North Park Bicycle Shop

Brompton!

Our Bromptons arrived a bit ago, and we must say we are mighty impressed!  They are everything they are cracked up to be.  I’m pleased to say that they have even exceeded my expectations of a bike, and a folding bike at that!  Incredibly zippy and solid in handling, they are a joy to ride, easy to fold and unfold, and even look impressive.  Handmade to boot.  No Chinese factory stuff here, and you get every bit of quality you pay for, and then some.  Come on by and try out our lovely ‘apple green’ Superlight demo model.  Sweet and sassy with 6 speeds, it’ll be sure to woo you as it has done us.  Stay tuned for a video on Joe folding and unfolding it…

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

New Year’s hours

Hope everyone has had a delicious holiday week!

We will be closed the 31st, at 12:00.

We will be closed January 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

We will back open, business as usual, January 4th, Monday, at 9 a.m.

THANKS FOR A SUPERB 2009, and may we all have an even better 2010!

always wear your helmet

Holiday Hours

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and all things good to you from us here at North Park.  May your holidays be warm and bright, flat-less and filled with mirth and good food.

Our hours over the next two weeks or so are as follows:
December 24th – 9 – 12

December 25th – closed

December 26th – closed

December 27th – closed

December 31st – likely closing early, will update once known

January 1st – closed

skuuts are back

We have Skuuts again!  After a long hiatus, due to supplier and distributor issues, we now have access to them again.

KHS Bikes

We are very excited to be carrying KHS Bikes now.  The bikes are made in KHS’ own Taiwanese factory and quality is great. Many of the frames are made of Reynolds double butted steel which is rare these days, giving a nice ride and an elegant look. All the bikes are well spec’d and their price is really competitive.

Rain Gear Blowout

We have a few cycling rain jackets that we will be clearing out. They are waterproof, breathable, highly reflective with zippers pockets, etc., in Yellow, Grey and Red. Everything is 30% off; some are reduced down to $69.99!  We also have a few rain pants, too. Some are fully waterproof and some have waterproof front with Lycra back.

Electra Ticinos are here

We received our first three Ticinos (ti-chee-nose) yesterday and built the first one this afternoon. It’s a Pistachio men’s 18D and sells for $1999.  The attention to detail is really impressive even down to the leather fender washers and leather covered toe clips and straps. A quick test ride was really comfortable. We also have another men’s 7D in Portobello and a Ladies’ 8D in Wintermint.

Fall Riding

Well I can’t stay off my bike for very long!

On another adventure, however this one involves more clothing and more food. On November 1st I left Calgary with the most loaded bike I have ever pedalled and headed south. No real plan other than to ride my bike. So for the last 5 days I have been zig zagging my way south through Alberta’s farm roads. I am now in Pincher Creek having a rest and re-coupe break at the Stuckey’s; Dale and Diane are the parents of Kati whom I shared a house with in Calgary.

I will be jumping on a late night bus this weekend and heading to Midway, I will then ride along the TCT to Kelowna. I have opted to ride a greyhound through the rockies as it will be safer than my bike.

Enjoy the pics,

-Marcel