The Blog
05.10.12The push
In the restaurant business, when the tickets start coming in as everyone gets seated the kitchen gets slammed…both the servers and the gunslingers in the back call it “being in the weeds”. So you sit down at a super busy restaurant and right away the server asks if you would like anything from the bar….of course you do… the result? The kitchen gets a little break, checks get bigger and you start to relax, failing to realize that your appetizer took 30mins to come out. So, the lack of posts here is due to us working through the initial push of spring/early summer tune ups digging and digging to get out of the weeds. In many ways its the best time of the year – we love fixing bikes and are pleased to focus our waking hours getting your bike dialed in and ready for action.
So, what do we have in the works?
- Some very pretty Ti bikes
- a super trick full suspension mtb bike that will be ridden by ace wrench Derek Fetko – looking for the wheels to finish it out this week.
- Mr. Fetko is suffering an embarrassment of riches as we also have the new, eagerly anticipated and quiet Sram red on a test bike. It is awesome. Stop by and check it out.
- If you are a wheel junky like me you should be excited that we are building a set of DT Swiss 240 hubs laced to the ever elusive HED Belgium C2 rims… just time for the summer.
- We are also very excited to be the sole shop representing and offering frames made in Kentucky by none other than Don Walker. Stop by the shop to see his work or schedule a fitting.
Oh…Just Riding Around…were ya?
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p.s. Did somebody say grip shift 2×10? Well have it In stock this week.
ENVE Road Fork
True to ENVE Culture, they asked the question… “How do we use carbon to maximize this part, in this case a road fork?” The engineering answer was to create a fork with no co-molding, bonding, or drilling. Using a proprietary molding process all ENVE road forks are 100% molded carbon fiber from steerer tube to dropout. Our forks capitalize on unique tooling designs that allow us to create parts that are free of traditional concepts. With this freedom we offer thoughtful, logical improvements to the strength and ride, all at unbelievable weights. Several people have challenged us as to why we make forks when so many frames now come with them, to this we answer . . . ask someone who’s ridden an ENVE!
Prior to the introduction of the ENVE 1.0 road forks, the thought of attacking an exposed hairpin turn on a sketchy alpine descent aboard a 300 gram fork was enough to cause even the most seasoned veteran to reassess their entry speed. The addition of the 1.0 road forks to our line was met with a fair amount of enthusiasm by those who already owned the 2.0. The 1.0 is an ultra-light fork engineered to meet the highest industry safety and quality standards without compromising the ride quality that we are known for. So if you’re setting out to build something exceptionally light, that you actually intend to ride, then the choice is clear…. Go 1.0
How bikes make cities cool
Fresh from the Kona Productions Crew, How Bikes Make Cities Cool – Portland, is a five-minute mini documentary that explores the thriving bicycle culture resident to one of North America’s most progressive metropolises. Filmed entirely by bike, with support from longtime Kona Portland dealer Sellwood Cycles and resident Team Kona athletes Erik Tonkin and Matthew Slaven, we spent the better part of a week talking to commuters, following kids to school and capturing the friendly vibe and funky nature of a city that embraces self-propelled commuting at the heart of its identity.
It’s really cool to see a twelve year old kid’s opinion about riding his bike to school as it saves his struggling family money. Another kid liked how it saves the polar bears! If you’ve never tried riding your bike to work you should give it a try. It really is a great way to start your day.
03.30.12
New Scott Bikes
We just had some new Scott Bikes come through the shop, they left very fast though as they look amazing and ride even better!
The Speedster S40 is an affordable bike with very nice components. Aluminum frame and carbon fork, Shimano Sora/Tiagra mix, and Continental tires! These photos are courtesy of the actual buyer who is a huge cards fan as you can see on the top tube!
Below is the Women’s Contessa Speedster 45. This is a great bike for the first time rider or the serious cyclist. It is also one of the best looking bikes in the line!
ENVE Stem
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the ENVE carbon stem wouldn’t be out of place in the Louvre. Beautifully light and amply stiff, it’s the perfect compliment to the ENVE carbon handlebars. Featuring titanium hardware, cold forged alloy face place, and molded-in threads, this stem is a perfect compliment to your mountain or road bike.
You like bikes, I like bikes, let’s hang out and like bikes together.
It would appear that my filling in duties have taken on an additional aspect at the On Your Left Cycles bicycle superstore. Yep, much like you, I also wonder how my stupid existence brings my being into the talented light of such wonderful human beings, but alas, here we are. Here I sit in my living room battered and slightly more than non-intoxicated after another Wednesday night of bike polo; Caddyshack’s on the boobtube and I’m discovering hot sauce does in fact make everything better (this test being penne and marinara). I have to wonder how much of this pointless dribble Drew is actually going to let me get away with before I get to the point of this post.
That said, let’s speed this shit up and get to that so-called point. I’m getting old and I think it just took me about 25 minutes to write that last sentence. If you haven’t read a curse word yet, Drew is editing. It happens.
So where were we? Ah yes, the point…
If you give two shits about nice pretty bicycles, constructed with blood sweat and beer, well then you had damn well be familiar with the name Don Walker. As it so happens, Don made the seemingly upgradeable move to the outskirts of Louisville from the hell-hole of Indiana this past winter. Aside from having the luxury of calling Bukner, KY home, Don is also an award winning handmade frame builder, beer lover and our founding father of the ever wonderlous North American Handmade Bicycle Show or, NAHBS if you will. If you’re wondering what the big deal is behind a handmade bicycle frame is, I’d quicker prefer to punch you in the dick than even try to explain it, but something tells me Don would take a different approach in describing the whole process to you.
