Reviews

We'll review bikes, products, and other bike related subjects in the near future. The reviews will be according to our perspectives, experiences and customer inputs. If you'd like to comment please email us at info@thebicycleplace.com.

First to get started-

GO BY BIKE!!!

Some little gems from www.1world2wheels.org...
For 2 miles or less...for your Health...for the World...for the Future!

FACTS:

The avg. person loses 13 lbs. their first year of commuting by bike.

The US could save 462 million gals. of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

In 1964, 50% of kids rode to school and the obesity rate was 12 %...in 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was at 45%.

NOTICE #1-Thank you, Peter White for your insight...

The Bicycle Place no longer installs tubular tires onto rims. This is simply due to liability concerns. Even though we know how to do it properly & professionally, we are not willing to put ourselves at the mercy of a court if someone crashes on tires we installed.

Tubular tires require careful installation on the rim. The tire must be properly glued to the rim. If it's not properly glued, the tire can easily roll off the rim, you will crash, and perhaps be severely injured, or even die. Please keep this in mind when buying these tires. If you aren't prepared to learn to properly glue your tires to the rims, and then put into practice that which you have learned, don't buy these tires. It's bad enough reading about dead cyclists in the newspaper. It's even worse to read about dead customers.

Tubulars do have a safety advantage over clinchers. If the tires are properly glued, and you have a flat or blow-out, you'll have a better chance of retaining control of the bike with tubulars, than with clincher tires. The reason is that with a clincher, the rim is likely to directly contact the ground, and an aluminum rim can easily slide across pavement. With a tubular, the glued tire is always between the rim and the road, providing traction. So after a flat, tubulars are generally safer, as long as the tire doesn't roll off. And if it's properly glued, that's unlikely to happen.

Also, it's easy to damage tubular tires when mounting them. If you have any doubts as to your ability to mount these tires without damaging them, please do not buy them. Tires that are damaged during installation will not be accepted back for exchange or refund, no matter how vigorously you insist that you did no damage while installing the tire, or that the damage to the tire was due to the faulty construction of the tire, or that the person who made the tire was drunk, or a child molester. Believe me, we've heard it all! People with no or little experience with high quality racing tubulars frequently buy and damage them, blaming not their own inexperience, but the quality of the tire. While we've done it ourselves, and we understand the frustration of having a tire be damaged before it's even been ridden, we will not accept responsibility for damage done to tires during installation, unless we're the one installing the tire. And these days we only install our own.

For example, if the tire is stretched too tightly onto a glued rim the base tape can tear, resulting in a narrow section in the tire casing above the torn base tape. we've had people buy tubular tires, tear the base tape during installation, and then blame us or the quality of the tire for the problem, and then insist that we refund their money. We never take back tubular tires once they have had glue placed on the base tape. You must determine to your satisfaction, before applying glue to the tire, whether or not the tire is defective. That can only be done with the tire inflated on a clean rim. Once glue is applied to the base tape, the tire is yours until the end of time, or the year 3007, whichever comes first. Light weight tubular tires have a wonderful ride, but are very easy to damage during installation. It's a fact of life, and there's no way around it.

We've been using and selling tubular tires since 1972. We've damaged several over the years while installing them. These things happen. It's not the fault of the tire, it's the fault of the installer. If you are not willing to accept the fact that it is possible to damage a tubular tire while mounting it onto a rim, please do not buy them. We have no desire to argue with people who have damaged a tire, possibly without any realization that they have done so, but who insist that they couldn't have damaged it, and that the damage now done to the tire was the result of manufacturing error. That's just not a conversation we want to have. So if you don't believe us, if you think that anybody should be able to just smear some glue on a rim and on a tire and put the tire on without any concern for proper technique and the tire should just work perfectly regardless, we'd suggest you not use tubulars, but instead use clincher tires. Clinchers are easy to install without causing damage.

If you're willing to learn to mount tires properly, and willing to accept the possibility of failure, and accept responsibility for the results, we're sure you can find articles on the web describing proper mounting technique, and we're happy to give our best advice on proper technique to all of my customers.

