I love disc brakes. Love ’em! They have great stopping power in all conditions. They require less lever pressure than rim brakes — not that I’m weak!!!! They’re great, but they come with some baggage. Weight is one. Noise is another. “Why do my brakes make noise?” “What can I do about my noisy brakes?” […]

The man who cannot stop buying mountain bikes — specifically dual-suspension mountain bike suitable for SW Michigan riding — continues to buy mountain bikes. Let’s recap the bikes I’ve had the past few years: This is the new Anthem. If you purchase a complete bike, it will have 100mm of rear travel and 110mm of […]

I have a trio of really great bikes on which I do most of my riding. Not long ago riding one of these bikes, I thought, “Huh. All my bikes kick butt.” There are commonalities that I appreciate. Efficiency. This is feeling the bike moves forward when you push on the pedals. I think this […]

Hello! About a year ago this very communication source suggested that bicyclists (like you?) could possibly benefit from something different in the off-season, going so far as to recommend strength training. I love strength training and my gym and all that stuff. And yet… the person who massages this bag of bones repeatedly tells me […]

Group riding is a marvelous blend of personal achievement (riding your bike pretty quickly) and submission to the will of the group, like a school of fish or maybe a murmuration of starlings, many creatures moving independently, but together. Today my buddy said that a successful group ride occurs when you, the person in front […]

By nature I’m the type of person who can turn a simple thing — a bike ride to the store to get ketchup instead of a car trip — into a project requiring tons of time and maybe a new bike with the special ketchup adapter. But it doesn’t have to be that way. No! […]

A few of my coworkers and I have been trying to go on a simple bikepacking trip for two years. We were pandemic’d once and rained out twice. Fortunately, last weekend featured perfect weather, seven riders and a much-needed car-driving stuff-hauler. I’ll put the ending right here: it was very fun and so much easier […]

I’ve had a Di2-equipped bike for a while now, and I like it. It shifts perfectly and the battery charge lasts a really long time. Never any fuss. And then it was dead as a doornail before our first shop ride of the season. Fortunately I checked it about an hour before the ride, and […]

I purchased a new gravel bike this winter. Checkpoint aluminum frame. Rival 1x drivetrain. Mostly parts that we laying around the shop and wheels that I’ve had for about seven years: Chris King hubs, HED Belgian rims and fancy Sapim spokes. But I’m really into what the kids call Gravel Plus: 650b wheels with 48mm […]

It’s about November, and the cycling season is drawing to a close for many of us. What to do this winter? Many are your options, and I recommend strength training. If you are over 40, definitely if you are over 50, I really encourage you to lift weights. Heavy weights. Weights that you (probably) don’t […]

A guy was in the shop looking for a solution to mount his Garmin Varia to the seat stay of his bike. Why? Because the Varia didn’t have a method to attach to the back of his seat bag, and the seat bag took up all of the available seat post real estate. I suggested […]

It starts like this: I installed a Specialized Pizza Rack and Pizza Bag on my bike last year. The headlight mount on a client’s pizza rack broke. Pizza Racks were out of stock for a loooooong time, so… We put parts of my rack on the client’s bike. I received parts of the client’s rack. […]

National Bike To Work day occurs on May 21st this year. Many of the folks working at Pedal ride to work, some of them pretty religiously. At some level, biking to work is no more difficult than driving to work. On the other, a bike is not a car. On a bike you’re exposed you […]

This article in the New Yorker put structure to many of the thoughts occupying space in my head for a number of years. Specifically these: PEDAL is good for Kalamazoo County. We pay property tax. We pay state and federal taxes. We pay the salaries of several people, and those people plunk the vast majority […]

I rode home from the Romence shop at about 7:30 last night. It was an incredibly warm evening for November. I wore shorts, a t-shirt and a light jacket. No one else was on the Portage trail (probably because, I learned from a sign along the way, the trail closes at sundown), and I rode […]

This winter I started a commuter bike project. I wanted to be able to ride to the gym, work out, ride to work, take a shower, work all day and ride home, all without having to carry a backpack. The backpack part might seem dumb, but I radiate a lot of heat in the summer […]

