Bicyclesport

Good Folks and Good Work

Benjamin Cooley — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:21:17 +0000

When you do stuff for the greater good, you’re not in it for the recognition. Sure, it’s nice to get it, but that’s not what drives you to do it. You get out there because you know there’s work to do and you’ve got the resources to get the work done. Sometimes it’s thankless work, sometimes it’s dirty work, sometimes it’s simple stuff, sometimes it’s fun stuff. Sometimes it’s all that.

Cleaning up on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway Sunday was easy to realize how we’re part of something bigger, and how easy it is for folks coming from seemingly different angles intersect for that greater good. And once at that intersection, it doesn’t take long to figure out there’s a lot we have in common. Getting together with folks from the Carolina Thread Trail and the MS Society over coffee and donuts, rubber gloves and trash bags on a rainy Sunday morning illustrated that point. While none of us likely have cleaning up trash on public property as part of our mission and vision, the call to do some “greater good” is one we’re all capable of answering.

Check out out photo album from our Greenway Cleanup!

Good, Clean Karma THIS SUNDAY!

Benjamin Cooley — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:31:48 +0000

Bicycle Sport and our partners Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance, Carolina Thread Trail and others invite you to come help clean up one of the most loved bike and pedestrian paths in Charlotte: the Little Sugar Creek Greenway! We’ll get it all started where the greenway intersects with Brandywine Road. (Just down the hill from the shop!) We’ll provide trashbags, rubber gloves, and refreshments! All you need to do is BE THERE!

Location: Little Sugar Creek Greenway at Brandywine Rd
Time-Date: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Sunday May 5
Who Participates: Open to everyone!
Cost: FREE!
Contact: Bicycle Sport @ http://bicyclesport.com/ or 704.335.0323

Up on Two Wheels

Benjamin Cooley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:18:46 +0000

They did it! They learned to ri de! The kids (and parents) who came out Sunday didn’t leave disappointed. If you came out Sunday, you REALLY wanted to learn to ride. And if you came out Sunday, you left WITHOUT training wheels – good for you! It was amazing to see what a couple of guys from here at Bicycle Sport and a handful of like-minded friends could pull off.

There’s something pretty great about learning to ride. That freedom and independence you earn from getting up on two wheels and finally realizing your world is just about to get a whole lot bigger. You’re gonna see more stuff, do more things, and go more places than you ever did before. And you might get there faster, too, but that’s up to you. You might never race your bike or travel the world with it, but now that you can ride you’ll always have those options open to you. And if you never do, no worries. You’ll be able to ride to school, ride to the store, ride to a friend’s house, and on and on.

More of us on bicycles means more advocates for a bicycle-friendly community, making it safer and more fun for everyone no matter how and where we ride. And we just grew that community a little more Sunday. That’s pretty awesome. Take a look at our photo album to see more.

Learn to RIDE! Sunday, April 28 1PM – 4PM

Benjamin Cooley — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:09:19 +0000

Hey! Bicycle Sport and our partners at CABA want to teach 100 kids to ride a bike! That’s right. 100 NEW cyclists here in the 704. It’s one of the first BIG events in this year’s BIKE! Charlotte, and we’re happy to host!

What: Learn to Ride a Bike!
When: Sunday, April 28 1PM – 4PM
Where: Alexander Graham Middle School track
Why: Why not?! To take the burden off nervous parents, ease the next generation of cyclists into the lifestyle we love, and grow the Charlotte cycling community by 100 members – IN ONE DAY! That’s got to be a record somewhere!

This is a FREE event! No registration required, just bring your bike and your helmet, and we’ll get you up on two wheels using the proven, no-stress balance bike method of learning to ride.

Still got questions? No problem! Just call us at the shop at 704.335.0323!

All about some bikes this weekend!

Benjamin Cooley — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:17:52 +0000

Whether you love bikes, like bikes or would just like to meet bikes, get an early jump on a weekend FULL of it, with TrekFest, a Cannondale Demo Day, and the Bicycle Sport Tour de Food Trucks! OK, we made up that last one – sort of!

TrekFest begins April 11 at Bicycle Sport! It’s the annual Spring Sale from America’s favorite bike brand. Check out the link above to whet your appetite for YOUR Trek, then come by the shop to get your fit on, and ride away happy!

Bicycle Sport Tour de Food Trucks: OK, this is for real! We’ll roll out of the shop just after closing time (7PM) this Friday, April 12 and sample the now-famous fare of the Charlotte food truck scene. We’re keepin’ it casual, so leave the race rig and spandex at home. Everyone’s welcome!

