Friday, January 31, 2014

Vote for Bike Cleveland

Last summer, our local cycling advocacy organization Bike Cleveland organized an event with members and volunteers to intercept unlit riders and install free lights on their bicycles. The goal was to make cycling safer for folks who ride at night and who cannot afford reasonable lights.

Thanks to those efforts, Bike Cleveland is now a top ten finalist for the Bicycling Magazine People's Choice Advocacy Award. Take a moment today and show support for bike safety for all people on bikes by voting for Bike Cleveland. Click the link and vote now; it's quick and easy, and no personal information is required!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Bags to Carry All your Stuff! Hot Deals for VERY Cold Days #7

The days are COLDER than ever, but our deals are as HOT as ever! Our latest Hot Deals for Cold Days give you places to store all your stuff, whether you like to keep it under your seat, on your handlebar, on your rear rack, or all of the above!

Giant Shadow Seat Bag
The Giant Shadow Seat Bag has an internal pocket to keep your essentials organized. The reverse zipper seals out foul weather. A taillight loop and reflective accents are provided for safety. Choose the Medium size for your repair kit essentials, or the Large if you want to carry more, such as your wallet or mobile phone. $19.19 for Medium or $20.99 for Large (regularly $31.99/$34.99)

Giant Shadow Trunk Bag
Need to carry everything, such as spare clothes, lunch, or an extra warm jacket? The Giant Shadow Trunk Bag offers 850 cubic inches of storage, with three zippered outside pockets and one internal pocket. There's even a silver lining--literally! The inside is silver to make it easier to see and find your stuff. On top, there's a bungee cord to stash your rain gear to keep it handy, and a shoulder strap is included, too. The bag attaches securely to your rear cargo rack with velcro straps. $41.99 (regularly $69.99)

Giant Day Trip Handlebar Bag
A handlebar bag is the perfect place to keep your phone, camera, and wallet secure and close at hand, whether you're out running errands, or touring across the country. The Giant Day Trip Handlebar Bag has 392 cubic inches of space for all that and more, plus a UV-resistant map holder on top. It easily straps to your handlebars using tough webbing, plus optionally hooks to your fork legs for extra stability using the included straps and hooks. $32.99 (regularly $54.99)

Koki Della Handlebar Bag
Don't need quite as much junk up front? Check out the Koki Della Handlebar Bag, with 105 cubic inches of storage space. The single zippered compartment has a flap covering with an integrated touchscreen-compatible smartphone pocket. The bag easily clicks on and off of the secure handlebar bracket. $23.99 (regularly $39.99)

Koki Mozzie Smartphone Case
The Koki Mozzie Smartphone Case keeps your phone in view during your ride. You can use a GPS riding app through the clear waterproof touchscreen-compatible sleeve. There's 36 cubic inches of space inside for your wallet, keys, energy bar, and maybe a small camera. $20.99 (regularly $34.99)

The Fine Print:
These Hot Deals are good only January 30 - February 12, 2014 while supplies last on in-stock merchandise only. Cannot be combined with other discounts. In-store purchase only; no online or phone orders accepted. No coupon necessary.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Take our Customer Satisfaction Survey, get a 15% OFF Coupon!

It's been a long time since we've done a survey. We always appreciate your feedback, whether it's in our stores, via email, or on Facebook. But now, we'd really like to know what we're doing well, and what we could do better.

We know your time is valuable. That's why if you take our survey, you'll be rewarded at the end with a coupon good for 15% OFF any single item from our clothing or accessories.

The survey should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Be sure that your computer is connected to a working printer so that you can print the 15% off coupon at the end of the survey.

Thanks in advance!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Toughest Touring Cyclist

Okay, you can just give up now, because we've met the world's toughest (and maybe craziest?) touring cyclist you will ever find. This unlikely pair stopped by the Century Cycles store in Peninsula yesterday, riding through our latest cold snap that brought temperatures in the single digits and lower.

Wilson and his Chihuahua Polo hail from Washington, DC. Wilson said that back in 2011, he got tired of sitting at a desk all day, and decided to spend his life riding his bike around the country. He's ridden over 60,000 miles since then, and has crossed the country six times. He makes a living doing odd jobs at places he stops from time to time.