Last week I jumped on my commuter bike and headed to the Downtown shop at about 7:30 am. It was a beautiful morning, and I found myself bombing down Oakland hill with a green light at the Lovell intersection at the base of the hill. I had a pretty good head of steam. Without stopping […]

For unclear reasons, I’d been thinking about a single-speed cross/gravel bike. I regret having sold my last one, and didn’t want to spend a pile of money on another. I spent a fair amount of time looking for a new frame, but single-speeding appears to have fallen out of fashion. I found very little to […]

A while back, I made a list of all of my adult bikes. As I review that list, it’s pretty easy to spot a trend — speed. Yes, there are specifications — frame material, wheel size, gearing, geometry, etc. — that vary from bike to bike, but an overarching theme is going (relatively) fast on […]

We spend a not-insignificant amount of time thinking about what we’re doing, how we do it, why we do it and who we serve — the kind of thinking that could induce an existential crisis in those lacking a strong constitution. We know. We know you could purchase your bike stuff from the shop down […]

To tubeless or not to tubeless? The pro-tubeless party suggests that you think of these features: Most small punctures seal themselves. You no longer worry about pinch flats and can run lower pressure for greater comfort. The potential for weight loss, particularly with wider tires, is significant. Modern tubeless works really well in all popular […]

It feels like the second or third day of summer, and I thought I’d answer the question that no one’s asking, “What are you messing around with?” I’ve been playing around with three bikes, maybe four. Kona Libre I tend to ride this bike more than mess around with it. It still consists of: Libre […]

Several years ago I had the chance to ride a Santa Cruz 5010 on trails outside of Calgary, AB. When we decided to carry Santa Cruz at Pedal, I thought the 5010 might be a super bike for, among other things, the Maple Hill Trail, so we brought in a couple for demos. Last weekend […]

A few pictures and comments from an all-too-brief vacation in Tucson. I rented this lovely Trek Fuel EX 8 from a cool shop in town. They set up the suspension for me, topped off the sealant in the tubeless tires and gave me a seat pack with a spare tube and a couple of CO2 […]

On a ride very recently I started yapping about the new gravel bike I built. My conversation partner asked a few questions about the frame and the drivetrain. He then said, “I’m still curious about the pros and cons of 1x and 2x drivetrains. I think you should write a full-nerd blog post on this.” […]

So what’s this thing all about? I’ve been thinking about a new road bike for several months. I *loved* my Tarmac, but there are lots of things going on in the road bike space, and I’d like to have more first-hand experience with some of them. What things? Di2 has been around nearly a decade, […]

Yesterday, a colder, rainy October day, we had a brief window of time (several hours) in the shop in which no customers materialized. As will happen in such circumstances, several of us started talking about bikes and products and whatnot, and ultimately starting naming the trends that we see — not just what’s hot right […]

A couple of weeks ago I thought, “Hmmm. I haven’t put new sealant in my tires since I purchased this bike, almost one year ago.” Sure enough, the interior of each tire was dry as a bone. I found a bottle a sealant and my Flash Charger and made everything awesome in about ten minutes. […]

No aspect of a modern mountain bike induces confusion and head-scratching like a fork, particularly an air fork, with its bewildering array of valves and knobs. Most people, and I totally get this, want to *ride* their mountain bike. They didn’t buy it so they’d have something to demystify and tune. About this time last […]

In something of a time warp, I found myself in my basement on a bike on a trainer with Coach Troy Jacobson yelling gear ratios at me via a Spinnervals workout that I’ve had for years. I felt like I was 40 again. Sort of. Regardless, this workout predates the widespread use of power meters, […]

Editor’s note: Our Man Alex put a Manitou Mattoc on his bike last summer. He loved it then, but has since put some miles on it. Here are his notes. In the Mattoc fork, Manitou is competing in the high-end trail bike fork market and compete with the likes of the Rockshox Pike and the […]

Hello Pedal People. My name is Audrey. I have worked at the Downtown shop as the Inventory Specialist for the past year and a half or so. Last weekend, Quality Bicycle Products hosted it’s dealer trade show and expo event in Bloomington, Minnesota (the location of the Mall of America, for those versed in abnormally […]

This morning I took my new bike out for its maiden voyage to the Maple Hill Trail. It’s a beautiful clear day. Temperature is just above freezing. I’d heard that the trail is in perfect shape. And off I went, excited to see what this bike is all about and to rekindle my relationship with […]

