John McConaghay of Brompton Bicycles is riding from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. over the next three days on his H2 super light. Let's all wish him luck. 335 Miles fully loaded on a folding bike!
Read moreFun Build and Such
Kindred Cycles Update! Check out our latest custom build!
Read moreLadies and Gentlemen...We have a Bike a Shop!
It's official! Kindred Cycles is a real deal brick and mortar bike shop. We made it through all of the countless hours sitting in coffee shops planning (Thanks Commonplace Coffee and Biddle's Escape), demo/construction, and stocking and organizing. It actually came together. There were many nights I laid awake unsure if this was the correct path, fearful I was risking the welfare of my family and my newly pregnant wife on a fool's errand. Truthfully I still don't know if the shop will continue grow and flourish as it is too early to tell but I have a strong sense that we are going to be just fine. I have to say I am incredibly proud of what Katharine and I have been able to accomplish. We could never have done this without the help and support of our great family and friends. To those of you who spent late nights with us here pointing brick or building fixtures, thank you. To those who came and helped build our bikes for sale, thank you. To those who donated tools and resources to the shop, thank you. And to those of you who have already given us your business, thank you.
Warning, I am going to get a little mushy here. A special thanks has to go out to Brianne, my wife. When I thought that this would never come together, when I thought I was being selfish for following my dreams you pushed me forward. You supported me in this venture 100% because you knew it would make me happy. You worked two jobs while I spent all my time with Katharine getting the shop together and you did this all while pregnant. Your faith in me has been unshakable. Your strength makes me stronger. Thank you, I love you.
***Okay, change of pace, it's Katharine here. Swooping in on Aaron's blogging to send a big loving thank you to my parents. Thank you for all of your support, hours of dog sitting, cereal, and allowing me to fill every corner of the house with bikes and bike stuff. I love you and I couldn't have done it without you. Also, I second all the above thank you's to family, friends, neighbors and customers. It has really been an amazing first two weeks. Back to Aaron...***
Storefront filled with stuff and a Bakfiets out front.
Accessories wall.
Where the repairs get done.
There is still more work to be done. We need better signage. And we are continuing to organize the space. It's great to have perspective so below I put up two pictures of the raw space. We are here and were ready to work to make Kindred Cycles the shop we have always wanted. We have had a great start and now the real fun begins. Operating a real bike shop. If you are reading this get your but down here and say hello.
Where we started!
Where we started. The storefront was in rough shape.
Our hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 AM to 7 PM. Saturday and Sunday 11 AM-5PM.
Picture me Rollin...On our Brompton Demo
JORTS!
New segment to our blog today. It's called Picture me Rollin and this is where we will be talking about some of the products we are carrying in the store. We hope to do some in depth reviews and start some discussions about how certain products can fit into your cycling lifestyle. The first product I wanted to discuss is the Brompton folding bikes we are so excited to be carrying. At first glance these little wonders can seem like odd bike shaped novelties. It can be difficult to think something so small and strange can be an effective commuting or recreational tool. This is why, to be a Brompton dealer, you are required to carry a demo. The idea being that these bikes need to be ridden to be truly understood and appreciated. I thought that it would be a good idea to take the Brompton on my normal commute to and from work for a few days to get a better idea of how this bike performs on a familiar route and how it might affect my preconceptions about what a bike should be.
Storage of course is the main benefit. Here you can see it next to the newly installed car seat.
As advertised they fold up pretty small. Pics of the bike in the back seat of the car. Brianne really likes how the Brompton takes up less space in our dining room in comparison to the full size bikes I normally park there.
A great added benefit is that Brianne is much happier since the bike takes up way less space in our dining room.
Our Demo Brompton is pretty kitted out. We thought that if we were gonna buy a bike to put customers on we might as well put some goodies on it. When buying a brompton the build process is very customizable. You can choose from 4 different handlebar types. Ours has the most gearing of any of the brompton options with a three speed sturmey archer hub coupled to a two speed external derailleur giving us six speeds. We added a brooks saddle because a hand built British bike deserves a hand built British saddle. The best addition by far is the dynamo lighting system. The practicality of a folding bike is only expanded with built in safety lighting. No worrying about forgetting blinkies or batteries going bad.
The major concern with folding bikes is that they compromise actual ride ability in lieu of easy portability and storage. The first night I rode the brompton home I decided a good test would be to climb up Stanton ave from Butler. Battling the initial steepness, the gearing was adequate. If I had a lower gear I might have used it but I was pretty happy with the overall range. There was definitely enough high gearing to power me down the other side of the hill. As it was dark and I was flying down the other side of Stanton into highland park I was trying hard to dodge potholes. I was fearful of the smaller wheels getting caught up the broken up road. Although I managed to dodge most of the obstacles I hit a few really hard. I was immediately surprised at how well the bike managed to rebound and maintain stability. The best explanation for the bikes sure-footedness has to be the elastomer rear suspension. It really does a great job keeping the bike planted in rough conditions.
Great ride in this morning.
It turns out I am having a great time commuting on the Brompton. If you're used to riding a fast cross bike or road bike you might need to alter you mindset a slight bit. You will sit a little more upright so take your time and enjoy the ride. My normal 25 minute commute takes just about 5 minutes longer on the Brompton. If your curiosity gets the better of you come down and give this little guy a spin. I'm sure it will put a smile on your face.
Getting By With a Little Help From Our Friends
It's hard to put into words just how much we appreciate the help of friends and family in getting this shop open and running. Katharine and I have been pursuing a pretty aggressive timeline. We signed our lease mid January, started work in early February and have been racing to prepare ourselves and our space for the last two months. As hard as we have been working there is no way we could have gotten here without the help of our amazing friends and family, This past week we once again leaned on our friends to get our bikes built from boxes. Katharine and I haven't had the time to build the sixty or so bikes we ordered for the shop and with the opening date quickly approaching we reached out and got a incredible response.
Multiple work stations are set up.
This morning our friend Kris Powell arrived from Michigan with an incredibly beautiful handmade service counter and cash wrap. He wanted to do something for the shop and asked what would be helpful. I asked if he could build our counters and he said sure! We gave him a timeline and some rough dimensions and off he went. They are incredible! He sourced actual barn siding to front the counters from a neighboring barn which partially burnt down near his home. It means so much to me that he built them by hand. They match the space perfectly and the incorporation of reclaimed lumber mirrors our refurbishment of the space itself.
Double parking on Penn. These things were heavy.
The design and craftsmanship were amazing. The countertops are made of Oak and Maple tongue and groove flooring.
Nail Guns = Fun
Finishing up.
While we had Kris Here we put him to work building some more of our fixturing. Luckily our friend Mary Heyne was also on hand to help. We are building our own bike racks out of galvanized steel gas pipe.
actual bikes hanging
Keep posted. The shop should really come together in the next few days!