Hello? Is This Thing On?

WEEKEND UPDATE!!!
WOW! It's been awhile! 
Lots too catch up on, and to all those still coming to this site, so very sorry for not keeping it relevant!! With all the available sources on the internet, I just have been tending to keep my words brief on a variety of sites like Facebook and Twitter and such.  Yes, me keeping it short winded and to the point DOES seem a little out of character! But, with few hours in the day, I try and dedicate more time to updating stock and such.  I am going to try and visit here, on the weekends, to keep everyone informed of all the strange goings on! 
So, as of our last report, we have been plugging along trying to get the word out to as many of our regulars and neighbors as we can about our move, as rather quick as it was!  BUT, when your landlord says he's going to jack your rent up 30% when you sign the lease (but still not do a DAMN thing to fix the place up) you circle the wagons and make with the hasty exodus!  We definitely made out better on the deal, in the long run though, as we have TWICE as much space, and in WAY better condition then the old joint! 
So, anyone watching the news over the last couple months will know that Florida has been getting pummeled by some nasty weather but we have persevered well enough, although in the bigger hurricane we did loose power for about a week. After a couple days of sitting around the apartment I DID get a little cabin fever and came in to the shop anyway. Luckily, it's light enough here during the day that I could still work.  I can only sit around for so long before I have to do something!  Thankfully, we suffered no other damage and once the lights came back up we were ready.  Of course, with all the inclement weather and the entire state panicking and escaping north to flee the BIG ONE that never really came, it was Slooooooooow for a few weeks!  But, thankfully, we are starting to see more and more folks filtering out into the sunshine and even better, seeing more and more goodies coming in!  WHEW!  For a couple weeks there we were down to our last two bikes!!! You will notice now, however, that we are starting to fill up again and with some REAL CHOICE rides!! 
We have scored some real goodies in the last couple weeks, a sweet old school Fuji BIG BOY road bike, not just one but TWO Townie Electras, an almost perfect BIG BOY Giant MTB and more!  Plenty of perfect Florida rides to make the trail riding a wonderful day out!  Thankfully, the cooler weather is slowly creeping in and I am giddy with the impending joy of a carefree ride now and then.  Well...when I get the time!  True enough, I ride too and from work, but golly bob howdy, I really want the excuse to hit the road for a few free hours! 
Everything status quo on the home front, although we did have one recent escapee from the ranks, as our eldest boy, Elijah, has made a move way North to PA to seek out his fortune, and seems to be doing well after a bit of "By the seat of his pants" departure.  I do feel a tad bit of envy towards his adventure, though.  Being occasional struck myself with an almost annual "wanderlust" but I wish him all the best.
Yes, they do keep growing.  Sigh.
ANYWAY!
Hope you all come by and give us a hello!
See ya soon!

It takes all kinds

Here's a hint: " don't tell a bicycle snob he's an elitist"! Hahahaha!
Oy!
Have been having an interesting back and forth with a gent that is "administrator" to a Facebook site that lists bicycle for sale or swap. One of many we were pedaling our wares  on.  Received a message from him that their site was not one that endorsed "box store bikes". Suffice to say, after attempting to educate him in regards to the quality of SOME of them, he held true to the fact that they were all garbage.
Hmmm.
Even the fact that the same company that makes Roadmaster makes Cannondale and the parts are interchangeable didn't move him. He grew more and more agitated.
Heh...
I'm a VERY bad boy when I know I got someone agitated...
I pushed.
However, like politics and religion, when someone believes something, regardless if it is based on any truth, questioning that belief can be... Explosive.
Truth is, I don't question the fact that there ARE better quality rides out there, but then, most folks can't afford to shell out thousands for a new or even used ride just to keep up with the Joneses. Most folks just want a good, reliable, CHEAP ride to bang about on, get to work, go bar hopping, or have an excuse to tear the kiddos away from the Play station for an afternoon. So what's wrong with an "under a hundred bucks" ride? Why turn your nose up at someone enjoying banging about on a Schwinn or a Huffy? Sorry, but I can't abide they opinion that we're"polishing a turd"
It's this same mentality that forces every day folk to have to endure the raised noses at the "boutique bike shops" when you walk your Roadmaster into that swanky shop because you got a flat , and the mechanic acts like he's being asked to care for an Ebola victim!
JEEZE!!
Seriously!? How does someone, SIMULTANEOUSLY stick their nose
 in the air and their head up their.... Well... You know!
Ugh! Burns my biscuits!
Sorry, but for years I've banged about on old Schwinns and huffys and am not complaining. Don't know why some folk have to get an attitude because I'm not sporting a gold plated Fuji or something
Simple truth is it is A MIGHTY big road out there and there is room for all sorts of rides!  If you're one of the chosen few that can sport a couple hundred dollars of spandex body suits, and a Lexus on two wheels, more power to you! But just makes way for the Huffy towing the kids carrier when you're bombing down the trail.
K?

