Sunday Ride to 3 Floyds

With the temperature last Sunday flirting with 32 degrees, a friend of Mine and I (Kyle) decided it would be a good day to ride 60 miles roundtrip to 3 Floyds Brew Pub in Muenster, IN.

 It was an extremely cold ride that presented some challenges that don't normally get presented to me.  Other then some extremely slick spots and frozen gears our ride was extremely enjoyable because of the amount of people who were absent from the lake front path(LFP) and roads. The ride would have been near impossible if the LFP had the foot and bike traffic it normally does in the spring. Below are some pictures I took along the journey. You can see where the splashes of water quickly turned to ice. At one point the front of my shoes were ice caps. Not fun. My downtube shift cable quickly be came useless and my friends bike turned to a single speed also. Check out the gear cassette I snapped a picture of. Its awesome the way the ice built up.

Forgive me for the lack of pictures towards the end of the ride. My longest ride of this season kicked my butt. By the time we got to the 3FFF's Brew Pub I was more interested in the Beer on Tap and the FOOD. I only had 2 beers (thats all it took after the trip down there). I usually try only beer I can get there, so I had the Brunk Donk, (hahahha am I drunk?) excuse me, I had the Drunk Monk & the Topless Witch. The Monk is a Hefeweizen and the Witch is a porter with hints of chocolate and coffee. My buddy Derek had the Veggie Pizza and I had the Burger. The Burger is awesome, I cant begin to tell you how delicious it was. The meat is top quality and has a sausage like quality that made it extremely juicy and unique. Well done (no pun intended) 3 FFF's.

Here are the pics from the trip. Please enjoy.

Momentum Magazine******Free *******

Just got a fresh supply of Momentum Magazine. On The Route & Trek Bikes on Michigan have carried Momentum for quite some time, however upon printing its 50th issue, Momentum got a face lift.

The new cover and logo look fresh and modern. (Just what OTR is trying to do after 30+ years!)

Anyways, pop in say hello and grab a Momentum Mag.

Biking pays off for you and the enviorment

There are countless reasons to bike. Weather its for health, transportation, and/or fun, it’s positive for both you and the environment. Think Global & act local. Check out these fun facts below and head over 1world2wheel.org for more tips and information. Oh and don’t forget to watch John Burke (owner of TREK) talk about the 1world2wheels program.

Facts for your health:

-The average person looses 13 pounds their first year of commuting by bike.

-Just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%

-A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while peddling 14 miles in an hour.

 Facts for the environment:

-The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

-Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.

-In 2003, cars stalled in traffic wasted 5 billion gallons of fuel.

 Facts for children:

-In 1964, 50% of kids rode to school and the obesity rate wa 12%...In 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was 45%.

-Between 1960 and today the average weight of a 6-11 year old has increased 11 pounds.

Source: 1world2wheels.org

Patch Kits are Here!

We just got a Shipment of On The Route (OTR) Patch Kits. We will be handing out these OTR Patch Kits all over the city this summer during cycling events and rides. These will be great to throw in your jersey or bags for extra security on long rides. They come with instructions, buffer, glue, and 6 medium sized patches. Good for a majority of punctures.

A good rule of thumb for all you who are intimidated to patch your own tube. Dont be. Its really simple, the key to a solid patch job is patience. After locating the puncture and buffing away any grime, the key is to let the thin film of glue set up for at least 5 minutes or until the "wet" look is gone. A good contact and firm pressure on the correct side of the patch should get you rolling again.

See you guys soon!

2011 Bontrager Tires

Goodbye, flats!

Winters grip is slowly loosening its hold... and maybe this 40 degree weather has made you think of playing outdoors again. Well as our stock of 2011 Gear rolls our way, we decided to share with you some info on Tires. The right tire in the Chicago area, almost always, is a punture resistant type. If most of your riding is pavement and traveling, we recommend the Bontrager line of Hard Case Tires. Here are a few specs and differences between the flat resistant models.

Plus

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Bontrager's first line of defense involves sub-tread puncture protection which prevents glass and stone from pushing through the tread and puncturing the tube. The Plus belt or co-extrusion, varies in thickness and material by intended user and tire type, enhancing puncture protection with minimal weight penalty.

Available on many Bontrager road and hybrid tires, Plus is ideal for riders seeking a fast ride with some anti-flat protection.

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Hard-Case

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Bontrager's second line of defense provides triple flat protection:

1. Aramid breaker belt to ward off tread punctures from glass and stone
2. Anti-cut casing, bead to bead, that resists cuts from glass and sharp objects
3. Anti-pinch sidewall support to prevent snake-bites when running over obstacles and hitting holes

Upgrade to Hard-Case tires when your route involves road debris or patches of gravel--and right after the winter thaw.

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Hard-Case Plus

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Bontrager's third line of defense is the best of both worlds, combining the benefits of Hard-Case with the proven sub-tread protection of Plus for a tire that accelerates quicker, rolls faster, and lasts longer than competing brands.

