Cycle9.com » Human pedal powered bicycles

Day 6 Journey: One Comfortable Ride

sasha — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:49:40 +0000

Just take a deep breath, sit back, relax, and…pedal? Welcome to one of the most comfortable and ergonomic bikes in the business – the Journey by Day 6 Bicycles. If you can imagine your favorite armchair sprouting wheels and pedals, you’ll picture a ride similar to this bike.

Day 6 Journey

Everything about the Journey is designed for pure comfort. Instead of leaning forward on a tiny little seat, sink into a cushioned backrest. Your hands will rest naturally on the fully adjustable handlebars while you sit upright. The lightweight aluminum frame offers a smooth ride and allows for an easy step-through rather than a high leg swing. The seven speed internal hub shifting is reliable, easy, and can operate while stationary.

If aches and pains are keeping you from cycling, it’s time to re-think your bike! Come on in to experience the enjoyable ride of the Journey.

Surly Bicycles

sasha — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:07:07 +0000

At Cycle 9, we love Surly’s no-nonsense approach to bicycles. These bikes are not flashy or trendy, but are elegant and refined in their functionality. Made from CroMoly steel, Surlys are built to last and ride beautifully.

Take the Surly Cross Check, for example.

Surly Cross Check

The versatile Cross Check handles all terrains with ease. It’s a great commuter bike, offering a fabulously comfortable ride. After work, go ahead and hit the trails. You’ll love how this bike handles off-road as well. Reviewers rave about this bike and for a good reason. Come on in to see what all the buzz is about!

Another favorite at Cycle 9 is the Big Dummy. Don’t let the name fool you, this bike isn’t a clunker. It’s made for hauling a lot of stuff and it does its job gracefully. Compatible with Xtracycle accessories, the Big Dummy can carry a week’s worth of groceries, an 8 ft ladder, passengers, or almost anything else you can think of – all while riding smoothly. The options are endless and car-less, which makes this Big Dummy anything but dumb.

Surly Big Dummy

Ok – I quit this gig. I’m packing up my crap and heading out West. Peace out amigos! While you’re watching the evening news, I’ll be riding into the sunset on Surly’s touring bike, the Long Haul Trucker. Because the Trucker’s frame geometry is designed to carry a lot of stuff, I can make it out to there with everything I need. The ultra durable components make me confident that my bike won’t let me down on the way. Once I’ve reached my destination, I’ll still have a great bike to get around town. Yup, the Long Haul Trucker is my long haul ride. It can be yours too. Stop by Cycle 9 to see why it’s one of our best sellers.

Surly Long Haul Trucker

The Soul of City Bikes – Masi Soulville (now on sale)

elise — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:15:40 +0000

Since we love beautiful bikes here, and especially beautiful bikes that aren’t outrageously expensive, we brought in some bikes from the Masi Soulville line.

Masi is an original Italian company known for the tradition of road cycling Remember the Italians in the movie Breaking Away? They weren’t no nice, but they give the idea of italians being big on biking.

The Soulville line is designed in a classic and classy style that is perfect for cruising around town on a beautiful bike. You’ll feel classy just riding these bikes. The graceful lines of the steel frames are matched with simple componentry to make your life easier, simpler, and more comfortable.

The Soulville SS – Single Speed / Fixed Gear

Have fun and look good doing it with the Soulville SS. Flip-flop hub lets you ride single speed or fixed gear. A thrill junky at home on the road or trail, cruise the night streets and hop down to your friend’s house in no time flat. Steel frame, arc handlebar, and 700c tires offer a great ride. Comes with fender and rack mounts if you want to turn it into a real commuter.

(Reg price $697 – On Sale during April for $587)

The Soulville 7

This bike is the same great frame as the Soulville SS, but with a Shimano Nexus internal 7-speed hub. Internal hubs offer low maintenance and clean lines, without the need for derailleur adjustments and less chance of getting out of alignment. 7 speeds helps out with the hills of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Cork grips and a retro-style saddle offer class and comfort. A perfectly simple design proves a sea of calm in an otherwise chaotic world.

