North Park Bicycle Shop

autumn shift

So, with the change in weather comes the impending excitement of the 2010 bike line-ups!

We are particularly excited about Rocky’s new Metropolis line that pays homage to different Canadian cities (via the model name which is that city’s airport code!), with a new custom ‘commuter’ tube set.

Joe and a few of the guys went to Delta a month or so ago to tour the factory, visit the Rocky crew and check out some of the new bikes for ’010 (it just sounds more right to say “oh-ten” instead of “ten”, doesn’t it??).  They have added a 29er to their line up called the Altitude, as well as a new Vertex and Flatline.

Also brilliant news is Electra’s decrease in prices.  They had two price increases over the last year which we couldn’t help but reflect to the customer as the increases were significant.  We are thrilled that they have lowered the prices of our most popular bikes, the Townies and the Amsterdams.  They have a new bike this year called the Ticino, which looks amazing; a blend of mid 20th century cycling and Hand Made Bike Show, with modern geometry. Prices range from around $700-$2500 for these beauties.

We will be doing our booking orders within the next few weeks, so should start seeing our 2010 bikes come rollin’ in in October/November, as they come off of production in Quebec (Rocky) or into port (Electra).  Feel free to stop by sometime and check out the catalogues to see what tickles your fancy.

Joe and Gary hosted the tech support for the Blackberry Ramble this year, on September 13th.  The weather was great, and they had a good time, and were kept busy with repairs and drinking coffee.  Thanks for having us again, Blackberry Ramblers!

Not much else is new as we ride into fall… the shop is busy with folks getting ready for the unavoidable rainy season; there has been a notable increase in fender sales already.   We’re going to help the folks that bike to the Ministry of Health on Bike to Work Day, on October 7th, by displaying some winter options: rain gear, tires, safety gear, etc.  If you’re in the MoH lobby between 12-1, come by and say ‘hi’.

home he comes

Rumour has it that Marcel has landed back on populated, Canadian soil… on the 14th, sometime in the afternoon… looking disheveled, hairy and jubilant. We’re glad he’s back from his great adventures. He is off to Alberta next week though for a few months. By car this time though…

Blackberry Ramble update – incentives and prizes!!

A special incentive is being offered to teams of four who enter the Blackberry Ramble Bike Ride.

 Here’s how it works:

1. Enter a team of four and choose any of the routes (except the Winery Tour).
2. The registration fees for the team will be waived.
3. Teams will be required to raise a minimum pledge amount of $300/team.
4. The team with the highest amount of pledges will receive $1,000 in prizes.

If you wish to take advantage of this special offer, please contact Linda Doctoroff at lindadoctoroff@shaw.ca or by phone at 250- 592-2276.

Please visit the website at www.sphf.ca for more information about the Blackberry Ramble Bike Ride.

coming soon

Soon to arrive NOW HERE are a few Urbana bikes! Slick, ruggable (which was initially a missed typo by the author, but now is an Official Christine-combined word of rugged and durable!!) and darn practical, these utilitarian two-wheeled steeds can take it all… come by and check ‘em out – they should be here in a few weeks! We’ll be getting in purple, lime and sangria – yum!

[Ed. note: I tested one of these for 6 months last year during pre-production, and they're amazingly fun. Check out our test ride video on youtube! -Brian]

Pennington Brothers!

I met my brother (Joel) at the airport in Kalispell, Montana at about noon on July 25 and we rode the Great Divide to Helena, Montana covering about 500 km in less than a week. We rode 125 km the first day…

I am now enjoying a rest at his place in Fairfax, California before going out and exploring the plethora of riding here in Marin County…without gear!

The riding along the Great Divide is mostly ‘Forest Service Roads’ however we hit some pretty sweet singletrack dropping from 2000 meters into Grizzly Basin! We made it to our destination of Helena a few days early and decided to check out the local trails…glad we did! Within a 5 minute ride from downtown there are +150 km’s of ‘documented’ trails and many more 100′s not! You could easily spend a week in Helena exploring the adjacent hills and enjoying refreshments at the local ‘Blackfoot River Brewery’.

Hope all is well,

Marcel

Footjam whips! nicely done boys! 

breaking barriers

This morning was the Self-Transcendence Tri and Duathlons out at Elk Lake.  Our very own Francis registered for the Duathlon, which was a 5 km run, a 40 km bike ride, then a 10 km run!  

