I Feel Like an Adult Again

Phillip and I (Scott T.) just rode from the shop to Big Phil's house. Big Phil lives out at Monaco and Alemeda. It is definitely not a long haul. It was nice and pitch black, except for when a car would be lurking behind us. I mentioned that I loved when I felt like a kid on my bike, so we began a little list to define when riding feels like you are a kid (again) or when it is too serious. We came up with some ground rules for when it feels like you are a kid, and as a general rule, it seems like an adult ride when the opposite is true:

To feel like a kid:
1. You don't have to be in a car in order to ride. Examples - Races, far away mountain rides, driving to Washington Park for laps.
2. You don't know exactly where you are going. This does not have to include getting lost.
3. You aren't in a hurry.
4. You aren't in serious ride clothes (though sometimes that just happens).
5. When you don't discuss anything about the bikes you are on.

This is not to say we don't love adult style rides, but sometimes it is nice to just pedal along like school is out.
Any rules you need to add should be thrown into the comments.

Palmer Park Spring Ride

Palmer Park Spring Ride by Scott T.

Brian and I went to Palmer Park yesterday. We met one of our friends, Scott N., who promised us a tough, but not TOO tough tour of Palmer Park.

Brian: Maverick Durance - 9 speeds
Scott: Titus Racer-X Carbon - 27speeds
Scott N.: The 'Don' McLean - Rigid 29 SS

We ended up each wrecking several times. After clearing something that I didn't think I would make, I found small rocks to stop me in my tracks. Brian and Scott both had little pedal issues that caused little problems. We had NO FACE PLANTS, which is always a plus.

At the completion, we went to The Curry Leaf in CO Springs. Highly highly highly recommended. Great after ride meal. They need to have cots for nap time after.


47 Photos right here!

Stopped Sweating

Pueblo was hot on Wednesday. by scott t.

HOT. Like sunburn hot.

Brian, Chris, Lorraine and I went to Pueblo for a mountain bike excursion. Did we mention that the weather was warm?

We had been been warned that the trails would be dry and possibly super fun. None of us had been there before.

The bike line up was as follows:
Brian - Maverick Durance
Chris - Maverick ML7
Lorraine - Jamis Dakar XAM
Scott - Titus Racer-X

The ride started out on a high note with a fast rolling, lots of curves downhill. Not really downhill, but not flat or uphill. It was great. We were following a map that was to say the least, not accurate. Maybe we shouldn't even say following. As we got to the bottom of the map, we knew it wasn't quite right. There were signs posted that weren't included with the map. So, we went left instead of right (always go right). This was a super duper long cut. We *had* decided a distance that we could cover in a reasonable amount of time. But, with the wrong turn we went a lot further than planned.

Long story short, we had a good time. That is until we all ran out of water. Chris especially was hurting. The rest of us just stopped sweating. This was noticed as we once again had a good idea of where we were and where we wanted to go. These trails were interesting because when they were technical, they were super duper fun and technical. When they weren't, they were dusty dirt and shale. It was definitely a practice at knowing what speed you like before you go through a turn.

We made is safely back to the car and went immediately to recover with some pizza and water. (Chris slept most of the way home)

This is where we were, but we didn't listen to this music.

Down Under

We stumbled upon this article of interest today:

Bike sales 38 per cent higher than car sales in 2008

Apparently in Australia, it goes a little something like this:

Economy bad.
Car sales bad.
Bike sales good.
Bike sales > Car sales

In America, we rarely see an article about a drive to work that is without incident, but a car crash is a whole different story!

The economy is a car crash with flames and kabooms.

Keep your eyes forward and don't rubberneck and we will all come out on the other side.

Younger Still

Younger Still by Scott T.

This morning, I went through my old photos that I took at random times and it occurred to me that many of our current customers have no idea what Salvagetti looked like when we were much younger.




When we started out, we didn't have new bikes for sale, which often times made people walk in the store and walk right back out. They had heard we were nice people, but weren't sure about the name and what we stood for.




Every single piece of inventory was out where you (and I) could find it. If you didn't see it, we didn't have it. But, surprisingly, we usually did. Pure luck?



Salvagetti started out as Fix My Bike, but moved on to Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop in a unanimous vote of Scott's Wife, Brother and Brain.

It is strange, because I have many photos of this location, but almost none of the *even smaller* one we had before. We were only there for about 3 months before we found a better location (313 W. 11th). And only a little over a year later we moved on to 1234 Speer Blvd.. What a roller coaster ride!

Shimano Alfine Hub

Nerds! Nerds! Nerds! Please check this out.

