PSSSST! Hey kid! Wanna buy a bike shop?

Kenton Cycle Repair is for sale.

In business for twelve years, Kenton Cycle Repair has built a nice presence in North Portland.

But the owner is ready to sell the business, or close it down if he can’t find a buyer.

The only challenge I see is that Portland’s bicycle scene hasn’t recovered from the lockdown, and anyone wanting to own a bike shop in 2024-25 had better have a deep trust fund, a solid business plan and patience.

With a new, tariff-happy administration coming aboard in two months, the costs of taking on a bicycle business, even a successful one, will only go up. And with more wholesalers willing to deal consumer-direct now, the profit margins are getting so thin as to be virtually unsustainable. Last time I stopped by KCR, there were two mechanics working at benches alongside a rich, the owner, so factor in employee wages and potentially some health benefits as well. 

I’m not sure who could afford to take on a project like this in the winter, and in this economic climate. A dozen Portland area bike shops have closed their doors since the beginning of the pandemic, and I won’t be surprised to see more closures in the coming year, especially if President Drumpf gets his way on tariffs and sends bicycle and component prices sky-high.

Still, maybe there’s someone out there who’s always dreamed of owning a bike shop, and who has the money and the stamina to make it work.

If Rich can’t find a buyer in the near future, he will close down the shop and sell off everything inside it.

the arms race, continued: 12-speed cassettes

It's official: We now have 12-speed cassettes.

Thanks to SRAM, the purveyors of racer-wannabe culture and the folks who insist on curating your next riding experience, There is now a 12 x 1 drivetrain for mountain bikes.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/03/news/sram-eagle-12-speed-pie-plate-sized-gearing-for-mtb_399614

Apparently, the folks at SRAM decided that managing two derailleurs has simply gotten too complicated. What's more, they've decided that climbing hills has gotten too hard, which is the only reason I can come up with for the existence of a 10-50 cassette paired with a 36t chainring. I could climb up and over a telephone booth with that gearing. (If I could still find a telephone booth, that is.)
Then, to get the most for their trouble they've priced it out of this world. The cassette alone retails for over $400.

Yeah, sit with that a minute.

Four hundred dollars. For a cassette.

From the photos, it looks like a very pretty cassette, but I'm not putting it in my ear lobe.

To justify that price, I'd have to hang it on a $5,000 frame. And of course someone's gonna have to come up with another exclusive chain tool like Campy did for its 11-speed chains. Because unless you spread the rear dropouts farther apart (Q-factor? What's that?), that chain is going to be pretty damned narrow and thin-walled and you BET it'll need a special tool of its own.

Ka-CHING!

(Below) See this? It's what we used to do before cassettes came along.

Once upon a time, freewheels were all we had on bikes. They could be taken apart, overhauled, the bearings cleaned and re-greased; and worn cogs removed and replaced as needed. Suntour, Regina and other makers used to sell individual cogs for just this purpose. And as long as you could repair a freewheel, you could buy just the parts you needed and keep it going a lot longer.
Of course, that sort of frugality is bad for a company's bottom line.
AND -- American riders got bigger and heavier, which is part of why cassettes became such a good idea: cassette hubs are stronger because the weight is on the hub instead of just the axle.
AND -- racers wanted more gear selection because they didn't want to have to think about gear combinations, they just wanted to shift and keep on shifting ad infinitum.

So eventually freewheels gave way to cassettes, and today you can't find a decent freewheel easily.

If you're like me you scavenge for old freewheels wherever you can. Then you take them home, clean and re-grease them and put them away with a thin coating of light oil on them. And if you're lucky, you acquire enough to see you out. Which is what I've basically done.

