Small Batch Pedal Bicyclical

Hello!

Wanna hear something crazy? We’re 25% of the way through 2017. The good news is that the remaining 75% is the good stuff. There’s a lot to talk about this month, so I’ll try to keep my loquacious self in check.

Never is a word that’ll often cause problems. When I started Pedal I swore up, down and sideways that we’d never engage in e-commerce. And today I’m happy (if a tad sheepish) to introduce http://shop.pedalbicycle.com Why? Because I now think people — local people, you — expect to see inventory online. And now you can. I wanna be super clear about this part of things: we’re dipping our toe in the online world to be a better LOCAL bike shop. And we’ve just started this: the site went live on Thursday evening. If you see anything flaky, please let me know.

Ryan recently became aware of a nifty wheel company out of South Carolina. Boyd, the namesake of the company, does the design and his wife runs the operational end of things. These wheels ring all the bells: road, mountain, carbon, aluminum, tubeless-compatible, colorful decals, hub options. We have a few pair in stock and, of course, access to everything else.

Maybe a chilly, damp April day isn’t the best time to bring this up, but we’re renting bikes at the downtown shop. Got a friend in town and you’d like to cruise the KRVT or hit up some brew pubs or whatever? Give us a cal: 269-567-3325.

It had been my intention to wait until we had hardware to show, but since I only post this fish wrap once a month and the stuff should be here imminently, I’ll announce that we’re Kalamazoo’s new Moots dealer. We are S U P E R stoked to offer the finest titanium bikes in the world.

So the good news about the, ahem, variable weather we’ve had the past few weeks is that our service departments are not yet bursting at the seams. If you’re thinking about servicing your bike, now is the time. If you’re remembering that thing that wasn’t working quite right in the fall and you meant to get your bike in but didn’t quite make it to the shop, now is the time. Make no mistake, we’re always happy to work on your bike, but right now the turnaround time is about as short as it’s gonna be all year. Questions? Give us a call. Downtown: 269-567-3325. Romence Road: 269-324-5555. Appointments are definitely an option.

Is it the April showers? Maybe May flower anticipation? Whatever the reason (likely: good sense) there aren’t too many cycling events on the calendar for April. An outlier is the Yankee Springs Time Trial on April 23rd. It’s a fun challenging event, a good fundraiser for WMMBA and a nice test of your (ummmm) early season fitness, although if you what you want is actually just to burn fat, an ultrasonic cavitation machine could be a better solution for specific parts of the body.

Kalamazoo Bike Club road rides are happening now. Note that rides start at 6:00 in April.

Moving into May, things heat up a lot.

I can’t say enough good things about Bike Camp. If you’re new to road riding or coming back after several years away from the bike, Kalamazoo Bicycle Club’s Bike Camp is a great primer on the ways and mores of riding on the road. Maybe it’s just what you need. Maybe a friend would like to know more. Regardless, the 411 is here.

Bike week! Get your Kalamazoo Bike Week!

During bike week Pedal is pleased and honored to host the area’s Ride of Silence. Wednesday nights in May are full of alternate activities, but if you can spring free, it would be great to see and ride with you. The event is at 6:30 on May 17th.

The Stampede is the biggest fundraiser for our local mountain bike organization, SWMMBA. And! It’s fun! You can have fun stampeding! On your mountain bike! At Ft. Custer! So many exclamation points! And fun!

What about the Pedal ride? We’re good to go if the weather cooperates. Thursdays, 6:15 start at the downtown shop. Based on the current weather outlook, this week does not look good. Look at The Book or call us if you have questions.

There was this one time I participated in the Zoo de Mack with my family and friends, and it was lots of fun. Perhaps this is just the thing you’ve been thinking of, but didn’t know existed.

And that, friends, is enough for this installment. Thank you. We’re happy to know you. We’re happy to serve you. We’re super happy when we can ride with you. Please be safe and have fun.

Sincerely,

Tim