Currently, he's riding the Adventure Cycling Association's Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, going south. He rode from Buffalo, NY to Erie, PA a few days ago, then rode from Erie to Geneva-on-the-Lake on Sunday, then made his way down to Peninsula yesterday. Fortunately, he found a kind soul from the Akron Bike Club to hunker down with and warm up for a couple of days.

You can follow Wilson and Polo's adventures on his Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/TeamDARB

You can see more photos of touring cyclists that have visited all three of our stores (usually in much more pleasant weather) in our Bicycle Touring Photo Gallery.
Polo enjoys a welcome respite from the cold inside the Peninsula store.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Video: Leaders of Bike Cleveland and OCBC on WKYC-TV

Following the announcement this past Sunday at the Bike Cleveland annual members' meeting of Cleveland's ambitious new plan to expand the city's bikeways, Bike Cleveland Executive Director Jacob Van Sickle and Ohio City Bicycle Co-op Director Jim Sheehan appeared on WKYC-TV on Tuesday to discuss the plan:

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Video: Convoy of One

Here's some mid-winter inspiration for you to get excited about your upcoming spring and summer cycling adventures.

Inspired by, or you might say anti-inspired by, the mid-70's crossover hit "Convoy" by C.W. McCall, a guy who goes by the name of Doom produced this video about his trip via packraft and Surly Krampus bike around the San Juan River in southeastern Utah:

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Film: The Push from Salsa Cycles, on the Arrowhead 135

The Arrowhead 135 is an ultra-endurance race that begins this Monday, January 27 in International Falls, Minnesota, a small city on the US-Canadian border known as "the icebox of the nation." Racers choose either bike, skis, or foot to travel the 135 miles to Tower, MN.

This new film, "The Push," is a short film produced by Salsa Cycles. Narrator Mike Riemer recounts his past efforts at completing the race, and highlights the trials and tribulations of a couple of the 2013 racers.

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Air pumps, tires, and tubes! Hot Deals for Cold Days #6

The new year is a great time to replace or upgrade your old tires.

Serfas Drifter City 26x1.5" Tire
Got a mountain bike that you're using mainly on streets and bike paths? A tire with a smoother tread will run quieter, and will take less effort to keep you moving, and the Serfas Drifter City 26x1.5" Tire is a perfect choice. The inverted tread rolls quickly on pavement, but gives you the bite you need when cornering on an unpaved trail. Serfas' Flat Protection System provides a tough skin that resists punctures.

Serfas Vida 700Cx28 Tire
For your hybrid, cyclocross, or touring bike, check out the Serfas Vida 700Cx38 Tire. Its all-surface tread is grippy enough for most any riding condition, and it features the same Flat Protection System for durability. Looking for some other new tires?

Choose from any other in-stock tire and take 20% OFF the regular price, and stock up on inner tubes for the season with 20% OFF.

Confused by all the tire sizes? Now is a great time to review our helpful Tech Talk: Know Your Tire Size article.

Blackburn Air Tower 2
Floor Pump
Even when your tires and inner tubes are new and in good condition, they lose air from day-to-day, so a good floor pump is essential to top off your pressure before every ride. The Blackburn Air Tower 2 Pump boasts a tough steel barrel, comfortable T-handle, and easy-to-read gauge. The long hose features Blackburn's AnyValve head for ease of use on both Schrader and Presta valves.

Giant Control Tower 2
Floor Pump
Or, choose the Giant Control Tower 2 HP/HV Pump. It also features a tough metal barrel, T-handle, long hose, built-in gauge, and dual-valve head, plus a High Pressure/High Volume switch for quick and easy inflation of all tire sizes.

The Fine Print:
These Hot Deals are good only January 16 - 29, 2014 while supplies last on in-stock merchandise only. Cannot be combined with other discounts. In-store purchase only; no online or phone orders accepted. No coupon necessary.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Over 1,000 visitors to Adventure Cycling's headquarters in 2013

The Adventure Cycling Association is America's premiere bicycle travel experts. Their cycling route network encompasses over 40,000 miles of mapped routes throughout North America. In addition to researching and creating these maps, the ACA also works with state and federal agencies to promote bicycle touring, organizes their own bike tours, and is involved is countless other advocacy projects.

