Saturday, January 27, 2007

The New Catrike 700 and Ken Atkins


DSC_0483
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.
Catrike's new 700 model has been stirring interest in Catrike lovers. Ken Atkins is shown on his new trike. He sold one of his families' two Catrikes and ordered this eye catching lime colored 700.

Yes, this is a staged photo. Ken wore a helmet when he test rode the trike.

We have been delivering Catrike Expeditions and 700s this month. I credit the balmy weather, Catrike's attractive additions to their product line and Catrike enthusiasts. I appreciate the business.

In Vienna.....Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?


T-3existingwalkway
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.
I'm serving on the Town of Vienna Sidewalk Committee. We have been taking the information gathered from a questionairre in the Town newsletter and prioritizing projects to recommend to the Town Council.

Three of us have been working on the prioritization for the south side of town which has sixty projects. A stated philosophy has been to give priority to areas without sidewalks before areas with sidewalks on one side of the street. Which means that it will be necessary to cross the street in some places to continue to use the sidewalk.

After several hours of looking at maps and listings during last week I became blurry eyed on Friday. Comparing the listings to the map we'd find that a project already had an existing sidewalk on one side of the street.

Which led me to think......in Vienna, why did the chicken cross the road? The chicken wanted to continue to walk on the sidewalk. When that thought came to mind, I knew it was time to take a break.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

bikes@vienna Used


EZSportAX
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.
I have just completed adding several bikes to our bikes@vienna Used blog. You will find the link to that information below the weather.com information on the left of our home page. If you look through our offerings you'll find a wide range of recumbents, tandems, recumbent tandems, folding bikes, mountain bikes, children's bikes, and even an occasional cruiser. It's difficult to know what will be traded in or brought to us to sell on consignment.

We don't make much money on trade-ins. Our method is to estimate what price the bike will bring and deduct any repairs, parts, and cleaning that we believe are necessary to make it safe and saleable. Providing the option of accepting trade-ins does bring us customers. There are times when the value of the bike and what is necessary to make it saleable pass each other. In those cases we have to decline the trade offer and suggest that Bikes For The World would be a wonderful place to donate the bike and received a tax deduction.

We also provide the service of selling bikes on consignment. We estimate the value of the bike and what needs to be done to make it saleable. We post the bike on bikes@vienna Used and find the bike a good home. We charge 17.5% for the service. Again this is not a big money maker, but it brings customers to us.

We are almost three weeks into the new year. What do you dream of doing this year on a bicycle? Can you park that car and ride your bike on errands and to work? Can you create an adventure riding to explore an area and share that adventure with someone else? A bicycle, new or used, can enable us. Keep your eye on bikes@vienna Used because a bike may appear which sparks your imagination and helps you to pursue your dreams.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Sleeping Santa


IMG_0619
Originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.
Did you have a good holiday? Yes, yes, we did have a wonderful holiday. My folks came from Iowa. The Seattle daughter and family, the Richmond son and family, and the recently moved out daughter were all here at our house. We enjoyed the two grandchildren of 15 and 18 months old. For extra excitement there were three good sized dogs and a paranoid cat. There was lots going on.

Obviously, there was more going on than I had the energy to handle. Ces snapped this photo on Christmas Eve. It was a quick nap before we went cycling to see the luminaries in northeast Vienna.

I hope you had a good holiday. I hope your 2007 is filled with enjoyable activities which include cycling.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Recumbent Cyclist News

The Jan/Feb Recumbent Cyclist News (RCN) just arrived. It contains the 2007 Season Preview, an overview of recent recumbent, trike and crank forward trends. It also contains reviews of the 2007 Rans Dynamik crank forward bike, the 2007 WizWheelz Zoomer, and the front wheel drive Rans Cruzbike Freerider. RCN sells for $5.

Monday, January 01, 2007

First Ride may be a bit wet

We are just on the edge of this band of rain. I think there is a chance that it will move east by 9 AM. I'd like to ride my bike this morning so let's try to get a ride in. Join me at bikes@vienna at 9AM and be prepared for some rain drops.

Welcome 2007.