Making Dreams come true.

"Making dreams come true."  We take great pride in that idea.  

We have all seen, and been affected by the smile of someone who buys a new bike.  For me, it stirs up the sense of adventure I feel every time I move at a speed that I create making me a part of a symphony of symbiosis. It is a big part of working in a bicycle shop, and it feels pretty good. 

But the reason being a mechanic is special is because of the other part of the job.

"Making dreams come true."  It has a deep meaning to me because I am fortunate enough to work with people who have been well educated in the craft of making broken things work very well again.  If it can be fixed, or made to work, then it is with these hands that it will happen. That is the true meaning of the words; "Making dreams come true."

When there is desperation in the eyes of someone who is afraid they have wounded an old friend beyond repair, my mind searches desperately for a solution. I know what it is like to lose a bicycle to the destructive nature of the universe.  These moments, when we have the opportunity to keep someone on a bicycle they love, they are the reason this job is special to me.

Recently I was presented with something that made me smile:

The Bike: 2011 Brougham by Felt Cycles.

The Job: Add a FreeRadical by Xtracycle

The Problem - Without a chainstay bridge the Xtracycle will float from side to side with a fixed gear.

The chainstay bridge isn't necessary for the Xtracycle to work.  In fact, in their directions, they have a handy dandy way to solve this problem.  But...when using a fixed gear bicycle like Felt's Brougham, there are some extra factors to keep in context.  Chain tension and chain line are extremely important.  If they are off, say because the Xtracycle floats between the stays, then parts could be damaged, and the bike is in the shop.  So it needs to be perfect.

The solution: Make a brace to fill the space.  (Formerly a top tube from a steel bicycle frame.)

Powder Coat it!

Make sure it looks good!

Assemble the contraption!

Make sure it works!

Make dreams come true. 

I really enjoyed this project.  Recycling the world one discarded part from our basement at a time.   I was happy to help make an old bicycle feel brand new.  Thanks Gus, Jackie and Axle.  Happy Trails from the Pedal House.

2014 Chubby Chaser in Happy Jack Recreation Area

The Sun shown bright, Borealis is light, deep in the heart of Med Bow. In fact, it's the sun that makes winter tolerable for both Dewey and I. Typically, we spend the winter dreaming of biking and hiking on snow free trails in our favorite place on Earth the Happy Jack Recreation Area.

With the introduction of fat tire bikes into our lives, Dewey has learned to love aspects of winter as it keeps him on the trail. Being able to photograph the Chubby Chaser allowed Jessica an opportunity to spend a day in the woods and it was fantastic.

Before the sun started shining, Dewey learned a few things about what it takes to put on a race.  Friday at six the Pedal House has been known to partake in a few beverages to wrap up the week.  Not the Friday before the Chubby Chaser, not for Dewey.  There was work to do.  Bike riding work.  Such hard work.

Evan O'Toole  and Miguel had been working all week to set up the trails, snow shoeing and riding the course to make sure it was packed down.  On Friday Evan, Miguel, Ali and Dewey went out to "work" late, setting up the course markings and making sure that the conditions could support our outing.  Dewey took it upon himself to do check the avalanche danger in Happy Jack....okay so he wrecked and his dent looked like an avalanche pit.

The morning of the race was perfect, and good news, there would be no avalanche in Happy Jack this day!  Safety first, then teamwork. And after the pre-ride, Dewey declared the trails; "PERFECT!"  As riders began to emerge from their dwellings, shaking off the winter doldrums with a Spring outing, the race started to take shape. Evan gave instructions to the 15 participants, Jessica headed out onto the course to gather photographic evidence of the day's events and Dewey ate doughnuts.

The View from Dewey's Bike,....this is the carrot we used to get him to pre-ride the course.

Evan O'Toole describes the course and starts the riders.

They're off, and John kept that lead to the end.  Congrats John. 

A very photogenic group indeed! Thanks to all the riders who participated!! These events would not be possible without all of you.

 

Zoey is like, "Hey, what's in here?" ....Doughnuts of course, she has a good sniffer.

Borealis was well represented. 

After the race, enjoying stories and more doughnuts!

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this a great race...Cydney, Zach, Evan O'Toole, Miguel Rosales, Winter, Seth Sweely and Dewey Gallegos.

Photos courtesy of Jessica Flock

A Visit to The Fat Bike Company in Colorado Springs, CO

Pedar Knows Best!  Seriously! 

Pedar returned from Interbike with tales of a new bike; spinning a story about the Borealis frame (Carbon and ridiculously light), Carbondale Rims (more carbon) and a 190mm spaced rear hub...ohhh, it sounded too good to be true. A few months later he returned from Jackson, WY with a bicycle that was too light to be a traditional fat bike, but too fat to be a normal high performance mountain bike. And yet, it was both. Borealis!  Pedar picked up and built his new Custom Dream Fattie, courtesy of The Hub.

190mm Rear Hub

Borealis Bikes have infiltrated the fat bike market with an incredibly high quality product which gives fat biking a technological jolt in the pants. The most amazing thing we noticed, right off the bat, was the workmanship.  This bike was the product of some serious thought, both in design, and concept.  For one, the 190mm rear hub made it so wheel spoking did not have to be offset. Stylistically speaking, it looks incredibly clean.  But was it worth it?  That was the burning question.  A question that was probably asked when the first upgrades were made on the original wheel....

Enter Ogden, Utah and the first ever Global Fat Bike Summit, a simple test ride at the demo show changed everything.  On the uphill, the Borealis was comfortable and easy to push as it glided up hills.  What goes up must come down, thus, Dewey entered the steep slopes of a monstrous molehill....at the local golf course, staging area for the demo rides.  After returning to his stomping grounds, Happy Jack, Dewey expressed utter amazement at the way the Borealis made it feel like he was mountain biking, in the middle of winter....sheer JOY!! He was stable and in control at speeds he never would have attempted on the bicycle he rode to the Demo. Very impressive.

The Pedal House was in!

As we entered the building and walked upstairs, what did our eyes see? A sweet Kegerator! Our people, for sure! It was like we had never left the Pedal House, instantly feeling "at home".

Steve showed us around the space and grounds known as The Fat Bike Company. Yampa frames were being outfitted with the best parts by precision laborers. Turnagain Rims were being trued. Demo bikes were being prepped for travel. New Borealis dealers were being set up with accounts and we were privileged to see it all first-hand and up close. As we strolled through the building, work areas and lounge, we asked questions, learned new details about the operation and discovered the origins of names associated with The Fat Bike Company products. Borealis Bikes is named after the well-known Aurora Borealis, a natural light display in the sky particularly in high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitudes of the atmosphere (according to Wikipedia). Yampa frames are named after the Yampa River in northwest Colorado.

Carbondale Rims share a name with Carbondale, CO, a small town of 6,400 in the northwest portion of the CO Rocky Mountains with a number of fabulous mountain bike trails.

Turnagain Rims pay homage to the beauty of the Turnagain Arm, Alaska, 
home to the Bore Tide and incredible vistas.

It's clear to see that The Fat Bike Company and Borealis Bikes are the premiere fat bike manufacturers. We were welcomed with open arms from the moment we entered the parking lot. We greatly appreciated their hospitality, welcoming nature, inside perspective on the scene and cold beers from tap. We are very excited to be a Borealis Authorized Dealer!

An Inside look at Borealis Bikes...

Rims anyone?

Serious amounts of Stock!

Large amounts of fat tires and tubes.

Steve and Dewey loading up!
We needed a small yield sign for the window with a picture of a Borealis Fat Bike
 that said "Precious Cargo on Board". 

Thanks for the tour! We look forward to seeing you out on the trails.