Because honestly, this 12-speed thing is a crock, just another smokescreen designed to fool you into thinking your old parts aren't good enough anymore while lining the pockets of bicycle manufacturers who live and die by selling to pretend-racers because real racers alone won't keep their operations propped up and chugging along. This stopped being about real quality a long time ago. And it has stopped being about real innovation too. Bicycles with chain-based drive trains are a mature technology. Everything achievable now is mostly baby-steps that don't really mean anything in the real world. Real innovation would entail coming up with ways to make bike parts last longer and the industry as a whole become more sustainable. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. And it's a shame. Because it's just one more nail in the coffin of the false notion that the bike industry could possibly ever be "green". It's still a lie and it's a lie that's growing all the time.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. And seriously, recycling should be the lowest priority in that triad. Start by using things until they really wear out, then turning them into something else that can be used for another purpose. Then recycle the materials, and if possible buy new components made from that melted-down metal. It's not rocket science anymore. The bike industry has known how to do this for a long time and mostly refuses to. It's time to wake up and stop making throw-away technology.

when it stops being funny: specialized-as-bully

A few years ago, an enterprising young woman opened her own custom wheelbuilding business. Called Epic Wheelworks, it was very successful, growing slowly and steadily as more Portland bicycle enthusiasts began to order custom wheels from the small business. Then, the Specialized Bicycle Company stepped in, and forced Jude to change the name of her business or face an expensive lawsuit for trademark infringement. Apparently, they had bought the rights to all uses of the word, "epic". Anyone who dared to use the word anywhere, even in a sentence in a book report, could get sued by Mike Sinyard and his thugs. Owner Jude Kirstein decided not to risk her small business against the 900-pound gorilla that is Specialized, and caved, changing her company's name to Sugar. By all accounts she is doing well, and not only because she's good at what she does, but probably in some small part because the David-and Goliath story of her brush with Specialized earned the sympathy of Portlanders who generally have a strong independent streak and love to stick it to the man whenever possible.

Well, it's happening again. This time, a small bicycle shop near Calgary, Alberta is being forced to change its name. This time, the shop was named for a region in France through which an epic -- oops! -- bicycle race is run each year. The owner of Cafe Roubaix Bicycles is being told by Specialized that if he doesn't change the shop's name immediately, he'll be sued. Specialized is on slightly shakier ground this time, even with their cadre of high-priced attack dogs lawyers; Fuji has a bicycle model called Roubaix and so far there is no report of the two bicycle manufacturers duking it out with each other in court. Apparently Specialized prefers to spend less money going after smaller fish in its efforts to Protect The Brand.

Here's what I think: If you want to support this small business owner, call him up and ask to buy one of his shop's t-shirts with the name Roubaix on it (the artwork is very nice, by the way). If enough of us were to suddenly be seen wearing these, Specialized would have to sue each and every single one of us, a PR faus-pax that even they would not be stupid enough to commit. Or would they?

laughable unreality part five: rapha handlebar tape

 Saw this on eBay yesterday and laughed out loud:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rapha-and-Cinelli-Handle-Bar-Tape-/291029889276?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c2bbb0fc

Starting bid is $75.00. A close-up reveals that this is no ordinary handlebar tape:

In fact, it looks almost exactly like, well, tennis raquet grip tape...

... which is also available on eBay for a starting price of about $5.00 a roll.

It seems Rapha is putting their name on anything these days. When I see it on insoles, I'll know they've really arrived.


Okay, everyone back to work.

is the party over?

I've been seeing more and more of these auctions online:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-lot-of-Rivendell-Bicycle-Works-catalogs-fliers-etc-/221296855356?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item338652093c

In the last year I've seen at least a dozen auctions on eBay of this nature: someone will take their stack of Rivendell Readers, catalogs and newsletters, bundle it all up, and sell the lot online.

I did the same thing myself a couple of years ago, when I could feel myself beginning to let go of many relics from twenty years in the bicycle industry and knew I needed to make space at home.

My collection sold for around 70 bucks at the time. Today's auctions aren't fetching quite as much money but they still sell.

But I have to wonder: is the party over at Rivendell?
When they came on the scene in late 1994, they were the only company doing what they did at the time. I was an early adopter and even bought a "lifetime"subscription to the Reader.

(Regular followers of Rivendell know that the "lifetime"-ness of that subscription has since run out, been revoked -- with the rationale that anyone who went that route has gotten their money's worth many times over by now and should not complain. Fine, but then don't call it "lifetime". My mailing labels used to say the expiration date of my subscription, which was sometime in 2098. No more. Whatever.)

