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I used to frequent a store called Veloworx, which was conveniently located about 3 blocks from my pad. This place was instrumental in my cycling renaissance a few years ago. I became friends with a bunch of the guys there, would hang out all the time (probably to their annoyance), soak in the knowledge. I rode a 92-miler with one of the guys, and rode with a bunch of guys from the Veloworx racing team up to Zuma.
The environment was awesome, though you wouldn't guess it from the outside. As you can see from the first pic, it was tucked in between a Cold Stone ice cream joint and a beauty supply store.
I used to take full advantage: After countless rides I would stop in to have them take a look at something that had concerned me during the ride; on countless nights I would stop in for a jug of Cytomax while walking to or from dinner. I test rode high-end bikes just for the hell of it, just to see how they rode. (The BMC Phonak team issue, for instance, is a gorgeous bike, but isn't very responsive.)
The place was notoriously expensive. Long before I ever bought a bike there (I've bought two from them, including my Orbea Onix), my buddies gave me a 10% discount, which was great, but it basically brought the price down to slightly more expensive than other mainstream shops in the area. But I guess they didn't have a choice. From what I understand, they made peanuts off the sale of even their most expensive bikes. So, I assume, whatever they made they made from accessories and repairs.
The owner had a good-paying day-job. Rumors abounded that the shop was a tax write-off for him. Who knows. At any rate, he threw in the towel at the end of last year. The good news: he sold it to someone who kept the store (and the staff) intact. The bad news: he moved it about 5 miles away. It's still close, but a little out of the way for the daily visits I used to make. Gone are the days I could stop in before a ride, grab some grub or water or a tire or whatever, and pay for it the next day.
Soooo sad.
Anyway, I was at the new location today. checking out some rear lights (they even had the headlight MB was using ... much smaller in person). Turns out I had one of the lights on my bike when I rode off. I had no idea until I got to my next stop. But it's a cool light, so I'll go pay for it tomorrow.
The pics:
1) Traffic on the 10 East coming out of the McClure tunnel. Traffic has been horrendous these last few days, and I've been loving every second of it.
2) The abyss, a few days after their "moving" sale. It was a sad time. My LBS bailed and my D70 was in the shop for repairs. This was taken with a 2MP Canon point-and-shoot.
3) I helped bring in all the bikes when they were closing. They've got A LOT of cruisers now (they're closer to the beach).
4) The aforementioned Erick, working on the Parkpre he races.
P.S.
Is it just me, or are the updates to the RBR site really cool?
The environment was awesome, though you wouldn't guess it from the outside. As you can see from the first pic, it was tucked in between a Cold Stone ice cream joint and a beauty supply store.
I used to take full advantage: After countless rides I would stop in to have them take a look at something that had concerned me during the ride; on countless nights I would stop in for a jug of Cytomax while walking to or from dinner. I test rode high-end bikes just for the hell of it, just to see how they rode. (The BMC Phonak team issue, for instance, is a gorgeous bike, but isn't very responsive.)
The place was notoriously expensive. Long before I ever bought a bike there (I've bought two from them, including my Orbea Onix), my buddies gave me a 10% discount, which was great, but it basically brought the price down to slightly more expensive than other mainstream shops in the area. But I guess they didn't have a choice. From what I understand, they made peanuts off the sale of even their most expensive bikes. So, I assume, whatever they made they made from accessories and repairs.
The owner had a good-paying day-job. Rumors abounded that the shop was a tax write-off for him. Who knows. At any rate, he threw in the towel at the end of last year. The good news: he sold it to someone who kept the store (and the staff) intact. The bad news: he moved it about 5 miles away. It's still close, but a little out of the way for the daily visits I used to make. Gone are the days I could stop in before a ride, grab some grub or water or a tire or whatever, and pay for it the next day.
Soooo sad.
Anyway, I was at the new location today. checking out some rear lights (they even had the headlight MB was using ... much smaller in person). Turns out I had one of the lights on my bike when I rode off. I had no idea until I got to my next stop. But it's a cool light, so I'll go pay for it tomorrow.
The pics:
1) Traffic on the 10 East coming out of the McClure tunnel. Traffic has been horrendous these last few days, and I've been loving every second of it.
2) The abyss, a few days after their "moving" sale. It was a sad time. My LBS bailed and my D70 was in the shop for repairs. This was taken with a 2MP Canon point-and-shoot.
3) I helped bring in all the bikes when they were closing. They've got A LOT of cruisers now (they're closer to the beach).
4) The aforementioned Erick, working on the Parkpre he races.
P.S.
Is it just me, or are the updates to the RBR site really cool?
