I suppose you had all better get a load of this.
I can make your bike like new. I can't not sound like a nerd.
Found this today. Thank you!
Here's something. Folks keep coming in with the typical horror stories about the customer service (OK, lack of) at independent bicycle dealers.
Listen, specialty shops attract folks who are really into what those shops do. Record stores, musical instruments, whatever. Sadly some folks just can't get it together enough to lose the adolescent attitude that demands your hobby must define you. A poor, sad individual on the outside of that particular square circle can be cannon fodder. Or Bantha fodder if you are a nerd about Star Wars.
I am.
Luckily, Velocity is anti-attitude and happy to work on your bike.
One of my customers went to a nearby local shop to get her mums bike repaired. She got a very fishy quote indeed-450 dollars. Wow. I fixed everything with new tires, brake shoes and bar tape for $140.
We are nice. We don't bite. Come on in and find out.
Winter can't last forever...
J Cozad
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
FAQ
This is what I'm talking about. If we had a business model, well that would be it.
Coffee, bikes and culture isn't a new thing. Just new to StL.
In other Velocity news I just finished building a wheelset for Schment. All DT Swiss-spokes, hubs, rims, nipples...double eyeleted rims, 32h spokes f/r. Weighs in at roughly the same as the Mavic Ksyrium SL set.
Even cooler than getting to assemble them was being filmed by Jeff and Naomi from Culture Surfer.com. I'll have a link up soon for the podcast of me building up the front wheel. Hopefully all my 'bikey' charm will stream properly. CS is a cool StL website with a lot of content both cycling and otherwise. Check them.
Folks, it's only a couple of months til Spring. Holy cow, it won't be soon enough for me. However, while we're stuck in the morass of Midwest winter, bring your bikes down and take advantage of our winter tune up special. $40 now til Mar 1st. Or, be like Dave Stone and get your mountain bike(s) down here for suspension/disc brake service and don't wait til the busy season for that much needed bike TLC.
That's all for now. Now's the time for a cup (or three) of organic, fair trade coffee. MMMMMM. That's good coffee.
The best in StL. Come taste for yourself!
J Cozad
Coffee, bikes and culture isn't a new thing. Just new to StL.
In other Velocity news I just finished building a wheelset for Schment. All DT Swiss-spokes, hubs, rims, nipples...double eyeleted rims, 32h spokes f/r. Weighs in at roughly the same as the Mavic Ksyrium SL set.
Even cooler than getting to assemble them was being filmed by Jeff and Naomi from Culture Surfer.com. I'll have a link up soon for the podcast of me building up the front wheel. Hopefully all my 'bikey' charm will stream properly. CS is a cool StL website with a lot of content both cycling and otherwise. Check them.
Folks, it's only a couple of months til Spring. Holy cow, it won't be soon enough for me. However, while we're stuck in the morass of Midwest winter, bring your bikes down and take advantage of our winter tune up special. $40 now til Mar 1st. Or, be like Dave Stone and get your mountain bike(s) down here for suspension/disc brake service and don't wait til the busy season for that much needed bike TLC.
That's all for now. Now's the time for a cup (or three) of organic, fair trade coffee. MMMMMM. That's good coffee.
The best in StL. Come taste for yourself!
J Cozad
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Frostbike Series presented by Team Revolution
Attention all female cyclist in the St Louis area. Click on the above graphic to see the flyer full size and get information on Team Revolutions upcoming winter club rides. Velocity is proud (super psyched!!!!) to work with T.R. and hope to see all you tough as nails women here for the event. We will continue even after the Frostbike rides to support and aid Team Revolution so check them out and please, check us out too!Thanks,
J Cozad
Monday, December 8, 2008
Cycling culture?
It's our little world, right? Those initiated can understand the code words, the emotion behind the description of 'that one last climb before the finish'. The fact that I can spell derailleur without assistance by the spellcheck function is a testament- too damn much time spent doting over two wheeled adult toys. Maybe.
By my assessment, my two wheeled adult toy has sped me along for about 50,000 miles in the last 8 years.
A chamois numbing number of those miles were spent commuting to various jobs, the grocery, the laundromat, the... well, you get it.
My grown ups' toy has carried hundreds of pounds at this point. 6 packs of IPA, bike frames, my lunch packed to take to work at the bike shop.