Today there are dozens of companies copying the model in part or whole, offering waxed cotton and lugged steel coolness to an increasingly savvy clientele -- and many doing so at lower prices. Some of these companies -- Velo Orange, Zimbale, Acorn, Minnehaha/Banjo Brothers -- are so successful that they've actually cut into Rivendell's market share.  And Rivendell, while staying with its own sense of "tried-and-true" products, has been forced to shift its targeting over the years to a smaller core of enthusiasts with more disposable income.
In 2004, when Sweetie and I visited RHQ on a trip to California, I noted the language used in some of its marketing brochures at the time: Their bikes were affordable, it was written, by "anyone with a job and bicycle priorities".
I don't see that wording in any of Rivendell's literature today. Today Rivendell makes no apologies for selling goods made in the USA -- or for the higher prices involved in such a proposition. Has this driven customers away? Or at least, has it reduced the cultlike hype around Rivendell's approach?

Or has Rivendell simply experienced the passage of time like everything else?

everything must change

I have learned that the source of my decision to leave the bike shop last fall has himself left the business.  I don't know the details, and don't need to know them; but apparently he resigned while I was out of town last month.  I've also learned, over just the last few days, that several other people have left the business in the last few months, and that things at the shop are, according to a former co-worker who recently left, "very challenging... there are a lot of issues for them to work out."

I feel mixed.

On the one hand, my life is so far removed from the shop, and from the bicycle industry, at this point that I sort of feel nothing. On the other hand, I knew this fellow -- or thought I did -- and worked alongside him for nearly twenty years. I admit that I don't feel a clean, sterile sense of detachment about him or about what compelled me to leave the business when and how I did. Even though I absolutely did the right thing at the time, hearing this news now feels murky and a little sad.
It's impossible to feel pure detachment about a place I spent nearly two decades of my life. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that all things pass eventually.

I hope everyone will be okay and that all the players in this story will find some peace.

tried and liked/didn't like, 2012 edition -- part one: products

The longer I've been in the bicycle industry, the shorter this list has become.

When you're new to the industry, the shop discount and pro deals are like having keys to the candy store, and you tend to go a little crazy. After nearly 18 years in the industry before finally retiring from it, I can tell you that the lustre wore off some time ago. I simply don't buy as much stuff these days; and everything I use regularly has had to earn its place in my stash of gear.

Category One: products

1. Rivendell ShinShields (http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/ar5.htm) -- These, like last year's Rivendell Splats (http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/ar3.htm), were affordable enough for me to take a chance on in spite of their goofy look. When they arrived,  had to wait for a reasonably rainy day to give them a true test. In order to simulate the conditions suggested by Rivendell's stock photos I used them with the Splats and a J & G Cyclewear rain cape (http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html).

Pros: 
--They work pretty well at keeping your lower legs dry in a normal rainfall.
Cons: 
--They look goofy -- supremely goofy, even goofier than the Splats.
--When used with the Splats there can be a gap at the ankle that lets water in. This may be more the Splats' fault but it's there, and occasionally annoying.
--It's another piece of apparel to figure out how to live with efficiently as a commuter -- instead of rainpants and a jacket, I would have to pack and stow Splats, Shinshields and Rainlegs (which I use often on merely drizzly days -- http://www.rainlegs.com/en/home) with a rain jacket -- or skip the Rainlegs and jacket and use the cape.
--The clincher was that, on my skinny legs, they barely fit. I was able to cinch them sungly enough with only about 1/4" to 1/2" of useful velcro overlap around my fully-clothed legs. That pretty much killed it for me, and since then they've been relegated to the bottom of the gear bag. I will probably sell them to someone with bigger, more muscular legs.
Bottom line: Maybe useful for others, but not so much for me. I'll sell them to someone else.

2. PDW Radbot 1000 taillight (http://www.ridepdw.com/goods/lights/radbot™-1000). When building up the Sekai as a rough-stuff town/touring/rando bike, I wanted a bright taillight that would be visible from very far away, and that offered a blinky option other than the typical "radpifire seizure-inducing speed" found on nearly every rear taillight today. It also had to fit on the seat stay because I wouldn't be using a full rear rack on this bike.

