Welcome to The Practical Cyclist

My name is Jay Hardcastle, and I am the new Marketing Manager for Bicycle Garage Indy.  I am very excited to join the nationally recognized, award winning team of BGI.  More than just a bike shop, Bicycle Garage Indy, and BGI Fitness have been part of the greater Indianapolis cycling and business community for over 27 years, a remarkable achievement.  I encourage you to take a few minutes and read the BGI mission statement and history, it is a great story, and one that I am now proud to be a part of.

Bicycles and cycling have been a part of life my since my early teens in southern Michigan. Much to the consternation of my auto-centric family, I was on my third bike and first tandem before I owned a car. I had ridden my first century and first multi-day tour by the time I was 17.  Four years later I met my wife, Linda, on a club ride.  In our first 10 years together, we toured over 6,000 miles  by tandem in 13 states and Canada.   Our son's Tyler and Justin almost grew up on bikes, each moving from trailer, to tandem, and now their own bikes on day rides and tours on the west coast and across the midwest.  

Family Riding - 1996

Along the way I have ridden single track in the Cascades, I-5 in Southern California, and every type of road surface in between. I worked my way through Purdue in bicycle shops, and have given back to the sport as a bike club volunteer when ever time allowed.  Linda and I are currently coordinators for Indiana's tandem club, the Hoosiers Out On Tandems, or HOOTS.

Yet with all that, my story is not unique on the BGI team.  There are lots of stories like mine, and the fun part of my job will be getting to share those stories to your benefit.   THE BGI staff has decades of experience in helping customers, and tens of thousands of riding miles.  Relating that practical experience to you is all part of BGI's "E3" mission, to Educate, Excite and Expand.    

Welcome to The Practical Cyclist.  Enjoy the ride, and keep it safe!

Jay Hardcastle
Marketing Manager
jhardcastle@bgindy.com
www.twitter.com/BicycleGarage

 



Town Run Trail Closed during Spring Thaw

Friday, March 5, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Passing along an update on local trail conditions from Mark Finney, an avid off-road rider and BGI employee.
Please, if you see people with MTBs and/or gear, do your best to dissuade them from riding the trails for the next few weeks.  
 
As the ground thaws, the trail turns into "grease mud" with a layer of ice beneath.  It is VERY susceptible to damage from tire ruts (or footprints), which hold more water and create more mud.  If the trails get to thaw and absorb without being disturbed, they can be re-opened WEEKS earlier, and without requiring a ton of volunteer labor from the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association to repair the damage. 
 
Town Run is officially closed (gate closed @ 96th St entrance), but too many people still "poach" in from other points.  Other trails to avoid are Westwood (New Castle), Brown County, and Versailles. 
 
Rangeline (Anderson) is the exception. It is an old gravel quarry, and is less prone to the freeze/thaw cycle.
 
Please refer to http://www.HMBA.org/ (and specifically to the fresh info in the Forums area) for more information.  Thanks to Mark Finney on the Bicycle Garage Indy Staff for this trail update.

Our Next Online Coupon - CamelBak Hydration Products

Monday, March 1, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Our latest online coupon lets you take 15% off the lowest price of any CamelBak hydration product. It's your pick: a hydration pack, like the Lobo, the new flow meter, .75L Better Bottle or a Podium bottle.  (Limit 1 per customer, in-stock items only offer good through 3/15/2010.)


CamelBak is one of the hundreds brands of Bike Accessories Indianapolis, in-stock now at Bicycle Garage Indy North, Indianapolis, and Bicycle Garage Indy South in Greenwood.

Something Completely Different, the XDK Slug

Sunday, February 28, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Sometimes a product comes along that is very difficult to describe, or explain in words how to use or why you need it.  When I first saw the XDK Slug, A Hydration Pack Tool I knew I had to have one.  

Now I am a rarity, a road rider who uses a CamelBak. I know a CamelBak on road bike just yells FRED, but hear me out. I was first introduced to them while riding in Washington State.  Off-road riders are constantly in mud, so CamelBaks were used for both for hands-free drinking, and reasonable clean access to water.  A lot of the off-road riders would train on the road, so they kept the CamelBak habit.  I am on a tandem a lot, so hands free is nice for that.  Finally, our kids were tandeming with at a very early age, and a strapped on pack let them drink without playing the "drop-the-water-bottle" game.  So our work-out storage includes hooks for four hydration packs and extra's.

