Happy New Year to all our loyal (and new) customers!! We can’t wait for 2010!
We will be closed on New Year’s Day, but reopening on Saturday with normal hours (11a-6p).
Have a safe and happy holiday!
Archive for December, 2009
Happy New Year
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Tour de Fence
Monday, December 28th, 2009You’ve all seen the video, now learn about how it went down, via The New York Times.
Team Works
Thursday, December 24th, 2009We love this recent CN article about Richie Sachs’ CX team bikes, specifically Dan Timmerman’s:
Photo: © James Huang
We particularly like the Sachs quote at the end. What some may call Richard’s stubbornness, we feel is just common sense:
“We are at the races to prove a point. That point is to be ambassadors for all of those I just mentioned. (Y)our obligation is to know everything about every company on the kits as well as about every part we use until the season ends. We are at the venues to represent, and represent well. We (the team – you – us – the folks who raced here before 2009) give good brand.”
Suffice it to say that there’s not enough of this kind of loyalty in the bike biz.
$BOTW – Vicious Metal Guru
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
How many adjectives can we use to describe this week’s $ale Bike Of The Week?
Let’s try:
Brand new. Handmade. Steel. Hardtail. Large. Red. Black. Awesome.
And here are some proper nouns:
Full Shimano XT. Thomson stem. Rock Shox REBA fork.
And we’ll leave you with a verb:
Buy!
Was $4000, now $2250
Fix It In A Jif
Friday, December 18th, 2009Our very own Dave Sommerville is known for his ideas. Some of them are good ideas, some are crazy ideas, but this one is just a GENIUS IDEA.
We’ve seen this implemented all different ways, but we love Dave’s version because it reuses something we all have laying around. The (plastic) peanut butter jar.
Encased in the Jif jar is a toolkit, some cash, a tube, and a CO2 cartridge(with room to spare for a snack or 2).
Dave, your Nobel Prize is in the mail…
The 7 Days (Left) of Christmas
Thursday, December 17th, 2009We figured we’d wait until there was only a week left before Christmas to spring our holiday gift list on you. If you’re anything like us, you just realized this morning that Christmas is A WEEK FROM FRIDAY!!
Gulp.
So without further ado, here are 12 great ideas to help you dig out of the gift-giving hole you’ve made for yourself:
Chris King Sotto Voce headset
Bike parts don’t get much classier than this monochromatic take on the legendary King headset. $140
Freight Rucksack
A new addition to the Freight Baggage line up, the rucksack is spacious and user-friendly with its drawstring closure. $168-184
1/2 lb De La Paz espresso beans
Andrew fell in love in SF – luckily for us, this affair is with an espresso bean. $6
NYC Velo Woolie Boolie socks
DeFeet Woolie Boolies are known for being *toasty* warm on or off the bike – once you emblazon them with our logo you’ve got an instant winner! $15
Gore Ultra pants
Just because it’s raining out doesn’t mean you can’t keep your pants dry on the trails or the way to work – while still looking good. $180
Embrocation Cycling Journal
This horizontally generous publication, focusing equally on cycling and design, has taken the bike world by storm over the past year. Pick up a copy to see why. $25
Giro LX LF leather, full finger gloves
Giro proves you don’t have to be Patrick Bateman to wear stylish, full-finger leather gloves anymore. $70
Limited Edition Oakley Frogskins
These Eric Koston Froggies look good in every setting, from racing Tuesday nights at Floyd Bennett Field to taking in some sun in St. Lucia. Just ask Cleaver. $130
Laekhouse’s new Merckx long sleeved T
Merckx + Bowie = in-SANE-ly AWESOME! $28
Chris McNally prints
Our globe-trotting artist/friend-of-the-shop/man-of-steel’s limited edition water colors – probably the only bike related thing your significant other will let you display in the living room. $45
Mad Alchemy embrocation
Holyshititscoldoutandgettingcolder. Brave the weather by applying generously to your gams and get a jump on the scrubs racing Branchbrook with 75 miles in their legs. $25
Salsa La Cruz
It’s orange, on sale, and can ride over a landfill. Buy it. $1425
Happy Holidays!
BOTW – Graeme’s Grand IF Adventure
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Our new friend Graeme stopped by NYC Velo on his way to Australia (via Los Angeles). He was in the market for a bike to replace his titanium frame. Ideally something that would give him the same feel as Ti but slightly stiffer, and yet still not be too heavy for climbing.
Enter the IF Factory Lightweight. An insanely light beauty that you would swear is anything *but* steel, the Factory Lightweight met all of Graeme’s needs – and then some.
Graeme went to town on the bike, putting together a very classy custom paint scheme that is one of the nicest we’ve seen come through the shop. Before heading back Down Under, he was able to get in some significant climbing around L.A., and he even sent us these dazzling pics to boot!
$BOTW – Scott Sub30
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Our Sale Bike Of The Week is the Scott Sub30… for sub-$500!
A great looking get-around-town bike at a great price.
Scott Sub30 $499
Famous Faema
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009With a heritage as rich and storied as professional cycling, coffee has a special place in most cyclists’ hearts.
One big part of that culture is the Faema E61. Introduced in 1961 in Italy, the Faema revolutionized and then standardized the process of pulling a shot. A machine as beautiful as it is practical, an original E61 is a rare bird in these United States. While Andrew saw them all over the place during his recent trip to Turkey, he never thought he’d see one at home – nevermind in the neighborhood. So it was with a special version of geekiness that we collectively gasped when we walked into The Smile on Tuesday and were greeted with this:
Cyclists are especially fond of Faema for another reason entirely; in 1968, a young man by the name of Eddy Merckx joined the team that Faema sponsored. Merckx went on to be to cycling what Faema was to espresso, and much of the world got a first glimpse of Eddy in the now iconic Faema kit.
We found out from The Smile’s co-owner Carlos that the E61 came all the way from Los Angeles, where its previous home was a moped dealer. It was driven cross-country by the former owner because neither party was willing to entrust the machine to a shipper.
Needless to say, The Smile has become the new spot for our midday Americanos. We like ours with an almond croissant. And a touch of history.
The Smile 26 Bond Street NYC
When You Wish Upon An SSR… Part I
Monday, December 14th, 2009A report from Brett Cleaver:
Over the summer, NYC Velo had the opportunity to visit the Independent Fabrication HQ in Somerville, MA. I’ve always taken note of their road bikes at many a race in the Northeast. More often than not, I felt a void in my bike stable from not owning one. And as we poked around the factory, I experienced nothing short of a culmination of years of admiration and yearning.
Immediately, I began trying to justify racing an SSR in 2010. First, since NYC Velo had recently acquired the brand there was an obvious connection. Second, I had simply always wanted one. My only final justification was getting on a team that actually raced them (so as not to look like a total boob).
Sadly, I couldn’t overcome the hangup. As I spoke to various teams about racing on their squad and while weighing my options, it seemed as if I would be on just another production aluminum frame for 2010. In an interesting turn of events however, I was offered a spot on Rapha Racing NYC for 2010. Much to my satisfaction, they race on Independent Fabrication bikes! So, not only was I finally getting an IF, I was getting a super pimp one with über fresh paint and a custom headbadge! The perfect justification (or excuse…).
The process of measuring, mathematics and frame geometry began. Kevin from IF was great to work with as he punched in my numbers and tweaked a few things to my liking. It was clear that his experience as a racer directly plays into his job, which could be why the drawing I signed off on was that of a fast race bike.
At this point, it’s in the hands of the folks up in Somerville, though they were kind enough to send me an early picture of my frame. So, I’ll leave you with that… stay tuned for Part II.
