Fixin' Stuff In Kirkland

We spent our Memorial Day in Kirkland this year where we were proud to support the Annual 7 Hills of Kirkland benefiting the Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing Organization. The KITH's mission is to provide temporary and longer term housing for individuals and families threatened by homelessness in the greater Kirkland region. Presently, KITH manages a twelve-unit apartment complex and owns two four-plexes. KITH also provides case-management for its constituents and an assortment of related charitable functions serving the local community. So, very early in the morning we showed up to lend mechanical support to the more than 1300 riders in this great event.

The 7 Hills of Kirkland boasts three great courses. From the traditional 7 Hills course (about 40 miles) to a Metric Century to a full blown Century ride. We were there every step of the way to make sure that people were able to finish the ride. This is the first year that we've participated in the 7 Hills ride and it was a great ride to be involved with. From the top notch courses to the outstanding strawberry shortcake at the end, this is a ride that should be at the top of your list of rides to do every year. While not for the faint of heart (this ride does have as much as 7,000 feet of climbing) this ride was well supported and a great challenge for all involved.

We'd like to thank Chris Fox and the rest of the 7 Hills staff and volunteers for providing a great ride and for allowing us to be part of it.






See a few more pictures that we took
See all the pictures from the event

Big Weekend of Support

It was a big weekend for cycling in Seattle. Not only did we have the best weather of the year (as long as you like it over 80), but there were some great events going on. And we were a part of a bunch of them. Whether you were commuting to work, riding for a cause or riding for a cause and for a party, we were there turning wrenches, fixing flats and giving support.

The weekend started early with the Starbucks Bike to Work Day on Friday. We supported three stops. On in Bellevue, one in Lynwood and one right here at Greenlake. By all accounts this was the most populated Bike to Work day in memory. Just at the Greenlake station alone we counted almost 700 riders and I heard news of upwards of 1600 riders at other stops. There were a lot of everyday commuters out there but what was really encouraging was the amount of first time commuters out and about.

On Saturday we packed up the van and went out to Marymoor park to support the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. Close to 700 riders came out on the warmest day of the year to ride 15, 25, 40, 70 or 100 miles. We've supported this ride for at least five years now and it's been great to see it grow into a very large and popular event. We set up at the crack of dawn and helped people with last minute adjustments and the such. After everyone got out on the road we set up again at a rest stop and helped a few more people. Riders were hot and tired by the time they got to us buy spirits were high and people really enjoyed the ride and riding for the cause.

We wrapped up the weekend doing support for the New Belgium Urban Assault Ride and event. This event benefited Bike Works and The Bikery and at least 300 people came out to ride from checkpoint to checkpoint taking care of some crazy obstacles and generally have a great time. There were mystery checkpoints, bike limbo and big wheels in effect. Once again we showed up early to make sure that competitors bikes were all tuned up and ready to go.

All in all it was a great weekend to spend on the bike and a great weekend to support those that were out on bikes. That's what we do!





More pictures of Bike To Work Day
More Pictures of the Tour de Cure
More pictures of the Urban Assault

Opening Weekend at Tiger Mountain

Tiger Mountain, one of the most used mt. bike trails in the state is open and mostly ready to go. The BBTC has done a huge amount of work over the last few years to keep this trail open to bikers and in good shape. The area is closed from October 15 - April 15 so this was actually the second open weekend of 2008. While the weather was outstanding, the last few weeks of cold weather left a good 4 - 6 inches of snow at the top of the climb. Snow didn't keep the masses from coming out to ride. In fact the parking lot was full for most of the day with both bikers and hikers.

To help people enjoy the day even more the BBTC put together a BBQ for the riders and we came out to do some mechanical support and give some swag out. People that came out to ride (and people that came out to hike) were treated to some great hot dogs, hamburgers and assorted grilled veggie stuff when they finished up their riding. Most were pretty hungry because as it turned out the ride was a little longer then usual. With at least a mile of tromping through 6 inches of snow at the top of Preston, it became a pretty epic day. The trail still needs a little work and there were volunteers up there cutting some trees out of the trail. As is the case with early season riding around here, the trail has changed quite a bit. The trail still bends and turns the way you remember, but there were a few extra challenges in the way of rocks, mud, logs and other assorted debris that had moved around over the winter. Hats off the the BBTC once again for the advocacy that they do and the work they do on the trails to keep us all riding. If you're interested in getting involved or want to do some trail work, check this out: http://bbtc.org/recreation/calendar.php?view=all&event_type=W

Trek Tri Island Support

It was the 25th year of the American Lung Associaion Trek Tri-Island and the 7th year of our supporting it. The route was changed up a bit, no Victoria or San Juan Island this year but the ride was great for those who came out, despte a "little rain".