This is where we segue. Let’s pretend that you, the ”I was just riding along and…” consumer has a “how do ya do?” rattling around in that empty paint bucket of yours that you would like to throw out at Don or some other custom frame builder. Well, stop making all that racket because now’s your chance… for asking Don a question at least. Well, maybe not even asking him a question, let’s just stick to a firm handshake and a high five, perhaps a congratulations, or you know what, fuck it, ask all the questions you want, it’s not my time clock being punched.
Next Friday, March 30 ye ole Don Walker will be playing meet n greet at the infamous On Your Left Cycles from 7-9pm.
Simple as that. Get out your stupid phone and mark your stupid calendar. You’re now officially out of excuses as to why you wouldn’t want to hang around a bike shop on a Friday night. Plus, I’m pretty sure Don was overheard talking some shit about this thing specifically “bananas”. That’s only in quotations as I imagine myself illustrating said quotations with my fingers when I read it back. It totally makes sense to me and if I know anything about Don Walker, which I really don’t, I would imagine him using the term bananas on the regular.
Get some.
-Jimmy
We are proud to announce that we are the exclusive dealer for Don Walker bikes, below is a sneak peak of his work.
***There will be handmade bikes to see in person.***
Firefly XCr Di2
After 10 
After 10 months of riding I’m finally getting around to write about my new bike. There is no shortage of buzz out there on Firefly, a new company started by Tyler Evans, Jamie Medrios along with Kevin Wolfson. I previously worked with these guys when they were with IF - these guys know how to build a bike. It was a fun process for me and interesting to be on the other side of a process I have often led. Kevin designed the frame based on my measurements and turned it over to Jamie and Tyler to work their magic. The frame is built with a Columbus XCr stainless steel tube set, we bead blasted it for a matte finish. While I am an admitted Campagnolo fan, Shimano’s Di2 has been on my mind. Our shop carries the official certification to work on this gruppo, and what better way to learn the ends and outs? Many people have told me electronic shifting is the future, my experience with this bike has sealed it for me. This was the first Di2 bike produced by Firefly and they did not disappoint. There are numerous well thought out details from internally routed cables and electronics to a custom battery from Calfee. This battery is lighter, lasts longer, and is considerably more elegant than the stock battery. To complete the frame an ENVE 1.0 carbon fork was custom painted to match the finish of the frame giving the entire bike a consistent aesthetic while not sacrificing road comfort. I finished the bike out with some of my favorite items to spec – Chris King headset, BB, and hubs, Dura-ace pedals, Fizik saddle and tape, Velocity A23 Rims, and Deda Zero 100 bars. I believe in these parts and so I ride them myself.
It was truly a pleasure putting this bike together, and working with Firefly. We love working with customers to achieve the same results. There is no shortage of excellent, competent, mass-produced bikes out there. If you really want to turn some heads when you roll up to Heine Brothers on Sunday morning come in and see what we can do.
- Click to Enlarge
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- rear deraileur cable exit
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- front deraileur cable port
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- head badge
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- Fresh new logo
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- dropout detail
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- polished out handlebar
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- frame- Firefly XCr wired for Di2
- fork -ENVE 1.0 with custom paint
- headset- Chris King 1 1/8′ stainless steel
- stem – Moots RSL 120 mm
- handlebar- Deda zero 100 46cm
- handlebar tape- fizik black
- Shift/brake lever- Shimano Dura-ace Di2
- brakes- Shimano Dura-ace
- seatpost- Moots 27.2 layed back with internal battery
- seatpost colar- Thomson
- saddle- Fizik aliante
- bottom bracket- Chris King silver
- cranks- Dura-ace 175 53/39
- pedals- Dura-ace 7900
- wheels- Chris King r45 32 front and rear laced to Velocity A23. Dura-ace skewers
- front derailleur- Shimano Dura-ace Di2
- rear derailleur -Shimano Dura-ace Di2
- chain – Dura-ace
- extras- Bars – polished out, stem and seat post – bead blasted, seat post battery – Calfee
New Kona Kahuna color
Kona has released a new color option for the Kahuna. In the picture below you can see the new white frame. You still get the same parts spec… Sram 10sp drivetrain, rockshox fork, and avid elixir hydraulic brakes. It is still available in the blue version which you can see here.
Enve seatpost
The long awaited ENVE seat post is here and does not disappoint. Thanks to its strong one piece molded design, this post is equally at home on technical single track as it is on the asphalt. It features an unbelievable weight and streamlined looks with a single bolt design that may be adjusted with one hand. Ample fore/aft adjustment and infinite angle adjustments are at your fingertips.
Garmin 500 & 800
We have both of these fine computers in stock from Garmin right now. We feel they are such an amazing product that we will keep them in stock from here on out. The edge 500 track all your ride data including speed, callories, elevation ect. It records everything you could ever want. It also links up with your heart rate monitor or powertap hub. Once you return home, you can upload your ride and compare it with ones from the past in a spreadsheet style format. You also get to see exactly where you rode on a map.
The edge 800features a with a little larger display. It performs all the fancy funtions as it’s younger brother, but has the added capability of being able to view maps as you ride. This is really nice for the cyclist who rides out of town a lot in foreign territory. We really love these products from Garmin and use them on our bikes for just about every ride. You can also upload your rides straight to the popular social web site for cyclist, strava.