Also available in a beautiful Mixte frame.

(Reg. $857 – On Sale during April starting at $697)

These bikes are now available at Cycle 9. Come in for a text ride.

Kids Bike Selection

elise — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:51:00 +0000

At Cycle 9, you’ll find kids bikes for ages 2 through first adult bikes.

For your littlest riders, ages 2-5, we carry Balance Bikes by Kazam. What’s a balance bike? This is a short little bike that has no pedals. Your toddler sits on the seat and walks along, holding onto the handlebars. The advantage of this is they learn how to balance the bike in an upright position. As they get a little older, they can run along and cruise on the bike while picking their feet up off the ground. They get the idea of balancing right from the beginning without training wheels, and then add pedaling skill later.

Kazam balance bike

For 4-6 years old, the 16″ wheel bike is the way to go. We have bikes from Marin bike company in this category. They come with training wheels installed which can be removed once they aren’t needed anymore.

Marin Kids Bike 16"

From there, it’s leg length that determines how quickly they move up in sizes. We have 20″ wheel bikes in a mountain bike or beach cruiser style, and 24″ bikes in a mountain bike style. The 24″ bike will last until they reach their teenage growth spurts, at which point, they’ll be needing a bike with 26″ wheels, the standard wheel size for most mountain bikes. When they get to this point, look for a bike in a small frame size with adjustable seat post and handlebars to get the most years out of the bike.

The bike designs change a bit from year to year, but here are some photos of the bikes.

Kids Beach Cruiser

Marin Hidden Canyon Kids Bike

Another reason to buy a Kids bike from Cycle 9 is our Trade-Up Program. Get up to 50% of the value of the bike towards the next size up. Read more about it under our “Why Shop Cycle 9” tab.

Kids Bikes – ‘Tis the Season

elise — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:21:26 +0000

It’s that time of year again where the holidays are what fills many people’s minds. December is a month that has changed in meaning for me as I’ve gotten older and gone through different stages in my life. In my college years, it was about traveling home to visit with my parents, then later in my 20’s about balancing visiting of my family, spouse’s family, and my sibling’s similar scheduling issues. Throughout this time, the holidays was fun and I enjoyed picking out gifts for people, but I really didn’t get that excited about the gift opening. These times were relaxed, and laid back opportunities with a cup of tea and a tray of cookies, maybe after a big meal.

That all changed when my first child was about 2 years old. By that time, she knew what presents were, and excitement was in the air. I have to say it is infectious. Now at almost 6, she is excited about putting up a holiday tree and decorating it, making gingerbread cookies for Santa, adding holiday lights to the house, and making cards for her grandparents. But also she is excited about what she’ll get as a gift.

I think many of us can remember back to when we were kids and the excitement of getting something really special from Santa, Mom and Dad, Grandparents, or whoever our gift giver happens to be this time of year. And one of those traditional gifts that kids get at Christmas is a new bike. This tradition goes back at least to the 1940s I think, as I can picture in my mind a classic drawing of a christmas tree with a little bike under it.

Bikes are great gifts for kids because we know they will be used and appreciated. I loved the freedom and joy of riding a bike when I was a kid. Flying down a hill at what seemed like incredible speeds (and we didn’t wear helmets back then!), being able to visit my friends a couple streets over, and riding on Sundays with my parents and brother, who also liked to ride.

And unlike that latest video game, a bike actually encourages physical activity and getting outdoors. We all know how much better that makes us feel. So as you are considering presents for your children, consider that new bike!

All kids bikes by Marin are now on Sale at Cycle 9. In addition, we have our Trade-Up program, where you can recoup up to 50% of the bike’s value towards the next size up.

We have bikes starting with Balance bikes for kids age 2-5 up through all the sizes.

What is pink and purple with spots all over?

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Are you a fan of retro steel mountain bikes? Then have a look at this….

We sell regular bikes, too!

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:42:00 +0000

To many local folks, we are known as the electric bike shop. We are one of the very few shops in our area that carries electric bikes. But that’s not the only thing we do. We promote biking in all of its forms, whether electrified or not.