Pros: 
--A large and truly useful red reflector panel for daytime use.
--A very bright LED light that can be seen from several blocks away.
--Blinky options that include not only "rapidfire" but also a much slower, fade-in-and-out mode that is far less annoying to drivers and cyclists behind me -- and therefore less dangerous. (Tons of newer studies are showing that rapidly blinking taillights actually cause vehicle operators behind to fixate on the blinking light -- to the distraction of all else on the road.)
--The PDW Radbot, made in the same factory is the Planet Bike lights, fits on the same brackets -- which made swapping in the Radbot for my old Planet Bike Superflash very easy. It can also be mounted on a rear rack using the additional brcket supplied (again, identical to the Planet Bike bracket so if you've already got this on your rear rack, just swap lights).
--The Radbot is a bit bigger than the Super flash, but still fits on the seatstay with sufficient clearance of the rear wheel. (In the USA, mount it on the left seatstay.)
--It takes AAA-sized batteries, which come in rechargeable models. (Yay!)
--Good waterproofing gasket around all sides of the light.
Cons:
--None that I can see, but I've only been using this light for a couple of months.
Bottom line: For anyone who prefers a battery-powered light, this one is a solid win all around.

NOTE: There is a fender-mounted version of the Radbot (http://www.ridepdw.com/goods/lights/fenderbot™) that is not exactly the same. I will probably try one in 2013 so come back for a review next December.

3. Carradice Bike Bureau (http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&product_id=64). This is not a new product by any means -- Carradice has been making it for years and Citybikes (my former shop and still the only place on the US West coast where you can buy Carradice) has offered it almost from the start -- when Carradice has actually filled orders for it. When the cosmic arm of the universe began nudging me towards shrinking my role at Citybikes and I began preparing for a more loaded teaching schedule, I realized I'd need a larger pannier to carry binders and textbooks in. The shop had a couple of these in stock and I used my sizable shop credit and worker discount to buy one.

Pros:
--Waxed cotton fabric is typical Carradice, heavy in weight and very tough.
--The attachment hardware is easy to install and can easily be adjusted to fit your specific rack.
--The bag mounts at an angle on the rack to help the rider avoid heel strike.
--It comes with a padded fabric laptop sleeve that is removable.
--It is huge. My single Bureau holds two oversized metal binders and several smaller textbooks (when the laptop sleeve is removed). In fact, it's big enough that if you're temped to overstuff it, you'd be better off using another (smaller) pannier on the other side to help balance the load.
--The shoulder strap is very strong and wide, and snaps on and off easily.
--There is a secondary flap that can cover the mounting hardware when you carry the bag on your shoulder (making it more comfortable to use as a briefcase), and under which the should strap can be stowed while riding. Velcro holds it in place in either position.
Cons:
--The leather straps of the flap utilize both traditional metal buckles for length adjustment, and plastic cam-buckles for quick opening and closing; the plastic is lightweight and cheap and the system is needlessly redundant. At some point I will probably customize the straps to do away with the plastic buckles and just use the metal ones.
--The laptop sleeve ismade of a lighter weight material, not waterproof and would not stand alone well in Oregon's rainy climate. If utilized it takes up a lot of room in the bag and neccessitates the need for a second pannier. As I anticipate a laptop purchase in the coming months, I will use the Bike Bureau on the left and one of my older Kendal Panniers (http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=52) on the right to help balance the load.
--The bag offers no internal organizer/divider pockets. This is a relatively minor quibble, but one that required me to buy a small pouch to carry pencils, pens and small items inside the bag.
--The plastic reinforcement panel and feet on the bottom of the bag are flimsy; three months after purchase one of the feet has already broken off and there is a small crack forming in the panel. I figure that when the entire panel wears out I'll probably just remove it.
--They are hard to find in the USA. Carradice is notorious for filling only some or none of a shop's inventory orders, and that's espcially true with the larger bags. When you have five guys sharing four sewing machines in a picturesque British town, production tends to be smaller and slower. (Anyone considering bringing Carradice into their shop as a product line, you've been warned.)
Bottom line: in spite of all my nitpicking, this is a great office pannier, and I am glad I purchased one.

