, which is not so common in bikes in this price range.  Looking simple and clean in white or a ‘chocolate brown’.  They also sport fenders, a rack and a kickstand…. dyn-o-mite!

If you haven’t already, consider the HST and the impact it will have (not just) on bike purchases.  There was a rumour that they could possibly be implementing it this spring, and not in July as promised.  Check out www.squeakywheels.ca for more info.

It’s also time to consider a spring tune-up.   Beat the crowds and give us a call before it gets crazy-busy.  A well-maintained bike works better for longer, and brings you more satisfaction while riding (and more value for your dollars spent on it).  We can assess brake pad wear and chain wear before they get ‘too far gone’ and the pads are wearing your rims out (much cheaper to replace brake pads once or twice a year instead of a wheel!) and the chain is too far worn to replace just it (changing your chain before it wears out too much is a much cheaper, easier alternative to getting a new drivetrain (chain, cassette in the rear, and chainrings in the front)).  Think of it as preventative maintenance.  We’re always happy to take a quick look at these two things free of charge.  Just swing by on your way past, and we’d be happy to check it out for you.

Keep riding happy,

Christine