Progress made on Cleveland's velodrome

Fast Track Cycling is the local non-profit group that is working to build an indoor cycling track in the Cleveland area. Once completed, it will be one of only three indoor velodromes in the country.

The group recently announced a deal to acquire 9 acres of land in the Slavic Village neighborhood for construction of the facility. You can read more details in their press release, as well as coverage in The Plain Dealer.

Results from second Rock and Roll Trainer Night Ride

Kevin Guthrie defended his title from last week of having the highest wattage (850) at the Rock and Roll Trainer Night Ride. Bryan Ashman took the prize for the longest distance, at 0.78 miles.

Name	Wattage	Distance
Jeffrey Wissler	707	.63
Jim Bowker	533	.67
Brandon Halleen	539	.74
Brandon Halleen (2nd try)	760	.66
Tony Ricchiutti	450	.60
Liedrith Heid	194	.48
Kate Rosfelder	157	.47
Kevin Guthrie	850	.75
John Jarman	837	.76
Bryan Ashman	693	.78
Lisa Meranti	185	.46
Shelby Lewis	241	.50
Michael "Mick" Cimperman	399	.65
Bob Cook	306	.61
Brent "The Destroyer" Forrer	768	.70
Kevin "Kevlar" Madzia	518	.74
Coop	489	.64
Kristin	250	.49
Sean Burkey	682	.70
Sean Burkey (2nd try)	619	.43

Join us for our two remaining Rock and Roll Trainer Night Rides on February 3 and February 10, at The Winking Lizard Tavern in Peninsula! If you haven't been there yet, check out this video to see what you're missing!

50% Off Selected Bicycle Pumps - Hot Deal #7

Blackburn Air Tower 2 Floor Pump $17.49 (regularly $34.99)
	Blackburn AirStik Mini Pump $12.49 (regularly $24.99)
Blackburn Mammoth Mini Pump $9.99 (regularly $19.99)
	RavX MTB Value Pack $34.99 (regularly $69.99)
RavX Road Value Pack $34.99 (regularly $69.99)

Patti The Buyer outdid herself for this Hot Deal, finding FIVE great products! That shows just how important proper tire inflation is. If you ride a bike less than once a week, the tires should be inflated before each ride. Use the Blackburn Air Tower 2 in your garage – it has an oversized gauge for easy reading. Be sure to take a frame pump on every ride – in a pocket, trunk bag, or mount it directly to your bike so you never forget it. The Blackburn AirStik is for road bikes and the Blackburn Mammoth is for mountain bikes.

Need a frame pump AND some other maintenance basics? Then the RavX Value Packs are for you! The Road Pack contains a hybrid mini pump, 11-function mini-tool, universal red and white mini lights, a small wedge bag, and a patch kit. The Mountain Bike Pack contains a dual-valve pump, 20-function multi-tool (including chain cutters and tire levers), a medium wedge bag, a high-efficiency rear light, and a patch kit.

Patti The Buyer's Tip o' The Day

Speaking of tires, learning how to change a flat tire is an essential maintenance skill that all cyclists need to know. That's why we're making it easy to learn how -- Century Cycles is offering free clinics every Monday night to teach cyclists how to fix a flat tire. No bike, registration, or pesky fees necessary. Just show up and learn! (Flat-Fix Clinics every Monday at 7pm in Medina and Rocky River; 6pm in Peninsula; now through the end of February.)

The Fine Print
Hot Deal #7 is good only January 28 through February 10, 2010, or while supplies last. In-store purchase only; no online or phone orders accepted. No coupon necessary.

Let your voice be heard! Attend CVNP trail plan open house.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has announced three dates for the first public input session for the new Trail Management Plan (TMP) and Environmental Impact Study (EIS). The dates are:

• Thursday, February 11th, 2:00-4:00 pm
• Thursday, February 11th, 6:00-8:00 pm
• Saturday, February 13th, 10:00 am-noon.

