What could be better than a bike ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, with ocean views, rest stops, and support vehicles the whole way?
How about a huuuge party at Hearst Castle, after getting a post-ride hot shower and free massage on the beach! And a free up-close-and-personal concert by performers like the Beach Boys or the Black Eye Peas!
It’s fall, and you know what that means: pretty much overnight, we go from complaining about the relentless Central Valley summer heat to complaining that we’re cold. This is especially true if you’re out riding bikes! One day, you’re wondering if this is the year that 100-degree days just stick around forever, the next, you’re shivering and complaining to your riding partners that you’re freezing. I am not making this up. It happened last weekend.
Mention to people that you ride bikes and undoubtedly someone will respond with, “There’s no way I’d ride my bike in the street with all those crazy drivers!” It would be irresponsible for me to pretend like distracted drivers aren’t a cause for concern. Of course they are—whether you’re on a bike or in a car, I might add! I’m just not willing to live my life in a protective bubble paralyzed by the fear of what if. As with most things in life, riding is a calculated risk. I take very intentional precautions, and then I confidently go out and enjoy the freedom that only riding brings me. I want to share some of the safety measures I take that give me peace of mind while I’m out on the road.
—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.
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.
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.
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.
We have a sign in our front window that reads, “The bicycle is a simple solution to some of the world’s most complicated problems.” With Earth Day approaching on April 22, we are reminded just how true this statement is. Earth Day is a chance to bring renewed attention and energy to what should be an everyday conversation for those of us living in the Central Valley: What can we each personally do to help improve the quality of air that we and our loved ones are breathing?
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!
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?
