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Cycle Oregon preview

Posted by Matt Cardinal | September 2, 2010 – 3:19 pm

We are excited to go on the road again with Cycle Oregon. Bike Gallery is one of the founding sponsors of the week long event and just like every year, we bring a full crew out on the road to help keep the wheels rolling. As usual, we will have mechanics available to fix bikes and will be setting up a fully stocked store every night.

Brett Flemming, who oversees all of the service departments for Bike Gallery will be offering free talks every night about basic bike maintenance, fixing flat tires and riding skills. Brett is always entertaining and these talks should be a big hit. Tales of the kinds of fixes Brett has been able to pull off on the road have become legendary. He usually breaks out the torch and does at least one major frame repair every year. This year the Oregonian got word of these crazy antics and decided to send along a photographer to follow Brett and the rest of the Cycle Oregon train to document the event. They will be posting video and blogging every step of the way. We’ll send links as soon as we have them.

The big night is going to be in Pendleton when 2000 cyclists meet thousands of cowboys at the 100th Pendleton Roundup. The rodeo is one of the biggest in the US and the contrast between cowboy boots and lycra should make for some interesting photo opportunities.

Posted in Events, Staff & Stores, Travel | Comments (0)

Why bike shoes?

Posted by Matt Cardinal | August 25, 2010 – 1:11 pm

Have you ever wondered “Why would I want cycling shoes? It’s just another product to over complicate the process of riding a bike. I mean shoes are shoes, right?” The answer is that not all shoes are created for the same function. But to better understand why, we need to understand pedals.

A brief history of bike pedals:

A traditional toeclip and strap

A traditional toeclip and strap

When pedals were new, people that were riding bikes at speed found a need for keeping their feet attached to the bike. The toe clip was the preferred way to stay attached to the bike until “clipless” pedals came onto the scene in the 80’s.  Toe clips are attached to a pedal, sometimes called cages or baskets, and can be adjusted by tightening or loosening a strap on the clip.

Clipless pedals use a metal or plastic cleat bolted to the sole of the shoe. The cleat interfaces with the spring loaded engagement of the clipless pedal and provides a secure attachment and an easier way to get in and out of the pedals. Some pedals have adjustable spring tension that adjusts the amount of force needed to get in or out of the pedals.

A clipless pedal

A clipless pedal

Whether you ride a bike with toe clips or clipless pedals your choice of shoes can make a big difference in your comfort and efficiency on the bike. The surface area of a pedal is a small part of your shoe’s “footprint.” If the sole of the shoe is flexible like a running shoe, as you apply power to the pedal the arches of your feet work hard to not curl around the pedal. This can cause strain and lead to soreness. Cycling shoes vary in sole stiffness, but they are all a lot stiffer than usual street shoes. The sole stiffness in effect increases the surface area of the pedal, providing a bigger platform for the foot to push down. This decreases the work your foot has to do and reduces strain.

On the highest end of performance shoes are heat molded models that are custom fitted and shaped to your foot using a special oven. If you have issues with shoes that don’t fit right, these are a great option. We also have cyclesole custom foot beds that can be custom fitted to you. Our trained fit services pros use these tools to help guide you to a pain free riding experience.

If you have issues with foot pain, or are just interested in making the riding experience more efficient, try some cycling shoes on for size!

Posted in Product Review, Tech | Comments (2)

Our first look at Cyclesoles footbeds

Posted by Mickey Deagle | July 28, 2010 – 5:03 pm

Beaverton assistant manager Brandon Bruins got an opportunity to test our new, custom-molded footbed product, Cyclesoles. Here’s what he has to say.

Our head fitter Aaron “Rambo” Harrison set me up with a set of Cyclesoles custom footbeds last week. After a couple hundred miles and a nice climb up Larch Mountain yesterday, I am a convert! I have been riding a pair of Sidi Genius 5 Mega shoes for the past three years. I had come to accept the toe numbness and mild foot pain as a small price to pay for stiff soles and supple uppers. I was wrong. It doesn’t have to be that way.

My Cyclesoles are custom fitted to every contour of my foot, from my heel to the tips of my toes. I now have support for my high arches, the ball of my foot, and that little space between my toes and the ball. The result is no slip, high efficiency pedaling, and no more smashed-numb toes.

The Cyclesoles hold my feet completely still. With the stock insoles, the body of the shoe was containing my foot, which means constant pressure as the foot meets the end of the shoe and at the back where I pull with the heel. Now, the Cyclesoles provide all necessary support points against which to pull, resulting in a more smooth and efficient stroke while climbing and a more powerful push along the whole of the foot while sprinting.

I highly recommend you pick up a pair, especially if you have had foot and toe pain in the past. Cyclesoles will take your feet out of the efficiency equation.

Please email our Fit Services folks or call your neighborhood Bike Gallery if you’re interested in trying Cyclesoles.

