North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

This weekend is made for bike geeks of the higest order. Many of the nations most talented builders convene to show off their skills, and maybe sell a few to unsuspecting riders. So many bikes, so little cashola.
Here's a few I've found that have really turned my crank. Credit due to Urban Velo.
Possibly my favorite. I'm a sucker for orange.

I also like Cross bikes. Same builder. I can't make out the name though. Attendees?

This is a close second to the above orange one.

I dig fenders.

Peacock Groove; always ready to bling.

Flat brown. Coaster brake. Kick back? Awesome!

I like the use of the vintage XT parts on this one. Plus its orange.

Favorite mtb. The flat green is pure stealth. Love the swinger drop outs and the graceful curve to the seat tube. And its fillet brazed.


Can't say I've EVAR wanted a recumbent, and a big yard. A really big yard. Until now. goddam.


Yeah. So there. I know there'll be more coming out today, and I know that this has little to do with the shop, but these are all so damned pretty that I can't NOT put them up. Good stuff. Bikes rock.

Listening to: Weekend Edition Sunday, MPR, coffee mug in hand, drinking Love Buzz from Equal Exchange. Its a good Sunday morning.

QBP Frostbike Show favorites

This past weekend was the Quality Bicycle Products annual open house. This is a trade only event that the megadistributor throws each year at this time. Lots of shops attend to see the newest stuff from many of the Vendors. Of course QBP's house brands are well represented.

There were a few things that quite impressed me this past weekend.

If you're an avid cyclist, one that rides road and trail, you are most likely familiar with Salsa's grand Fargo. A bike of many talents and abilities ridden by many talented and passionate riders[see Gnat, Meiser, et all]. Salsa saw that while there were plenty of racks out there that could suit a bike this this[and the new Vaya for that matter], there just wasn't a 'perfect' rack out there.

So they made one. Well, actually, a few. Low rider, standard rear, light front. All made of aluminum, able to carry medium loads[a solid figure isn't known quite yet].
Front:

Front mounted on the rear:

Don't ask about the seat post collar mount, I forgot to, so I don't know.

These will also look really quite nice on the Peregrine!

Salsa also introduced a couple nice new forks. One we knew about, Gnat has been riding the Enabler fat fork for a bit now. It is a production item, and will be available soon. There are three bottle mounts on it, similar to the Fargo fork, the racks you see are works in progress, but are going to be Salsa items.


The other fork is the yet to be named, but promises to be quite popular. Suspension adjusted, 20mm drop outs, Maxle axle. There are quite a few custom forks out there now with this system, but promise to cost a ton. This fork is estimated to cost $120. WITH the Maxle. Really. They're going to have a hard time holding onto this fork.


A newish entity from the Qship is Allcity. Thus far, the primary product from them is hipster fixie...crap. Certainly nothing I'm interested in, even though they admitedly look pretty cool. And now they come out with this:


Neat touches are the hidden fender mounts, fancy track ends with built in adjusters and good tire clearance. The example they had built up was specced quite nice, with Avid's new ultimate Shorty and Force cranks.


Its late, and I'm going to bed. Enjoy the pictures. Thanks for looking. Oh, and don't forget the Cabin Fever sale!

Listening to: sweet silence!

Gryphon and Peregrine = in stock!

Fresh off the truck, I have 32 new frames to get ready for y'all! If you've been waiting on a Gryphon, or a Peregrine now is the time!

If you're new to this, you may be asking just what are they?

I'm happy to help you out here.

The Gryphon is a drop bar specific 29" wheeled mountain bike. Yes, similar to the drop bar specific Salsa Fargo, but the Gryphon doesn't have all those braze ons for loading up. Think of the Gryphon as a stripped down racer. Its ideal terrain varies between gravel epics, fire road bombing and singletrack slaying. If you're curious about the drop bar phenomena that's been growing recently, check out Guitar Ted's blog. The man knows a thing or two about how to set one of these up.

As an example, this is the bike that I'll be using for the Lumberjack 100 in June. Perfect bike for that terrain me thinks!

Price on the Gryphons is a normal $590. These will be included on the Cabin Fever Sale. Jump on them now for $500! Good deal, eh?

The Peregrine should prove to be quite a versatile bike too. This one differs a bit from the rest of the line thus far. Its a Lugged, cyclocross bike that likes to think that it's a mountain bike that can also tour.

I know. Kind of all over the place there, innit? I can't really begin to post all the varied builds that are possible with this bike, so here's one shot[my favorite of it] and a link to Sam's shots.
Yes, that IS the Arenberg from the Paris Roubaix course. EPIC!

These will also be included in on the sale. Normal price is $725, sale price will be $650.

I now have good stock on both frames in all sizes. Please call with any questions!

listening to: Ugly Cassanova, and moving boxes upon boxes of bikes!

Cabin Fever!

I has it!

The Shop has it!

Best cure?

