After we left the fabulous new LEED certified building where QBP lives, we made a quick stop at Hiawatha Cyclery in south Minneapolis.
Hiawatha is a small shop that specializes in cyclo-touring and tasteful transportation. They've got a lot of style, the kind that comes from earnest reading of the Rivendell Reader. While I'm not the type to think the RR is a guide to life and the universe, I do agree with the well-deserved attention being given to sensible, everyday bicycles and gear.
There was a fine arrangement of built bikes on the floor. From a freshly built Salsa Casseroll with a thousand-something price tag to a simple, 3-spd Breezer Freedom commuter for the smaller budget, $450. Handlebars, fenders, rims, stems, pedals, racks, baskets, and all those things we get excited about were well organized in the available space in plain view.
In the front window were some built-up classics, like this one:
1963 Freddie Grubb; Black in color; 56 cm C-T; Sturmey Archer 4 speed FW hub; Nitto stem and Northroad bars; B5N Brooks leather saddle; Perfect for the Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour; Complete bike; $600
Hanging proudly over our heads was a beautiful Jack Taylor with a custom pink paint job executed by one or another of those wacky Taylor Bros once upon a time and, of course, a lovely Stronglight crank.
The owner, Jim, was riding this ANT with porteur rack:
And, his singular employee (or co-owner?), Kevin, was riding this well modified Stumpjumper:
5 comments:
Hi,
I was checking the calendar and noticed that Ladies' Night is no longer around. Is Spring going to bring it back?
And on a funny note (and we need some laughs at least on such a long winter, right?), I found this blog many of you may find hilarious: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/61-bicycles/
Hi A.,
Ladies' Night will start probably in April. We're going to set it up a bit differently this year. Instead of simply making it free shop time, we're putting together a series of classes.
If you have suggestions for topics, I'd love to hear them! We're still figuring out a curriculum.
Thanks for the shamefully funny link!
Great news, one more reason to look forward to April!
How about a class on how to prep winter-beaten up bikes for Spring? Mine has stayed on the porch all winter and it ooks pretty bad. And b/c I like the seasonal themes: one of the posts on this blog a few months back made me extremely curious about how to make studded tires; how about a lesson on that, especially since winters around here seem to start ... taking their time?
Until Spring, all my best!
Looking forward to ladies' night! I think bringing winter-beaten bikes back to life is a great idea for a class (and maybe winter prep once we get back to the end of fall again)... I also think adjusting derailers, brakes, changing tubes and tires might be another good place to start. Perhaps a session on how to install extra components to make carrying stuff on your bike easier (both for commuters and those interested in riding self-contained on longer rides)..panniers, racks, baskets, etc. Just a few of my ideas...
~T
Great ideas, a. and tjkp!
It looks like the first Ladies' Night for 2008 will happen on Saturday, April 19th. This will be set up as a preliminary class before the events of Bike to Work Week in May. It's intended for beginning beginners, like how to shift gears, how to lock up a bike, and general demystification of bike commuting.
Stay tuned, though. We'll move into more advanced material as we get closer to summer!
Post a Comment