With not a lot of hardcore training leading up the event, Francis definitely transcended personal limits; we’re awfully proud of him for ‘givin’ ‘er’, and finishing in 2 hours and 45 minutes.  He placed 29th of 42 in his division, 32 overall out of 62.  Way to go, FH!!!!  I applaud all the folks who had the courage to sign up for it, do what they needed to do to get ready for it, then give it their all.  Just the fact that folks ran, biked or swam their hearts out is incredible, even if they couldn’t finish.  If they finished it in twice the amount of time than the fastest person, so be it… they were there, they DID it, which is the greatest thing, and what this event is all about – doing your best for who you are.

Joe went out to see Francis off at the start at 7 a.m., and cheer him on, and he also took some photos of Francis’ race face. Way to go, Francis.  Maybe next year you can rally up a North Park team! Hope you can walk tomorrow.

Race results here.

Into The USA

Well I have made it across the border, and funny enough everything looks the same, nature wise that is!

I have had some incredible trailside hospitality in the last 24 hours; after climbing up to Red Meadow Lake at 1600 meters, i met some fellow Canadians, and they offered me a cold beer! Then they headed off and I was just sitting there when a dad and his son offered me some steak! Followed by potatoes and corn! And then after hanging out for a bit and I went down the otherside of the mountain to Upper Whitefish Lake, and almost all the spots were taken up, other than one that just had an empty tent a ‘place holder’ so I lean the bike up go for a swim and when I’m coming out I meet the Montana locals in the awesome ford truck; Joe and Pete, as I was about to pack up and move along they offer me a cold one. Good’oll redneck hospitality, they were up there early to hold the spot for their respective families to show up the next day, so they had no problem letting me stay at the site, they shared their boes, fire, and even some hot dogs with me! Very nice guys, even when they busted out the chainsaw for more firewood! When in Montana….

The trail is sweet, I’ll be meeting up with my brother in a couple of days for some more riding on the Great Divide.
Hope ya’ll are doing well in Vic.
Cheers,
Marcel

Solo Riding

Hello All,

I am now in Castlegar, and on my own. Victor departed yesterday from Grand Forks. The riding is quieter and lonelier. More time to think about all the stuff I miss back home, Marnie! and the bike shop, of course. Victor and I rode nearly 1000 km’s went thru many a small towns, saw incredible things along the way.

Anyone who wants to ride the ‘KVR’ let it be known that the ‘summit’ is at Myra Canyon (1275 m) and therefore from Penticton it is uphill and to Midway it is downhill (going west to east). After the KVR the rail grade continues but goes under the name of the Columbia Western Rail, arguably in better riding condition due to the increase in truck use…a tradeoff…

I will be riding the TCT (Trans-Canada-Trail) for another couple days, and then will head south into the US of A to meet my brother (Joel) in Montana. Then we will be on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route! We will ride a section at ‘Tour de France’ pace for about a week, at which time he will have to go home to work. For me I am not sure yet…

The two photos; the scenery one is on top of the KVR (Myra Canyon) and the hairy face shot is from this morning looking over ‘Lower Arm Lake’ on route to Castlegar.

That’s it for now; I may curse my luck, but it’s been 1100 km’s without so much as a flat!

Take Care,

Marcel

now THAT’S what we call bribery!

a

Feast your eyes on this:

Yepper.  That is a real-sized pen on a real-sized slab o’ Callebaut chocolate.  A whoppin’ ELEVEN POUNDS!  A gift to Joe.  I guess someone wanted their bike fixed real fast!

Blackberry Ramble

It’s that time of the year again to start planning for the Annual Blackberry Ramble Ride; a bike ride in and around Saanich to raise funds for the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.

Funds raised from the 2009 ride will be used to renovate and expand the operating rooms at the SanPen.  The hospital opened in 1978.  There has been equipment purchased for surgical purposes over the years, but no updating has ocurred.  They are more than 75% towards their goal of raising $4 million!!  All pledges will be used for this necessary upgrade.  Last year, the ride raised over $37,500!!  Way to go, Ramblers!  Go on then, what are you waiting for???

Registration fees: participant $30, family ride $40, wine tour $50.  Minimum pledges required are: participant $75, family $100, wine tour $150.

DESCRIPTION: There are five scenic routes from easy 10 and 25 km rides, a moderate 50 km challenge, to a challenging 100 km, and a lesiurely 40 km guided winery tour.  All routes are located on the Saanich Peninsula.

Please visit their website for more details.  Please also consider supporting a fantastic cause and helping us help them.

(note Joe in the background of the first photo!  We provide mechanical support for them each year.)