Now the Omegaport lid is a great improvement over the original CamelBak.  You can easily add ice (especially nice at quick shop ice machines!), and clean and dry the bladder.  But for some, it can be very difficult to open.  In our household, I am the official CamelBak "opener". (Along with bike mechanic, roof rack bike loader, tire inflation specialist, etc.) With the Slug, which inspired the video below, I have 1 less official job at home.  Now if someone will just invent a PowerBar opener. . . .



CamelBak and XDK are just two of the hundreds of brands of Bike Accessories Indianapolis, in-stock now at Bicycle Garage Indy North, in Indianapolis, and Bicycle Garage Indy South in Greenwood.



Getting to know Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Saturday, February 27, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
"Bleeding" a hydraulic disc brake at Bicycle Garage IndyI am completely at home taking care of the different types of bicycle brakes I have used over the years; side pulls, center pulls, cantilevers and linear-pull/V-brakes.   I have had them on the bikes I have owned, assembled and maintained.  But disc brakes are a completely new animal for me.  I don’t own a disc-equipped bike (yet, of course!), and they only came into wide-spread use after my days as a full-time mechanic.  However, I had a unique opportunity to learn more about Hydraulic Disc brakes when Josh Prater, one of the service leads for Bicycle Garage Indy, scheduled a training session for BGI’s Service Department to share what he learned at a recent Park Tool Tech Summit, I jumped at the chance, and it turned out to be a very interesting couple of hours!
 
Josh provided the full run down on the adjustment and maintenance techniques for hydraulic brakes from Avid and Shimano that are used on Giant, Trek and Cannondale off-road bikes sold by Bicycle Garage Indy.   Included were techniques for throw and “dead-band” adjustment, brake line bleeding (removing air from the closed hydraulic lines), brake line replacement and pad replacement. For the most part, if you are already technically competent in your bicycle care, these are techniques you could handle; on the other hand, it is nice to know these are all Bike Maintenance Indianapolis services available from Bicycle Garage Indy.

Find BGI Online, and our latest coupon

Sunday, February 21, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
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.




BGI North Hosts Lady's Night and Fashion Show

Saturday, February 20, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Thursday, February 18,  our Lady's Night at Bicycle Garage Indy - North was a hugh success. Over 60 women attended our first fashion show, which included women's cycling wear from Cannondale,  Sugoi and Apres Velo.  
 
The evening began with a social hour including massages, food provided by BGI, wine tasting by Oliver Winery and sushi from Taki.  After introductions from Connie Szabo Schmucker, BGI Advocacy Director, Jason from Cannondale explained some of the women's only design elements of Cannondale's road, off-road and hybrid bicycle.  That was followed by our fashion show, with  Kevin from Sugoi and Pam from Cannondale explaining fabrics and features of over a dozen different outfits.  The evening concluded with a shopping hour for all attendees along with door prizes provided by Sugoi, Cannondale, Taki Japanese Restaurant, Apres Velo and BGI.   
 
Many thinks to Pam Keith and Jason Edinger of Cannondale and Kevin Gamper and Dan Surdenik with Sugoi.   
 Sugoi, Cannondale and Apres Velo are just three of the many brands of bicycle clothing Indianapolis found at Bicycle Garage Indy's two locations, North (Rivers Edge in Indianapolis) and South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood)

The next BGI Lady's Night is planned for June. (Along with the pictures here, you can find more on Flickr - Bicycle Garage Indy.)  Video now available at Bicycle Garage Indy on YouTube.

77 Days

Saturday, February 20, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
TOSRV 2008, my son Tyler(l) and I, w/ the TOSRV Murals in Portsmouth OH.I now have 77 days to get ready for one my annual riding traditions and favorite rides, the Tour of the Sciota River Valley.  Starting in Columbus, OH, TOSRV is a two day, 210 mile ride that has run on every Mother's Day weekend since 1961.  My history is a little shorter, only having ridden my first "TOZ" in 1979. Ever since I saw the picture 6,000 riders on the steps of the Ohio Capitol building in an early `70s Sports Illustrated, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.  

