The Aldrich Ave Daily

Bicycle, as it is stated in the dictionary is “a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat”. I think there are two people to thank for giving us such a cool toy. First the Mesopotamian’s for inventing the wheel sometime around 3500BC. And Baron Karl von Drais in 1816 for putting two wheels on a frame with a steering column and a saddle. It was called a Draisienne. Look where we are today with them. Superlight bikes with carbon, titanium, and in some extreme cases bamboo and wood. Suspension technologies, that back then would have sounded ludarcis. And in a time where oil shortages seem inevitable, a renewed respect for what this machine can do for us. Not being able to ride one since last August has made me appreciate it even more. I’ve had a problem with my knee that won’t allow me to pedal. Thanks to a 24 hour mountain bike race for that one. I haven’t been able to get it fixed yet. Some unfortunate financial situations have put that fix on hold. It pains me to hear about guys outside riding, or inside on the trainer getting ready for the upcoming season. Einstein was quoted in saying “I thought of that while riding my bike.” He was referring to his theory of relativity. There are so many ways to get out and enjoy riding. You can spend a Saturday doing a century road ride with some buddies, take all day out in the sun, see the sights. You could shred the gnar out on your mountain bike, hucking off jumps, down drops, and epic singletrack. Getting together on a Sunday afternoon with your fellow cyclists, and racing your ass off for two hours or so. You could spend the day out at the jumps with your bmx bike. You could go out and just take a nice stroll down the greenway on your cross bike. It could be a nice urban ride touring different bars. Or you could just use it to get to the store. There are endless ways to enjoy cycling. If I were to pick a favorite way to ride a bike, it would have to be an all day epic on my mountain bike, some beers, good company, and sunshine.

However, my #1 favorite thing about bicycles is the mechanics side of it. How does this machine work? Bicycles, unlike automobiles are fully exposed. You can see how the entire mechanism works without having to lift a hood. The other night I was griping about how busy it gets in the shop and someone asked me “Andy, why don’t you get a job that isn’t so stressful?” I said, “because there is nothing better then the satisfaction I get when you fix a customers bike, and get a thank you, a smile, and one time a tear, for fixing their bike.” I have two favorite repairs from last summer. The first was a women who brought in(and I’m saddened I don’t have a picture and can’t remember the manufacturer.) an old custom made Italian frame with old Campy Record on it. It was pretty worn out. Old sew up wheels, worn out parts, and very dusty. We rebuilt the wheels, replaced parts, and made the bike look like new. When she came in to pick it up, she was speechless. She told me she could start crying. Crying!! Over a bike. That was awesome. She was going to let her daughter ride it around town. The second bike was an old Raleigh Chopper. Think of an old Schwinn Sting Ray. Thats what this looked like. It was a wreck. Suicide shifter broken, tires worn out, cables shot, wheels out of true, all the chrome was rusted over, everything out of adjustment. Customer said money is not an issue, so I went to town. Fixed the shifter, new tires, cables, cleaned and polished the chrome. The whole shebang. Customer came in and was stoked. He wanted his boys to experience this bike like he did when he was a kid. There is a picture of me on this bike somewhere, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to attain it. There were many other cool repairs we did last year, but those two stick out because of how happy the customer was to see their 35 year old bikes looking brand new. I can’t wait to see what transpires this coming cycling season.

Bicycles are cool and storied machines that will continue to evolve, and I plan on being there every step of the way. Here’s to bikes. Cheers!!

Well suck me sideways. Its damn cold out eh? Nothing like coming back from Colorado to a frigid weekend. For those of you who aren’t aware, but this past weekend had a whopping high of -2 degrees. Overnight low’s around -15 and windchills doubled that.  Only fitting that the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships fall on the coldest weekend of the year. There’s nothing like going outside on frigid nights like these, look up into the clear black star studded sky and take in a deep, long breath. Can’t get much closer to pure oxygen then that. Welcome to winter in Minnesooota!!!

     The service managers at Erik’s were treated to their first ever service managers trip. We spent a week out in Colorado Springs for some training. We spent the first 3 days at a program called STU. Sram Technical University. 3 days of theory, discussion, and overhauling SRAM products. Their full line of Rock Shox forks, hydraulic brakes, the new road shifters, and rear suspension. The only program of its kind in the industry. Hats of to Hercules and Dave for another killer STU session. Oh, and I can’t forget, we got to see the new Rock Shox SID up front and in person. Goody gumdrops. I want one of those things so bad. The second half of our trip was spent at the OTC(Olympic Training Center). We along with 50 or so other mechanic’s from around the country got the honor to spend 4 days with some of the best wrenching minds in the industry to get trained in and become certified race mechanics. Racers need mechanics. To do so one must have the proper certification.   These were very long and grueling days. Class from 8am to around 9-9:30pm with breaks for lunch and dinner. Lots of information, but well worth it. I must say, I have never talked to people that have such a passion for the bicycle then what I observed at the OTC. It truly was inspiring. That will be the thing I will remember most about my experience there. The passion these people have for our industry and the bicycle. Race mechanics are a different breed. You could be the best mechanic at your shop, but at the races you could be the worst. We were told, “There are two types of bike mechanics. Shop mechanics, and race mechanics.” Very much true. We met the man that started Wheelsmith and now works for FSA. We met the president of Independent Fabrications. We met the man who has pretty much been the go to guy for mountain bike race support for U.S riders worldwide. We met the man who is the leader of Mavic neutral race support. If you watch road racing, you see Mavic support everywhere. A very cool experience, and I hope to apply some of that knowledge this summer.

   Purple Palace Brewing is in full force. The draught tap was a hit for New Year’s. 5 gallons of Witbier were gone in a couple of hours. Next up we have and EPA(English Pale Ale). This should be on tap sometime around Valentines Day. We just brewed up an Octane IPA yesterday. That should be ready in late Feb. early March. Just in time for Umphrey’s McGee. Wednesday we are brewing a Belgian Trippel and that will be done sometime in October of 2008. We are also in the works for a logo to be stamped onto a tap handle. My good friend Matt is going to help us out with the design. He’s a computer whiz and can’t wait to see what transpires. His only request? Purple Palace at no charge for life. No prob.

    Thats all for now. Just a quick update on some things. The next couple of months while our store is getting revamped I will be floating around at some shops, so maybe I’ll see ya there. Otherwise, we’ll be back open sometime early March. Next time I find a computer long enough to write I hope its on my new MacBook with Leopord. Cheers, and go Wild.