Specialized Bikes Indianapolis

Tri’s are different than other competitions, in that you have a lot of different pieces of gear that are essential to your competition day.  Should you forget anything on race day (e.g. helmet, running shoes), then you literally cannot race.  All that time, preparation, money and emotional energy is wasted.

If you are like me, you leave the nitty gritty of bicycle maintenance to others.  Rebuilding headsets and truing wheels just isn’t your thing.  However, even the most mechanically challenged of us CAN keep our 2-wheeled machine well lubricated. 

Lubricant comes in two forms:  liquid drops or spray.  Bicycle Garage Indy carries an assortment of lubricants for chains and other moving bicycle parts, and for wet, dry and off road conditions.  These include products from Finish Line, Tri-Flow, and White Lightning.  If you tell the staff at Bicycle Garage Indy about your bike and riding style, they will help you choose the right lube for you.

To apply lubricant is very simple:
1.    Find the moving part
2.    Apply lube
3.    Move the part, to allow the lubricant to penetrate
4.    Wipe off excess lube On a bicycle, the most common place to lube is the chain.  You can plan on lubricating your chain monthly, or every 100–150 miles.   And of course,  apply a fresh coat should you get caught in the rain. 

Other common spots to lube would be on the moving parts of the front and rear derailler, as well as the moving parts of the brakes.  You should do this a couple of times per season, and after any rain.  CAUTION:  Wipe up any excess lube and do not get it on the wheel rim or brake pads, or you will have no brakes!

If you use a step-in pedal system, like Look or S.P.D. then this is one last spot that requires periodic lubing.  Once I notice that it is getting harder and harder to click out, I just put a spot of lube on the cleat mechanism both on my shoe and on my pedal.  Clicking out is once more a breeze!  (Note:  With Look pedals, which involve metal on metal, normal lubricant works fine.  But with S.P.D.’s, which involve plastic on plastic, you will want to use STP Armour-All or another non-petroleum lubricant.)  SPECIAL CAUTION:  Do not walk on your carpets after lubing your cleats!!!!

Good luck with these first steps in taking good care of your bicycle.

Finish Line, Tri-Flow, and White Lightning are just three of the many brands of bicycle tools Indianapolis found at Bicycle Garage Indy’s two locations, North (Clearwater area in Indianapolis) and South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood)

 Connie Szabo Schmucker, Bicycle Garage Indy Advocacy Direct, appeared on WISH TV's Indy Style Show this morning (5/18/2010), for a short segment on National Bike to Work Week / Indianapolis Bike to Work Day and some General Commuting and  Bicycle Safety tips.



Bicycle Garage Indy is a sponsor of The Bike To Work Day Corporate Challenge, and also has a special coupon incentive this week for Bicycle Commuting Indianapolis.  To qualify, you just need to bike to work this week, or replace one trip by bicycle.  Learn more on the BGI website.

All Cannondale bikes at Bicycle Garage Indy are on sale now through May 23, 2010.  You can find the details for this special offer in our latest email newsletter, linked here.

The Discover Cannondale Event details are:

The Discover Cannondale Sales Event takes place at both Bicycle Garage Indy locations, BGI North, (Indianapolis, E 82nd St. in the Clearwater area) or BGI South (Greenwood, just west of I-65 on County Line Rd).

I really value the relationship we have with Bicycle Garage on the north side of Indianapolis. In spite of being a big store with a lot of business, They always make me feel special. Yesterday I went in looking for a Mt. Bike for my daughter Caroline who is a high school junior and ready to really step up her game this season. Toby was awesome and was a little concerned about her size and that they might not have the right bike in stock. We never felt any pressure to buy one of their bikes and he did a great job of explaining every detail. the result was this fantastic Cannondale Rush Mt. Bike (same bike I'm riding) that was just her size. She was happy it was in Colts blue, but is most excited to be tearing up the trails in Brown County as soon as they dry out! Thanks guys!