2010 will be my 11th return for this spring classic.  TOSRV is a unique challenge, due to both the early date and distance, and the amazing permutations of Midwest spring weather.  I have experienced temperatures from the low 40's to high 80's, headwinds, tailwinds, sunny days, rainy days and even a flash flood.  Yet each return has been a reward of reunion with old friends, fellowship with thousands of riders, and the unique beauty (really) of Midwest riding.

TOSRV!Having an early season goal and an annual tradition ride are two ways to keep bicycling fresh and interesting year after year.  Do you have a riding tradition? And if not this year, 2011, the 50th TOSRV, is going to quite a show!

Trek Off-Road Tech Update, Pt 4- Full Floater Shock Mount

Monday, February 15, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
 (Part 4 of a series on the Trek Off-Road Tech Update for BGI Staff  from Ken Derrico of Trek Bicycle.)

Trek Full Floater Shock placement (Trek Remedy 9.9)Traditional suspension systems will mount one end of the shock on in a fixed position on the frame.  With Full Floater, Jose Gonzalez, Trek Bicycle's Director of Suspension Technology,  connects the two ends of the shock to live members of the suspension; the EVO link at the top, and the extension of the chainstay at the bottom.  First introduced in 2008, the Full Floater now takes full advantage of the DVRC short, and Active Braking Pivot for a very efficient, compliant suspension system. (Follow this link to YouTube for Jose's detailed explanation of Full Floater.)

The Full Floater 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.

That covers the four key elements of Trek's full suspension systems.  Watch for future posts on other aspects Trek's off-road bike technology.


Trek Off-Road Tech Update, Pt 3- EVO Link

Sunday, February 14, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
 (Part 3 of a series on the Trek Off-Road Tech Update for BGI Staff from Ken Derrico of Trek Bicycle.)

EVO Link Rocker on the Trek Remedy 9.9The rocker link is essential in connecting rear suspension members to the frame.  Most are bolted together plates.  To tie all the elements of it's rear suspension together, Trek relies on the one piece EVO Roller link casting.  One piece design dramatically improves stiffness and reliability in Trek's hi performance off-road bike.  The EVO also incorporates pressed in sealed bearing, rather than bushing, for increased durability.  (You can see more EVO details on YouTube from Trek's Jose Gonzalez.)

The EVO Link 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.

We will cover Full Floater shock mount next in Part 4.



Trek Off-Road Tech Update, Pt 2- Active Braking Pivot (ABP)

Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
(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.

Trek Off Road Tech Pt1 DRVC Shock

Friday, February 12, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
BGI North Staff looks on during a Suspension demoThis week, Sales and Service staff at both BGI North and South had the chance to participate in a Trek Off-Road Tech Update with Ken Derrico of Trek Bicycle.  We have put a few of the pictures up on our Bicycle Garage Indy Flikr site.  In this and several posts to follow, we will highlight some of these new offerings, in development since 2006, when Trek began, with considerable investment, research efforts to completely retool it's off-road bikes. These efforts are now bearing fruit in industry and rider recognition.

Along with it's carbon frame building technology (Lance and Madone, need we say more!), Trek is highlighting four Suspension technologies; Fox Dual Rate Control Valve (DRCV), Active Braking Pivot (ABP), Full Floater Shock Mount, and EVO 1-piece rocker links.   We will talk first about the DRCV shock first, and cover the rest future posts.

Built by Fox and engineered by Trek, DRCV allows for both small bump compliance and "big-hit" control in an air spring. The first stage functions as a standard Fox Float air shock.  Halfway through its travel, the plunger opens a valve to the upper canister, providing "big-hit" performance, without the loss of pedaling efficiency of a long travel shock.

The DRVC Shock is found on 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.

We will cover the Active Braking Pivot in our next post.






Trek Project 1 Madone with Dura Ace Di2 at Bicycle Garage Indy North

Saturday, February 6, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Shimano DuraAce Di2 Front Derailleur and battery packWe have our first Shimano Dura Ace Di2 Treks Bike Indianapolis!  We have a Trek Project 1 Madone with a complete Dura Ace Di2 drive train assembled and on display.  Better yet, we have have it on CycleOps Jet Fluid Trainer, so you can try it yourself at BGI - North.