NOTICE #2***WALMART, K-Mart, and other Dept. store bought bikes are no longer repaired at the Bicycle Place. Our insurance will not allow us to even touch Dept. store bicycles.

Reviews being written-

Save money now, buy a bike!
Campy or Shimano? SRAM?
Record or Dura-Ace?
Carbon, carbon everywhere!
Titanium rules only if it's a SEVEN!
Good stuff- the Madone by TREK
Magnesium...The Pinarello Dogma a beautiful work of art and passion!
Products...the good, better, best analysis.
Why is the Euro so damn high? It's gettin' tougher to feed my Assos addiction!
Why you need a heartrate monitor and why you don't!
Tri-bikes are changing and getting faster in the hills.
Great bike fit starts at the shop.

So far...

Save money now, ride a bike!
Let's face facts, you'll begin to save money quickly by riding a bicycle. You won't be filling up your car's gas tank. You'll begin to get exercise which your doctor told you to do several years ago. You'll become stronger and more energetic. Your significant other will begin to notice you, again. You'll begin to burn off those extra calories and buy some quality food. You'll begin to fit in the clothes you had 'put away'. You'll see the neighborhood and your community in a different, more positive way.
Are you a-
Fiscal Conservative? Think of all the money you'll be saving.
Social conservative? Your Earth's steward, protecting the environment for the future.
Progressive liberal? Just think you're sticking it to Big Oil.
Revolutionary? Okay, okay, you're fighting the SUV.
Whatever you want to think, you've become a...cyclist! All cyclists are always COOL and Hip. Just remember to always wear a helmet for the people who think you are cool and hip. -mb

Campy Or Shimano, and now SRAM...
The Old school guys will tell you-"Shimano wears out, Campy wears in". The New school guys will tell you-"Have you ridden the new Dura-Ace 10spd? It's the best!!!" No matter what's told to you, you should ride it before you buy it. Come by the shop and we'll show how each system works and let you decide. Most of us have experience with all the systems and appreciate each systems' solutions to a better overall cycling experience. -mb

Record or Dura-Ace
The EURO is so high Dura-Ace seems a bargain right now. Dura-Ace cranks are incredibly stiff, light and cost less than Record Carbon. -mb

Ti, only a Seven knows...
We enjoy riding bikes. Application of materials, modulus of elasticity, wall thicknesses, fatigue strength, elongation are terms left to engineers and the latest wizbang bike guru doublespeakers. We can talk about what defines the latest geewiz frame, but, honestly, it comes down to the ride of the bike. You are an integral part of the machine. You should have some input into the building of your bike's overall ride and feel. The people at Seven Cycles are true artisans. They listen, suggest and explain the many factors involved in bicycle frame building. We've always questioned people who have never ridden a particular bicycle but have formed an opinion about the bicycle's ride characteristics. A number of people will make inaccurate statements about the ride of a particular bike just because its made from a certain material. Every bike has a different ride. It's about the bike. Ride and you will see the difference. A Seven Custom is something to be experienced in one's lifetime. Check your biases at the front door and keep an open mind- The people at Seven Cycles are the best when it comes to creating a work of art- One bike, yours. -mb

Good, Better, Best...
Life is tough with so many choices from so many manufacturers. Every year at the shop, there's always something new and it's always seems the stuff is better than last year. We've decided to stock items by three categories- good, better, and best in class. Take for example just one of our clothing manufacturer's line of long sleeve jerseys. There are three long sleeve jerseys to choose. The first jersey has a good price with some nice technical features-three pockets, full zipper, temperature range from 45-60 degrees. The next one has the same features only it's half the weight or bulk with the price a little higher. The best in class will reflect state of the art materials and features with a price to boot. Will the "good" jersey work like the "best in class" jersey? The answer is yes to a certain degree. It's about the performance level of the garment. A cyclist who demands the best out of equipment will opt for the best in class. The 'good' jersey will perform well but may not excel in certain categories. Bulk and price are just some of the many important factors in choosing a long sleeve jersey. So, we try to keep the three choices in products in the store all the time. We enjoy showing the finer points of all of our products. Come on by the store and see for yourself. -mb