The Trek Tri-Island continues to be one of the best supported rides in the state. Not only do they provide a great route, cool places to stay the night and good food, there are three, count them, three vehicles with mechanics in them to help a rider out when they need it. I was in "Mechanic 1", naturally.

The weather was great on the first day and this rider enjoyed the sun at a rest stop on the way to Port Townsend for the first night at the Blue Herron Middle School.

The second day was not quite so nice, but there was a SUB (Sports Utility Bicycle) in the house so she was ready for what ever the weather threw at her.

The second day was wet. But 3 hours of constant rain didn't stop the riders or the support staff from completing the 70 mile second day. More pictures below in the slide show.

Bumbershootin It

Along with title sponsors Clif Bar and Camelbak we sponsored the Bike Corral at Bumbershoot this year. With room for 500 bikes the bike corral was a huge success. Each day the corral filled up with all kinds of bikes and all kinds of riders who were very appreciative of the service. This is the first year that One Reel, the organization that puts Bumbershoot together, has done the bike corral and I don't think it will be the last.

We set up at the Broad street entrance and were there to help secure the area and help people out with fixes if they needed them. We pumped up a few tires, trued a few wheels and adjusted some shifting. But mostly we just talked bikes with folks.

This is Dan and Tony. They came out on Sunday to help out. Good fun was had by all. Thanks to Dan, Tony, Justin, Glen, John, Wayne, John Y, Garet, Rebecca, Jim, Kailey, Julian, Mary, Heather and David for coming out and helping. We couldn't have done it without you!

Mary and Heather took some time to chat with the local Law enforcement. But for the most part they stayed out of trouble.

Below is a little slide show of some of the great old bikes that people rode to the event. Cool stuff.

In the short video below Tony knew that he was having his picture taken but just before the footage below he decided that he should wave at the camera. This is the result...

Danskin in the Rain!

For the last 6 or 7 years we've gone out to the Danskin Triathlon to help out in the transistion area as well as on on the course. 2007 was the first time I can remember that it actually rained during the race. Below is a slide show of our work in the transistion area on Saturday. Saturday is really where we earn our money (volunteers don't actually make any money but, you get the idea). We arrived at around 10am and didn't get a chance to breath until almost 5pm. It was a great event and the women that competed are amazing. Check ou the slide show below:



2007 Danskin pics
Thanks to Ken B. for the pics in the slide show.

Below are a few pics from the road. I was out with the van at the turn around to fix flats and other problems that might have happened. The racers were great. The weather was not!

ALS Double Day Ride 2007

For the fourth year in a row we've supported the ALS Double Day Ride. Just what is ALS? Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease, first described in 1869 by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the last decade has brought a wealth of new scientific understanding about the disease that provides hope for the future. Lou Gehrig first brought national and international attention to the disease in 1939 when he abruptly retired from baseball after being diagnosed with ALS. Most commonly, the disease strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. We're very proud to support this ride and it's been great to see it grow over the years. This year the riders raised at least $80,000 for the cause and after the matching gifts they are sure to break last year's record of $100,000.

We were out there to make sure all the bikes were running properly and provide support on the road. We also donated some prizes to the event for the great raffle that the event puts on during their annual Pasta4PALS Dinner.

The weather was great for the ride. It started out a little cloudy in the morning but the temperature was great and the sun made an appearance later in the day.

While these riders look pretty serious, the ride was great for all abilities. The people that came out to ride (close to 200 people) almost all have a direct connection with ALS and ride as part of a team supporting a family member or friend with ALS or in remembrance of someone who has passed from the disease.

ALS is takes people, often in their prime, and takes them quickly. The average lifespan after a diagnosis is less than 3 years. The families and sufferers of this disease are amazingly brave and generous.

Click here for a slide show of pictures from the event

Helping Out

Cycling has always been considered a great way to stay in shape and in the last few months we've had a number of requests (3 or maybe 4) from people who would like us to support them in their quest to lose some weight. We're not always able to help out with much but every once in a while we are. Here are two links to people we have been able to help out.

Shane at: http://fatsweatandtears.blogspot.com/

Shane came to us back in May and told the story about how he'd been riding for 4 months in an effort to lose some weight. Shane was "tired of being obese and all of the health problems associated with being fat". At the time we were unable to donate a bike but we were able to help him out with some gear to make his ride easier. Shane has been blogging about his successess since May and has just lost 50lbs. Way to go Shane!

Another great story is Tryfena Lee. In 2005 after 2 years of trying to lose weight the old fashioned way (excercise and diet) Lee decided she needed medical help and underwent Gastric Bypass surgery as a last resort. Since then Lee has lost 110 lbs and has now become interested in cycling and hiking. A few months ago a friend of Lee's called us to ask if we would be interested in helping out with a bike. As luck would have it we were able to help. Here's a link to her story.