We carry regular bikes by Surly, Marin and Breezer, Day 6, and more, that are great for getting around on by leg power.

The owners and employees of Cycle 9 all have non-electric bikes that we ride regularly. Kristen has a nice fixie (single speed fixed gear bike) that she built up from an old road bike. Morgan rides a 1×9 mountain bike that she built up from a Soma Juice frame, a Lemond racing bike, a Fat Chance Yo Eddy mountain bike, and a Downtube folding bike. Elise rides a Bridgestone MB-1 with slick tires and moustache handlebars. And Chris rides an ANT bike. Erika rides her commuter bike with her neato panniers everywhere.

We all love and ride regular bikes, and we can help you pick the right bike, whether electrified or not.

We specialize in road bikes that are meant for people who ride every day or long distances. We carry the Surly Long Haul Trucker, an excellent bike for someone who wants the efficiency of a road bike without the discomfort of a racing bike. We carry the Surly Cross Check - a light, versatile bike that can be used on or off road. We are building up a Surly 1×1 commuter for a customer, using the Nuvinci Continuous variable transmission. His bike will have the simplicity and low maintenance of a single speed, with the benefit of having gears for some of the steep hills he rides every day.

We can even order racing bikes for folks who like the one of the great models offered by Marin or Soma Fabrications. We like racing bikes, though we only have limited floor space, so don’t have them on the floor. We also like the Marin Alp bikes, since they provide the speed of a road bike but the more upright riding position of a mountain bike.

We can help you find the right biking solution, whether you are looking to go with only leg power, or want/need a bit of a boost from an electric assist.

The Soma Juice 29er, sweet!

Morgan Giddings — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:25:00 +0000

Well, a lot of this blog seems to be about serious stuff, from environment to energy to happenings in our shop. But, as with everyone, we need to have a little fun from time to time. One of the things Morgan likes to do for fun is build up mountain bikes and ride them. Her last project was her classic Fat Chance Yo Eddy rebuild. But that was a year ago. So it was time for a new project…

We’ve been intrigued by the work of

Soma Fabrications

for a while now. They are a small, west coast outfit that makes very nice looking, affordable steel frames. We’ve always enjoyed steel frames for the smooth ride and the durability. They have everything from mountain frames to road frames and cross frames.

So, we got hold of a Soma Juice 29er large sized frame, to build it up and check it out. We are thinking of carrying more of these in the shop, but it is always good to have firsthand experience with a bike before selling it.

The build

This build is set up as a 1 x 9, so there is no front derailleur, only a rear one. While we like the singlespeed concept, Morgan’s knees can’t handle the punishment of standing up on the uphills, so some kind of gearing was necessary. The 1 x 9 seems like a nice tradeoff between the singlespeed simplicity, and still having enough gears to avoid total knee blowout for those of us over 40 (yeah, being over 40 will happen to you too someday, just you wait!).

The component set is a mix of Sram stuff, with Surly Mr. Whirly crankset, Thompson seatpost, WTB laser V saddle, Rock Shox Reba Race fork (very nice, lightweight fork), and the Soma Fabrications Noah’s Arc handlebars. Wheels are WTB speedisc with Shimano hubs, machine built. Last year Morgan hand built the wheels for her Fat Chance, but she no longer has the time, so these will have to do for now. Oh, and last but not least, Hayes Stoker hydraulic disc brakes.

The finish of the frame is excellent, with one exception. Two of the cable routing braze ons for the disc brakes have the little holes filled by sloppy welding. That was kind of a bummer, the zip ties won’t fit through. But, supposedly this problem has been fixed on the more recent Soma frames.

Things came together well, with only a few typical glitches with the first time build of a new frame. By 3 AM on July 4th, she was ready to roll.

Here are some pictures of the build:

The test ride

We are super lucky to have a 3 mile loop in our backyard that is a nice mix of technical east coast singletrack, a short stretch of pavement, and a stretch of two-lane dirt road. It is a great place for testing bikes.

