Introducing: Singular Firebird.

Thus far Singular has been known for the most part for producing really nice looking, affordable steel mountain bikes and monstercross bikes. Just last year Sam decided to try his hand at moving a bit up market with the Pegasus titanium mountain bike. Its made by Nevi in Italy. While geometry on it is fixed at standard Singular settings[not bad thing at all mind you], you can customize the frame as you see fit in regards to drivetrain options. These are produced in limited production runs[preorders happening NOW if you'd like in!], and the first was a smashing success.

So what about this FireBird? It belongs to MK, one of Wisconsin's strongest female racers, and long time Singular rider. She predates Singulars being sold here in the shop by a year or so. She had her road bike stolen while at college, and one thing led to another. Sam said he was thinking of a Ti road project, much like the Ti mountain project. Next thing you know, Sam had one at the London Bike show, and we had one here at the shop shortly there after! I must say, this thing is a mighty piece of work.

The taper on the headtube[1.125/1.5] is stunning. I've seen other ideas for tapered headtubes out there, but they're machined, and have that sharpedge machined look to them. Not all that appealing. This is much more fluid, more organic. I'm sure its hydro formed, but I'm only guessing on that. No matter. Its a thing of beauty.


The chainstays also have a very nice taper to them. Larger at the bottom bracket, slimmer at the drop out. No silly shapes, just a gentle ovalization. The dropouts are nice and big, with large hooded surfaces for the stays to attach to.



Just like on the Pegasus, the Singular logo is etched into the downtube in a really, really nice and understated way. Copper in color for the bands and letters, with a matte finish panel. The rest of the frame is brushed for a nice, no nonsense industrial look.


MK's dad said that the frame looks like it means business. No real games to play, just straight forward performance. I'd have to agree. And with a planned Enve fork to match the rest of the SRAM Force build kit, this bike WILL mean all business. And go damned fast.


If this is something you're interested in, and I know I am, Sam would love to be able to set you up. Since Nevi is MUCH closer to him, it makes sense that he takes care of the sales on this one.

Happy weekend!

Listening to: ...Godspeed you Black Emeporer

The shop! It is Aliiiivvee!

Hello dear reader[s]! I bet you guys thought I forgot about this place! This is not the case. No, not at all. We've been having a cold, hard winter here in the hinterlands, and I've been hunkered down working a side construction job. Just not much time to update here. No more though! y'all have my full and unparalleled attention.

I've been getting a couple projects in to work on as folks begin gearing up for the season. Some involved repairs, and some fun wheels to build. Some touring wheels, a set of White Industries single speed road....good fun stuff.

The Prairie Peddler has always had as a mission a call to arms to introduce culture to Prairie du Chien. We did that with some open jams that eventually led to the formation of a band, and have [and still do] carry and sell some art in the store. Coming up on the the 31st of January, we're going to expand that repetoir a bit and host a show. Clear out the bikes for a moment, and play some nice, loud music. A good friend of the shop, and uber talented singer/rapper/cowpoke Sandman is on tour promoting his movie "Roll Out Cowboy"



He'll be up at the Winona Frozen Film festival this week, and stopping by Decorah on his way through the area. He's got a day off, and will be putting on a show here with us! Also appearing will be Blake Auler Murphy, a talented LaCrosse rhymesayer.

Here's the text from the official invite from FaceBook:
[quote]Wahoo! Winter culture strikes PdC!
Join us for a cozy house show, hosted at the Prairie Peddler.
Kindly share a $10 donation towards the cause--students are 2 for one!

Come see Chris Sand, "The Sandman" as they say, as he gives us a big dose of his prolific cowboy-flavored hip hop of the tip-tops. He's touring the country, spreading his words and sharing his award winning feature length film "Rollout Cowboy", straight out of North Dakota. He is thoughtful, quoting many prophets dead and alive and man, is he funny!
Blake Auler Murphy , a La Crosse rhymesayer opens. Expect other Special Guests.
Light refreshments will be available and BYOB is fine-
We are soooo lucky to have these people share their work with us. You will be so lucky, too. This is memorable stuff.[/quote]



And after three months off the bike, this will be marking the beginning of a new riding season for me. Back on the horse in every way we can be here at the shop! Coming soon, some Singular updates, a couple customer rides I'd love to show off and some more imagery that we all love. Till then, stay warm and lets get the season rolling!

Good news!

All the way around this time.

Firstly, the batch of Singular Swift frames is FINALLY out of customs! Tentative delivery date is this Thursday. Those of you waiting will get your frames shipped out as they were ordered, I will work my hardest to make sure they leave by Friday if they really DO arrive here in the shop Thursday.

I also just got my re supply of Phil's eccentrics. Something about being caught in a data loop for 12[*really?* 12 days stuck in a holding pattern? wtf?], so those waiting on blemmed frames will also be getting yours soon! FWIW, I still have a couple of those. Call if you're interested!

And finally, a little bit of patience pays off. We will be staying on in the current location! A little bit of work will be done to the shop, but in the end, it'll be SO worth it!

Ta ta for now. We'll talk again soon.