The ACA's headquarters in Missoula, Montana sits at the intersection of at least three of their cross-country bike routes, and so serves as a welcome respite for long-distance cyclists. Over 1,000 touring cyclists visited the headquarters in 2013! You can get a (very quick) glimpse at all of them in this video produced by the ACA:

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Curious about how to get started on your own bicycle tour? Whether you have ambitions of riding to Missoula or just a couple of days around Ohio, our FREE Bicycle Touring class is an introduction to the nuts and bolts of self-supported bike touring. Century Cycles' experienced experts will discuss how to select your bike and other gear, how to select a route, eating, training, and more! This Thursday, January 16 at 6:30pm in Peninsula and Rocky River. Call us to RSVP.

See www.centurycycles.com/for/SchoolOfBike for the complete schedule of our School Of Bike classes!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Video: How to Use One Paper Towel

Okay, yesterday's post showed you an inspiring video story about "The Joy of Two Wheels." Although today's video is not about bicycling, most people who are into bikes are also into conservation.

Joe Smith, a former District Attorney in Oregon, shows you in this TEDx Talk how you can help save over HALF A BILLION POUNDS of paper in one year by using fewer paper towels.

This topic is near and dear to the heart of Century Cycles Owner Scott Cowan, who, being part Scottish (a group alleged by some to be notoriously "frugal"), is often getting after certain other CC staff members to not pull so much paper towel off the roll in the Rocky River restroom!


Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

"The Joy of Two Wheels" - Giant Bicycles GM Elysa Walk's TEDxWomen Talk

Recently, Elysa Walk, General Manager of Giant Bicycles USA, had a chance to present a TEDx talk in Vail, CO. She spoke about something near and dear to all of us: The Joy of Two Wheels!

TEDx is part of the highly respected and influential "TED Talks" series -- conferences where thinkers and doers present ideas that change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world.

When Elysa was invited to speak at the TEDxVailWomen conference in December, she chose to talk about one of the things she knows best: the simple joy of riding a bicycle. Her presentation centers around her experience riding around the island of Taiwan with the heads of all the Giant sales divisions from across the globe. But really, her message is about how this perfect two-wheeled machine we all love can help everyone find joy in their lives.

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Everything WAS Winterrific!

The very wintry weather we've had lately gave us perfect conditions for the 3rd annual Everything Is Winterrific event this past Sunday! The free event, organized by the Cleveland Metroparks, allowed attendees to enjoy the outdoor activities that Northeast Ohio winters have to offer, like showshoeing, winter hiking, dogsledding, cross-country skiing, ice carving, and more! Of course, Century Cycles was there to provide test-rides of the Surly Pugsley and Pug Ops snow bikes from Surly Bicycles.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, and our thanks to the Metroparks for inviting us to be a part of the event again!

Here are some photos from the day:

Click here if the slideshow above is not appearing for you.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Winter Hours in Peninsula begin today

PLEASE NOTE: Our Winter Hours begin today at the Century Cycles store in Peninsula:

  • Monday through Thursday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Friday and Saturday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00pm
We will remain open until 8:00pm on Thursday nights that we have a School Of Bike class scheduled.

Hours at Medina and Rocky River are unchanged. As always, you can find our current store hours at: www.centurycycles.com/for/hours

Friday, January 3, 2014

Everything Is Winterrific! at Cleveland Metroparks, Sunday Jan. 5

If there's one upside to this week's snow storm, it's that there will be perfect conditions for Everything Is Winterrific, the third annual celebration of winter outdoor activities organized by the Cleveland Metroparks!
  • Date: Sunday, January 5, 2014
  • Time: 12:00 - 5:00pm
  • Where: The Chalet, Cleveland Metroparks Mill Stream Run Reservation, 16200 Valley Parkway, Strongsville, Ohio
  • Cost: FREE
Come and try demonstrations of ice fishing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, and of course, SNOW BIKING!