The Cabin Fever Sale at The Prairie Peddler! Now [February 17] through March 12 stop in at the shop and pick up fantastic deals on bikes and accessories. Need warm gloves for those cool spring rides? I have them! 25% off! Need a warmer jersey for the cooler[yet warmer!] days ahead? I have those, and some jackets and vests too! Also 25% off.

All remaining 2009 bikes are marked down too! 25% off those! I have a couple Jamis road bikes, Some Redline bikes, and Jamis Comfort bikes. Stop in, and we'll get you set up!

What about Singular you say? Well, I'll even include those in the sale too! Normal price for the Swift and Hummingbirds is $590. During the sale, $500 will take one home for you! If you've been thinking about a Singular, stop and pull the trigger!

In Singular news, I have Peregrines and more Gryphons coming into the shop very soon. They're on US soil, being shipped on to me as I type this. With any luck, I'll have them in and ready to start shipping by the weekend. There's a few of you out there that have deposits on Peregrine's that'll get first dibs.

Next weekend is the Quality Bicycle Products open house, or rather Frostbike as they call it. I'll be headed up to check out all the latest gadgets and make contact with old friends. Should be a good weekend.

Listening to: Godspeed You! Black Emporer

Saturday wake up rides.

Since I've got these big rides that I previously told you about coming up this season, I figured its high time for me to get out and actually ride my bike. For some reason, this winter has found me riding less, and committing to more.

Weird.

So last week, Wayne and I started the season a bit early, and will be doing the Saturday Wake Up Rides from here on in. This morning was a brisk -4 according to Waynes truck. A full ten degrees cooler than my house gauge read. hrm...well we're here, lets ride!

Sure, it was cold, but cold enough that the snow was in awesome condition. It was cold enough that the snow had that squeaky crunch to it. The kind of snow that feels almost like dirt when you ride on it. It was great being able to ride all the way up the hills with out spinning out. Of course, the fresh 4" of snow we got, along with the groomer certainly helped, but it was a nice ride. Short, but nice.

And at 0 degrees, short is fine with me. Miles is miles at this point. There's time later for more.

Have a good weekend, and hey, we might see you at the bike swap at the Blain Sports Center this Sunday!

Listening to: Silence. Except for that annoying tinnitus hum. But silence no less. Its good.

The training has begun...

This, my 37th year of existence here on Earth is going to be one of, if not the most challenging years I've had. Nothing personal or business mind you. My marriage is as strong as it ever has been, and the shop is doing well enough to keep me happy.

No, this is all about physical tests this year. It started innocently enough. Eric talked me into travelling down to Austin TX in March. Fun! I think, warm weather, pleasant trails. Maybe a beer or three. Then Eric tells me that racing is on the agenda. But I'm not in shape enough to race I protest. Big deal he says. Its not like anyone knows us down there(do you?). So if you're from the Austin area, and will be going to the Storm XC race weekend near Comfort, TX, look for the boys in Singular gear. Stop by and say hey, sweet talk me enough, and we'll probably let you out on a demo ride(we'll be bringing down a few bikes to let folks try out).

So that was the start. An innocent trip to race bikes in Texas. Then this one popped up on my radar. I've heard many great things about it, from course to organizers to general vibe of the event. I got up early to register for it as well. I figured I had enough time to get one 100 miler in this year. The Lumberjack 100 will certainly be a test of my will, if not my endurance. I can't wait! Adam and few guys from Iowa City will also be going over to contest it too.

I was happy there. The plan was to also do a selection of WORS, ICORR, and MNSCS races. Certainly should have been enough to keep the summer full.

Then I caught wind of a nice little event being put on by some friends up in the Chequamegon National Forest. The Chequamegon 100 was simply too iresistable to NOT do. So I signed up for it too. This will actually work out quite well. I'll use it as a shake down for the Lumberjack on nutrition, as well as fitness. Should be fun!

In real shop news, I have two Singular Peregrines in the store I'd like to sell. Both are brand new, but have some cosmetic issues from shipping. Number 1 has about a centimeter square chip on the lower headtube lug, right out front. I'm selling it for $675 instead of the normal $750. The other one has two scratches. One on the chainstay, about an inch long, and the other on the seat stay. I'm selling it for $625. Both are sized Medium. Both are prepped and ready ship. Ask for pictures, I've got some if you want to see the spots.

I also have some fresh new Gryphon's and Peregrines coming into port as I type. With any luck, I'll be able to have them in the store, ready to get prepped by this weekend!

Speaking of this weekend, on Sunday, there's a nice bike swap happening at the Velodrome in Blaine MN. Bike love at its best! I'll be sharing tables with Sean from Rawland. Stop by and check some frames out! I'll certainly have a few up with me to sell. I'll be having a swap special of $500 going. If you're from the Cities, and have been pining after a Singular Swift, Gryphon or Hummingbird, swing by!

Listening to: Sidra, the 5 year old reading a book to me as I type. Its amazing what the Kindegardners are doing now! Oh, and Johnny Cash, FTMFW.