The location for all three sessions is:

Happy Days Lodge

500 W. Streetsboro Rd. (Rt. 303)

Peninsula, OH 44264

This is the perfect time to let your voice be heard. We strongly encourage all interested trail users, especially mountain bikers, to understand the process and get involved in a creative and productive manner. The park wants to hear your IDEAS. What’s most important are what the park refers to as "substantive comments." That means that you tell the park not only that you want trails for off-road cycling, but WHY you want trails for off-road cycling. For example, maybe you think there are a lot of health benefits or maybe you think it makes the region a better place to live. Think creatively and don’t be afraid to express your opinion!

You can read more about this event, and what the Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association has been doing to help promote mountaing biking in the CVNP (as well as other state and local parks), see this page on the CAMBA web site.

You can also provide comments online at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cuva

(Click on the "Trail Management Plan" link once you get to the page.)

Or, you can send comments via mail to:

Lynn Garrity

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

15160 Vaughn Rd.

Brecksville, OH 44141

Good news and bad news

From today's Plain Dealer, the good news was: "Turnpike rescinds higher toll for vehicles with items on roof."

The bad news: "Land for Towpath Trail link contaminated by radioactivity."

UrbanVelo likes the Raleigh Rush Hour Flatbar

UrbanVelo, the print and online magazine devoted to fixed gear, commuting, and other city-oriented bicycling, just received a 2010 Raleigh Rush Hour Flatbar to test and review. In his preliminary review, Urban Jeff says, "...it wasn't until I unpacked the box in my basement workshop that I really appreciated what a beautiful bike this is." Also, "...the parts mix is what really sets the Rush Hour apart from the competition."

You can read the preliminary review here, and look for a full review later this year after Jeff has given the bike a good workout around the streets of Pittsburgh.

 
It just so happens that we have one Rush Hour Flatbar in stock that we are offering a special deal on. It's a 53cm frame size, and it can be yours for $699.99 (that's $120 off the regular price of $819.99). If that's your size, stop by the Century Cycles store in Rocky River for your own test ride!

Custom Masi Speciale Randonneur

One of our very regular customers in Peninsula has decided to conquer the Paris-Brest-Paris Brevet in 2011. The ride, commonly known as PBP, is held every four years. We quickly decided that no stock bike would fit the bill and that customizing a Masi Speciale Randonneur was the best course of action. (She REALLY loved the paint job).

The Masi Speciale Randonneur fits in the category of "randonneuring" bicycles, as the name would suggest. This small niche fits somewhere between a regular road bike and a touring bike. It needs to be durable and comfortable for long rides like a touring bike, but it does not need to carry a full load like a touring bike, so you still can save a little weight here and there and come closer to the speed of a regular road bike.

There are is one big requirement for equipment for the PBP ride: lighting. The rider must show proof of having a light source that will last for the entire ride. Seeing how most lighting systems do not provide the required burn times, and finding a plug to recharge may be tough, a generator hub fits the bill nicely. This required custom-building the front wheel with a Shimano Dynamo hub and Velocity Fusion rim. While we were at it, just for good measure, we also got a matching Velocity Fusion 36-spoke rear wheel.

The generator hub was one of a couple of changes Derrick came up with. The crankset was also changed to a triple vs. a compact double, and the cassette was changed to offer a little more range of gears. The fenders are the original pair that came with the bike. The headset was upgraded to use sealed cartridge bearings, and it was all topped off with a Brooks leather saddle. Most of the changes where to provide sturdier components for the mileage she is going to have to ride just to qualify for the ride. About the only thing left is to choose which light to go with.

For more info about the Paris-Brest-Paris ride check out this link:
http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/

UPDATE: The Million Car Challenge Campaign

Last month, we reported on a group that is hoping to raise awareness of cyclist's rights by creating this bumper sticker, which they hope to get at least a million people to display on their cars:

The stickers are now available from Century Cycles! You can purchase them in any of our three stores, or order them online.

