Moots Moot-X YBB w/ drop bar:

Another bike at the Berea shop turning heads is this Moots Mooto-X YBB. It is there 29er model with the YBB suspension. The YBB give the bike about an 1 1/8” of rear travel. This is just enough to take the edge off of the trail, and keep the rear tire on the ground where it belongs. With this minimal amount of travel, there is no need for a pivot. The Ti has the natural ability to flex just that much.

This is their stock 18” frame. The smallest frame size they make in this model with the YBB option.  As you can tell the build list is top of the line. The drive train is a 2x10 set up with Sram XX crankset, front & rear derailleur, and cassette (one of the most beautiful cassettes I have ever seen, so light; really a work of art), with Sram Red levers.

The wheelset is Stan’s ZTR rims laced to Hope hubs. To stop this beast are Avid BB7 road mechanical disc.

Up front is a Fox 32 Float 29; 100mm of plush goodness up front. Steering is taken care of by a Cane Creek 110.

And yes, drop bars (Salsa Bell Lap) on a mtn bike. Drop bars on a mtn bike kind of serve the same purpose as they do on a road bike. More hand position options. So you are able to move around the cockpit more as the terrain warrants.  Also getting down into the drops on some downhill sections becomes a fun feeling. Able to get lower also changes your center of gravity and how you are able to react.  Also you are able to play with your torque on some climbs. Again moving your positioning around the bike to get a different perspective on the climb.

Thanks for checking it out. 

And remember that we are the only Moots dealer north of Columbus in Ohio. So come in and talk to us about your dream Ti bike, or just about Moots in general; and it might as well be a Moots, the best Ti in the business. 

Ti is a beautiful material. The feel you get from your first ride, will be the same years from now.

This fits into this....very cool.

What custom Moots Vamoots CR with S & S couplers would be complete with out its travel case? Made by S&S this case is only 26x26x10 and is considered std luggage for all airlines..

Kona Bags

You read that right. Kona is now making bags. They partnered with http://www.brenthaven.com/ to bring you some amazing bags. You can check out their promo video here:  http://www.konaworld.com/bags.cfm

From this first pic; the shoulder strap bag or messenger bag, they have an integrated light. So you never have to worry about not having a light with you to be seen while your ride. Also metal clips to close the bag. There are magnetic side flaps to make sure no weather gets into the bag. And a front zipper pocket.

 On the inside is a fully waterproof internal dry bag. These fit 16" laptops, I'll have to give the 17" mac users an update later.  Many little pockets and places to put anything on the inside. Two zippered pockets under the flap. And one of the best key fobs I have seen in a bag. The back has a real nice padding. There is also a handle on the top if you don't want to carry it on your shoulder.

It also has a nice integrated phone case; which fits an iPhone.  A nice metal adjustable strap.
All and all, this is a very nice bomb proof bag. And for those of you that know me, know I love my bags, and this one might be taking over the top spot.

Built to last, they are made of water resistant external cordura fabric.

If you want to see one, I'll have mine on me most of the time at the Berea shop, or let the other guys know, and I could have it sent to either C.F. or Chardon for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks and take care.
Enjoy the ride...

Words from Berea:

Some exciting things have been going on at our shop in Berea. First I would like to extend a word of thanks to all the people in the Berea area that have made us feel so welcomed and at home.

We are gearing up for the season, and are in the process of planning some rides in and around Berea.  One coming up that I am planning is what has been dubbed Cleveland Cobbles, and you can find info for that here:

http://www.facebook.com/events/336465126388761/

Also, some builds have been coming along, and I have a few already to put up; but I want to start with our shop bike.

What we have is a Kona World Bike.  The bike came complete with the full front and rear fenders.  The original set up was a three speed internally gear coaster brake, with a hand-brake up front.  However; I wanted something simpler and cleaner looking.  So I took off the front brake, and I changed the internal three speed. What I put on there is from a company named Sturmey Archer (www.sturmey-archer.com), and one of the many fun options they offer is a two speed kick back coaster brake hub. No cables or wear issues, and you simply kick back just before the coaster brake grabs, to change gears. There are only two gears, so it makes it perfect for kicking around Berea to pick up lunch or just to get out for a quick spin to get some fresh air.  Again, this gives the bike the clean look with no cables or anything else on the handlebar.

 

However; what shop bike would be complete without a place to put a cup of coffee? From Portland Design Works (www.ridepdw.com) we have their bar-ista (get it?).  Perfect for grabbing that cup of joe or whatever other cup-o-bean calls; and riding back with both hands on the bars.

Also outfitted with some Blackburn lights, for those night rides in Berea; and a bell.

This is a great kick around/shop bike for Berea. So keep an eye out as we go on our lunch runs, coffee runs, or fresh air runs.

Enjoy…

Bike Shop Rules

Since it is January in the bike store we would like to take minute to clarify some bike shop rules so our employees and customers have some guide lines to follow.. mainly the definition of Beer o' Clock for Bike Stores.