Name: Chris Baggott
Bicycle: Cannondale Mt. Bike: Rush
City: Greenfield
State: IN

My name is Sandy Spears and I work at BGI South and this is the story of my first bike ride of 2010. I like many others have been itching to get outside and ride bicycles, the weather on the other hand has not cooperated, unleashing on the city mounds of snow and bitter cold temperatures. This past Sunday however, held the promise of warmer temps enticing me to make a date with my bike and my friend, I was not going to let this opportunity slip through my pedals. Donned in my cold weather clothing I loaded my bike on to the car rack and made my way downtown to meet my friend. They sky was cloudy and the streets were wet and sloppy from a light misting of rain and melting snow, I knew my bike was going to be a mess before I even started to ride, but I didn’t care I was not to be denied this day or the anticipation of the simple pleasure of being back on my bicycle. On the road we encountered a wide array of conditions including puddles of water, sheets of ice, piles of shoveled snow and light drizzling rain. Now you might be thinking that’s a little reckless getting out on a road bike in those conditions. Rest assured this was not a job for my road bike, nor would I be using one of my mountain bikes or my hybrid, no this ride was going to take a very special type of bike to handle these conditions. I would need to use my sweet little single speed Trek Wasabi for this journey. Oh the fun that was had that day as we rode around the Canal and White River trails. We barely noticed the 39-degree temperature and wet feet as we pedaled away the 14.5 miles made up our adventure. Ah, how could it possibly get any better? Well you end it all with a shared meal and more relevant conversation. “Life is Good”

Name: Sandra Spears
Bicycle: Trek SS Wasabi
City: Indianapolis
State: IN

Did you know that along with our web site and our blogs,  you can find information for Bicycle Garage Indy (North - Indianapolis and South - Greenwood) on all the following sites:

Facebook - www.bgindy.com/for/facebook
Twitter - www.twitter.com/bicyclegarage
YouTube - www.bgindy.com/for/youtube 
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bicyclegarageindy/

With the cycling season fast approaching, you may want to follow anyone of these for all sorts of interesting information on the latest products, store events, and more.  And for all of online followers, we offer special offers like this for discount offer for bike helmet Indianapolis, good through March 1, 2010.

(Part 2 of a series on the Trek Off-Road Tech Update for BGI Staff  from Ken Derrico of Trek Bicycle.)

The Active Braking Pivot (ABP) is Trek solution to the loss of suspension during braking, especially during technical, demanding descents.  ABP places the rear-suspension pivot in-line with the the rear axle.  This placement allows the suspension to stay active during braking, for greater control and braking confidence.

As developed by Trek suspension specialist Jose Gonzales, (you can hear more from Jose in this YouTube clip), any rear wheel can be used, with only a special QR Skewer. The pivots are actual sealed bearings, rather than bushings, for increased durability.

The Active Braking Pivot is found on all Trek Full suspension bikes, including the Remedy and Fuel series of high performance Trek Bikes Indianapolis, available at both Bicycle Garage Indy-North and Bicycle Garage Indy-South in Greenwood.

Next up, we will cover the EVO Link.

We tell our customers every year, but it bears repeating.  When spring arrives and you are ready to start riding is not the time for your Bike Maintenance, Indianapolis!.  Right now our full time winter staff of trained bicycle mechanics is ready to tune up or overhaul you bike, and return it to you ready to go.   And bring your bike in now for savings of 40% off labor.   Our Winter service offer runs through January 31.  Don't loose those first spring weekends on problems you already know need to be fixed, like rusted cables, worn tires, or wheels that are out of true.

And while you are in,  check out the latest in 2010 Bicycle Clothing in Indianapolis, arriving daily and hitting the shelves at both our locations.

Things are reving up our special evening, Ladies Nite @ BGI.  Chris from Trek will be here to show everyone how easy it is to change a tire.   Women sharing with women is my idea of learning Bicycle Maintenance, Indianapolis.  Don't worry about getting your hands dirty we Monkey Grease wipes to hand out for any participant willing to give it a try herself tonight.

Getting your bike ready to ride is also good Bicycle Maintenance.  Thanks Sandra, BGI employee for sharing her knowlegde on the quick saftey check before you jump on your bike. 

Tires inflated, check; tools in seat bag, check; waterbottle filled, check; ......

Today's bike repair tip: Look for repair deals in the off season

This time of year, most Indianapolis bike mechanics are very busy with repairs - sometimes backed up for as long as 2 weeks!  It's a good idea to bring your bike in for repairs or tune ups in the off season (November-February) because most shops will offer good deals on their service.

At Bicycle Garage Indy (BGI), you can sign up for our email list and receive advance notice on repair deals and off season special pricing.  Sign  up here: http://bgindy.com/.  Just scroll down the page - you'll see the email sign up under the menu on the left side.  Don't worry!  We take your personal information seriously.  Your information will never be sold or given to an outside vendor.  Last winter's specials ran up to 40% off regular price on some of the maintenance packages so it really pays to get  your work done before the season starts!

Here's a look at our maintenance packages:  http://bgindy.com/page.cfm?pageID=8

Check back often for more bike repair Indianapolis!