The Shimano Alfine Hub is officially great. Here goes:

1. Internally geared 8 speeds.
2. Disc brake compatible.
3. Not expensive compared to *other* hubs

So, it isn't quite a mountain bike accessory yet. But, it will be. And I know I haven't sold you on it yet. So here goes:

The Salvagetti Team went to the Shimano Show Off Clinic (my name, not theirs) and heard all about Dura Ace 7900 and the new XTR. Both very impressive in their own right. But, after we were set free to look at what we wanted, we made a bee line for the Alfine section. We had ridden the Giant Seek and wanted to know if our love was a pure love or just some silly fling. Our love runs deep.


You see? The Alfine hub comes apart very easily with only minimal tools. Then, as if by magic, the gearing system comes out in one lump of beautiful gears. It isn't a pile of parts balancing inside that will shatter into your hands when you glance inside. We enquired how difficult it is to rebuild and the gentleman explained that the maintenance process (done about once every 2 years) will not be a rebuild, but a full cleaning of the gears and a relube! SOLD!

We got the Giant Seek 1 for our towny rental fleet and we will get to test these hubs to the nth degree. We feel confident in their ability to withstand everything we can throw at them. We'll let you know.

The law of love

By Scott T.

I have had a bike stolen. Not today. Don't feel too bad for me. I'm over it.

But, not really. I recently had a chance to relive my Yellow Schwinn being stolen from the front of the store.
It was stolen because someone didn't bring it in after we closed. Still, stolen is stolen, even if you don't lock it. I looked around everywhere for that stupid bike that wasn't even worth 30 bucks. It was heartbreak.

Then I found it... It was parked at chipotle and locked up. So, I left the new "owner" a note stating that if they wanted, they could keep their lock and if they didn't, I would just cut it off for them. And also that my bike is my bike, not their bike. MY BIKE!

After some time, the police came got the bike and gave it back to me.

And I thought I was happy. But, the truth is that I haven't ridden the bike since I got it back. It is sitting in the basement of the store. And I can tell the bike is sad. I used to ride wheelies for blocks with it. I used to make coffee runs with it. It was my dear friend. And now that someone else took it home and rode it (sorry for the imagery in your head), I don't feel the same about it anymore. I feel that it isn't my bike anymore.

Where I am right now, I don't know that I can give it away either. I feel like the Karma needs to be washed or some sort of seance needs to be performed to remove the devil from inside the bike. I haven't really even sat with the bike since I picked it up from the police station. What to do. What to do.

Recovered bicycles can never be loved the same way. I think someone may have to intervene.

It'll Change Your Life

One of our favorite faces around the store, Brendan, has turned into a cyclist. He loves it. He loves riding bicycles. It makes him feel whole again. But, I am paraphrasing here. He says it best all by himself.

http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com/index.php?post_id=403304

This is a spoken word piece. It is 8 minutes of real bike love. You'll enjoy it. Unless, you are a bad person.

As a side note, Salvagetti was edited out of the story. We sold Nick the Black Steel Road Bike that made him so obsessive. We cannot take credit for anything else.

An utterly blatant plug for a product

The first time the owner used it, his wife accused him of skipping work.
But, she was happy with him.

It is Phil Wood Hand Cleaner.

This is the best hand cleaner for getting off grease and oil from your hands and arms. You only need a dime sized glob of the cleaner and a tiny bit of water. Work it around the greasy spots until it starts to collect into little balls. Start rinsing it off. Be happy with your clean, pristine, bourgeois appearance. Now dry your hands and go back to your life.

I also know that this stuff is not a "gross" product. How? I know this because the herbalist at Moondance Botanicals went gaga over it. She was going to offer me some stuff that had almonds and oils, but she stopped when she saw this stuff. (The dirty boy soap they sell is fantastic, by the way). She was exceedingly impressed.

If you want some of this stuff, it is about $8/lb. I think it is mostly oatmeal, but I'm not eating it.

Corn Maze

This has nothing to do with bikes. It has to do with fun though, so there!

Several of us went to Anderson Farm's "Terror in the Corn" last night. Between feeding the goats, hot apple cider and riding in the barrel train we lost track of time. It was $10 to get in and a quarter to feed the goats. It was $1.50 for the cider and $3.50 for the pie. It was terribly fun.

So, I am giving them a plug because everyone needs to go do this. Bring friends who you wouldn't mind meeting in a dark field of old corn. Because when you go out into the tremendously monotonous, yet creepy maze, you will prefer to know that someone will find you when you are lost. And chances are you will not be scared of them.

Here is the link: http://www.terrorinthecorn.com

It is open until November 1st. Don't be bummed that you missed it. Just find a group of friends and go. You will have a blast.

Stepping Stones

There was a recent article in Velonews about whether people jumping on the bicycle bandwagon with a ss road bike is a bad thing or not... This got me thinking.