You can read more about The Million Car Challenge Campaign at: www.baufl.org

The Assembled Handcycle

As we mentioned a week ago, a customer in the Peninsula store brought us a handcycle to assemble. Here's a shot of the finished product:

The bike is known as an Intrepid Tourer. You can find out more about the manufacturer at: www.intrepidequipment.com

In The News: Ray's MTB and Rock and Roll Trainer Night Rides

Ray's MTB indoor mountian bike park was featured in the Friday section of today's Plain Dealer. In addition to being a place where hardcore mountain bikers can hone their skills during the witner, writer Chuck Yarborough calls Ray's "a good place for family entertainment."

Chuck Yarborough is best known for his "On The Job Training" stories, where he spends a day doing various local jobs and writes a column about it. Back in 2008, he spent a day as our rental bike guy in Peninsula. You can read about it here.

His story about Ray's MTB includes this video, as well as a slide show of photos from Ray's, and lots of other reasons that Ray's is a gem of Cleveland, and what makes it a destination for travelers from around the world. You can read the full article on cleveland.com.

Indoor BMX Park

In other bike-related news, a big THANKS to the following publications for mentioning our Rock and Roll Trainer Night Rides:

• Akron Beacon-Journal
• Ohio Sports & Fitness
• Plugged In Cleveland

Results from last night's first Rock and Roll Trainer Night Ride

Congrats to Kevin Guthrie (above), who is being presented with a Sierra Nevada t-shirt by Raleigh's own Sean Burkey. Kevin was the cyclist with the highest wattage -- 711 -- at last night's Rock and Roll Trainer Night Ride. Special kudos also go to Eric Anderson and Meghan Karchefsky (below); Eric rode .79 miles in two minutes to register the farthest distance for the men, while Meghan blew all the women out of the water with a wattage of 382 and .59-mile distance.


The night's complete results are below. Many thanks to everyone who came, rode, had fun, and helped the CVNPA! And thanks, too, for keeping the puke bucket empty (at least thus far). You are now the experienced folks who know how LONG two minutes can really be.

Want to join the fun? Think you can beat these numbers? Want REALLY good odds for winning a Raleigh Special bicycle?? Then join us next Wednesday, January 27 (or February 3 or February 10), for the next Rock and Roll Trainer Night Ride! Riding isn't mandatory, but every donation to the CVNPA sure helps, and the Winking Lizard will probably even sell you a beer (or two).

Name	Wattage	Distance
Kevin Guthrie	711	.75
Sean Burkey	704	.75
Rich Oettinger	667	.78
Jeffrey Wissler	622	.65
Jim Bowker	622	.68
Eric Johnson	602	.79
Neil Adams	536	.67
Rick Garcia	483	.74
Meghan Karchefsky	382	.59
Jerry Bradnan	382	.68
Doug Charnock	373	.71
Weston	371	.65
Flick	363	.68
Bob Cook	312	.6
Scott Cowan	288	.64
Derrick (w/ beer in hand)	284	.61
Tracey Bradnan	167	.42
Melissa Guthrie	127	.59

The Fine Print: Photos by Doug Charnock from Century Cycles. Due to technical difficulties, Raleigh Specials will not be used for riding at the RnRTNR -- they have been replaced by the Raleigh Venture 4.0, which will also level the playing field (you just can't get into that racing position) but are still fun, dammit.

Beat cabin fever with Rock and Roll Trainer Night Rides!

WEDNESDAYS

January 20, January 27, February 3, and February 10

7:00 – 9:00pm

The Winking Lizard in Peninsula

Challenge yourself on one of the best indoor bicycle
trainers out there, have fun, and help a great cause!

JUST $2 FOR 2 MINUTES!

All proceeds benefit the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Association's TRAILS FOREVER fund

Here’s the deal: Ride a Raleigh Special cruiser on a Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer for two minutes. All skill levels are welcome! We picked the Special to level the playing field, but we’ll still be measuring distance and wattage for fun and fabulous nightly prizes from our sponsors.
EVERY participant gets entered to win one of two Raleigh Special bicycles - one men's, one women's.

Don't feel like being challenged? Then just come watch the action!

