Monday, February 8, 2010

Marin Bikes Demo Day This Saturday


Marin Bikes demo day and mountain bike ride set for Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at Gestalt in Fairfax (28 Bolinas Rd, downtown) from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Join Big Swingin' Cycles and the crew from Marin Bikes for a day of great mountain biking. Marin will make available their fleet of 2010 demo bikes for us to sample, including their line of big wheeled, 29'ers and the redesigned, 150mm travel Attack Trail, shown below. We are also planning an easy, fun paced mountain bike ride at 10 AM.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Whose Working On Your Bike?

Big Swingin' Cycles was one of only a few shops in the western United States to complete the recent Park Tools Tech Summit. 18 hours of up to your elbows, intensive hands on training and labs covering best practices for product installation, repair, service and maintenance of key products from core industry manufacturers: Shimano, Campagnolo, SRAM, Avid, Rockshox, Fox, Mavic, and Park Tool.

2010 has been a watershed year in the cycling industry. We've seen more firsts than any year we can recall: electronic shifting for road bikes, 10 speed mountain bike drivetrains, 11 speed road bike drivetrains, increasingly complex suspension damping systems, advanced wheels designs employing ceramic bearings, carbon fiber spoking and even tubeless tires, and further complexity and migration of disc brake technology. Now, more than ever, a cycling retailer must have a competent, professional workshop, with up to date knowledge, in order to accurately AND efficiently serve its customers.

Since opening 10 years ago, a core value at Big Swingin' Cycles has been continuing education - keeping up, not just on the latest technology, but the nuts and bolts of this technology. Not just how to install, service, maintain and repair a product, but the BEST way to do all of this.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Holiday Party Set for Thursday, 12/17


Join us on Thursday evening, the 17th of December, for our annual Holiday party from 5 - 8/9. We'll have a keg, a DJ spinning cool tunes, some eats, and special, one night only discounts and deals for the holidays.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall Yeti Demo, Saturday, 14 November 2009 at Gestalt House, Fairfax



Big Swingin' Cycles is hosting another Yeti demo day at Gestalt House in Fairfax, to celebrate Fall, and the return of traction! Abby and Ariel from Yeti will be on hand with their complete line of bikes, from the 20 lb. ASR Carbon and 575, to the new ASR 5 (aka the "California Special"), 7 inch travel ASR Seven and 303 DH bike. Gestalt House is now open in the old Bookbeat location and will be serving up brews and brats. From the launch pad at Gestalt, it's a short pedal to Camp Tamarancho, Pine Mountain and the Water District Lands, and Mt. Tam. The details: Gestalt Fairfax, 28 Bolinas Rd. 94930 Date: 11/14/09, Time 9 AM - 4 PM, hotline: 415-441-6294, e-mail: contact@bigswingincycles.com.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Lion of Fairfax 2010


4th annual Lion of Fairfax Cyclo-Cross race in Marin County set for Saturday, 10/17/2009, with a cross clinic on Saturday, the 10th of October, at 10AM at the race site, White Hill Middle School. We're expecting a stellar turnout this year and strongly encourage you to pre register.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Crank Bros. Iodine Wheels


We've recently had the opportunity to demo / install Crank Bros.' Iodine wheelset, shown here on a Yeti ASR Seven we recently delivered to a customer. We're typically reluctant to sway from the tried and true when it comes to wheelsets. It's just too critical of a part to take a chance on. But, after a thorough tear down and examination of the new Crank Bros. wheels, as well as some demo time, our faith in these wheels is strong.

Both the Iodine, and their XC counterpart, the Cobalt, share a rim with no holes, as well as a vertical reinforcing rib, (like an I beam) that runs axially around the rim and provides a mounting point for the spokes. Extra long, alloy nipples reduces spoke length, improving strength. Simple, oversize cartridge bearings are used throughout, along with a three paul freehub body (with a cool, spring retainer that keeps the pauls from falling out when the freehub body is removed). Everything is held together by friction, not complicated fasteners - preload is achieved with the q.r. Multiple hub end caps are provided to accommodate a standard q.r., or common thru axle set ups. Conclustion - what at first appears different and complex, is actually simple and smart (looks pretty nice too!)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Jewelry For Your Ride


In stock now at Big Swingin' Cycles - the Chris King bottom bracket is specifically designed for Shimano-compatible external type crank/bottom bracket systems and delivers every benefit you've come to expect from King and in the wide array of colors only King can do.

An available grease injection tool allows the bearings to be purged of existing grease and debris and new grease run through. What better way to maximize the life of your bearings than to do routine maintenance? Especially when it's this easy.

Racers take note! With the Chris King bottom bracket and injection tool, you can train day-to-day with a durable high-viscosity grease and race with a light, fast-rolling low-viscosity grease or oil. Imagine your current Friday night leg-shaving ritual finishing with a few minutes in the garage to get your bike as smooth as you are. Available in 10 colors.