Cannondale Demo Day: THIS SATURDAY, April 13 at Bicycle Sport. From 10AM – 2PM, the Cannondale Demo rig will be at the shop to show off ALL of Cannondale’s high-zoot rides! You like it dirty? Check out the crazy-light Scalpel 29′er and other great MTB’s. Prefer the pavement? Covered. The SuperSix EVO is waiting in the stable for you come Saturday. All sorts of sizes, so no one’s left out!

Got questions? Call us at the shop at 704.335.0323, or hit us on Facebook!

Doubling Down (again!)

Benjamin Cooley — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:40:19 +0000

Starting at zero-dark-thirty, or 4:15AM Friday morning to be exact, nearly two dozen Charlotte area cyclists rolled out of town and across the nearly 220 miles of asphalt between here and Charleston, SC. There, they’ll meet 40,000 of their closest friends for Saturday’s Cooper River Bridge Run. It’s a little something called the “Double Down”.

For the unchurched, the “Double Down” is a roughly 220 mile ride Friday (4/5/13) capped with a Saturday 10K road race spanning the architectural marvel that is the Cooper River Bridge. Piece of cake, right? Or at least as cakey as 12-plus hours of cycling over all sorts of Carolina backroads and then humping that bridge along the 6.2 miles from Mount Pleasant to Charleston can be.

No, this is not a charity event and these guys aren’t professional cyclists. They’re bankers, bakers, candlestick makers (OK, probably not), small business owners and regular guys who all love to ride and are willing to take on the challenge, the scenery and the experience that is the “Double Down”. And the worst best part? More than half of the folks who rode out tomorrow have doubled down before. Proof positive that it’s survivable. Crazy, perhaps, but indeed survivable.

What the? Who’s idea was this, anyway? Glad you asked. Blame former shop owner Ilan Paltrow for this one. What started as a one man attempt at covering the distance in 2006 has now grown into a full-blown – yet unofficial – event that’s now in it’s seventh iteration. No entry fees, no t-shirts, no sag wagon. Just a bunch of folks on bikes turning a routine 10K into something completely epic. Perfect!

Ed., If you’re reading this on 4/5/13 follow their posts on BicycleSport’s Facebook page, or #bicyclesport or #doubledown on twitter!

Getting Dropped

Benjamin Cooley — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:02:36 +0000

This time of year is an exciting and terrible time for me. With the cold weather frequently breaking for glorious and unsettling days of warm temperatures, the temptation to ride my bike is irresistible. My winter fantasies of fast pace riding have been building up for months–now its finally time to get dropped. The first few rides of the year can be pretty excruciating, as you slowly relearn to embrace the sting of muscular endurance. Suddenly the hardened form and fast riding you remember from the fall is replaced by legs that want to give up. Where is your top end speed? where is the power you remember? Possibly the best part is being demoralized by the ‘stay fit’ riders, those prefer to keep their speed all year long. These factors make it easy to turn away from group riding in the beginning. No one likes to get dropped from their ride. It’s all too easy to allow our cycling to become ego driven, and giving into that monster is one short coming I am intimate with. You don’t have to let it get the better of you. Ride humble and remember that everyone has good and bad days on their bike.

Of course my message is one of encouragement: I’m here to tell you that the year is long, and there is much cycling yet to be done. Get yourself dropped. Heave and curse your bike for all it’s mechanical failures. Pull in the pace line, and leave nothing for recovery. Racing yourself to get into shape is frustrating, but your legs are not on your side yet. They need to be broken like wild horses. Remember, there’s light at the end of the tunnel vision. Pushing yourself now will jump start your fitness for the year. Do not be afraid to find out where you limits are. Every time you do, they will be a little further than where you left them.

Cyclist and their coffee.

Benjamin Cooley — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:37:40 +0000

Ask any cyclist what is involved with living a cyclist lifestyle and 9 times out of 10 coffee will part of there routine. Cycling is a social sport for most of us. Every day around the globe riders are starting their rides from a coffee shop, stoping mid-ride for a coffee fix or swaping stories of the ride over a cup at their favorite coffee houses. So we decided like so many before us to have our own coffee made.

Local running and cycling phenom Zach Dewey (scene above) and employee of Bicycle Sport pointed us towards the Red Rooster Roasting company in Floyd, Va where he grew up. After much debate ( beer drinking and arguing) we settled on 5:15 morning roast and the Backyard blend. We are pleased to announce the first shipment is on its way. So bring a mug and come on by we will be brewing daily. (that is once it gets here)

Benjamin Cooley — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:19:37 +0000

The 12 (not 16) days of Christmas tradition continues at Bicycle Sport. As usual 1 item per day will be up for grabs at drastically low prices. In store pick up only. Supplies are limited. Email, Twitter, Blog and Facebook will be updated daily with the Deal of the Day at 10:00 am.

Merry Christmas

Cranks Giving

Benjamin Cooley — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:43:58 +0000

This Saturday November 17th 2012 Noon Independence Park