It's been far too long!!

Nine months?!
It's been way, way to Long since I paid this place a visit! And A LOT can happen in nine months!
And NO before you do the math, Angi and I didn't have another baby!
Well... Not the human kind! Though we did have some serious changes a foot! At the beginning of June we were informed by our previous landlord that when we were to sign the new lease they were going to be raising our rent.
Significantly!
As there is a new, high end apartment complex going up less then a block away, they anticipate a massive boon in foot traffic to the plaza.
Ugh.
Yes, we were well established in the old location, but the increase in rent (given their unwillingness to do any kind of repairs or upgrades to the property) we chose a move.
There was an empty space in a small plaza, less then a block away, that I had ben noticing on my way home every night, that I thought would make for a cool spot.  Obviously, fate was playing it's hand!  This space, being double the size of what we were occupying, was only fifty bucks more a month of the OLD rent!  Well, you don't have to smack me with a 2X4 to get the hint!
And so began a three week (that turned into a six week) renovation of the new space, but GOLLY BOB HOWDY when she was done?! 
AWESOME!!!
Finally, a space large enough to display all our wares without having to have a bunch of greasy totes littering the landscape!  Not to mention, staging area for all the newbies without having to climb over piles just to get the work done!  And there aint nothing like the look of fresh paint and sweet display areas! 
For all those interested, with the help of  visual aids, I'll walk you through the evolution of the NEW RE-Cycle home!!

Here's a full frontal of the new digs!!!  Nice corner unit!   Love the columns!  Like the Greek Gods answer to cyclists everywhere!!

The insides of our new lair!  No, it's really not that narrow.  the wall to the left is a secondary one from the previous tenants and it had to go!

Deep in the bowles!  You can begin to see that size relly does matter!!!

As stated, that wall HAD TO GO!  No CLUE why the insulated it!

In true RE-CYCLE fashion, we reuse all that is provided!  You'll see what we used it for  shortly!

The crew taking a lunch (and cellphone) break.

Elijah, lumbering about!

Owen, helping with the sanding the massive amount of skim coat we had to put on the wall. Previously, they had paneling (very "Bradyesque"!)

As stated....LOTS of joint compound to try and level out the walls!

after about a week of grunt work, got some color on the walls!

Beginning to take form as the display racks go up!

Thanks to Brandon for the "towel rack" display concept

As of the end of June, we had to be out of the old joint, and due to some missed times, a LOT of rain and just shear frustration, the remaining stock and material had to be humped down here on foot and just shoved where they could fit, mid-construction!  Trust me!  Having to move this stuff back and forth while we worked was a REAL headache!

The small parts display was redone a tad bit to offer a better view and easier to access way of seeing!

A wheel rack that ACTUALLY works!!!

A place to actually hang and VIEW the fenders, bars, chainguards and forks!  Again, AWAY with the ugly totes!!

Owen, keeping his own record of our progress!

More of the stuff we were tripping over!

Here's where the recycled building materials from the old wall came in use.  Walling off my bay ad the back area that will become Angi's office and work station.

Yes, even the old sheet rock was redone!

Taking a moment in the build, we also redid our old sign so people could find us, as we were open as of July first!

The wall (mostly) finished, my work bay takes shape!

YES!!!  A fully accessible video rack....

....For all the way cool movies for sale!

All racks up in my work station, the parts are sorted and put up (in the best possible organization I could muster)

It took a day to clean all the videos and organize!  LOTS of movies!

Owen was not thrilled helping me hang all these goodies!

Now, fully organized, the pics and chotskies start going up and it begins to feel a LOT more like home!

Elijah putting up the important stuff!  Daddy's flat screen in my work area!

An ACTUAL clean and functional bathroom!!!

It may be a small office...but it works!!!

AND NOW....THE FINISHED PROJECT!!!!

Granted, we still have to do something with the floor, we just haven't decided what yet.  Not to mention, gotta get a little more cash in our pockets to do so...(that's where ya'll come in!)
It's been a long strange trip, but we have HIGH hopes for this new venture!  We have LOT'S of new goodies to choose from and keep building more every day!   Come have a blast and check out our irreverent style!  This ain't your average "boutique Bike shop!"
Talk to you soon!