Brought to you by Century Cycles, Raleigh, Kinetic, Sierra Nevada Brewing, and The Winking Lizard.

To give you a little preview and inspiration, check out this video, demonstrating the realistic action of the Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer:

A cycling memorabilia collection

As you look forward to the rides, tours, and races that you are planning to do in 2010, here's a look back at some classic rides from the past.

Our long-time blog reader and customer Dick DeLombard put together this slide show of t-shirts, jerseys, hats, and patches from rides around the state and around the country. Enjoy, and thanks, Dick!

Handcycle Assembly

A customer brought us this handcycle today in the Peninsula store, to have us assemble it. It's quite a machine; it arrived in two boxes and, as you can see, takes two guys to hold all the pieces. It's got a Shimano 21-speed drive train, and both rim and disc brakes.

Stay tuned in a couple of days for photos of the finished product!

2010: A PC Odyssey

With 2010 comes new bikes, new weather, new bottom bracket standards, and one more new thing here at Century Cycles world headquarters: new computers. Yes, gentle readers, I am finally putting the dear old TRS-80 out to pasture:

A calculator you can buy at the Dollar Deal$ store is faster than this old beast. Yet, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the old gal. She has been my trusted friend for my entire 5+ years here in the bike bidness. So long, TRS-80! I will miss the hum and whirr of your bad-sector-ridden hard disk.

Meet Hal, the new computer. Nothing special about him, but just the ticket for posting these blog updates, eNewsletters, Facebook rants, Tweets, and other inter-web items with lightening-like efficiency. Dark as Darth Vader's helmet. Quiet like the deep of space.

"Open the rental barns doors, Hal," I say.

"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that," he replies.

So he still needs a little work. I'll start by teaching him that my name's not Dave.

A rack to really envy

OK, if my post from two days ago about my latest rear cargo rack adventures didn't give you a case of rack envy (and by golly it should have), get a load of this new item that I just came across. It's the Campee 27 Rear Rack by Nitto.

So I guess the idea with those large frames on the bottom is to give you the option to carry your rear panniers low-rider style. This keeps your center of gravity lower to the ground, which improves the handling of a fully-loaded touring bike.

Nitto is a Japanese manufacturer that makes pricey, yet very high-quality components, best known for their old-school stems and handlebars.

At $324.99, this rack is not going to be on my shopping list any time soon, but if you're REALLY serious about hauling some serious gear on your bike, should it be on your list?

50% Off SmartWool Jersey and Socks - Hot Deal #6

SmartWool PhD Light Mini

Cycling Socks

$7.99

(regularly $15.99)

SmartWool Rambunctious Jersey

$49.99

(regularly $99.99)

Are you one of the growing numbers of cyclists who are bully about wool? This Hot Deal is for you – and for the rest of you who have been meaning to try wool clothing! The SmartWool PhD Light Mini is a light, cushioned sock that is ideal for road rides of any distance, in any weather. The 4-Degree Fit System keeps the sock in place while the trademarked WOW Technology adds an additional layer of SmartWool to protect the heel and forefoot against shock and abrasion. (The socks are available in a variety of colors and sizes.)

The SmartWool Rambunctious Jersey in Cobalt (75% Merino Wool, 25% Polyester) is good for regulating the temps of hard-working bodies. More of a summer-weight jersey, it has a 3/4 zip that provides maximum ventilation. Raglan sleeves allow full range of motion and the angled pockets are easily accessible.

Patti The Buyer's Tip o' the Day

These SmartWool socks and jersey are machine washable. However, don’t use dryer sheets – it coats the wool fibers, reducing their ability to breathe with your body. That breathability is one of the reasons people are fans of wool clothing. Other reasons for wool’s comeback? It is comfortable (not itchy, not scratchy, and warm even when wet), versatile (great to wear year-round), and durable (especially when washed properly).

