biking

Do You Know Sun & Ski Sports Has a Great Bike Shop Inside?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments
Full service repair shop with well-trained techs.

Sun & Ski Sports has been one of A Dude Abikes’s go-to shops since he participated in the Mamma Jamma Ride to Beat Breast Cancer in 2015. A representative of the store was at a training ride and offered a really generous discount on repairs and parts for participants. I took him up on that and found that my old mechanic from a local shop was now was there.

So it felt like kismet, and they always treat me right, so I keep going back. In this post I’ll have some photos of the shop and let you know a few things about it. By the way, if this sounds like a commercial, it is not a sponsored post — I actually do shop here and believe in the store and everything I’ve written below. But hey, Sun & Ski, if you love this, let A Dude know!

Origins, Selection and Locations

Sun & Ski started in 1980 as Tennis & Ski as mostly a snow sports shop. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, and now with 30 stores from Colorado to Massachusetts, they have a wide selection. From bikes and accessories (sunbelt) and patio furniture (northeast), outdoor clothing, camping gear, swimwear, running apparel, Garmin, Go Pro and other technology, sunglasses, and lots more, you’ll find it. For the full selection, see www.SundandSki.com and here’s a full list of brands.

One of the benefits to shopping at Sun & Ski is that because of their size, they can get good pricing from suppliers. But unlike big box stores, they don’t carry every single sporting item under the sun. This combination of a good selection and good pricing makes them a better option for many items. I got a great pair of Vasquez hiking boots for my big trip up north in 2016. (See my blog post Mountain Time: Biking and Hiking the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming.)

Good Customer Service Really Is Important

Trent packing his pricing pistol… and his perpertually pleasant smile.

On top of selection and price is customer service. I’ve never had a bad experience at this store, at least not one I can remember. A few times when it was really busy, I’ve waited longer than I wanted, but that’s life. All the workers there are friendly and knowledgable. Nobody’s perfect, but they do their best to do a good job and often go above and beyond.

Mike the bike shop manager takes time to explain any issues. He’ll make suggestions on what my options are for either parts, repairs or accessories knowing that I’m on a low budget. If he thinks I can save money by buying the part and fixing something myself, he’ll tell me. And sometimes I do go to Austin Yellow Bike Project. But usually I’d rather have a pro do it. This is not always the case at some other bike shops, I’ve noticed. I’ve given shout outs to other great local shops before, though.

Another perk is is the return policy. They will work with you to come up with a good solution if you buy something that doesn’t work. Of course, save that receipt and don’t wait too long!

Repair is Top Notch

Services list gives several options for tune-ups.

The shop has a variety of service levels for different needs. They won’t overcharge you for a full tune-up if you just need a new tire. I’ve had wheels rebuilt, drive train overhauled, wheels trued, brake and shifter cables replaced, and plenty of other work done to the old Fuji Silhouette. I ended up putting alot more miles on it than anyone expected, but they were still happy to work on the bike.

So they are definitely NOT “bike snobs” who will only talk to you if you have a really expensive bike. Because of their good work, buying a new bike has not been needed. Of course I want a way fancier bike than my budget allows. They do have a layaway and credit programs if that interests you.

In Summation (Or Sunnation, if You Prefer)

Matias works on a Fuji mountain bike.

There’s alot more to say about the store, like the other departments, directions, hours, and so on. Alot of that you can find on their website. But I mostly just know about the bike shop, so I’ve limited my comments to that. Overall, it’s a great place that I enjoy visiting when I’m cycling by on my way to Shoal Creek as I was tonight or to other parts west, even when I don’t need to buy something.

If you’re near a Sun & Ski and haven’t checked one out before, you might want to go on by. If not, you can look at their website and see if they have anything you want. Tell ’em A Dude sent ya! Of course if it’s not in Austin they’re going to say who?

Handy list of everything you might need to get or fix.
A large selection of all kinds of bikes.
Kids bikes are available too.
The back of my Pro shirt logo; I love the slogan.
You can sign up for the Pro program too!
032318 Sun and Ski Sports ride
Today’s ride was longer than anticipated, not too fast, but the weather was pleasant and I found some legs so stretched it out a bit after a few days of not feeling great. More soon!