1. Aramid breaker belt to ward off tread punctures from glass and stone
2. Anti-cut casing, bead to bead, that resists cuts from glass and sharp objects
3. Anti-pinch sidewall support to prevent snake-bites when running over obstacles and hitting holes
4. Sub-tread Plus co-extrusion, for 21% more tread protection than Hard-Case

Upgrade to Hard-Case Plus when you seek the ultimate in flat protection.

2011 Gary Fisher Collection 29er's

Yes Sir! We have the 2011 Trek Gary Fisher Collection 29er's in-stock.

Check out this video with Gary Fisher, on why his 29er's are so special, including the G2 Technology.

People For Bikes Pledge. Please Sign For Yourself & Fellow Cyclist.

A note from the folks over at People for Bikes. Please sign the pledge and pass on to fellow cyclists. Thanks

-OTR

We're writing to you today with one simple request: ask a friend to sign the PFB pledge today. If each one of us recruits just one friend, we will instantly double the size of our movement from nearly 200,000 to 400,000. With twice as many supporters, we will double our clout and dramatically enhance our capability to make bicycling in America safer and more appealing for everyone who rides.

As some extra motivation, anyone who signs the pledge during the month of February will instantly be entered to win one of five Timbuk2 custom peopleforbikes.org messenger bags stuffed with other awesome PFB swag. (Don't worry; you can still enter the giveaway even though you've already signed the pledge. Just fill out this form).

As you know, signing the pledge is easy and only takes a few seconds. You can check out our latest blog entries to learn more about why it's so important to get all riders to raise their hands in support of better biking now by signing the pledge.

We also want to send a shoutout to the thousands of PFB supporters who have shared their stories and photos about why they ride on our story gallery. If you ever need inspiration to get back on two wheels, spend a few minutes reading through the gallery, and then share your own story.

Snowpocalypse 2011

I have never seen Chicago this immobilized in quite a long time. Tom Skilling on WGN News says this was a "once in a career storm". With somewhere over the 20 inch mark, we got Pounded! I rode home through the mild part of the storm on Tuesday around 4pm. I was lucky enough to get home before messes of accidents arouse all over the City. What I could only describe as a Winter Hurricane with out a cyclone, left an amazing aftermath Wednesday after 3pm. I went out for a ride around the streets to assess the snow, man am I so glad I sold my car, I would not want to dig out of that. Above is a picture the side streets the City has not yet had time to plow. I couldn't get very far on side streets, but my Fatty cross tires helped so much! Hope all is well. We will be re-opening today, if you are on a bike or passing by and need something, come see us.

Please Bring This to Chicago!

Even though we don't really have any hills anywhere, I would love to see a Red Bull Hill Chasers Event somewhere in Chicago. Heres what Red Bull had to say about the event. 


"To settle a long standing battle between bike disciplines. Who will be the fastest in a short uphill sprint in Bristol’s city centre? A night time dual uphill eliminator race for all bike disciplines: BMX, Mountain Bike, Road Cycling and Fixed Gear." 


Not Sold? Check out this video, Look like a fun night.


Red Bull Hill Chasers - Bristol - 29/01/11 from The Foot Down on Vimeo.

Leopard Madone (Another One)

I Just can't get over how good this Trek Madone looks. This is Andy Schleck's Fully integrated Shimano Di2 Trek Madone. I wish we could get one of these in the Shops. Maybe Trek will pass it around after Schleck trounces Contador this year. Man I really love those Bontrager wheels with the white spokes. Gotta love that extra flair. I bet those Trek Leopard Kits are gonna be flying off the shelves once we get our hands on them. We'll keep you guys posted when we get them.  

© James Huang

© James Huang

Winter Biking and Gear

Check out this video from Active Transportation Alliance. Has some really great tips on gearing up for riding in the winter! With the right gear and mind set you can ride year round. Check it below.

Winter Biking Primer from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Trek Travel

One of my favorite things about Trek is the trek travel cycling vacations. I have been lucky enough to go on 2 trips to date Vermont and I just returned from Santa Barbara. Please view some of my photos. If you ever want to treat yourself to something I highly recommend a trek travel vacation. I want to do  Seattle/san Juan islands multi sport for my next trip. (Actually I am tempted to splurge or go in debt and see the lance vs. alberto tour de france 2010...you get to ride the stage very early every day before the tour begins) Please check out their website and go for it. You have my word you will not regret it. Please tell them Joanne from trek bicycles on Michigan ave and on the route bicycles in Chicago recommended you. Thanks, let me know. We’d love to have you blog or twitter a trip. Otrbikes@yahoo.com


Visit Trek Travel's Website for more information on Rides and Destinations. 


http://www.trektravel.com/

Laser Light Bicycle Lane

This is a really cool concept! A laser light bike lane. This could really help on dark streets and main streets in Chicago that don't have designated bike lanes. Not sure when these will start showing up on the market but Im sure we will let you know if they become available anytime soon.