 Shimano's SEIS (Shimano Electronic Intelligent Shifting) is a remarkable riding experiencing. On of the most fascinating features is the self-triming front derailleur, with it's two-step shifting between rings.  The the Di2's lithium battery pack mounts in-line with and below a water bottle cage, and  is designed for 1,000 miles of riding between charges.  You can find a complete set of pictures on Flickr, and video at BicycleGarageIndy on YouTube.

This Project One Trek Madone is just one of the performance Trek Bikes Indianapolis, available at both Bicycle Garage Indy-North and Bicycle Garage Indy-South in Greenwood.

Bicycle Garage Indy Tire Deal Buy 1, save 50% on the next

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
With warmer weather fast approaching, now is good time to start spring bike maintenance, Indianapolis.  And while you might wait until roads have been cleaned up a little from winter debris before mounting them, new tires are a good place to start.  And to help you do that, for a limited time, Bicycle Garage Indy is offering 50% off the second tire when you buy one at full price.  Even better, you can do this twice!, Buy 2 Tires at full price, and buy 2 more at 50%. One coupon per customer, good at Bicycle Garage Indy North and Bicycle Garage Indy South in Greenwood.

Latest Online Coupon from BGI.

Great Story from one of our Customers

Friday, January 29, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Cannondale Touring 1Bob Walters, a customer of Bicycle Garage Indy - North, has a great blog post about a new Cannondale Touring 1 bicycle being assembled and customized for his missionary work in Africa.  Looks like a very interesting story worth following.

The Touring 1 is just one of many high performance Cannondale Bikes Indianapolis, available at both Bicycle Garage Indy-North and Bicycle Garage Indy-South in Greenwood.

BGI has been awarded an Angie’s List Super Service Award

Sunday, January 17, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Angie's List Super Service Award Winner Bicycle Garage Indy has been awarded the prestigious 2009 Angie’s List Super Service Award! The Super Service Award, now celebrating its 11th year, is reserved for companies who have achieved and maintained a superior service rating on Angie's List – the nation’s leading provider of consumer ratings on local service companies – throughout the past year.

The entire BGI staff would like to thank our customers and Angie's List Members who made this years award (our seventh!) possible.

It all part of BGI providing the best bike maintenance Indianapolis has to offer!
 

New Pricing and Savings on Professional Bicycle Fitting Services at BGI

Saturday, January 16, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
BGI's profession fitting servicesWe've realigned our fitting packages to give you better choices. With our new "Intro Fit" package, we use current industry standards to set saddle height, saddle fore/aft, stem length, etc. While not as thorough as our "Body Fit" & "Custom Fitting", the Intro Fit addresses the basics in just one hour. 
 
Take a 50% discount by scheduling your Intro Fit session by February 20th.
 
 
 
BGI is proud to offer the finest bicycle fitting services in Indianapolis,  if not the Midwest.  BGI will deliver the bicycle that best matches your needs and preferences because BGI's Advanced Certified Bicycle Fit Tech, our dedicated Bicycle Fitting Facility, our diagnostic software, and our extensive component selection set BGI apart from the "traditional" competition.

Our Latest Email Newsletter

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
 Our latest email newsletter is always available at www.bgindy.com/for/newsletter.  Visit the BGI web site, or click the links at left to be added our email list.

BGI Email Newsltter Sample


Phil Campbell, Sprint 8, and Vision Fitness at BGI Fitness/Bicycle Garage Indy

Friday, January 8, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Only 3 more reps!Phil Campbell, developer of Sprint 8 and author of "Ready, Set Go!"Over 25 people attended Phil Campbell's Sprint 8 session over separate evenings at BGI South and North.  Included in each 1 hour presentation was a 20 minute, Sprint 8 workout, which is programmed into many models of Vision Fitness Treadmills, Vision Fitness Recumbent Cycles and Vision Fitness Ellipticals.  Vision Fitness equipment is one of the many lines carried by BGI Fitness and Bicycle Garage Indy at our Indianapolis and Greenwood locations.  Each attendee received a copy of Phil's fitness and training guide, "Ready, Set, Go!"

BGI 2010 Resolution Fitness Sale

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by Jay Hardcastle
Our latest ad from the Indy Star for our 2010 Resolution Fitness Sale.

BGI Fitness 2010 Resolution Sale ad