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THANK YOU! www.ADudeAbikes.com

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The outside sign in the sun.

The Austin Bomber Got Caught and Self-Exploded; Book Writing Day Photos

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

I’m sure you can find plenty of media about the Austin serial bomber. I’m against the death penalty but sociopaths deserve life in prison or a mental hospital. Maybe we’ll find out his motives. But he was a millennial, white, male, conservative, Christian, bigoted domestic terrorist who killed two African-Americans and injured four, one of whom was Latina, so that tells us alot.  It’s a sad situation.  Maybe there is such a thing as karma.

Today and tomorrow are book writing days, so enjoy a few photos.

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10 Ways to Make the Most of South by Southwest (SXSW)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

Research bands, sessions, films, etc. in advance. If you’re a middle-aged person like me, reading lists of younger music acts is like reading another language: you don’t understand a word. But unless you use the Filter by genre or Listen features on the SXSW app and also Spotify or other music streaming service, you are doomed to wander into random bars and are likely to get stuck listening to something you hate. There are also plenty of Twitter pages and websites that help you with making choices.

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Retired Pro Tour Cyclist Ted King on “We Got to Hang Out” Podcast at SXSW Day 6!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

Hanging Out with Cool Cycling Celebrities

Today at the South by Southwest convention / festival / happening / big mess o’ people, I lucked into a podcast by three cyclists from Portland, Oregon.  Anna Grace Christiansen, Annalisa Fish, and Abby Watson at www.WeGotToHangOut.com (which you should totes check out) have a funny and informative podcast about bicycling.  Today’s guest was retired professional bike rider and now entrepreneur Ted King.  He raced in the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana and was a domestique for star Peter Sagan, so he’s the real deal.  So lucky for me, I got to ask a question on air and then meet and chat with all of them afterward.  That made it a pretty easy decision to feature them in today’s A Dude Abikes blog!  Readers:  you’re welcome. Continue reading →

There Will Be Blog: 77.7 Miles Last Week + SXSW Day 4 with Oscar-Nominee Vera Farmiga + SLEEP Concert

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

“Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”  Will Smith in the movie as Chris Gardner from his book The Pursuit of Happyness

The Book: Something Written This Way Will Come

I drafted some notes and put down a plan to write my book that’s been in my head for a while. I still have questions and will need to find both some information and some inspiration about it, but the main thing is to write. Walter Mosley the celebrated author told me to take a year and do it. Leonard Maltin the well-known film critic told me to just write and expand my presence on social media. Mario the marketing guy at the Fox Sports party said I have a story and I should tell it. 151 blog followers are telling me to do it, indirectly at least. Continue reading →

This Is My 100th Blog Post — The Year in Review So Far

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 16 Comments

Well, I’ve done it!  I’ve made it to the mythical 100th blog post.  It’s my 69th of 2018, and I’ve totalled over 102,000 words since I began blogging on January 1, 2016.  It’s been an interesting, fun, exhausting experiment telling my story as a bicyclist as well as exploring other topics like health, politics, culture and more.  In this post I’ll review my progress thus far this year and look at what I still need to work on.  I stayed in today and unpacked more, organized alot, and cooked, and so I’m itching to go on at least a metaphorical ride.  Got your helmet on?  Good, let’s go! Continue reading →

Intro v. Extro: What Type of Vert Are You?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

Many years ago, when I was living in our nation’s cesspool, I mean capitol, I had the occasion to retake the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This personality test, based on ideas by famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, shows you what your tendencies and preferences are in 16 different areas. One of the main categories is whether you are internally focused or externally focused, or introverted or extroverted.

I told the person grading the test they did it wrong, because my results were always the same, and I was right. I’m pretty much in the middle, but on the introverted sign. Working as a volunteer at SXSW EDU the last four days, I’ve been reminded that I need alot of down time to recharge from interacting with other people, whereas for extroverted people, they are energized by being with other people. So I thought it an interesting topic worth exploring a bit.

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