Weekend Update: "I'm Chevy Chase...and Your Not"

Just popping in to see how poorly out of date the Blog is.  I have to apologize, yet again, to all our readers for not keeping up on it.  Same old song and dance, only so many hours in the day, and most folks have migrated to sound bit updates on our Facebook page, so that's where the focus is. I am, however, trying to focus on using the Blog as a Lazy Sunday update.  In that vein, hopefully I will have lots of fun stuff to share come THIS Sunday.  As of late, it has been far too quiet around here, BUT, over the last few days I have been getting more looky loos who are "just starting to look" in preparation for the new riding season.  That, and we are having more folks coming in looking to sell and trade, SO hopefully the new season will kick in with gusto!
SO, stay tuned Next Sunday, and we'll see how it goes!

Beware Of Dog!

To the dawn of a new weekend!
Coming around after a bout of the nasty flu, no worse for wear save some body aches.  After spending the middle of the week in a somewhat comatose state, pushed myself yesterday to get some stuff done!  Caught up with the repairs (only a few behind) and managed to put out the full frame up rebuild on a pretty sharp looking Giant Rincon that we got in trade a few weeks back from a very lovely young lady who has been a regular around here for some time.  It's funny, the biases and stereotypes that even one as liberal as myself can tend to place on people.  A very petite young lady, she is not only an avid bike rider, but LOVES to scratch build and customize her own rides.  When she first came in, a few years back, my prejudices merely assumed she was just accompanying her husband  into the shop.  Of course, being the closet misogynist I apparently am, I struck up a conversation with him.  Apparently, she had encountered this before, and as he looked at me, befuddled and confused by my inquiries as to how I may help him she spoke up and asked very specific questions regarding a set of forks, accompanied by accurate dimensions, lengths, metal composition and rake. 
Okay... duly brought into the 21st century.
Ever since, she comes here whenever she is embarking on a new project, and this frame was the remains of something she cannibalized to complete another ride.  Paint is in real good shape so I took the time to allocate all the necessary parts, and tweaked it slightly to turn it into a lightweight commuter ride.  Check out the pic below!
Today, as all newbies have been processed out, I MAY just be able to finally spend some time weeding through the pile out back and eliminating the junk.
OH!  Speaking of out back!  Over that last few weeks we have had someone coming into the alley way and pilfering through the piles.  It's mainly scrap, but it's the principle of the thing.  Last night, I was hanging out late at the shop, as Friday is my night out.  Yes...I spend every Friday doing the same thing, watching movies online with my friends, riffing on the B-movie schlock.  Last night, with the back door open for Suzanne to have access to run about, she was laying peacefully on the floor when all of a sudden with a deep, ferocious growl and loud bark, she skittered out the back door like a shot.  The sudden abrupt departure sent me running!  Before I was even out of my chair, though, I distinctly heard the frightened exclamation of someone out back and a flurry of rushing footfalls away from the back.  Whoever it was had to have been fast as I have seen Suzanne at a full gallop and she would be very hard to outrun.  By the time I got outback, everything was quiet and she was gone.  Next came a panicked search for my baby girl.  I finally found her near the adjacent fence line pacing back and forth, guardedly.  Whoever they were, they apparently made it over before she got them!  Heh, heh...She initially thought she was in trouble when I sternly called her name, and slightly cowering, slinked back to my side.  I assured her with a big hug and vigorous body rub, that she in fact was quite alright and that she did good.  Doggie treats followed in earnest!
She may remain a relatively docile pooch but she KNOWS how to guard!
Okey Dokey!
Now, on to the work load!
Remember...we have lots of goodies left to peruse through, and riding season is rapidly (thank heavens!) approaching!

26" GIANT COMMUTER CONVERSION!

ONLY $130.00!!!