The Fine Print
This Hot Deal is good only January 14, 2010 through January 27, 2010, or while supplies last. In-store purchase only; no online or phone orders accepted. No coupon necessary. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Bikes on car rooftops cost more on the Ohio Turnpike

Got a bike strapped to the top of your car? The Ohio Turnpike now considers that to be a height classification that demands the same charge as a large truck, according to a front page article in today's Plain Dealer (to read, go to "Rooftop items raise Ohio Turnpike fees").

The Ohio Turnpike appears to be the only toll road in the country where motorists pay more if something is attached to the top of the vehicle or secured in the bed of a pickup truck.

Are you like Chris Huck from Navarre, a bicyclist who was charged the extra amount on a recent trip to Michigan and is now avoiding the Ohio Turnpike??

Rear Rack Frenzy

The other guys here at the Peninsula store known me as a bit of a cargo rack maniac. They say that I own more cargo racks than I have bikes to put them on. While that's not technically true, it's close. Regular readers of this blog may also know it from some of my past rack product reviews. So one day last week when I left the store carrying two more new racks, it's no surprise that their first thought was "He's at it again."

I had a good excuse this time, though, as my girlfriend had been asking me about what options were available to haul stuff on her bikes.

Here's her mountain bike, which has nothing unusual about it, except disc brakes (which isn't really unusual these days), and is a somewhat small 14-inch frame, both of which can sometimes present rack-mounting challenges.

You can see that I opted for the Topeak Explorer Disc Rack. It's got horizontal extensions on the lower supports that provide clearance for disc brakes calipers. The bike still needs to have rack mounting eyelets on the frame, and even if it does, depending on the frame shape and the caliper location, this rack still may not work 100% of the time. But when it does work, it's a great, solid choice that attaches without hassles, and is bomb-proof in all conditions. Here's a close-up of the lower supports near the disc brake:

My next project was for the evening was a rack on her other bike, which is the Salsa La Cruz cyclocross bike configured as a flat-bar road bike. The disc-brake-specific frame on this bike has very few eyelets for racks and other accessories. This was a job for the Axiom Streamliner Road Deluxe rack. It's made for road bikes or other bikes that don't have the usual mounting options. It has a single upper strut that is meant to attach to the bolt that holds the rear brake caliper in place. The La Cruz doesn't have the usual brake in this location, but fortunately, it does have the seat stay bridge with a mounting hole in the right place:

The lower supports on the Streamliner Road Deluxe rack are supposed to attach by threading the rear wheel's quick release through them. I tried this at first, but this left so little clearance between the tire and the top of the rack that the slightest flex of the frame while pedaling would have caused rubbing. I don't see how this rack would ever work the way it was intended; it needs to be about an inch taller.

Fortunately, the La Cruz does have a pair of rack/fender eyelets near the rear dropouts, so I attached the rack to those, which raised it up enough to give good tire clearance. The lower supports set the rack back a few inches, to clear the disc brake caliper, as well as provide extra heel clearance for bigger feet. (I should hasten to add, in case my girlfriend is reading this, that this would NOT have been a problem in her case.)

So here's a full view of the rack in action; it's available in either silver or black:

So, the moral of the story is, if you've got a bike and need to haul stuff on it, where there's a will there's a way. Whether you're touring, commuting, camping, collecting recyclables, or any other cargo needs, stop in and see us, and we'll help you find an option that works.

Our Latest eNewsletter

The latest edition of the Century Cycles eNewsletter is now online; you can read it here.

If you'd like to sign up to receive future eNewsletters in your Inbox, sign up here, where you can also catch up on past issues.





Highlights of the January 9, 2010 eNewsletter include:

• Rock and Roll Trainer Night Rides
• 5 Tips: Indoor Training
• Bicycle Maintenance Classes
• Our Winter Hours
• What is your main bicycle goal for 2010?
• 5 Questions: Drew Rady
  

Alphabet riders brave the cold for brisk tour on their bicycles around Medina

In Century Cycles' online poll last month, 27% of the people who responded said that they planned to do an organized club or group ride on New Years Day. One of the most popular such rides is the Medina County Bicycle Club's ABCDEFGHIJ! Ride, or A Bi-Cycling Dandy Excuse for Getting Hibernated In January.