Century Cycles will be there with the Surly Pugsley and Surly Pug Ops snow bikes that you can test-ride! The Pugsley is the original snow bike that starting to whole winter biking trend, and the Pug Ops ("Ops" is for "Options") is Pugsley's classier big brother. Here's a breakdown of the differences:

Pugsley Pug Ops


Frame Surly Pugsley 4130 Cromoly Surly Pugsley 4130 Cromoly
Fork Surly Moonlander Cromoly Surly Moonlander Cromoly
Color Real Blue Canvas Green
Rims Surly Marge Lite 65mm, Black Surly Holy Rolling Darryl 85mm, matching Canvas Green
Tires Surly Nate 26x3.8" 27tpi * Surly Nate 26x3.8" 120tpi *
Crankset SRAM X5 Fat Bike 36/22-tooth chainrings Surly Offset Double 36/22-tooth chainrings
Shifters Microshift Thumb shifters Shimano SLX Trigger shifters
Front Derailer Shimano SLX Shimano SLX
Rear Derailer Shimano Deore Shimano Deore LX
Rear Cogs Shimano 9-speed 11-32 Shimano 10-speed 11-34
MSRP $1,749.99 $2,149.99
Both bikes feature Avid BB7 Mountain disc brakes and Avid FR-5 brake levers.

So basically, with the Pug Ops, you get a nicer drive train with more gears and nicer shifters. Plus, even though the tires on the two are technically the same size, with the wider Rolling Darryl Rims on the Pug Ops, the tires will sit wider, like a full 4 inches.

* What's the difference between 27tpi and 120tpi? "Tpi" is "threads per inch," and tells how how fine the nylon fibers inside the rubber of the tire are. Think of it like the thread count when you're shopping for bed sheets--the higher the thread count, the softer and more luxurious the sheets will feel. A higher tpi tire will generally be lighter and have a more supple-feeling ride with less rolling resistance.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

40% OFF Helmets for the Whole Family! - Hot Deals for Cold Days #5

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We kick off our 22nd Anniversary year with Hot Deals for Cold Days #5, which features helmets for the whole family!

Bell Piston Helmet in Black/Red Rally
You'll love the comfortable, fully-featured and stylish Bell Piston Helmet and Bell Strut Women's Helmet ($23.99 each, regularly $39.99). Both have Bell's ErgoDial fit system and Cam-Lock straps that offer a custom fit and feel. The In-Mold Microshell provides durability and a great look. You also get a removable visor to shield your face from the sun and 15 extra-large vents to let the air in. The Piston fits heads from about 21¼ to 24 inches in circumference, and the smaller Strut fits heads from about 19½ to 23 inches in circumference.
Bell Strut Helmet in Silver/Blue Dunes

Bell Dart Girl's Helmet in Pink Princess
The Bell Dart Girl's Helmet and Bell Tater Kid's Helmet ($20.99 each, regularly $34.99) have built-in LED safety lights, air vents for a cooling breeze with mesh guards to keep bugs out, and a built-in sun visor. Featuring Bell's One Step fit system, they go on easily for most kids with 19¾- to 21½-inch circumference heads.
Bell Tater Helmet in Black/Red Lines


Giro Me2 Helmet in Blue Aviator Pigs
The Giro Me2 Helmet ($17.99, regularly $29.99) is an infant-sized helmet with a built-in visor for a little shade, Giro's Mini Loc strap system, and soft padding inside. The low-profile back gives a more natural seating position in child seats and trailers.






PLEASE NOTE: For the Bell and Giro helmets listed above, the 40% Off Hot Deal price is valid only for the colors shown.





Finally, no matter what kind of cyclist you are, it's hard not to notice the colorful and eye-catching designs of Nutcase Helmets ($36, regularly $60). Each features an injection-molded ABS plastic outer shell that can take hard hits, 11 vents for ample air flow, soft straps and magnetic buckle for one-handed closure, reflective logos, and dial adjustment for the perfect fit. They're available in two sizes to fit both kids and adults! All in-stock sizes and colors are included in this Hot Deal!
Nutcase Helmets (other colors also available)

The Fine Print:
This Hot Deal is good only January 2 - 15, 2014, while supplies last. In-store purchase only; no online or phone orders accepted. No coupon necessary.