bicycle sport shop

Trek Bicycle Austin: An Update

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

The sale, transfer, rebranding and re-opening of Bicycle Sports Shops to Trek Bicycle Austin is complete. (Although as I cycled by the Lamar Main Store yesterday, and Guadalupe the other day, the old signage is still there.) They sent a message saying:

The beginning of a beautiful friendship. Hey, Austin! We’re Trek Bicycle, and we’re so excited to join your community. Your local Bicycle Sport Shops are now Trek Bicycle stores, and we’re dedicated to carrying on their legacy of incredible customer service, community involvement, and—of course—awesome bikes and gear. We welcome you to drop by one of our five locations to see what’s new. We can’t wait to ride with you!

Here are some more details about the cha-cha-changes.

Continue reading →

Austin’s Bicycle Sport Shop Sells to Trek Bikes

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 16 Comments

I read the news today, oh boy. Actually, I learned about Bicycle Sport Shop and its, um, transition, a while ago, but I just hadn’t got around to sharing it here. As it turned out, I stopped by the Lamar flagship store and they were having their going out of business clearance sale. While there, I picked up two items and had a chance to chat with a few mechanics, including one from the Guadalupe service-only location. (It shut down temporarily after my post Which Austin, Texas Bike Shops Are Open During the COVID-19 Shelter in Place?.) Here’s a short post about the news.

Continue reading →

My Top 10 Bicycling Holiday Gift Wish List

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments
Yes, Santa bikes! Source: Bicycle Touring Guide

A while ago I wrote a post about “manifesting abundance” — whether it really works or is horse manure. As with matters spiritual I’m an agnostic atheist, so in this case I’m going to say the jury is still out. So it occurred to me with Chanukah and other holidays around the corner that there is a lot of stuff I need for my bicycle habit. In case the Universe, Elon Musk or someone is listening, I’ve complied a list.

You never know, maybe there are some secretly rich fans out there with wads of cash money burning big holes in their pockets who weren’t aware that I’m not burdened with the filthy lucre. (As for whether I’ve been naughty or nice, well, whatever the gift-giving goddesses need to hear is the correct answer.) My go-to shops are Sun & Ski Sports, The Peddler Bike Shop, Clown Dog Bikes and Bicycle Sports Shop. After all, wasn’t it Jesus himself who said, “Ask, and you shall receive”? You don’t want to go against that guy, right? But totally seriously, here’s my list, y’all. One thing’s for sure: Biking sure ain’t cheap.

Continue reading →

Two More Austin Bike Shops Are Closing

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

It’s no secret that while bicycling is popular, bike shops are suffering. This hit home for A Dude when he was in Bicycle Sport Shop on Guadalupe yesterday and learned that it was going to shut down. Retail will stop on September 28, but repairs may continue for a little while. When word hit two years ago hat the local chain was taking over the site of dearly departed Ozone Bikes (which lasted 23 years!), people were happy and relieved.

BSS will still have four stores in the Austin area.

But the sales of nearby college students and homeowners never materialized. It’s especially sad because this is where Sophie the Fairdale Weekender Archer that I won in a raffle came from here, and I’ve gotten to know the shop folks. The good news is that all the employees they’ll all be able to be absorbed into the remaining BSS shops to keep their jobs.

Continue reading →

A Dude Abikes Likes: ABUS Ultra 410 + Loop Cable Bicycle Lock

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

I’ve mentioned bike products that I use and like before, but today you’re in luck: I’m starting a new feature here on A Dude Abikes: A Dude Abikes Likes. (Trademark pending.) Pretty catchy, right? Today I picked a lock… up, from the Bicycle Sport Shop Guadalupe location (formerly Ozone Bikes). It’s made by ABUS, Security Tech Germany, and if you have something you need to secure, this is a very good one. (NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. But hey, ABUS, if you like my post, email A Dude, and we’ll talk!) Please click on through to read my mini-review.

Continue reading →

Fast, Furious, Foothillacious Friday Forty-Miler on the Fairdale

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Bicycling is a violent sport.  I don’t mean falling off, crashing into trees or getting hit by cars.  (That stuff also happens.) I mean in the sense that, depending on how you ride, you are punishing your body in some form or fashion.  This is true of most physical activities and sports.  But when you go that extra mile, and push yourself beyond your comfort level, you are into suffering, pain and yes, violence.  The human body is quite resilient and can usually handle what an athlete (in my case, fathlete) throws at it, and it will eventually recover.  Tonight was one of those times where I was challenged quite a lot, and on a bad road, I was eventually dropped.  But the greater the challenge, the more one learns about oneself.  Tonight’s unexpected group ride (my third in about as many weeks!) was a prime example.  Come with me on this hairy, scary ride!  Continue reading at: https://wp.me/p75hY4-1JT

Continue reading →

More Pucking Functures! Five Fixes for Frequent Flats Free From Frustration

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

Lately I’ve had a string of bad luck with holes in my tires. It’s like Jack Alehurst of Life Behind Bars said, if he were Jerry Seinfeld: “Doncha hate it when you’ve been off your bike for a while and finally decide to go for a ride, only to find it has a flat tire?” Or maybe Robin would say to the caped crusader: “Holy holes, Batman!” Well that’s been a factor for me this last week. Some mysterious, one my fault, and well, it gets frustrating and expensive. So here’s a little recap and then a little advice.

Continue reading →

20 Mile Bike Ride in the Austin Summer Sun

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

Hey there!  Yes, you, reading this blog.  Let me say thank you.  I really appreciate it.  You’re one of a select, special number of people who will see this.  That’s pretty cool.  Sure, it might be nice if thousands saw it, but I kinda like it like this.  It’s more intimate.  Although I’ve never met most of you, it’s like I’m telling a handful of friends about my bike ride.   So yeah, let me tell you about it. Continue reading →

I Just Passed 10,000 Miles Riding My Fuji Bicycle in 2.5 Years. That’s Awesome!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

Fuji 10,100.7 miles
Strava doesn’t lie.

The other day I checked my Strava stats and found that I had biked 10,100.7 miles on my Fuji Silhouette since Janurary 1, 2016.   I knew that I was honing in on this milestone but was surprised that it snuck up on me.  It’s a pretty awesome achievement — another notch in the belt of my amateur bicycling story.  Not too shabby!  In fact, that’s awesome!  So in this blog I’ll cover some of the thoughts I’ve had after reaching this pretty incredible achievement. Continue reading →