I recall reading the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club’s newsletter in November and learning that Pedal had been nominated as a Friend of Bicycling for the year. “Wow,” said the word bubble above my head. “It’s super nice that someone likes us enough to make a nomination.” A few weeks later I was informed that Pedal won […]

Just a few short years ago we all raced local gravel races on our cyclocross bikes or perhaps our 29ers. As longer races became a thing across our country, we saw three things occur to create the new and exciting (some snark intended) category of Gravel Bike: Bottom brackets dropped, offering greater stability at the […]

The other day I overheard a conversation in the back of the shop in which a couple of employees were talking about mountain bike tires. One of the guys (code name: J’Son) said, “It took some getting used to. It rolled really well, but when you leaned over, it was really squirrelly until you leaned […]

I love Iceman, but Iceman causes me a lot of stress (which is exactly the same stress it causes everyone else): am I fit enough? Where will I stay? How badly will my friends kick my butt? How will I get to wherever I’m staying after the pros finish? Last year some friends and I […]

I love college and community radio. Loved it when I was in college (WRVU). Loved rediscovering it when I lived in Pittsburgh (WPTS). Loved KABF in Little Rock. Love WIDR. Love. It. My love for WIDR must be complex, because I’m having a difficult time quantifying it for this post. Some of it is nostalgia, […]

From the man that I often refer to as Uncle Kurt: And now I want to tell you about my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human […]

We’ve known Alex for a long time, since he was but a kid with big eyes. And we watched as Alex grew older, became a more vigorous mountain biker and, quietly, got pretty good at figuring out how things work and how they feel to the end user. Alex got a new fork for his […]

This morning I had opportunity to take a ride before work. Having nothing structured on the agenda, I grabbed my fat bike and decided to ride around town. Immediately outside the garage door I thought, “This is what we dream about during the winter.” It was seventy degrees, pretty humid and overcast. There was no […]

The Maple Hill Trail is something a bit different for the Kalamazoo area. Custer is fun and twisty. Yankee is tough and wild. TMHT (you heard it here first) is jumpy, bermed, machine-built and an unbelievable combination of accessible and challenging. Kona is a brand we identify with strongly. Their stuff is really good, and […]

Last summer I was trying to put bikes into context for modern families, and I thought, “Hey. Bikes are a terrific alternative to all these dang screens that attract our time and attention.” I talked to the folks who turn many of my strange ideas into something tangible, and they asked for someone to film. […]

Today started earlier (didn’t have to pick up the bike; merely had to wheel it out of the hotel room) and went longer. I started with something new, and was about two miles down the road when I realized I forgot my trail map. Engaging a total guy cliche, I did not turn around.  Luckily […]

I attend meetings twice a year for a performance group of which I am (perhaps obviously) a part. Though I start going crazy when I’m away from the shop, it’s fantastic to hear what other shops across the country are doing and the things they’re trying to be successful. This time around I’m in California, […]

I’m working on a super top secret project, part of which entails converting a set of hubs from quick release to 12mm thru axle. The hubs in question are Chris King R45 disks which I purchased a couple of years ago for the Wonder Jake. Let’s talk about Chris King hubs. They’re very expensive. They’re […]

Hi! Gird yourself! Lots of data this time around. First thing, I’d like to ask a favor. Go out to the garage and check out the blinky light on the back of your road bike. Is it bright? Does it point behind you, or at your rear tire? Does it need new batteries? I’ve been […]

Jess tells me that we (I’m pretty sure I’m “we”) should write more about the products we use when we’re riding bikes. This morning I decided to do a bit of reconnaissance for a cyclocross race venue ride on my fat bike. The temperature was 43F, and it was raining. This is what I wore: Incredibly […]

I was talking to my Kona guy yesterday (yes, it does make me feel special to have a Kona guy) and somehow got to bemoaning the way the bike industry feels like it has to slice everything super-fine so there are a million different products and no one knows what the hell they’re talking about […]

For at least a year there’s been mumbling and rumoring and all kinds of scuttlebutt related to the course and destination of our competitor Alfred E. Bike. Today it seems clear that the destination is retirement and that the course is nearly complete. We drove everyday, however one day we pass by into a crime […]

Three friends and I rode fat bikes in 16F weather this afternoon. All of use were comfortable, but for some chilly toes and fingertips. I thought it might be worthwhile to talk about what each person wore.. Ryan is a 28 year-old male in good shape, despite being a new father. Ryan wore borrowed, super-warm […]

While DFM and I were enjoying a cold one after the cross race yesterday, the promoter came out by the kegs (yeah: plural), looked around and said, “Man. Nobody parties at these things anymore.” I suggested that the series come back to Kalamazoo.