4. Giro Reverb helmet (http://www.giro.com/us_en/reverb-10620.html). I bought one of these early last spring when my old helmet finally crapped out (helmets do wear out with daily use and they need to be checked regularly -- replace when the styrofoam liner begins to show lots of dents and/or small cracks, and/or if your helmet is more than five or six years old).

Pros: 
--Very light weight; one of the lightest commuter helmets I've tried.
--The simple design purposely hearkens back to Giro's "Hammerhead" helmets of the 1990's with it's simple, bold color schemes and clean lines.
--Easy to customize fit -- each size comes with an adjustable band that offers three different options within a size range. Helmets come in S, M, L and XL sizes.
--Cotton visor snaps in or out easily; I prefer to wear a cotton cycling cap under my helmet so I removed mine in seconds.
--Refreshingly different from the typical, racer-emulating "angry insect" look prevalent in bike helmets today.
Cons: 
--In a recent test by Consumer Reports, the Reverb received lackluster scores (http://bikeportland.org/2012/05/31/nutcase-bern-helmets-receive-poor-impact-rating-from-consumer-reports-72616). While not an abysmal "failure" (that was reserved for models from the hipper and more expensive Bern and Nutcase helmets), it placed lowest on the list of helmets that were considered "safe". Because I know that testing conditions seldom, if ever, reflect real-life conditions -- you can't really test helmets on living people without risking death, after all -- I take such result with a grain of salt.
Bottom line: For $60 retail, it's not a bad helmet. Discounted pricing and seasonal sales (as low as $40 retail in some places) can make it a good deal.

Category Two, tomorrow: Bicycle Activities

product review and update: chrome kursk cycling sneaker

Three years ago, when I was still working as the lead buyer at Citybikes, the Chrome Bags rep wanted to see if we might expand our shop's Chrome offerings to include their shoes. He offered to sell me a pair to try out. When I told him I didn't really have the money for product testing, he then offered to give me a pair free of charge if I would wear them daily for two months and write up a short review. I agreed, and soon had a pair of Chrome Kursk shoes in basic black.

I wore them daily as asked. In less than six weeks' time, the side trim began to wear and then tear away from the shoe's sole. I contacted the rep and asked about this. Horrified, he asked me to send these shoes back to Chrome and they would send me a new pair. I complied, they complied -- and within two months, the trim began to wear away again. This time, I didn't bother calling the rep. Instead, I read the online reviews because now the shoes were being sold in stores all over the country. Most of the reviews were written by much younger customers who apparently had less of an issue with the short lifespan of the rubber trim. They acknowledged it but felt that since the shoes were "relatively cheap" at $70 retail, they didn't really have much to squabble about. In general these younger consumers loved the shoes and raved about them.

I was struck by the fact that younger customers didn't think that seventy bucks was a lot of money.

By now my shoes had broken in nicely and in fact were quite comfortable. I kept them. As the opportunity arose, I bought a second and third pair of the same model, and held them back for later use. This was in keeping with my mother's advice: "if you find something that fits well, buy it in every color they make, because they will soon stop making it." In all cases I did not pay anything close to full retail, and I think that was what made the purchases seem reasonable.

Here's the first pair of shoes. They've worn out quite a bit more since this photo was taken last April.

That pair of basic black Kursks is showing some real age; in November 2012, the soles are worn bald, the rubber trim on the sides has all but dissappeared, and the cordura uppers are beginning to fray at the edges. Still, in the summer months they're the most comfortable shoe I own and when it's not pouring outside I wear them a lot. I've since begun wearing another pair in olive green for teaching, and a third pair in monochrome black for "dressier" occasions (like Shabbat services or dinner out). The olive green pair has begun to show wear at the rubber trim; this time I've nipped it in the bud by super-gluing the trim back into place before it could tear off completely.

