New Stuff in the Shop

Coming Soon - .

Spring is on the way here in South Central Florida, and after a busy Christmas season, it was time to make a few tweaks to the website, and get ready our first "Skunk Works" project for the year.

First, the website. Out with Blogger, and back to Wordpress. We missed it, you missed it - heck, the Spammers missed it. So we went back to the old format, and you can read it all right over here. We are also rolling the other blogs into "Living On Two Wheels", and using the space freed up for more information on transportation advocacy, products, and tips on bicycles and cycling.

As for the other website change, we are pleased to bring you the STREETSBLOG news Feed. STREETSBLOG features news articles on transportation cycling, and issues that affect us as cyclists here in the USA. Check it out on the right sidebar, we think you will really like it.

As for the new "Skunk Works" project, a hint - watch for the new Big Blue bicycle on a street near you in the Clearwater-Largo area.

It's an Election Year - Remind them..

We knew this was coming in the spring. One more fight to save our funding for cycling and walking. It's time.

This is possibly the worst transportation bill ever passed. It rolls back nearly EVERY gain we have made in the past 20 years

House "leadership" is pressuring Congress to pass the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, and by tying in slashes to cycling and pedestrian program, ramming it through. This ridiculous piece of legislation, developed by the automobile mindset would do the following:

• Destroy Transportation Enhancements by making the program optional
• Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school
• Allows states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles
• Eliminates bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs

This is more foolishness, BUT- help is on the way. Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Johnson (R-IL) plan to stand up to leadership by offering an amendment, the Petri Amendment, that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School.

The vote will be made on this Thursday, February 2nd. YOU MUST ACT NOW!!

Contact your representative by going here.

After that, tweet-email-blog about this. The TinyURL is http://tinyurl.com/75zl22l for the contact page. Please get the word out. This nonsense has to be stopped, once and for all. There are better ways to save money than to cut transporation funding for cycling and walking. Remind them that you ride a bicycle, and you vote.

You need all of this...

Should I buy a used bicycle online? How about a frame, and then build up my dream bicycle?

Before you do, consider what we tell our customers when they ask us about buying used:

"For a skilled and experienced bicycle mechanic, it's OK to buy used. For everyone else, please - just say no."

No, we aren't Nancy Reagin, but before you consider yourself mechanically experienced, answer a few questions: More...

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Let Us Build You the Right Bicycle for You

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Custom Built

One of the "insider secrets" of the bicycle industry is the majority "stock" bicycles are designed for lightweight racers. And by lightweight, we mean 160lbs and under. The frame styles are designed for the purpose of going as fast as possible, or in the case of off-road, handling "technical" singletrack trails AND going as fast as possible. Things like rider comfort and the ability to carry packages and bags, outside of a couple of water bottles, aren't considerations.

So if you are looking to improve your CAT rating or accumulate enough points for a pro license, those are the bikes for you. For the other 99% of people that ride bicycles, well, we need something else.

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Breaking in a Brooks Saddle

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B17 in Honey - Bought by a very happy customer!

Over many years of riding, we have discovered that there is no substitute for a Brooks saddle. Their comfort, and durability, is simply the best. What they do require is a proper break-in, and then some minimal care, unlike artificial saddles. People that have a bad experience with a Brooks saddle have either not broken them in properly, not bought the model of saddle that was appropriate for their body size and type of riding, or have bought a used saddle that was broken in by someone else. More...

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On Building A Bicycle Friendly City

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It's a matter of perception...

The US is finally starting to see a rebirth of using bicycles as transportation, rather than strictly an activity for fitness or racing.

If you are one of our "regulars" at our shop, you know we often have conversations ongoing as to how to improve the bicycling situation here in both Atlanta and the US as a whole. One point that we always come around to is changing the way the general public perceives cyclists. Another point that comes up is that we as cyclists need to take a look at the way we ride, and how it affects the opinion of the general public.

This is a tough one for us to swallow, with our messenger and road racing backgrounds. But, it's a worthwhile, and necessary effort, if we ever want to get ourselves to the point where Copenhagen is today. Every day, 500,000 and more people take to the streets of Copenhagen on bicycles on bicycle friendly streets. How did the Danish do it when they set out to do so 30 years ago? Read More...

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We are a proud to be a member of

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