Bicycles 1 / City 0

Oh Ugh.  
Started off as one of THOSE days! 
Came in early this AM with the intention of getting an early jump on finishing up the Giant MTB in my rack.  Everything was going fine until I had to go out back for a few minuets in my opening duties to take out the garbage.  Seems my brain was not with me when I first came in (running on only a few hours of sleep) and I forgot my keys in the front door. Well...that's bad enough but while I was cleaning up the back a friendly neighborhood patrolman happened by the shop, saw the keys dangling in the door, found no one in the shop, and promptly took the keys out of the door and let his card with a small note.  Coming up front a little before ten to open... I found the note.
Hand slap to forehead.
Thankfully, when I called, he was still in the area and brought them back promptly.  True, could have been worse in so many ways, but ugh! 
So, yesterday, was about a few more repairs and getting started on the sweet Giant scratch build.  We got in the nice looking frame with a few components and getting it worked up now.  Hope to have done before it's time to head out.  Gonna go more street then mountain.
Hoping today will see some more folks coming through the door.  It has been far to quite over the last couple of weeks, obviously due to weather, and I'm missing all the happy faces finding their new transportation.
OH!  Speaking of "Transportation"! 
SHEESH!!
The other day, after dropping off Izzy from school and getting ready to head off to work, we got a visit from the "City Code Enforcement"  (AHHHH....My old nemesis...we meet again).  Seems they had gotten "calls" from concerned neighbors about the "condition of our yard"
Ugh.
Points of contention being "clutter". 
Um...
WHAT clutter?  As I looked out upon the yard seeing only a few assorted balls, a tricycle against the tree, and some beach toys in the girls favorite digging spot.
Well, the "Clutter" they were talking about, was our bikes.
Yes.
Apparently Bicycles, are "clutter"
Oh...anyone who knows me, KNOWS where this is going!
It's a fair assumption that my IRE was rising.
I curtly (oh...that is SUCH a kind description of the tone of my voice!) exclaimed "THAT "clutter" are our transportation.
He looked incredulously at the six bikes in the driveway, sneered slightly, and stated "why do you need so many?" going on further to explain that they had received reports that we had up to twenty bikes in the yard.
Ugh.
Aside from the six vintage bikes we have neatly displayed in the front and along the side of the house as "lawn art" (NOT against code) I told him that we have a total of nine that are regularly in the driveway throughout the day.  He stated "well. you need to keep them in the shed" 
Oh...NOW my ANTI-CAR opinion came out and I informed him that yes, in fact, prior to going in at the end of the evening the bikes ARE put in the shed, but are left out until then in case they are needed.
Sadly... he continued on with "eye sore" and clutter.  WELL... NOW my voice went up a few volume clicks and became a wee bit less accommodating as I informed him, as I gestured to ALL the cars parked in various driveways around us, "each house has a driveway used for the parking of the occupants transportation.  As we DO NOT drive or own a car, but instead choose to use BICYCLES as our transportation, we WILL use our driveway to park them.  Unless of course, you tell ALL the residents of this neighborhood that they can no longer park THEIR cluttering eyesores in the driveway, THEN we will remove ours. 
He didn't have a lot to say after that.
I'm gonna write that up as a win!
Okey Doke!
Now...off to work!

Why Is It Still Summer?

Yes, I know, it has been a coons age! What can I say?  It's that time of year when very little happens around here.  So, obviously, not much to write about! 
BUT, yesterday I did manage to get some actual building done!  WA-HOO!! 
And Golly Bob Howdy, I wish I had done a before and after pic on this CLASSIC Gary Fisher we got in!  WOOF!
Picked it up last week from our scrap guy and she was ROUGH!  Rusted out, dry rot, and filthy like it had sat behind someone house for a decade!  BUT, it was an American made Gary Fisher, so I gave it my all.  After a full tear down, went after the frame with some acetone and ALL the marks and filth came off revealing a gorgeous dark metallic green paint. With hope rejuvenated, went after the sweet "Higher End" components, and lo and behold they cleaned up just as well! With the addition of new cables, housing, tires and tubes she was ready!  And MAN!  WHAT A RIDE!!!  In my ten years doing this there have only been four rides I REALLY wanted to claim for myself (and I DID snag two) but this one is definitely number five!  Smooth, quick, comfy...Boy oh BOY!  Once back from a LONG test ride, I just held it in my hand and stared at it appreciatively.  BUT, I aint in this for myself, Soooooo, she's up for grabs! 
Also, put out a real nice classic ladies cruiser.  The day before, also managed to get out a lightweight alloy dual shock MTB (that found a new home the next day)  and a sweet boys 20" BMX.  Today, I am hitting the pile and trying to get out at least a couple more...after I do all my updating of course!
SOOOOO, without further preamble, remember...we are here today until three pm and STILL have a good selection to pick through!  Check them out in the "What's Still Here" column as YES I did update it!
See ya soon!

CLASSIC GARY FISHER COMMUTER!

ONLY $245.00!!!

CLASSIC LADIES CRUISER!

ONLY $80.00!!

BOYS 20" BMX!!!

ONLY $45.00!!