Ride director Dick DeLombard sent us this report and photo from the event:

Well, we had 51 intrepid bike riders do the 34th annual ABCDEFGHIJ! in Medina. Most riders did the full 24 mile route. An eleven year old Boy Scout and his father did the 24 mile route also. They were the last ones in, but he was smiling! Riders came from all around Cleveland and Akron area as well as Bellevue and other far-away places. A good time was had by all!

Thanks for the report, Dick!

He and other riders were quoted in this coverage of the event in Friday's edition of the Medina Sun. You can read the article online here.

As we reported last year, the 2009 ABCDEFGHIJ! Ride was featured in a slide show produced by MedinaMultiMedia.com. The story, Ringing in the New Miles, is still available on their web site.

5 Tips: Indoor Training

Now is the time of the year when many cyclists turn to indoor training to get in their riding fix and stay in shape. Here are 5 Tips to help you get the most out of your indoor cycling experience:

1. Properly set up your bike on the trainer. Read and follow the instructions that came with your indoor trainer carefully to be sure that your bicycle is attached safely and securely. If you still have questions about the correct way to set up the system, check with the local bike shop where you bought it.

Most trainers have a clamp that holds both sides of the quick release skewer on your rear wheel. In fact, most trainers come with a skewer that is designed to work best with the trainer; just swap out your original skewer for the one that came with the trainer. This insures the best fit, and it also keeps your nice original skewer from getting scratched up by the clamping mechanism.

Adjust the position of the roller on the resistance unit so that you find the "sweet spot" where it contacts your rear tire. You want the roller/tire contact point to be tight enough so that the tire does not slip as you pedal, but not so tight that it significantly increases the resistance provided by the trainer mechanism itself.

Note that your rear tire will wear out significantly during your indoor training season. Many people replace their nice rear tire with a cheap model of tire to use as a "trainer-only" tire.

2. Use a front wheel stabilizing block. The trainer unit will lift your rear wheel off of the floor by a couple of inches. The stabilizer block (or riser block) lifts your front wheel up so that your bike stays at the normal, level riding position. A side benefit is that it keeps your front wheel from swaying side-to-side, so you don't have to worry about actively keeping your handlebars straight while you pedal.

Many stabilizer blocks, such as the CycleOps Climbing Block, have several height options. The lowest position lets you level the bike to have a normal riding angle, but the higher positions let you raise your front wheel more than normal, to simulate the position that your bike and body are in while riding uphill. This lets you do more focused conditioning on the leg muscles used in climbing.

3. Do something to keep it interesting. You're more likely to stick with your training plan if you can keep it from getting boring. Set up your bike and trainer in front of the TV to catch up on your favorite sitcoms, movies, the news, or sports events. Or, crank up your favorite motivational music. Some people even catch up on reading by putting a book or magazine on a stand in front of their bike.

The best way to keep you motivated and make the most of your time spent on the bike is to use a workout video tailored to indoor cycling. There are many workouts available in DVD format, which feature professional coaches leading you step-by-step on the screen in a structured workout, telling you when you crank it up to a high gear, or spin fast in a low gear, or take a rest.

4. Dress like you're riding outside on a hot day. Wear the same cycling-specific clothes that you normally wear for your outdoor riding, i.e. cycling shorts, jersey, and shoes (your helmet is optional, unless you don't follow Tip #1!). These clothes provide the same benefits of comfort and moisture management indoors as they to outdoors.

You may even notice that you sweat more when riding indoors in the winter compared to riding outdoors in the summer. This is because you don't have the air moving past you to dry the sweat off of your skin like you do when actually riding outside. For this reason, many people like to keep a towel handy to wipe their face, arms, and legs once in a while during their indoor workouts. You can also set up a fan in front of your bike to keep a nice cooling breeze going.

Also, don't forget your bottle of water or sports drink to stay hydrated!

