Ask A Shop Rat

Dirt Kicks My Butt

2009-03-19T17:29:00.001-07:00

I've been a slacker all winter. It's true. Finally temps in the 70's. Dry. Sunny. I hit the trail.
1.5 hours of trail-running. ~ 2 hours on the MTB. I was tired and dirty and hungry. Finally.

Saturday

2009-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

I spent Saturday on the commuter bike. First stop, Community Rummage Sale where I picked up a bagful of vintage costume jewelry. Price? $4.00. Totally worth it.

Later I pedaled down to the Columbus Bar for some fried-food goodness with friends. We started with fried pickles (amazing actually) and moved on to fried green tomatoes (pictured above) which I found quite tasty when paired with the chipotle mayo.

The girls just got back from a cold and wet road race, so they deserved the funnel cake "fries for dessert!

NAHBS comes to town

2009-03-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show was in Indianapolis IN this past weekend.
I have to admit it is a bit like being the proverbial kid in the candy shop.

I enjoyed meeting the frame builders and talking to them about their craft. I was particularly charmed by this builder's sketch-book. It was cool to see the idea from conception to finished product:

Never Hurts to have a little mojo workin'.

Breakdown 2008

2008-10-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

Breakdown 2008

2008-10-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Breakdown 2008

2008-10-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

THIS is what it's all about!

Saturday Morning

2008-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog I intended to write about working in a bike shop. Lately though I find myself more interested in the things I see, the people I meet and the errands I run while on my bike. It has become my habit, on Saturday mornings, to hop on my townie and ride to the local farmers' market.

Today's Find: these wonderful green (and purple!) beans. I usually toss green beans with walnut oil and toasted almonds....but I was inspired by these multi-hued beauties and so I toasted black and white sesame seeds instead. I finished the beans with toasted sesame oil and coarse sea salt. Mmmmmm! (If you are wondering about the chopsticks, I always eat greenbeans with chopsticks. They work really well)

I rode to the beer-store as well. I wonder which IPA goes best with greenbeans???

Hurray: our apple tree is bearing fruit and they are delicious. I'll slice these to eat with cheese or, if I get reallllly inspired, bake a tart later.

Farmers' Market

2008-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The perfect hot summer day to hop on the bike and cruise downtown to the local Famers' Market.

Some local color.

More local color. The vendor of these heirloom tomatoes was really into his product which piqued my interest. I rode home and had a breakfast of sliced tomatoes with basil on a toasted sesame bagel. Awesome!

Later I made a "Local Ratatouille". All of the produce was either from my garden or the local farmers (the lemons in the background were from a previous grocery store trip).

2008-07-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Thursday Night Ride

Playing with Art

This ride was dubbed the "Short Shorts Ride"

The group stops to ponder a tree full of "Bikes 4 Sale".

Fixie Love

2008-07-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Dumpster Bike is complete. I've been riding this all over town.
Did a little "thrift stores" ride and found a radio and some shoes:

And a super-duper magnet set. Fun with Fridge Magnets:

Let's Talk About Valve Stems

2007-09-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Telephone : {{{{bringgg bringggg}}}

Shop Rat: "Hello, Bob's Bike Shop. How may I help you?"

Customer: "Well. I have a flat tire. And I have these....funny....tubes"

*****************

Presta VS. Schrader 101

We'll stick with these two since these are what you most often see in the U.S.

Schrader:

Looks like your car's valve stem. Can be filled with any compressor or at the gas station.

Presta:

To fill a presta valve, unscrew the top nut (righty-tighty, lefty loosey) and depress. The tube is ready to be inflated. Most modern bicycle pumps have either "smart heads" capable of inflating either valve stem style or two holes in the pump head (the smaller hole fits the presta valve).

If you have a compressor, an old-school pump or you need to top off at the gas station invest ~$1-2 in a valve stem adapter:

A note about those little plastic valve caps: You don't really need them. Most racers toss them (extra time/extra weight) but if you really really ~must~ have those little plastic gems, just ask. We have plenty.

2007-09-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "Ask A Shop Rat".

I’ve been working in bicycle shops, on and off, sometimes part-time, for over a decade now.

I LOVE what I do. I sell happiness. And freedom. And health. Nine times out of ten my customers are happy and excited to be where they are. Many of my customers either are my friends and riding companions or become so.

The purpose of this blog is not to hurt or offend. It is meant to be a) a steam-valve of sorts for myself and my fellow bike shop employees and b) educational/thought provoking for cyclists and potential cyclists.

That being said, I do have a rather dry/dark/snarky sense of humor. If I offend you, quit reading and…..GO RIDE YOUR BIKE!