One of our favorite customers, who we will call Tobi, because that is her name, got into cycling this last year or so. Her trainer felt that cycling would be a great way to cross train and that she would just like it. We sold her a bike that she liked aesthetically and would function for her needs. She was absolutely not comfortable with a bike that was going to have a lot of things to adjust and play with. She just wanted a bike to figure things out with. We obliged. And she reacted with such incredible vigor and excitement that we got worried about her. She rode that bike a lot. So much so that she became very comfortable with paths and sidewalks and roads. She became comfortable with other cyclists and us. In essence, she graduated to the next level. As a reward, she bought a different bike; it is a bike that appealed to her new aesthetic wants and her new level of needs. It was really fun to watch.

My question is this: How is that different than the accused fixie rider that is still figuring out that they aren't as big as a car? We have seen a great deal of riders come in and discover their life's passion is cycling. Personally, I don't care how this happens. But, people are in a stink about it. The pattern is there. The aesthetic wants and the simplicity needs. Function (sometimes but not always) before form?

A cyclist is born when they see a bicycle as a part of who they want to *be*. Then, they can *become* a cyclist. Try before do.

Pancake Breakfast Ride

At this time last year, we attended an event for the Sunday Morning Breakfast Ride that was truly worthy of noting:

Pablo's 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast.

Well, that time is here again.

We just received the email announcement that it is happening again on the 14th of this month. It is all-you-care-to-eat pancakes with all the sides you would expect. The food last year was prepared with love and care (and tasted amazing). It happens to be for a great cause. And, on top of that, it is REALLY FUN!

We will meet at the back of the shop at 8am and leave by around 8:15am. The ride will be pretty direct. You will eat until you are about to burst, but you will be energized from the music, the company and the caffeine. From there, we will ride back to the shop, unless you already made other plans. You will probably need a light lunch and should plan to go to bed early that night. You will then have an AMAZING MONDAY. We promise.

Conspiring Minds want to know...

This isn't really bicycle related, but it is quality of life related.

Denver used to have a trolley system that ran on electricity. Apparently, General Motors may-or-may-not-have purchased the rails and trolleys and removed them promptly.

This is how the map looked.

It is WAY more coverage than our current lightrail system.

We should bring this back. We just need a plan...

and several billion dollars (that the city has).

Any ideas?

"The Church of Sunday Morning Breakfast Rides"

Look here first ---> The Breakfast Ride

We were written up in Momentum Magazine. For those of you who haven't heard of Momentum, it is probably right up your alley. Brendan Leonard, one of our favorite original Breakfast Riders, wrote the article and submitted it. And now you will have to join us on a Sunday. The Travel Channel showed some interest in covering our Sunday Morning Breakfast Ride, as well. So this could be your chance to be famous.

Each week we meet at the back of the shop at 8am on Sunday. The group then decides where we are going to ride (at slow speeds) to. The people who haven't liked the Breakfast Ride have been people who had CRAZY expectations.

Come and join us. It is a great start to the day and a nice way to meet some good people.

BMX Track and the MTN Bike Van!!

Chris, Richard and Scott went to a BMX track at C470 and Colorado Blvd. tonight.
So fun.

Packed dirt with big huge sweeping turns makes everything right.

All of us progressively got faster and smoother. Some of us wrecked pretty hard. We aren't mentioning names, but it wasn't Richard or Scott.

So, the van is almost ready for prime time. It is licensed, registered, insured and pretty. It just needs some bike racks. This time next week that task shall be completed and we will take our inaugural Saturday morning mountain ride. No fooling around this time. The van seats 8 and holds 9 bikes. We'll email the Salvagetti email list when and where and how, but it is coming up soon.

Chris - Generic Cycles Bronx
Richard - Azonic DJ
Scott - Brooklyn Machine Works Park

Bicycle Swappy Swap

We know there is a HUGE CORPORATE BICYCLE SWAP later on this year. They make you PAY TO SELL, to PAY TO BUY and on top of that you know LESS THAN 1% OF THE PEOPLE THERE. And, we don't love it. We don't even like it. In fact, we DISLIKE it strongly.

Our answer is to have our own community bicycle swap. A Denver Bicycle Swap.

And you better be here for this one!

When? July 4th from 10 until 2.
Where? Behind Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop 1234 Speer Blvd. Denver, CO 80204
Who? You, your friends, your neighbors
How? It is free, but you may pay us if you want by buying stuff at our store. But, that isn't why we are doing this. (see next part)
Why? Because we like you and you need this.

Bring your bicycle stuff to sell or some cash to buy bicycle stuff and come on out.

The shop will be open (with limited staff) and we will also be bringing our own goods as well.

Any questions? Come on by and ask. This is supposed to be fun, so let's make it that way!

