Demo day is on (as soon as the storm passes)

The demo truck has arrived, but the sky looks threatening.  It does look like the front will pass.  As soon as the rain and wind stops, we’re going to roll out the demo bikes!

Demo Day at Rocktown!

Ever wanted to test ride a Specialized? Here’s your chance!

Sarah will be leading a Women’s Road Ride demoing Amira Pro, Ruby Pro and Ruby Expert at 5:00 pm. Please arrive by 4:30 to be fit for a bike.

The SVBC Thursday Night ride will be leaving from Rocktown at 5:30 pm, feel free to take a spin on a Specialized. We will have S-Works Tarmac, S-Works Roubaix, Roubaix Expert, Allez Evo, Venge Pro and Tarmac Expert. Please arrive by 5:00 to be fit for a bike.

Can’t make the group rides? Feel free to come to the shop anytime between 3-7 pm to take a look at the bikes, then come hang with us on the porch at 7 pm for burgers and beer!

See you there!

Custom Wheel Build

When shopping for a new wheel set many customers assume the lightest, flashiest, and most expensive wheels will be the best choice. However a mass produced wheel rarely offers the perfect combination of weight, cost, durability, and serviceability.

We just finished a hand built wheel set for a customer in the process of ordering a custom road bike. We’ll take a peek into the process for selecting components for a custom wheel build and what goes in to the actual build process.

For this build we chose Campagnolo Record Hubs. The customer is planning on using an Athena 11sp drivetrain on his bike which necessitates a Campagnolo freehub body. He also  emphasized a desire for durability, low weight, and ease of serviceability in his hubs.

The Record hubs will be laced to Velocity USA’s A23 clincher road rim using DT Swiss Competition spokes with brass spoke nipples. The Velocity rims offer a great balance of performance and durability. In this 32H configuration the wheels will be able to handle rough gravel roads but won’t slow him down on the faster road rides.

Where the rubber meets the road we will use standard butyl tubes, and Clement’s Strada LLG tires with the 120tpi casing and 25c volume. This slightly larger tire will soak up road irregularities and offer more rim and flat protection on gravel and dirt roads.

To begin the actual build process we carefully measure the hubs and rims to determine the  proper spoke length. After we have determined the spoke lengths needed we cut down spoke blanks to the correct length and add threads to the ends.

Next the components are prepared for assembly. This means lubricating the spoke holes inside the rim, as well as the spoke threads themselves. This lubrication allows us to achieve high and uniform spoke tension. Uniformity of spoke tension is key to a stiff, strong, and durable wheel.

Then we drop the spokes into the hubs and lace them to the rims, at this point all of the spokes are still very loose.

Once the rims, hubs, and spokes have all been joined we begin the process of gradually adding spoke tension while monitoring the roundness, true, and dish of the wheel. Our build process emphasizes extensive spoke stress relief, and careful tension measurements. An evenly tensioned wheel will be stable and true the first time you ride it and stay that way many thousands of miles later.

Zach stopped by to check up on the progress, he is obviously excited about his upcoming bike build.

After the wheels have been tensioned, trued, dished and stress relieved we mount the tires, tubes, and rim tape. After the tires have been mounted we re-check the tension since the tire pressure compresses the rims and can effectively lower the spoke tension.

If you like the look of this project or might be interested in having us build a custom wheel set for your bike don’t hesitate to stop by or give us a ring. We even have a handful of sample builds hanging on the wall here to look at.

Rocktown Cookout Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, we’re hosting another cookout on our porch.  Following the SVBC road ride and Massanutten trail work, all our welcome to come out for burgers and brews.  We’ll probably fire-up the grill and tap the keg around 7:30.  We will have veggie burgers and soda for those not into beef and beer.  Bring your friends and come watch the sunset over the “Bike Capital of Virgina”.

Check out these photo’s from last month’s event:

Winter is finally gone – bike month is here!

After a super snowy March, spring is finally here.  April was chock full of cycling!

After a fairly eventful April, May is finally here.  Of course, May is bike month in Harrisonburg.

Here are some highlights to look forward to:

• Costume bike parade and bicycle movie night at Court Square theatre – Friday May 3rd
• Ice cream ride – Sunday May 5th
• Bike to school day – Wednesday May 8th
• Bicycle story time – Thursday May 9th
• DR 100 – Saturday May 11th
• Global Women’s Cycling Day ride – Sunday May 12th
• Ride of Silence – Wednesday May 15th
• Bike to Work Day – Friday May 17th
• Bike to Worship Weekend – Friday May 17th – Sunday May 19th
• Kid’s bike rodeo – Sunday May 19th
• Ice Cream ride – Sunday May 26th

For more information about these event, as well as other cycling related tips and info, check out the Bike Month Harrisonburg web page here.  Rocktown Bicycles is proud to be a “Titanium Sponsor” of Bike Month Harrisonburg.  We’re excited to see this event continue to grow as our “Friendly City” cements its reputation as the Bike Capital of Virginia.  It’s only fitting that Harrisonburg host the most diverse and exciting bike to work week this side of Portland.