News and Changes!

Whew! The Singular Sale was a damned good success, I got a lot more riders out there on new Singular rigs! Unfortunately, the Medium Swifts never did arrive in time for the sale, so those of you looking at mediums were left out.

No so anylonger! They are here, and the sale is being extended through December 12 for those of you wanting in on the Singular brand! And to be fair to the rest of the sizes[and models] out there, sale prices are being extended on ALL the Singular products I have! Swifts, Hummingbirds and Peregrines! Sorry, no Gryphons or Kites as of yet.

We're also looking for dealers! If you know of a shop that wants to carry some Singulars, send them our way and we'll get them set up. We'd love to get more of these great bikes out there!

In other news, The Prairie Peddler will be moving soon! No worries, we're still in business, but we're going to take advantage of the cooler months here to do a proper move and get the new location up and running! Please use email, or my cell [608.412.2786]to contact us!

Nice bikes to sell! And some other stuff too.

I've got a couple personal rigs here in the store I'd like to put on the market. The beloved Kelly CX bike and a Jamis Kromo dirtjumper. Both are in quite good shape. Details? Oh! Yeah. I can get you details.

Kelly CX:
I HATE to do this, but I've got to put this fantastic bike on the market. Those familiar with Kelly will know this as one of his most well thought out bikes made. Its a master of the cyclocross circuit. It eats gravel for breakfast. Road miles disappear beneath the wheels. The frame and fork are True Temper OX Platinum, a nice light, resilient smooth riding steel. Set up on the bike is 1x10, SRAM Rival rear mech, and double tap shifters. Cranks are M951 XTR with an FSA 36T single ring. Seat post is an XTR, headset is a Campy Chorus, stem a Felt, bars are Salsa Bell Laps. Wheels are new Mavic Aksium's shod with legendary Michelin Mud and Sprint tires.

Frame Geometry is traditional, level top tube for easy shouldering. There's lots of room in there for throwing in a shoulder. Seat tube measures 61cm, and the Top tube measures 61cm. I'm 6'5" and it fits very well.

Price? $1100 shipped.

The second bike up is the Jamis Kromo dirt jumper. Fun little rig here. The frame is a burly 4130 steel. Fork is a decent SR Duro with 100mm of travel. Brakes are upgraded from a single cable actuated disc to Avid Juicy 3's front and rear. Pedals are upgraded to Atom Labs as well. Cranks are nice steel three piece with micro gearing. Tires are Kenda KRad 2.35s. This is a fun bike to ride. Strength is its strong suit. It has never been jumped [I like the ground under my tires, not my face]. Its seen only a little dirt, mostly pavement from house to work and back. This is the long version of the frame for taller folks.

Price? $600 shipped.

Enjoy the perfect weather while we've got it!

Blemishes, oh my!

As I prep frames, occasionally, I run across one that has been chipped or scratched in shipment from Taiwan. Bound to happen over such miles. My loss here is your gain! I have two Peregrines here in Medium that have chipped chainstays. One near the rear brake, one near the chainwheel/bottom braket area. Both are not totally noticable, and easily covered up with the right Testors match. Sale price on the Peregrines right now is $650. I'll be marking the blems at $625 permanently, or until sold. They come as frame fork and eccentric.



You can see, they're not bad, but I still can't sell them at full retail. $100 off should do it, eh?

2nd annual Singular Autumn Sale!

Its that time of year again. The weather is perfect, and getting out to ride is high, very high on the list of things to do.

The sale is on frames I have in stock, or coming into stock. That would be Peregrines, and Swifts. I have all sizes of Peregrines ready to go, and Large and Xlarge Swifts here. I have Mediums and a few more Larges coming in early October. If you're of Medium stature, I'll be happy to take a $200 deposit and reserve a frame for you! Last year Mediums sold out quicker than I though they would, so I've ordered rather heavy on them this time. They are coming with a slightly shorter fork, and hipped chainstays for even better mud clearance.

Oh. You want the price too? Kind of an important item there, eh?

Peregrines are on sale for $650.
Swifts are on sale for $525.

With that price, you get the frame, fork, eccentric, headbadge and prep. I've even sold a few Swifts with out forks for those of you who know you're going straight to a suspension fork. I'll take $80 off the price tag if you'd like the frame that way.



In other news, the Singular demo fleet has been out and about! Last weekend we were up at GnomeFest 7 held at the Levis Trow Trail system. Was nice to know that at one point, all eight bikes were out on the trails!

Next up on the list is the Brown County Breakdown near Bloomington IN. If you're in that neck of the woods, and would like to try out either 29" wheels, drop bars, or single speeds, look for me! I'll be happy to get you set up with a ride.

There's been rumblings of having one in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this fall yet too! Not sure if I'll do Lebanon or Murphy yet. Locals chime in!

Speaking of GnomeFest, here's a nice slide show to check out. This has become one of the premiere events to attend in the Midwest mountain bike scene. The trails at Levis Trow are awesome, and the group of folks that show up are top notch. It draws folks from IA, MN, WI, NE, IL and occasionally MI.