The truffle shuffle

"The Goonies" was the movie of choice for our bike in movie last weekend. We played an insanely quick game of "modified get the bacon" or "get the envelope out of the circle without being touched". It was fun. We would like to thank the large gaggle of fine folks who joined us for the evening.

The next movie night will be announced soon. And this time, we are going to get the time right so that people don't have to sit around waiting for the sun to go down.

Jazz in the park rides start this Sunday. Hope to see you soon.

Learning something new

Some of our crew has started a new venture. We have been dirt jumping. And some of those jumps have been videotaped. And those movies are on YouTube.com. Here are two of them:

Scott riding his Brooklyn Park Bike on some sissy jumps that are kind of intimidating. Kind of...



And Tom taking a piece of jump home with him.



We'll post more as we have more. Come ride with us soon.

Money is Money

Let's talk.

Bikes are inexpensive to maintain. And we at Salvagetti want you to be happy, so we have a short list of how to save a pretty decent amount of money while having a better running bike.

In order of the magnitude of how much money you will save:

1. Replace your chain before it is too stretched out. After a chain stretches, it acts as a hammer on your gears and derailleur. Once a chain is TOO worn out, you have to replace the whole drivetrain because the new chain will not interact nicely with your old stuff. Chains can safely stretch to about 0.75% growth before they should be changed out. Drivetrains *can* last several chains...
Money savings - $100 to a huge amount depending on how fancy of a bike you have.

2. Wipe off your chain after rides. This removes the nasty stuff that causes the chain to wear out. After you wipe your chain, look to see if it looks like in needs lube. It should look sweaty if it is lubed properly. After you lube your chain, let the chain soak in the lube before wiping it down.
Money saving potential - see above.

3. Pump up your tires - This saves your energy. This make the tire act like the experts have designed it. Tubes aren't all that expensive to replace, but wheels (which a properly inflated tire protects quite well) can get very pricy. Road tires also are going to give you more miles if they are properly inflated when in use. Pump up your road tires before each ride. Mountain tires should be checked about every 2 to 4 days.
Money saving potential - $5 to the cost of wheels.

4. Don't skimp on tires - This is one of those touchy subjects for some. Tires, like the Continental Ultra Sport ($16 MSRP) are great tires, BUT NOT FOR DENVER. Getting a slightly more thorn resistant tire will end up saving you more than the difference in price. A great Continental Tire for the money is the Ultra Gatorskin ($40 MSRP). In addition to you not visiting the bike shop for flats, you will also get more miles for the dollar and have a better riding bike the whole time. The Gatorskin is a *less expensive* option.
Money saving potential - $5 to who know how many flats you could get with one tire.

Please feel free to post other ideas for maintenance that pay you back.

Buffalo Creek vs. Dodge Ram Van

We rode in the shop's new Getting-To-The-Trails-And-That-Is-All Van to Buffalo Creek, near Pine. Pine is a community and not a city (from what I understand). The new to us van handled the trip quite well. Since it is still not quite ready for the public, we simply stuffed the 3 bikes into the back of the van and headed out.

Nick, Dave and I (Scott T.) arrived at the Ranger Station where the temp was a good bit cooler than in Denver. It hadn't rained up there for a couple days, and it appeared that we were going to have nothing but sunshine. We suited up and began our trip.

Within about a half an hour, arm warmers were too much and water was being consumed. I was in some knickers that were probably a bit too warm as well. But, soon we were in the midst of same amazing singletrack and temperature was our last concern. The trail was fantastic. Lots of fun swoopy climb/decent/climb sections. Lots of grinding climbs. By grinding, I simply mean that having a granny gear was useful. The climb to the "top" was not horrible, not techy, but all around fun.

Side note: The shop just got a GPS computer. I am new to it. And I loved messing with it during the ride, which is completely unnecessary. But, I didn't know that. So, there is a 2 mile section on this map that it appears we teleported. We might have... but I remember it as being one of the more fun, fast and oh-so-downhill sections of the trail. The teleported section appears as a perfectly straight line on the map. Very impressive. Oops. I know it wouldn't pushed the average speed up a bunch.

Down sides of Buffalo Creek would be that you pretty much have to drive there (hence, the van) and the trail gets sandy and loose in lots of places.

Was it worth it? Hell yes.
Will I go again? Hell Yes.
Did I eat a tremendous amount of food after the ride? Hell Yes.
Should you go next time we ride together? I think so.

Nick: Kona 29" SS - Green with a grinning faced rider
Dave: Vassago 29" Fixed - Orange with a crazed faced rider
Scott: Jamis Dakar XAM - Gray with a always hungry faced rider

By the way, look at this if you want to be bewildered for a few days: Buffalo times Eight