The good

The bike handles very well. The large wheels on the 29er roll over almost anything with ease. The Schwalbe Racing Ralphs seem like great tires for dry conditions around here, but the tread is a bit sparse for wet conditions. Anyway, the bike is very comfortable, and fits my long torso well. It corners well, though not quite as quickly as my Fat Chance Yo Eddy. It climbs like a dream though, even on the steepest climb, the front wheel never left the ground. This thing tracks almost like it is on rails. And of course the Hayes brakes stop this thing in no time.

I am not missing the rear suspension. Maybe for really long rides I’ll miss it, but the hardtail just feels more efficient on the climbs and even the flats. Plus, it seems to steer better. And, since the Juice is steel, there is some give in the frame. Overall, this is a really nice ride. And it looks really cool too.

The so-so

Well, it isn’t quite as supple as my Fat Chance build, but that’s an unfair comparison. The Fat was a USA hand built $900 frame in 1992 dollars, the Soma is an overseas built $400 frame in 2008 dollars. The Fat just feels a bit more supple, like a german car, whereas the Soma might compare more to a Honda or Toyota. Nice, but not quite as precise as the German version.

Some of the ride difference may also have to do with the wheels. On my Fat, I hand built the wheels using DT revolution spokes, which being double butted, have a thin section with a lot of flex, that makes them forgiving. My Fat Chance wheels also have nicer hubs, and I always like the velocity rims. The speeddisc wheels on my Soma are just machine built with straight gauge spokes. No comparison on those.

But this is not to complain, the Juice frame fits me better, and I think for overall riding I will enjoy the 29er platform better. I really like

One other thing is that the front end is really high – the combination of 29″ tires plus suspension plus head tube adds up to a tall bike. I initially installed the stem with positive rise (6 degrees), but it was too high up, it almost felt like a cruiser bike. Once I turned it upside down to get -6 degrees, it was much better. But, for those who like a tall front end, you wouldn’t need a big spacer stack or riser bars on this bike.

Conclusion

I will post more after spending more time on it. But my first impressions are very good. I like the bike a lot already – it both looks and rides really well for a reasonably priced hardtail 29er build. For anyone in the Triangle area who wants a Soma Fabrications bike, just drop us a line, we’d be happy to spec it out for you.

Bikes by Breezer and Marin

Morgan Giddings — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:52:00 +0000

We just wanted to mention another exciting development we’ve had lately. We had the great fortune of signing on to be a dealership for two great lines of bicycles. Some people don’t need an electric assist or cargo bike, they just need a reliable, great ride designed from the ground up for riding every day. Things like integral

fenders and racks

, integral

lighting systems

, swept back handlebars for reduced wrist strain, a more upright riding position to see and be seen, wide slick tires that roll fast on the pavement but can handle the gravel or grass too. These are the kind of bikes that we used to morph our old mountain bikes into with a lot of effort and not always satisfactory results. But now, these companies are doing it for us, designing the bikes from the ground up, purpose built as transportation bicycles.

The first line we’ll mention (because we signed up with them first) is

Breezer

. This California-based company was founded by Joe Breeze, who is one of the legends involved in getting the sport of mountain biking off the ground. They now focus exclusively on bicycles as beautiful but practical commuting vehicles. Bikes like the

Breezer Uptown

pictured here:

We’re excited about these bikes, they are well built and top rated for commuting. We have a bunch of these on the way, and they should be here before our grand opening.The second line of bikes we will be carrying are from

Marin

. Marin is another California-based company that was involved in the mountain bike business from the early days, building high quality cycles. One of our parents had their first Marin in 1987, and it was a great bike. Marin still makes mountain bikes, but they also produce a really nice line of commuter and comfort oriented bikes, and we’ve got a shipment of these on the way, starting at very reasonable prices. But the bike we’re most excited about is the humble

Muir Woods

. This is a steel bike, that reminds us of the good old days when bikes were simple, reliable, and very durable. For those who’ve only ridden an aluminum bike, steel has a special quality to it – it is more forgiving. But, this is also a great platform for adding an electric assist due to steel’s resilience. We have a range of bikes from Marin on their way, and if we don’t have the bike in stock that you are looking for, we are happy to order one for you (same is true for Breezers).