Posted in New Products, Product Review | Comments (4)

Pinhole Camera Slideshow

Posted by Matt Cardinal | July 19, 2010 – 4:22 pm

Longtime Bike Gallery warranty manager Randall Magahay got back from his recent 10 day bike tour of the Oregon coast and parts of the interior. Randall has been taking an annual bike touring trip every summer for the past 7 years. He and his wife, along with his brother and his wife, pick different parts of the Northwest to explore. This year was the area around Gold Beach. Randall has been developing a hobby of photography (no pun intended) and on this trip, he packed his new pinhole camera. A pinhole camera is a very simple device, essentially a box with film in it on one end, and a very tiny hole on the other. Making pictures with it takes experience and patience. You can’t really compose a picture, because there is no viewfinder and the shutter is manually opened and closed when you think enough light has hit the film. There is a pretty high degree of failed pictures with this type of camera, but the successful pictures have a unique quality of time that makes them seem like a cross between a painting and a photo. Even though he was shooting without the aid of a tripod, Randall made some great pictures and agreed to share them. Thanks Randall!

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (6)

My, what a busy weekend!

Posted by Matt Cardinal | July 19, 2010 – 2:44 pm

This past weekend was the high water mark for Bike Gallery’s events calendar. We were involved in multiple events and rides.

Jay Graves makes sure this bike is ready for the ride. (photo by Dean Rodgers)

Jay Graves makes sure this bike is ready for the ride. (photo by Dean Rodgers)

Cycle Oregon weekend saw almost 2000 riders for the two day bike-centric event based in Monmoth Oregon. Riders were treated to some beautiful loops around the mid-Willamette valley. Bike Gallery staff included the most seasoned ride supporters we had to offer. Jay Graves, Brett Flemming, Kelly, and Randall turned wrenches and kept the bikes rolling while Marjorie held down the camp single-handedly. The weekend ride is always a big hit and is especially family friendly with kids bike camp and safety rides for kids over 5.

Saturday was the Woodstock parade and our Woodstock Neighborhood store was involved in the daylong event. We set up our big tent as a sun block for the main stage. Music, food and a parade were the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday.

The next day, we moved the big tent to the Sunday Parkways East Portland edition. We also set up a booth at the nearby Ed Benedict Park for the East Portland Expo. The roads were packed, and our location at Bloomington Park was a ideal for viewing all of the riders making their way around the four and a half mile car-free loop. Now that Sunday Parkways has grown to five rides over the summer, there are more rides that target folks who want to try riding a bike, but are concerned about riding with automobile traffic. And that is a great thing!

Andrew working in the grass at MBO

Andrew working in the grass at MBO

Mountain Bike Oregon was this past weekend too and Bike Gallery sent mechanics to make sure the rough terrain of Oakridge Oregon didn’t get the better of people’s bikes. I was lucky to be able to help out at this event. I have been riding mountain bikes in Oakridge for about 15 years now and it is always a treat to get to experience this beautiful area. Oakridge is a small town located at the confluence of the middle and north forks of the Willamette River high up in the Cascades. The town was grown on a diet of logging, but after the mills closed the town shrank and began to die. Recently, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Mountain Bike Oregon, Oakridge is becoming known as the best mountain bike destination in the state. Mountain Bike Oregon is in its 5th year and has exposed the trail systems to hundreds of people. The town has experienced a bit of a renaissance in the last two years. A brewpub opened up in the old downtown area where boarded up storefronts are more common than open businesses. Also, in the last year a hostel and a bakery have opened up just down the street from the pub. It’s clear that mountain biking has been a huge factor in helping put Oakridge on the radar of people who are looking for a place to enjoy the outdoors, and hopefully this will spur more growth and a stronger economy in a town that can desperately use some help.

Dean Tracy (right) celebrates a team sprint win at the AVC (photo Janice Tracy)

Dean Tracy (right) celebrates a team sprint win at the AVC (photo Janice Tracy)

This was also the weekend of the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge. The AVC brings world class track racers to Portland for the three day race. The Alpenrose track is one of only around 20 tracks in the US and is even more unique because it is made of concrete instead of wood, and is longer and steeper (and bumpier) than just about any other track out there. Hollywood staffer and Alpenrose local, Dean Tracy raced to a win in the team sprint while setting a new track record! Congratulations Dean!

And during all of this bike activity, we managed to show two of the most exciting stages of the Tour de France yet live, at out Hollywood store. This weekend was a lot of work and a lot of fun. How was your weekend?

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Enjoy summer on one of our popular Wine Rides

Posted by Mickey Deagle | July 6, 2010 – 4:05 pm

Kelly, our Lake Oswego store manager, has built a Bike Gallery tradition with his Wine Rides series, and has managed to raise thousands of dollars for the Children’s Heart Foundation. In fact, every year, Bike Gallery donates 100% of the proceeds of the Wine Rides to the charity.

This weekend will mark our 5th year of joining with some of the top wineries in Oregon with our annual Wine Ride series. The rides begin and end at wineries throughout the Yamhill Valley. The 32-mile ride on July 11th will start and end at Penner Ash Winery. Penner Ash is famous for their Pinot Noir, and is consistently listed in the Wine Spectator top 100.

Our route travels through the rolling hills near Carlton, Yamhill and Lafayette. Each ride includes full support on the course, as well as a catered lunch and wine tasting at the end of the ride. All of this great fun while raising money for The Children’s Heart Foundation, dedicated to funding the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital heart defects. We have rides in August and September, hosted by Vista Hills Winery. Pre Registration is required. Visit ORBike.com to register.

Posted in Events | Comments (3)