What kind of bike shops run by bike bloggers would you visit?

Gene Bisbee of “Biking Bis” carries nothing but good ol’ sturdy steel frame touring bicycles: Surly Long-Haul Truckers, Trek 520s, Koga Miyata and the less expensive Co-Motion bikes. He has an expert wheelbuilder on hand using Phil Wood hubs, Wheelsmith spokes and Mavic rims. Gene carries the full lines of Arkel and Ortlieb panniers. He and his family live behind the shop, and he posts his cell phone number on the front door.

Stevil Kinevil‘s shop in Sausalito carries Swobo bikes and clothing, along with a good collection of old records and cheap liquor. When Stevil isn’t watching B movies on a cheap 19 inch TV with rabbit ear antennas, he’s avoiding process servers and Marin County tax officials. Customers avoid sitting on the stained furniture.

BSNYC runs the Orange Julius Ironic Bike Collective, featuring Rock & Republic jeans and custom builds of Bianchi Pista track bikes. Orange shag carpet, a shrine to Elvis, and prominent disco mirror balls evoke a past that never was. To maintain his anonymity and attract more customers, the Bike Snob wears a Paris Hilton costume in the shop.

Elden Nelson‘s “Win Susan” bike shop carries a good collection of frames from Moots, Spot, Santa Cruz and Ibis along with moderately priced singlespeed 29ers. An LCD display in the front window shows Elden’s daily weight. Elden joins you on the trail for your all day test ride as he explains why you must have that bike, you’ll genuinely love handing Elden $4,000 for that bike because he’ll personally visit your significant other to convince her why you need that new bike. Elden also carries the full line of Twin Six apparel.

Guitar Ted’s imaginary bike shop isn’t too hard, because his shop is real. G-Ted wrenches at a Trek dealership in Iowa. He loves 29ers. Mention 650 to him, though, and he’ll throw you out of his shop into the icy, rutted streets of his hometown, though he’ll do it with a friendly smile and offer you a drink afterwords.

Andy Singer’s “NO EXIT” bike shop in St. Paul features used, refurbished steel bikes, along with a great collection of anti-car propoganda stickers, posters, flyers, leaflets and newsletters. The mechanic’s area is strictly DIY and includes a collection of old political signs for you to recycle into fenders, chainguards, panniers, etc.

Cycle Dog’s Bicycle Emporium in Oklahoma features fresh roasted coffee and an all you can eat Italian food buffet with autographed photos of Eddie Merckx, Fausto Coppi, and Greg LeMond lining the walls. You can’t actually get your bike serviced there because the Cycle Dog spends all of his time building bikes for charity causes, and his service manager, Wally Crankset, is a nincompoop. The food and coffee, however, are excellent.

Which bike shop would you visit? I asked David Rowe this question — Watch for his answer later today as we talk about his new book, The Ride of Your Life. Look in this space also for a chance to win his book.

Amgen Tour of California Prologue meetup

Meet David Bernstein of the FredCast, Jonathan Tessler of Bicycle.net, Paul Dorn of Bike Commute Tips, myself and others 7 PM this Saturday at R15 in Sacramento at the corner of 15th and R Streets. This is a change in location from our original plans!

This is a casual get together and you’re responsible for your own food and drinks. Parking is on the street, and a bike rack is available for those who bike. David and I will have our AToC media badges on for the first little while so you can identify us.

Others who may be there:

• Chris Matthews (Global Marketing Manager for Specialized Bicycles). I’ll try talking him into getting the Specialized Angel to make an appearance, but remember, no promises.
• Professional sports photographer Carson Blume.
• You! RSVP is not necessary, but if you think you’ll be there please leave a comment so I’ll know to look for you.

David posted location details at The FredCast.

I just calculated how much I’ll drive to cover the Prologue and Stages 1 through 3 of the Amgen Tour of California. I’ll drive nearly 600 miles, generating about 500 pounds of CO2 Saturday through next Tuesday. For me, that’s two to three months worth of ‘normal’ driving.

This is “only” about $5 worth of carbon offsets to purchase, but a large racing event like the Tour of California undeniably generates tons of carbon dioxide. In 2006, Clif Bar donated enough to offset the entire carbon impact of the Tour that year. Locally, in Santa Cruz, Ecology Action is raffling off a Giant road bike and other prizes, with part of the proceeds used to offset the Santa Cruz portion of the bike race.

I’m a little bit critical of the idea of carbon offsets — I’m not convinced of the effectiveness of offsets, and I think they give many of us (including myself) an easy way out. The harder but possibly better choice might be for me to avoid the Tour of California altogether, or perhaps follow it on the Internet like other people will.

What do you think?

Watch later today for a chance to win a free copy of this book

I read through David Rowe’s The Ride of Your Life, his latest ebook for you if you want to increase your mileage and your enjoyment of events of 100 miles or more.

Who is David Rowe? David Rowe is a road bike rider who lives, works and rides in the Pacific Northwest.

His goal-centered approach helped him break the 100-mile-barrier and attempt routes in the remote Cascade Range and Columbia Plateau with cyclists called randonneurs. What he learned while riding with these highly skilled cyclists helped him complete some of the most challenging road biking events in the Northwest, including the Cascade 1200, the Portland-to-Glacier 1000, and the Rocky Mountain 1200.

With his son Evan, David created Ready to Ride® in 2005 with the goal of helping cyclists who, like himself, do not have a background in road racing, but want to excel at long distance riding. Ready To Ride® is a Web site for sport-recreational cyclists who want to balance the demands of career and family with the physical, mental, and equipment demands of long distance cycling.

How you can win a free copy of The Ride of Your Life?

I’ll have a giveaway later today on this blog — watch for it.

Another way: David is collecting stories from readers who overcame physical, mental, or equipment challenges to finish a challenging ride. Cyclelicious readers can win a free copy of the Ride of Your Life, simply by telling their story in 200 words or less.

David is going to publish a compilation of the best stories in an eBook, which he will make available free in the Spring of this year. If your story is selected for publication, you’ll win a free eBook. It’s that easy.

You can download an entry form here. Be sure to mention that you learned about the eBook giveaway on Cyclelicious.