5. Listen to the rhythm of your wheel. Whether you're riding indoors or out, you should always think about pedaling in a circular motion. This may sound obvious; since your pedals move in a circle no matter what, how can you do otherwise? The term "pedaling in circles" means that you should concentrate and visualize applying a smooth, even pressure throughout the entire stroke of your pedaling, as opposed to a pumping up-and-down force.

This is one area where an indoor trainer provides an advantage to working on this technique. Listen to the sound that the resistance unit makes as your wheel spins on it. If you hear a distinct "whir-whir-whir-whir" of the wheel, you should try to pedal in smoother circles. Your goal is to get as close as possible to one long, continuous "wwwwwhhhiiiiiirrrrrrr...." sound.

If you work diligently on developing this smooth pedaling technique on your indoor trainer, you'll find that it translates to smoother, more efficient pedaling that does not tire you out as fast once you get back out on the road or trail.

Century Cycles has a full selection of indoor trainers and related accessories to help you get the most out of your winter workouts. If you prefer to do your training at the local gym's spinning classes, don't forget that we can also fit you with the right indoor cycling shoes.

Staff Profile: Drew Rady

At this time of year, you won’t see Drew Rady on the sales floor in the Medina store that often. As the person in charge of taking care of all of Century Cycles’ computers, he spends the slower winter season updating hardware, software, and all the connections that make the three-stores’ computers work smoothly. On staff at Century Cycles since July 2008, Drew lives in Wadsworth with his wife, Ange, and their children Allan, 10, and Sadie, 3.

Q: How did you get your start in the bike business?

A: My brother Adam worked at the Medina store. When Kevin Madzia was planning to take a sabbatical to bicycle to South America with Ray in 2008, Century Cycles needed somebody with IT experience who could handle things while he was gone. I had IT experience, but I didn’t have a lot of bike store experience. I did have a lot of passion for bicycling and really enjoyed bikes, which Petch said was most important.

Q: How many bikes do you own?

A: Personally, I have three, and we have seven (plus a trailer) as a family.

Q: Do you have a favorite bike?

A: My 2006 Giant TCR C2. It’s a carbon frame road bike that is lightweight and fast and I just really like it. I changed the wheelset to an Aero Xerolite and put a DuraAce 7800 crank on it. I’m always changing something – the brakes will probably be next.

Q: What’s your favorite trail or ride?

A: I’m relatively new to riding as a sport. When I started here, I mostly just bicycled with my family, but now I like road riding around Medina county. Last summer I rode 50 miles from Wadsworth to Wooster and back with my sister. It was pouring rain and cold, but we had a ton of fun.

Q: What’s the best piece of cycling advice you’ve been given?

A: I’ve been given a lot of great advice, because all the guys here at Century Cycles are so smart and have so many years of experience. Ultimately, the best was “if you don’t know, ask.” Everyone – my fellow cyclists, our customers, the staff here – is so open and friendly and someone is always ready to help.

Q: What’s the most frequent piece of cycling advice you give to customers?

A: Buy more bike than you think you need. You will use it. I give myself as an example – I swiftly upgraded bikes when I started riding more.

Q: What do you like about working at Century Cycles?

A: Everything! The people, the customers, the bikes, my responsibilities. I get to do two things I really enjoy – be around bicycles and work on computers. I like that I’m part of a family. I couldn’t go back to a corporate environment again. I also like the little things, like how Scott rewards us when we ride our bikes to work, which encourages more cycling and a healthy lifestyle. Last summer, I commuted to work by bike 75% of the days.

Q: That’s a great summer of cycling!

A: It was, especially because I also competed in the Twin Sizzler. I placed third in my age group – and there was only a few seconds separating the top three finishers! I never would have been able to do that if I wasn’t at Century Cycles.

Q: What did you do before you worked for Century Cycles?

A: I was an on-call computer technician for residential and business customers. Before that, I was a senior technology specialist for FedEx Kinko's.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not on a bike or working at Century Cycles?

A: I am currently trying to balance school, family, and community service, plus I’m engrossed in a computer game called Mass Effect.