2,000 Snow Flakes

The weekly snowfall, this March, has really hampered early spring mountain biking here in the Shenandoah Valley.  Still, a few brave souls, including the Rocktown Racing junior team members, have ventured out into the frigid temperature to ride the snow encrusted trails.  When the mountains are covered in dry icy snow, the trails can still be fun to rip – you just have to keep your appendages warm.  Just remember to stay off thawing trails.  Riding on muddy trails can cause some serious erosion – plus soggy trails aren’t very fun to ride anyway.  Hopefully, this weekend’s snow will be our last, so we can get on with spring riding.

Specialized Epic on the icy “2,000 Hours Trail” at the Massanutten western slope

Going gluten free?

Are you one of the millions of Americans who are trying to go gluten free?  We’re now stocking Kit’s Organic bars.  These bars, made by Clif Bar, are gluten free, soy free, dairy fee, organic, and truly delicious.  If you are trying to cut back your gluten intake or have a dairy allergy – try a Kit’s Organic bar.

Specialized Women’s Specific Bikes

Here at Rocktown Bicycles, we have variety of bikes designed specifically with women’s anatomy in mind. Generally, this means that they have a taller seat tube – for woman’s longer legs, and they have a shorter top tube – for women’s shorter torso. These bikes also feature more narrow handlebars and wider saddles. Correct fit is one of the most important aspects of an enjoyable ride. Specialized’s women’s specific line features some of the best designed bikes for the female cyclist. For more information on Specialized’s line of women’s bikes, look to their website: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/technology/womens

Open for Business

We’ve been open for two weeks now.  It has been surreal to watch this place turn from a construction site into a functional bike shop.  Right now, we’re working out some of the kinks and completing some of the finishing touches, while excitedly showing off our renovated space and full line of Specialized bicycles.  We plan to have a grand opening during the first weekend of April.  In the meantime, feel free to come check out the shop, meet our two full-time employees Jacob and Ben, or equip your bike for the spring riding season.

We’re open Tuesday through Friday from 11-7 and on Saturday from 9-3.

On Mondays we take the day off to go for a ride.  Here a few pics from this past Monday’s ride.  We strung together a few of our favorite trails in the National Forest.  The weather was surprisingly warm and we only encountered a little bit of snow.  As usual the descent to Braley pond was super flowy, fast, and tons of fun.

A sneak peak of whats’s to come…

October Update

We’ve been making some progress over on Mason St.  Here are some of the projects we’ve been working on:

A Productive Friday

Fridays tend to be productive construction days at Rocktown Bicycles.  Just before the weekend, our staff’s individual projects coincide in a whirlwind of drastic bike shop preparation.  Here are some snapshots of the many projects that were underway last Friday morning. 

Raring to go!

As construction at the Rocktown Bicylcles retail shop approaches completion, Specialized bikes are rolling in.  Here are a few of the bikes that we can’t wait to move into our new space.

Under Construction - Above and Beyond

It has taken longer than we planned to get the shop space ready and open for business. Aside from a few surprises, like not having any footers under the front of our building, the delay has been due to our own effort to make the shop as sweet as possible. We have had many opportunities to cut-corners or put-off our ideas as long term plans. Instead, we’ve decided to do it right the first time. Here are some pictures of our progress thus far. With only a handful of projects left ahead of us, the end is in sight, as well as the beginning.

Junior Connor Bell Competes at Houffalize, Belgium World Cup

Junior connor has a tough race but finishes at the Houffalize World Cup.

Rocktown Racing Podium Sweep

Rocktown Bicycles again took the overall series in both the individual and team varsity competitions. Connor Bell won the State Championship to seal his his overall victory in the individual. Jonas Zimmerman grabbed third after a edging a Miller School rival. This was good enough to secure second place overall for Jonas. Cameron wound up seventh on the day and took 3rd overall.

VAHSMTB series overall standings:

1. Connor Bell (Rocktown Racing)
2. Jonas Zimmerman (Rocktown Racing)
3. Cameron Ritcher (Rocktown Racing)

VAHSMTB Team overall:

1. Rocktown Racing
2. Miller School of Albemarle
3. The Blue Ridge School

Training Tip: Consistency

Our web guru Curtis Winsor is riding in his first year with Kenda/5hr Energy Pro Cycling Team and we've seen him grow as a person and bike racer. He coaches four riders on our junior team and loves to help as much as possible. Periodically we'll pick his brain for some training tips. Today's topic: How much should I ride? 

How To Properly Apply Lube

 Your chain is one of the most important parts of your bike....it makes your wheels go! Black, crud-covered links are not only gross and ugly, but they will slow you down and wear your cassette.

What Tires Should I Get?