As a local supporter of the Maple Hill Trail project, a few guys from the shop and I had a fantastic opportunity take a guided tour of the constructed bits of the Maple Hill Trail at Markin Glen this afternoon. Wow! Lemme tell you a little bit about it. For starters, there’s a good amount […]

A good customer just sent me this article, which I highly recommend. And although I have a rule against reading the comments on any internet site/blog/article/etc., I read a few associated with the linked piece, and they were coherent and reasoned. The fact of the matter is that we, cyclists, are part of the problem. […]

I am the fortunate person who enjoys his work. As a result, I don’t skip out on work much. I don’t take sick days. I rarely take my day off. I have a difficult time leaving early, especially if the shop is busy. Today, however, I decided that I’d like to take a mid-day ride. […]

1 x 11 SRAM’s 11-speed drivetrains continue to become significantly more affordable without losing much, if any, of their awesomeness. I’ve had an XX1 bike. Super great. I have an X1 bike. Love it. I’ve installed a GX drivetrain on my wife’s bike and recently purchased a bike of my own with that very same […]

At the end of Pedal’s December 2015 newsletter, I included a link to a brief survey. I know the results are skewed as we would first need your email address, then you would have to open it AND read to the bottom of the darn thing to find the link. I’d suggest that not many […]

Last night a special guest blew into town to join me for riding today. We ate, drank and were merry longer into the evening than is my way. That, combined with yesterday’s exertions, led to some rubbery legs. Big deal. We started the day riding the North Trails. They aren’t as “Wow! Holy heck!” as […]

I’m a guy who usually gets up with or before the sun, which had a great coming out party this morning. I walked around looking for a cup of coffee to get me going and saw this thing: And I walked around a bit more and saw it again. After a wonderful breakfast and a […]

After a hard summer of not really riding enough, I set out for Marquette, Michigan in hopes of a couple of days of mountain bike riding. I loaded my junk in the car and went to work.   Nothing was going on at work, which — c’mon, beautiful sunny Saturday? So I got restless and […]

With no real idea what I’d do with the data, I recently asked everyone at Pedal to share their favorite thing in the shop. Now that I have it, why not share? Amber likes Michigan and bicycles, and her favorite thing is the Michigan Rides T Shirt. Bailey Mosher, a high school swimming who’s always hungry, […]

  Hidden in the concord grape arbors on the outskirts of town we spotted a member of the species Jakus Superificus, more commonly known by its genus: Carbon Jake. A beautiful animal, Carbon Jake is lithe and powerful, ready to mow down miles on the road, take on the grit of a gravel ride or […]

Monday evening I attended a joint meeting of the Texas Township Trustees and the Kalamazoo County Road Commission. The citizens of Texas Township have concerns that traffic speeds on Q Avenue (Centre Street) are too high, and asked the Kalamazoo County Road Commission (hereafter referred to KCRC, the legal entity responsible for the road) to […]

What should I be doing? Either writing the Bicyclical or packing to go home. What am I doing? Sitting in a sushi restaurant trying to remember the salient points of my visit to Specialized. I rode a few bikes: a Tarmac disk (yum), the new Venge ViAS (so fast), a very nice Diverge, a 29” […]

What should I be doing? Either writing the Bicyclical or packing to go home. What am I doing? Sitting in a sushi restaurant trying to remember the salient points of my visit to Specialized. I rode a few bikes: a Tarmac disk (yum), the new Venge ViAS (so fast), a very nice Diverge, a 29” […]

Yesterday I ran through the woods with a man who suggested that tiger lilies are a harbinger of winter. I suppose, if you take a long enough view, everything is a harbinger of winter. Or death. Or the end of the world. But I could not disagree more about tiger lilies. Tiger lilies remind me […]