The therapist bills alone would have bankrupted me if my toy didn't fix my brain while keeping me fit. Seriously, nothing relieves the stress of a busy day like my nightly commute home.
Yes, there are negatives. Chain grease on your pants leg. Inclement weather. Road rage. What price do you pay for a little happiness? The bill is lessened on a bike.
I gotta tell ya, it's a good world to be in, this bike life. Not to long ago I ended up at the E.R. and found myself in a hospital room for a week. I was barely there a night before the GORC site had a thread; cyclist down.
Ron and Alex at the Hub (the shop i worked at then) took care of me and let me worry about getting well, not paying the bills.
Cory the Kona rep bought and donated a bike for a raffle for medical bills. The Midwest Mountain Bike Festival that year was an outpouring of love for your humble narrator. My heart grew a couple of sizes that day.
It is a community. Maybe a bit dysfunctional but no more so than any good American family. And yes there is a culture. It may be lycra pushed past the stretching point or comfort bikes on Grants Trail, 700c, 26", 29er, geared, single, scary... we are bike nerds.
Get over it.
Speaking of bike culture, check out the annual photo show over at Mesa Cycles on the 20th of December. The pix are always good; the spread indulgent. You might witness the rare occurrence of Black Matt smiling. Maybe.
Matt has a website for his photos which you'll find here. Also his blog is a great place to dig out his weak spots for hours of mirthful mockery.
And last but not least, I'm excited to announce that we are collaborating with the Team Revolution Cycling Club. T.R. is a women's cycling team/club. The only one of it's nature in St Louis. Very cool people. Look for more posts about up coming events.
Word y'all,
J Cozad
By my assessment, my two wheeled adult toy has sped me along for about 50,000 miles in the last 8 years.
A chamois numbing number of those miles were spent commuting to various jobs, the grocery, the laundromat, the... well, you get it.
My grown ups' toy has carried hundreds of pounds at this point. 6 packs of IPA, bike frames, my lunch packed to take to work at the bike shop.
The therapist bills alone would have bankrupted me if my toy didn't fix my brain while keeping me fit. Seriously, nothing relieves the stress of a busy day like my nightly commute home.
Yes, there are negatives. Chain grease on your pants leg. Inclement weather. Road rage. What price do you pay for a little happiness? The bill is lessened on a bike.
I gotta tell ya, it's a good world to be in, this bike life. Not to long ago I ended up at the E.R. and found myself in a hospital room for a week. I was barely there a night before the GORC site had a thread; cyclist down.
Ron and Alex at the Hub (the shop i worked at then) took care of me and let me worry about getting well, not paying the bills.
Cory the Kona rep bought and donated a bike for a raffle for medical bills. The Midwest Mountain Bike Festival that year was an outpouring of love for your humble narrator. My heart grew a couple of sizes that day.
It is a community. Maybe a bit dysfunctional but no more so than any good American family. And yes there is a culture. It may be lycra pushed past the stretching point or comfort bikes on Grants Trail, 700c, 26", 29er, geared, single, scary... we are bike nerds.
Get over it.
Speaking of bike culture, check out the annual photo show over at Mesa Cycles on the 20th of December. The pix are always good; the spread indulgent. You might witness the rare occurrence of Black Matt smiling. Maybe.
Matt has a website for his photos which you'll find here. Also his blog is a great place to dig out his weak spots for hours of mirthful mockery.
And last but not least, I'm excited to announce that we are collaborating with the Team Revolution Cycling Club. T.R. is a women's cycling team/club. The only one of it's nature in St Louis. Very cool people. Look for more posts about up coming events.
Word y'all,
J Cozad
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Here We Go!!!
Howdy everyone! After a bit of a wait Velocity is up and rolling. Ha, 'rolling', I get it.
Why in the world a combo cafe and bike shop? It's a nice bit of synergy really. As an avid cyclist, I can't think of the last time strong coffee wasn't an integral part of the pre-ride ritual. Yes, the caffeine is important yet even more so is chatting over an americano with my riding buddies, figuring out routes or just horsing around.
Of course at this time of year, hot coffee is mandatory before my morning commute. Like a big, warm hug from the inside.
Now, as anyone who has ridden a bike for an extended period will tell you, one side effect of cycling is increased appetite. Two hours in the saddle, suddenly your famished, where to go?