Q: What three words describe how you feel riding a bicycle?

A: They are somewhat contradictory, but I would say “free” and “connected” – free of things yet connected to a greater whole. The third word is “strong.”

Q: Road or dirt?

A: Definitely road. I am so uncoordinated -- if I went mountain biking, I’d be a dead man.

What is your bicycling goal for 2010?

With the new year comes New Year's resolutions. For many people, that means promises to exercise more and keep an eye on their health. Even if you're not the resolution-making type, a lot of us, as cyclists, do tend to have some sort of goal for the coming year in mind. Either we'd like to get faster, be able to ride longer, or just re-dedicate ourselves to riding more.

What is your main cycling goal for 2010? Let us know in our latest online poll.

A Long Way To Go

Here's another story courtesy of the Adventure Cycling Association's BiteBits newsletter:

A group of 12 cyclists did a supported ride on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society last summer. The TransAm Trail goes from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon.

One of the riders, Bret Taylor, mounted a camera on his handlebars and set it to take a picture about every five miles. He strung all the photos of the trail together and added lively music to create the slideshow of the entire cross-country trip:

Surly Pugsley - The Perfect Snow Bike

Brian, a regular customer at the Century Cycles Peninsula store (who also works in town), stopped by today on his Surly Pugsley. He rides it to and from work occasionally during the winter, and it's the right tool for the right job.


Take a closer look at the 3.7-inch wide Surly Endomorph tires:

Brian had them pumped up to a whopping 10psi, which he said was "probably too high" for the conditions!

Thanks for sharing, Brian!

You can check out pictures of a Pugsley that we built for another customer at our Bike Gallery page. If you're looking for a better way to ride year-round, stop in and have us spec out your Pugsley!

Snow!

Every year around this time, we get the obligatory dumping of a bunch of snow, and every year about this time, we post the obligatory video of the guys in Peninsula clearing snow from the parking lot. So, without further ado, here it is:



Whether you're out on two wheels or four, be careful out there!

Did you bring in the New Year with a bike ride?

According to our last online poll, 27% of the respondents said they were going to do an organized club or group ride on New Years Day, 26% planned to ride on their own or with friends/family, 16% on their indoor trainers, 5% at a gym, and 26% planned not to ride at all.

Did you follow through with your plans? Did you do the ABCDEFGHIJ ride, or the CAMBA Poker Run, or otherwise? Share any good stories (and/or photos) of your cold and snowy day with us!

Here are a few members of the Cleveland Touring Club who showed up for their Freeze D'Ride:

I had answered "An organized club or group ride" in the poll, but I ended up staying inside and rode on my trainer.

Don't Forget our FREE Fix-A-Flat Mondays!

Because it's the #1 bike maintenance skill all bicyclists need to know, Century Cycles is making it easy for everyone to learn how to change a flat tire.

Fix-A-Flat Mondays are being held in all three of our stores every Monday in January and February! The first one is this Monday, January 4, 2010! The sessions start at 7:00pm in Medina and Rocky River, and at 6:00pm in Peninsula. This class is FREE! No registration is necessary, just show up!

There are still spaces available in many of our other Bicycle Maintenance Classes -- check out the class schedules online!

Happy New Year! Winter Hours Begin Jan. 4

Thank you to all of our friends and customers who helped us have a successful year in 2009! We wish you the best of times for the coming year.

Beginning on Monday, January 4, 2010, our winter hours of operation will take effect. For the Medina and Rocky River stores, the hours are unchanged:

• Mondays through Thursdays: 10:00am - 8:00pm
• Fridays and Saturdays: 10:00am - 5:00pm
• Sundays: 12:00noon - 5:00pm

For the Peninsula store, the hours are:

• Mondays through Thursdays: 10:00am - 6:00pm
• Fridays and Saturdays: 10:00am - 5:00pm
• Sundays: 12:00noon - 5:00pm

As always, our currently-in-effect hours can also be found on our web site on the Hours of Operation page.