The Angry Owner Blog

It is rare and terrible when I see my dear wife, Kim, angry. Truly angry. Angry owner blog angry. She was more than just a little pissed when I told her that it looks like we had a thief go after our bikes in Napa.
Things are okay dear friends, but it seems on our little trip to single speed worlds, someone took a swing at our bicycles. Here is the pic…

See the break in the casing…there were several strands of the actual metal cable that the crook got through. Now, the bikes in question…which were locked up just outside of our hotel’s front desk…our shops Moots single and Kims On One Inbred…which she is very fond of.
I’m just super happy, dear friends, that we do tend to lock our bikes up everywhere we go (front wheel, rear wheel and frame always in good visible places). Maybe its a good old habit from the Detroit days.
On a great note, the National Ability Center had its fun 50 mile and 15 mile rides on Satuday. Yes, it was early. Yes, I was at the Alamo the night before. Yes, we are a tough enough shop to show up at the ass crack of dawn and provide the much needed bicycle service to the people of the ride. Great job on all who participated.

And lastly, and perhaps most fun, we did a custom Surly Big Dummy sale to these very good looking gentlemen. These things are so cool, even Kim wants one of her very own.

And I promise to do the SSWC 08 update later today or first thing Monday….Kim left her camera with the pics at the shop yesterday.

Hey,
I’m back.
We’ll, I’ve been back since monday night but no time for a blog as the office/shop is busy.
You will get a full Single Speed World Championship update tomorrow…or Sat.
I did manage to stay out of jail despite the fact that Troy, Jason Grove, B Rose, Sov, Cheevil, Gene, Tom (hurl), Chris, Marla, Jeff, and a whole bunch of euro folks made quite a scene. They do have bonds in Napa.

I do want to thank Jesse Hoffman. We had a bit of a tough repair at the shop. Do you want to know something funny? The biggest wrench I have is a 12″er. Not to toot my own horn, but there has not been a BB I’ve seen in 3 years that has needed more - and I figure I’m bigger than the average mechanic…..so being the frugal shop owner I am, I don’t have a huge 18″er….or an elaborate 3 foot breaker bar setup….until now.
Top shelf to Jesse….I think it was the foul language, or using our 1.5 race setter as a breaker on the 12 inch to loosen up a rusty road BB. The sigh of relief from us both could have been heard a mile away. Anyway, Jesse, you are really the man and a hell of a fun guy to do repairs with. I should have had some Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time going for that repair.
Alright, more SSWC’s on the next one.

The Tour of Utah is in the books. I have no idea who won….had patients and customers scheduled during the spectator times, and the trib hasn’t updated its coverage. Very happy Rock Racing was here. Props to Larry H Miller (a car guy) for making it happen. I’m sure it cost a lot of money, and to be honest, I don’t know what he gets out of it. Just like a bike shop! Just kidding dear friends. Actually, this week and the weekend was a great balance between work and play. Got to work a little bit and then do some riding and consulting in the afternoons…including another shuttled crest trail run on Saturday. Super nice. Nothing sells a bike like riding a tough section and then saying “I suck, its the 7 inches of travel on this bike that allowed me to ride that difficult section no problem” “We accept cash, checks or major credit cards”.
On the crest trail, I saw some carbon bikes go down. Man that makes me nervous. Super light, super nice ride, but man, seeing carbon tumble down rocks makes we wonder about micro fracture leading to macro failure.
SSWC’s this weekend. I think they are ready.

Sometimes, the only ride you get is to and from work…on your 20 year old cross bike. Hey, its better than no ride at all. 8-8 today baby. I did have a little nap from 5-6pm thrown in there. Been a long time since thats been required. You’d all be proud of me. Did a bunch of orders all by myself today. Isn’t that scary - when the owner actually calls in stuff? I can tell off the bat when I call places like Chrome and Fox and they say ‘Dr. Jon - so good to hear your voice, don’t you want your wife Kim to make the order today?” because they know I’ll mess it up. Oh well, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.
You all may think I have certain brand likes and dislikes…and I do. Cannondale has its goods and bads. One thing that drives me nuts about leftys is that you have to take the brake off (yeah, there is kind of a quick release bolt thing on the caliper mount) to get the wheel off. It is a plush, light fork. But here’s Bo sucking it before our ride.


That would be Bo with a candy jock strap after the ride. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a G String.

First, props to Ryan P for representing in Leadville….and sending me a pic to prove it. I know Jeff K was there, looking sexy too and pulling Lance Armstrong around like a bitch.

Also, Sunday was my show on mainstreet. Folk music for the masses. Here is how I got there…


Lastly, Big thanks for White Pine Touring for helping to sponsor Bo’s little Bachelor party/ride to the crest trail. You bet your ass I took the shops Knolly Delirium T. Today, Lance, Tim and I rode the crest again (those gentlemen on singlespeeds since I am soft and fragile). and I took the Moots Cinco. Now, both of these steeds are great bikes. All I will say is that I rode everything on Sunday on the Knolly…in a fucking thunderstorm with a puckered sphincter, and today, I rode what I usually ride and walk what I usually walk. The pain of MoFo hill is the same at 3mph on a 38lb bike or at 6mph on a 26lb bike. Really. Anyway, get the right tool for the job bitches.

