bikes

Aug 2016 13

Sunnyside Bicycles: Live Local! Live Better!

2016 Articles, Community, Going Green

by Vanessa McCracken

—Your staff is amazing! Thanks for the great service!
—We had so much fun on the bike ride you organized! We can’t wait to go on another one!
We love hearing comments like these from our customers, and we consider ourselves pretty lucky that we get to hear them pretty regularly. Since opening our first bike shop in 2002, we have worked hard to do and be our best. We are constantly evolving, continuously educating ourselves, and improving our business.

Jul 2016 9

Sunnyside Bicycles: The Courtesy Campaign

2016 Articles, Community

by Vanessa McCracken

Because of what I do, people tend to bend my ear with their complaints about cars and cyclists. Cyclists tell me about the impatient, aggressive drivers they encounter, and drivers just love to complain about rude, clueless cyclists. (Lucky me gets to hear it from both sides!) Listening to these complaints, though, I am always struck by how seldom I have encountered a similar incident. I am out on my bike a lot.

Jun 2016 18

Sunnyside Bicycles: Getting Heart Healthy

2016 Articles, Community

by Vanessa McCracken

My dad, who has no history of heart or cholesterol problems, had a quintuple bypass this past March. My dad, the healthiest guy I know, the man I tease for his almost neurotic obsession with eating well and exercising to ward off Alzheimer’s disease — which runs in our family — had to have open-heart surgery. He was walking on the treadmill, as he does for 90-120 minutes a day, 6-7 days a week, when he experienced some chest pain, and the next thing you know he has five major blockages, three over 90%, that have to be bypassed. None of us could understand how or why this happened.

May 2016 21

Sunnyside Bicycles: Reedley Police Appreciation Ride

2016 Articles, Community, Public Protectors, Reedley News

by Vanessa McCracken

Our Reedley bike shop was broken into in early February. The thief smashed a window and grabbed the $2,000 bike we had on display, and ran. Moments like this rip my heart out. In less than a minute, this person cost me thousands of dollars (windows aren’t cheap), and thousands of tears. Anyone who is self-employed knows how hard it is to run a healthy, viable business.

Apr 2016 16

Braking for Bodies By Duffy Brown: Review/Guest Post/Giveaway

2016 Articles, Going Green, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sandra Murphy

by Sandra Murphy
& Duffy Brown

In this our Earth Day issue we are featuring e-books and books that somehow tie in to Earth Day. What could be more Earth friendly than bicycling, so this week we have a review & giveaway of Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown, along with an interesting biking and Earth Day related guest post from Duffy. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Braking for Bodies, along with a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore.

Feb 2016 27

Sunnyside Bicycles: Bike the Blossoms!

2016 Articles, Community

by Vanessa McCracken

Nothing celebrates living and cycling in the Central Valley like the Reedley Lions Club Blossom Bike Ride. A local tradition, the 27th Annual Blossom Bike Ride is coming up on March 5, and is a must-do ride for anyone living in the Valley. The event is a great kickoff to spring and is the perfect way to take in the gorgeousness of all of the blossoms around us. With a Family Fun Ride in addition to 20-mile, 40-mile, and 60-mile ride options, there is truly a distance for riders of all abilities and experience levels!

Jan 2016 30

Sunnyside Bicycles: Fun = Fitness

2016 Articles, Community

by Vanessa McCracken

The coolest thing about our job is that we basically sell fun. Regardless of why you are buying and riding a bike, you are undoubtedly going to grin and feel like a kid every time you hop on it. It’s the same sun-on-your-face, not-a-care-in-the-world feeling you had when you were nine years old, tearing it up around the neighborhood with your friends. And we get to help you discover that magical feeling all over again. Pretty rad, right?

Oct 2015 31

Sunnyside Bicycles: Nighttime Riding

2015 Articles, Community, Going Green

by Vanessa McCracken

We almost hit a bicyclist last night. As we were driving home, we came up on a guy riding his bike in the dark, wearing all-black clothing, with just one faint flashing red taillight. Carrying a backpack and riding a commuter-style bike, he was clearly on the narrow, unlit country road because he was on his way home from work or school. Luckily, we saw him at the last minute and were able to give him his three feet as we safely passed him.

Jul 2015 18

Sunnyside Bicycles: Educating, Empowering, & Inspiring People to Ride Bikes

2015 Articles, Community, Going Green, Lorie Lewis Ham

by Lorie Lewis Ham

Sunnyside Bicycles is owned by John and Vanessa McCracken. They have had a shop in Fresno since 2010, and just recently opened a new one in Reedley. Sunnyside does so much more than just sell great bikes, so we took some time to sit down with Vanessa and chat about their stores and what they offer.