Beer drinking can commence when:

In season (full time busy): When the open sign is turned off and all customers have left.

A) unless a customer brings in beer with in 15 minutes of closing and there is someone else working the floor then the managers may have one with the customer.

B)Sag support for rides; When the participants start eating lunch and you are done driving. This can be anytime between 11am and 1 PM. If not driving and just wrenching, 1 Beer before the start for Breakfast is acceptable, especially if you were up all night repairing bikes.

C)It is your day off, of course you come in to the shop. Yes you can have one but you must hide it from customers. Please try not to parade around with it in front of the other employees. They are already jealous because you have the day off and just rode 50 miles, now they have to watch you drink beer at 2 PM..Not cool.

Cyclocross Season; anytime during, before, or after the event. Regardless of your responsibilities for the day. Remember to at least have a cookie during registration and do not stand to close to the fire in your costume.

Winter: Here is were it gets tricky. We'll break it down into two types of working environments.

A) Standard day at the bike store. Yes it is slow, no you can not start drinking beer yet. Standard procedure is: your working till 8PM and there has been no customer or phone calls since 5PM 30-45 minutes before close is acceptable.

1) Have hiding space behind counter and gum handy. This will ensure no one will come in. Forget those things and your top vegan, recovering alcoholic Triathlete (no offence to you, its us really) will come in for you to adjust his DI2 and pair his Garmin with his power meter...or you will have to fit a kids helmet with mom watching.

B) Construction Projects. Constructions beers can start noticeably earlier. 4PM is Standard. This would be for such things as doing a build out on a new location, Repainting a current one, figuring out how to add 30 more bike to an existing warehouse/basement ect. There are some additional rules to bike shop construction beers. Keep in mind you have probably told your local municipality you are a fully licenced and bonded electrician, plumber, general contractor ect so watch out for surprise inspections

1) Standard Demo work, anything with a reciprocating saw or sledge hammer; Anytime

2) Flooring, Painting, rearranging, building shelving; 3-4 depending on how the day goes.

3) Electrical work: get AT LEAST 3/4 through the job or 4:30

Special Circumstances(all times of year):

You go out to lunch with a customer, company rep, or you have just finished a group ride: Anytime

You are out of town/going out of town to a trade show, product launch, seminar or 24/60/100 mile race

Anytime

I hope this has been helpfull. Our next installment will be on Shop Flow Charts; When to use them?, How many is acceptable to hang in the shop?

@#%$&$^@&* it's only 2'oclock on a Saturday...

In the Press!

Sun News and Cleveland.com recently ran a story on our newest store.

"There is so much available here in the line of bike paths. The city has a designated bike lane right here on Front Street, we have the Cleveland Metroparks, which is terrific, and people are commuting more to work now," he said. "This is a fairly under-serviced market. And the area, with its small, older, historic downtown fits us well."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

MRC alumni Mr. Nick Wright just did a article/interview for FFJournal.net on one of our favorite companies..Moots! READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

"A full-time production staff of 15 makes Moots’ frames by hand, about 1,500 annually, through a precision process that entails designing, mitering, machining, welding and finishing. Tube diameters and thicknesses vary with each bike’s size to maintain ride characteristics for the smallest through largest size. For example, a 56 cm Vamoots, a mid-size classic road frame, would use 1 1/2 in. OD top tube (from the seat to handlebars) and down tube (seat to pedals), with a 0.032 in. or 0.035 in. wall thickness, Cariveau says.
In its 15,000-sq.-ft. shop, Moots uses a half-dozen Bridgeport mills that are set up for different tooling, depending on the cut, cope or slot desired, according to Butch Boucher, quality control manager. “We’ve made a lot of our own mitering fixtures for specific tasks, that’s why we have so many mills,” he says. Additionally, Moots relies on Haas Automation and SuperMax Tools machining centers. “We try to set up as many dedicated tools as we can to do our jobs.”

Cool Happenings...
From the Kona Cog to the MRC Blog, Were Kona's shop of the week!
"Mountain Road Cycles lives its motto “It’s not just a ride around the block, it’s a way of life.”

“We’re a community within a community,” says Jacob English, owner. “We ride with our customers, educate our customers and are very active in our communities.”

English opened the first Mountain Road Cycles shop, Oct 2004, in Chagrin Falls. Three years later came Chardon in 07, and most recently, the third opened the last weekend in Oct 2011, in Berea. All cool, small town settings.

Combined, the managers and staff running Mountain Road Cycles have some 120 years of experience in the bike industry. It’s a history, passion and commitment they live to share.

So what can you expect when you walk into a Mountain Road Cycles shop?


Read the full interview/article here!

How about a cool video from the summer?? Annual W.V trip 2011, featuring music from Jacobs own band Way of Life.


Now thats a whole lot of "way of life talk!" trade mark shop slogans, band names, I guess its what were all about!