Pictures for those of you who care.
Great day. Custom build at the shop today. Things have been busy this summer. Usually, people do their customs in the spring and I do mostly repair and upgrades in the late summer - but this year we’re booked out with custom showings and builds until October. Thats okay, if Kim and I like you, we’ll still fix your bike - thats how we pay the bills and make paychecks. And I swear that I will take a picture of that custom I did today, because yes, it is that cool - brought my camera and everything today and then forgot….just wanted to go ride DH after the work was done.
Got to drill out a bolt today on a repair bike. Boy, its been years since I’ve had to do that.
Then a great DH day. The Knolly Delirium T was great. Our Moab 24 hr plan has been modified. I think instead of paying the entry money, a bunch of shop/team people will just go down and ride. I’ve never been to the Hazzard County trail up in the mountains, but I hear its great….and Kim has agreed to shuttle us. Doesn’t that sound just grand. And we could also do a little Fruita riding. I mean, I’ve only done the race course about six billion times and the thought of night riding sounds about as fun as a funeral. Am I crazy?

First off, props to my man Gary. Cyclist extraordinaire, owner of more than one Moots. Yes, thats right - a sure sign of cycling style. Taking the family to Whistler. Downhilling his brains out. 40 lb bicycles. Pads. Top shelf. Took a little digger at the bottom of the gondola, back at the pub - no problems. This is what I call quality. This is what I expect from all of you.

Man, I need to get to Whistler…and Melrose Australia, And Germany, And Italy, And the Basque region, And Belgium. Man, too bad I own a bike shop - how will I pay for this all? Oh well, maybe I’ll raise the price of crowns. Just kidding citizens.
Speaking of trips, My sexy man Patrick sparked my interest in the 24 hrs of Moab. I’d link it if I weren’t at a level 4 buzz so google it if you wish. Its a granny gear production. I think the shop is going to enter in a team. ‘just for fun’ of course. And I think I”m bringing the Delirium T…bitches. www.knollybikes.com
Also, props to my man Butch for getting married this weekend.

Its almost time to reorder downtube stickers….I thought of this one..but maybe I’ll stick to the standard Dharma Wheels stuff.
Hey, I ask a lot of advice from business owners both in my town and abroad about how to run a business. Talked to a buddy of mine who owns a big time operation (can’t give details because he’s a local and I want to respect privacy).
The topic of expansion has been on my mind. The condo space is available for rent next door to me $3400/month or $600,000 out the door with a huge HOA fee.
How does that sound. Anybody wanna open up Dharma Wheels Cyclery II next door?
Basically, after a little business talk, the idea of expansion has lost its luster. Loose the personal service, loose the soul, loose the intimateness of the shop. Increase the overhead, the investment and lastly, how many bikes would I have to sell to cover a $600,000 mortage (or shitty rent payment?). Lastly, my man told me. ‘hey, you have a great business model that people support. Why mess that up?”. Anyway, thanks for the good advice. I sometimes get lost in the part numbers, spoke lengths and backorders.

So thanks to all who make the shop fun, profitable and super cool. Wait until Sun/Mon or Tues when I post the pics of the custom Moots that is getting built tomorrow. Yeah, its THAT dope.

We are booked for the SSWC’s 2008. Get the fuck ready.

I’d like to thank all the patients and shop people that made this week great. If i had more time, I’d go into detail.
Repair of the week….New…lets say mass produced frame. The Race Face BB is WAY tight goin’ in. As in, am I stripping this thing? What to do? We may have a lot of exotic tools at the shop (chris king hub bearing service tool, axleless truing stand, bendix cone wrenches, campy alignment tools, all the sram and fox shock stuff, etc), but what I have never purchased for the shop was a BB facer/chaser. Well, when you sell Moots and Knolly, the frames never need a chase. Yeah, an On One may need one now and then, but hey, those crazy cats are pretty busy over there in the UK and I’ve never had a problem. So, what does a man do who runs a custom shop when his mechanic says, hey, I can’t get this bottom bracket in? Well, I freak out a little…saying, ’shit, this person is paying top dollar for a custom build and I get to tell them that there frame is roasted and BB cross-threaded? We took a steel BB, threaded it in 5 times. Picture me there, whipping my junior mechanic with a mule headstall. ‘FASTER’ I shout. ‘Put your back into it’. The bottom bracket goes in, out, in, out, in , out , in out…….And den……………….the race face BB slides in….like throwing a hotdog down a hallway. Yeah, we’ve got the BB tap on order from BTI. That 45 min span in the pain cave earned my man a shot of tequila, a 8% beer, and a pat on the back from one crusty owner with calloused hands. Thats the kind of people we have at the shop bitches, people who sweat over your bikes.