So here's my review:

Cons:
a. The trim on the sides has a shockingly short lifespan, often beginning to wear and tear away from the shoe within weeks of purchase (assuming near-daily wear). The shoes look sharp when new, but when the wear and tear begins they really being to look a little down-at-heel (no pun intended).
b. You have to wear pretty thin socks with these shoes for a comfortable fit. Thicker wool socks, which I tend to favor in the winter, take up too much room in the shoe and cause too tight a fit.
c. The color selection has diminished over time. The Kursk once came in multiple colors, but this year Chrome has elected to make the shoe only in Black, Monochrome black, and gray.

Pros:
a. The Kursk is comfortable almost immediately out of the box.
b. The insole is stronger and thicker than in most shoes, and is removable so you can air it out after a long wearing in bad weather.
c. The cordura upper is more durable than the cotton upper found in similar styled Converse sneakers; and does not fade in sunlight the way cotton does. (It also looks more stylish than cotton.)
d. The shoes run narrow.  If you have very wide feet, consider another shoe altogether.

Solutions and fixes:
a. Thinner wool socks will fit, and keep my feet reasonably warm and dry in colder weather. Chrome makes a very nice wool sock that comes in black, gray or olive. Smartwool socks also work well in these shoes.
b. For those seeking a wider color palette, some older stock Kursks in colors (navy, pink, brown and olive) can still be found at discounted prices online, through Amazon, eBay and elsewhere.
c. When shopping for Kursks, know that these shoes tend to run a bit large. I wear womens' 9.5 in most sneakers, but take a 9.0 (equivalent: mens' 7.5) in the Kursk.

Overall: I think $70 retail is still a bit steep for a pair of shoes, especially if I have to repair them with super glue within three to four months of purchase, and espcially if they're made in China (as these are). I recognize that younger consumers have a different relationship with money and may find that $70 retail is perfectly reasonable in this day and age. If they can and want to pay full pop, let them; I will contiune to seek out discounted shoes through other sources. I have four pairs of Kursks now, in different colors and various stages of wear. That should see me through the next few years.

Final verdict: The Kursk is a decent shoe at a somewhat overinflated price. Buy it on discount.

sekai tourer, part three: ta-daaaah!

I sometimes get obsessed with a new bike build...

Yesterday afternoon, on a sudden whim, I called up a bunch of bike shops and found that none have used fenders right now. Of course not; it's November. Idiot! So I had to cough up the bigger bucks for a basic set of fenders. I went to the shop that had the lowest price, got the fenders and some extra used hardware, and picked up a cool set of pantleg straps to send to pal SlowRPM (if he will ever email me with a sail-mail address -- hint-hint). Went home, installed the fenders, Nitto shortie rack and Carradice Nelson saddlebag, and the Zefal pump that had formerly graced the Longlow, and voila! It finally looked more like a reasonable bike.

 Today I'm meeting a student this morning for a lesson. After that I plan to ride the Sekai around town and listen to what it has to tell me (I already know the brakes will need adjustment, or possible replacement; but if I can run these original brakes I really want to). I may swing by Crank and see if they have a couple small bits to help me lower the front fender a bit. I also need to score a 25.0 laprade seatpost so I can get a finer angle adjustment on the saddle.

The real pisser about needing to source odd used parts is that I could probably find them at Citybikes, where I used to work. That's the shop in eastside Portland (really, in all of Portland) known for being able to come with all manner of odd used parts, and it's the shop where I learned my installation problem-solving skills. Shops that sell only new stuff almost never have what I need, and frankly some of their problem-solving skills leave a little to be desired. (Why make something old work when it's better to buy new? I hear this a lot from the new shops and it infuriates me. Don't these people ever think about sustainability?)

But the truth is that buying anything from Citybikes right now just isn't comfortable for me. I don't know how long I will feel like that, but for now I prefer to solve my technical problems without accessing their huge store of used and archaic bits.

It does feel a little like shooting myself in the toe, but at least I can listen to my gut and be honest with what I hear there.

Today's weather is mostly cloudy and cool, with highs in the 50s and only a few showers. A good day to take the new bike and put it through some easy paces around town. Once I get everything finally dialed in, I'll look forward to a very nice longer ride on Thanksgiving morning.