Two Things

Where Do I Take My Bike Now?

The city I live in is called Waterloo, Iowa. It has a population of over 67,000 people and it has zero bicycle shops as of last week. The only shop within the city limits, Waterloo Bicycle Works, closed its doors for business. I was there last week and listened as the owner was asked if he was going to relocate, or re-open at some point, and the answer was not positive. I cannot say more since I do not speak for the owner there. 

So, it looks as though we're out of luck here when it comes to a local bike shop. There are other shops nearby in Cedar Falls. One just across the city limits and one on the West side of down town Cedar Falls. There is also a big-box Scheels bike shop, but yeah.... Not really a local bike shop there, per se'. This for a metropolitan area covering 170,000 plus people in the official metropolitan statistical area. 

I hear there is an eBike shop in Waverly, a mere 12 miles North of Cedar Falls, but yeah.... This does not seem good to me. With the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective being the only bicycle related business  in town now, I suspect I'll be hearing from more people about where to go for repairs, since we do not handle that need at the Collective. We defer to those trying to make it in retail, since we are non-profit. 

Strange days here. 

Goodbye Monstercross!

The time had come. The ol' 2011 Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross just wasn't getting any love anymore. 

Longtime blog readers know I do not like a bicycle sitting around which I don't ride, and the BMC Monstercross wasn't getting ridden at all anymore. It's too nice a bicycle to just let sit there. 

So, I think I found a 'good home' and I decided to pass it along to someone who was looking for a nice bike to get the single speed experience. I think this bike will fill this rider's desires nicely.  

Now, before anyone says, "I didn't know you were selling that!", you should also know I did not sell it. This simply was just an opportunity I found to make someone happy and help them get into a single speed who has been a very kind person to me of late.  

So, the Monstercross will get ridden, and I will remember with fondness all the adventures I had on this bicycle. The first Renegade Gents Race, the Moonlight Metric, and several gravel rides into headwinds, through melting snows, and across rutted Level B Roads. 

The bike owes me nothing. I got all the good out of it I wanted. It sold a lot of bicycles for Black Mountain Cycles as well, if what Mike Varley told me is true, and why wouldn't it be? So, old Orange Crush is off to a new life with a new owner who, hopefully, will share many a fun ride.  

Maybe I'll see it around here being enjoyed someday?  Hope so.