Things are starting to swing..

It's mid April already and the cycling season is in full swing!There are a ton of great rides and events over the next month or so..Keep up with all of them on the MRC Rides,Races, and Events Page or on the MRC Facebook page..
Quick list of things to come:
Thurs April 21st; Free Gearing Clinic 6:00pm, Both MRC Locations
Sunday May 1st; Pave de Old Brooklyn, experience a new Spring Classic
Sunday May 8th; Buddhaful Spin Group Rides and Sunrise Salutations, Polo Fields 7:30/9:00
Saturday May 14th; Tour De Solon.
Sunday May 15th; MRC's TEAM CRC Chippewa Creek Road Race, Brecksville reservation.
then.....2 weeks to .....Blossom Time Parade, MRC's biggest party of the year
Then on to June, July and August: Sunday in June, Right Side of the Road Tour..and so much more..

Other Fun Facts: How do the researchers at NASA's John Glenn Reasearch Center get around on their MASSIVE complex that looks like something out of the TV show lost (seriously, there are some weird looking buildings and train tracks to now where)On their new fleet of Kona Africa and World bikes! Thats right NASA now rocks and rides Kona. What will the first bike on the moon be? and they better not let a bunch of fixed gear hipsters up there.

race face closes its doors...

more here...
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Race-Face-Closes-the-Doors.html?trk=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

race face has been a great component company, and has a loyal following (including yours truly).  this is sad news; however, when one door closes, one opens.  so lets see what happens in the future with the former employees...

Frostbike Recap

Where to begin...Last Thursday Nick,Russ,and Jacob headed up to balmy Minneapolis for the Quality Bicycle Products(our largest and best parts supplier) annual Frostbike trade show. This used to be a "mini" show and has quickly turned in to one of the industry's premier events. Lot's of seminars,vendors,happy hours,and all around "get ready for the season" vibe.
The first night included a stop at One on One bikes, a Bicycle Studio, Coffee shop, all around cool place. Classic bikes from the 30's to the 90's mix with present day beauties. There may be 15 new bikes on the floor, and 200 in the basement. A cool, unorthadox approach, but impressive. When Nick asked "should we be scared of anything in the basement?" and the response was "just the scary old man" Ididn't really belive them...WOW. We should get one of the those guys for the Chardon Basement! Friday was a bunch of seminars, as well as Sat morning. These are the real deal, designed to help us serve you better and run our business better fot the future. Mountain Road was even featured in the Social Media seminar (as a good thing!)Then on to check out all of the great vendors including Garmin, Michelin, Selle Itaila, Shimano, Sram, Pearl Izumi, Smartwool, Cateye and soo soo many more.We are all refreshed and ready for the season....
...that was until we tried to come home Sunday morning. Huge storm, cancelled flights, lost baggage, frozen car...and next thing you know we are home at 3AM on Tues. None the less, big props to QBP & their LEED certified building, truly a leader in the bike biz, helping us help serve you better...
and Russ achieved his dream of meeting the Michelin Man

the name is ART VANDELAY......

Circulus from machine project on Vimeo.

It's January so......

Since it is snowing and Cleveland and cold and we are not currently drinking beer and racing pugsley's we can only dream right....

So after perusing Bike magazine and looking at all the fancy pictures, KBtambo bike tours and hotel looks pretty good. Who doesn't want to Mountain Bike around Machu Picchu??

Or perhaps a bit closer to home...The Land of the Water Falls sounds pretty good for both Road and Mountain . It's been a few years since I have been there but the riding is some of the best around. Plus you get to say " I'm riding in Transylvania"

OR sit at the computer googling the Orly Owl. However if you are on a bike trip, riding your bike with friends, somewhere in the mountain, deserts, or through ruins I think it wise to relax and have a good time.....no throwing your bike !!!

Seal of Approval

Product we like: Enduro's fork seals.  A bit more info here.

For the second time, we replaced the stock seals on about a four-year-old Fox F32 Talas Terralogic that, after years of what we'd consider hard riding on a Moots Zirkel, looked like this:

Yuck!

Enduro's upgraded seals boast dual-lip seals under the wiper that keep the muck from your favorite trail, park, or landfill off your stanchions, while keeping your fluids in the fork.  We've replaced them on a dozen or so models of Fox forks.  So far, no leakage with these blue babies:

So fresh and so clean

 

Spotlight: Bikes 4 Kids

As we're in the holiday spirit of Christmas giving, we'd like to give a nod to Kim Schaefer and his non-profit bicycle donation program, "Bikes-4-Kids."

Started in 2005, Bikes-4-Kids has steadily grown as "there are always more kids than bikes...each year we are able to reach out to more and more great children," Kim says.

Customers frequently ask us what they can do with their old kids' bikes. We offer to take them off your hands, after which we fix 'em up, and donate them to programs like Bikes-4-Kids. It's a win for everyone - you don't have to worry about leaving a bike on the curb, and people like Kim repurpose used bikes for deserving kids.

This past weekend, we donated over a dozen used and gently used bikes. Kim even had to make two trips with his truck.


So next time you're wondering what to do with that old Huffy, Diamondback, or Giant in your garage, bring it on by. It's sure to find a home.