Look no further. Our menu is fantastic. Yeah, I know I'm a bit biased, but I'm also a half-assed foodie who REALLY LIKES TO EAT! Personal faves are the roast beef panini, the Bike Shop salad, black bean-salsa soup (when it's soup of the day), and the Frenchmen breakfast bagel. Simple food, fresh, delicious ingredients. Seriously you can't beat that combo.
I'm the bike guy though, so what do you get on this side of the house? (I'm over here now, lurking next to the truing stand.) No, we don't sell bikes, except at the end of rental season where we liquidate the fleet for replacement the following spring. We don't have a race team though do look for the Velocity Cycling Club to start up one of these days. Do you want to be a Velo-Citizen? Your dreams can come true. (If you dream about riding bikes and drinking multiple espressos)
Oh, that brings up a FAQ. It's Velocity, not Velo City. Just FYI. Better can the initials PDQ.
So what do we do? Well, we rent bikes. Cool bikes. We are two blocks from Fo-Po and a block from the Metrolink. C'mon, you can't beat that setup. If nothing else, we are wonderfully convenient.
We also specialize in service. Timely, excellent bike repair. Our goal is to get your bike back to you without the long wait. Why lose 2-3 weeks in the summer? We also want to be THE St Louis shop for commuters and folks who depend on their bikes to get around. As a car-free bike commuter, I appreciate how important it is to have a sure way of getting to work or the grocery. That's part of our culture here. The same culture that doesn't differentiate between the beater in your basement or the carbon road machine that effectively put an end to your kids' college dreams.
A cool new bike shop. No bike shop attitude. Hell, the only racing I do is between my workstand and the espresso machine. I'm fast though! I can brew an espresso with the pros. Hey Mellow Johnny, let's see ya try pulling 7 consecutive perfect shots. (Watch out for your caffeine levels though, Dick Pound could be your next patron...)
-J Cozad
Why in the world a combo cafe and bike shop? It's a nice bit of synergy really. As an avid cyclist, I can't think of the last time strong coffee wasn't an integral part of the pre-ride ritual. Yes, the caffeine is important yet even more so is chatting over an americano with my riding buddies, figuring out routes or just horsing around.
Of course at this time of year, hot coffee is mandatory before my morning commute. Like a big, warm hug from the inside.
Now, as anyone who has ridden a bike for an extended period will tell you, one side effect of cycling is increased appetite. Two hours in the saddle, suddenly your famished, where to go?
Look no further. Our menu is fantastic. Yeah, I know I'm a bit biased, but I'm also a half-assed foodie who REALLY LIKES TO EAT! Personal faves are the roast beef panini, the Bike Shop salad, black bean-salsa soup (when it's soup of the day), and the Frenchmen breakfast bagel. Simple food, fresh, delicious ingredients. Seriously you can't beat that combo.
I'm the bike guy though, so what do you get on this side of the house? (I'm over here now, lurking next to the truing stand.) No, we don't sell bikes, except at the end of rental season where we liquidate the fleet for replacement the following spring. We don't have a race team though do look for the Velocity Cycling Club to start up one of these days. Do you want to be a Velo-Citizen? Your dreams can come true. (If you dream about riding bikes and drinking multiple espressos)
Oh, that brings up a FAQ. It's Velocity, not Velo City. Just FYI. Better can the initials PDQ.
So what do we do? Well, we rent bikes. Cool bikes. We are two blocks from Fo-Po and a block from the Metrolink. C'mon, you can't beat that setup. If nothing else, we are wonderfully convenient.
We also specialize in service. Timely, excellent bike repair. Our goal is to get your bike back to you without the long wait. Why lose 2-3 weeks in the summer? We also want to be THE St Louis shop for commuters and folks who depend on their bikes to get around. As a car-free bike commuter, I appreciate how important it is to have a sure way of getting to work or the grocery. That's part of our culture here. The same culture that doesn't differentiate between the beater in your basement or the carbon road machine that effectively put an end to your kids' college dreams.
A cool new bike shop. No bike shop attitude. Hell, the only racing I do is between my workstand and the espresso machine. I'm fast though! I can brew an espresso with the pros. Hey Mellow Johnny, let's see ya try pulling 7 consecutive perfect shots. (Watch out for your caffeine levels though, Dick Pound could be your next patron...)
-J Cozad
Monday, December 1, 2008
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