We get 4 to 5 requests a week from people and individuals asking for support for one cause or another. We are not able to help all of them but we help where we can and are happy to do it.

STP 2007

The 28th annual Group Health Seattle To Portland Bicycle Classic was sold out this year and we were there to experience it. It was just getting light when we left Seattle and drove to the halfway point at Centrailia Community College. Once there we set up and got ready for the some 9000 people challenging themselves to ride from Seattle to Portland in one or two days.

We starting seeing riders come through at about 9am and the work began. We fixed everything from broken spokes to shaky bottom brackets. We helped with shifting and with tracking down annoying noises. It was a busy day and John and I worked pretty much non stop from 9am until 7pm.

It's always great to go out and see all the people riding their bikes. Getting a chance to talk to people that ride but don't work in a bike shop is great to do. We get to hear about real bike people that are out there every day on all different kinds of bikes in all different conditions.

All in all a great day helping people on bikes. It was amazing to see all of these people and the dedication that they put in to do this great ride.

Wamu Family Fourth

As part of our ongoing support of the cycling community we recently partnered up with One Reel to offer free bicycle parking at Seattle's largest 4th of July Celebration. With upwards of 70,000 people showing up to watch the firworks, One Reel and their commitment to be "dedicated to invigorating broad and diverse live audiences through imaginative and creative arts events of all disciplines in traditional and non-traditional venues" realized that promoting cycling as an alternative to driving to events made great sense. Here at Gregg's we believe that the more people that ride bikes the better we'll all be so it was easy to see that a partnership would benefit everyone involved and hopefully help people realize that it's easy to ride a bike to many of the great events around the city.

At about 10:00 we started setting up our tent near the official Family Fourth Bike Entrance to Gasworks park. We were there to provide friendly help in racking bikes, emergency repairs and, while not being officially responsible for the bikes in the racks, offer a bit of extra security.

All went well. We helped a few people with some shifting problems, tightened a few headsets, fixed a few flats and answered a lot of questions. The only problem was that we didn't have enough room for everyone that rode their bike down. Next time we'll have double the racks!

Thanks to One Reel for giving us the opportunity to come out and support the people riding to the event and thanks to all the people that rode their bikes. Way to ride!

Yes You Can

More and more people are getting back on bikes. Whether they are getting back in the saddle to save money on gas, get into shape or just to have some fun, they are finding that bicycles are a great way to stay active. One of the most important reasons that people are getting back on their bikes is to raise money for charity. Charity rides bring all types of people out to get on their bike and support the cause of their choice. Most of these rides consist of relatively new cyclists, some of them brand new. Most people have heard of these types of rides and some have even been encouraged to participate. Some people take the challenge, dust the bike off and do their best to train a little bit before setting out to do the ride. Others find excuses not to participate. The excuses come in many flavors but the generally come down to this:

1. I'm not in good enough shape to ride 50 miles!
2. I don't have a bike/my bike isn't good enough to ride 50 miles!

Well, I'm here to tell you. You can do it. There is a ride for every ability and an ability for every ride. What does that mean, "an ability for every ride"? It means that anyone can do the rides that are out there. It means that you may have to go slower, walk a little bit or even take a ride in the support vehicle but you have the ability to do the ride. How do I know this? I've seen it in action. Gregg's Cycle supports all kinds of rides during the year and I am generally at all of them. As a cyclist I am constantly amazed by the people that are out participating in these charity rides. I look at the shape of the bike, the gear that people are wearing and I think to myself, "you couldn't pay me to ride that bike for 50 miles! How do these people do it". Yes, it's true, sometimes I'm a bit of a bike snob. But the thing is, these people do it! They get on all kinds of bikes and they ride. And they have a great time doing it! The bikes are old, they are borrowed, maybe they are brand new but from a department store in every case people climb aboard and ride with a smile on their face. Could they be more comfortable on a new bike? Sure. Could they go faster on a new bike? Maybe. But they don't have a new bike. They have the bike that they have and because they believe in supporting the cause, they know someone that has the disease being supported, or they just want to challenge themselves, they do the ride with what they've got. These are the truly amazing cyclists and here are some pictures of their bikes.

These bikes were all ridden in the 2006 ALS Double Day Ride. A total of 85 miles in two days through beautiful Skagit Valley. The riders raised $89,000 to find a cure for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Most of these riders were not "cyclists". They were people that cared and wanted to make a difference. Their bikes weren't the best, they weren't in the best shape but each and every one of them rode their bikes and made a difference.