Tips and information on shopping for a new bike

Are you looking to invest in a new bicycle this year? Maybe you’ve found the need for another type of bicycle. Perhaps your bike just needs to be replaced with one that is more comfortable for you. Maybe your cycling skills have grown and it’s simply time to upgrade to a bike that lets you reach your full potential. Whatever the reasons, here is a simple guide on helping you chose the bike you need.

First off if you choose to buy through your local bike shop, be prepared to answer a few questions to help them understand what your needs are. Even though they know a lot about bikes, they do not know a lot about you yet. Any questions they ask are simply meant to help you be successful on two wheels. =D

-What surfaces do you plan to ride on?  Roads or streets? Off-road or gravel? Possibly snow?
-Are you riding with anyone? Group rides or friends? What do they ride?
-What have you liked about your bike(s) in the past?
-What have you disliked about your bike(s) in the past? Are there things you would like to change?
-Do you have any goals that you are working towards accomplishing, like a triathlon for example?

It’s very helpful for you to be open with the sales people and provide answers so they can assist with finding you the best bike to fit your needs. It’s also important to have a realistic sense of what a $500 bike can provide you vs. a $900+ bike. Like most things in life, bike prices have risen over the years and for most people it’s been quite awhile since they purchased a bike. These prices may be a bit of an eye opener, but the old phrase still applies “you get what you pay for.”  The least expensive bike in the store may seem very attractive relative to its price; however, it will come with limitations. The sales people make it their goal to find you the least expensive bicycle that will do the job for you and meet your needs, and most times it will not be the least expensive bike in the store.

There will be multiple types of bicycles to choose from, so here’s a rundown of the different styles that you can expect to choose from.

Road bikes: commonly referred to as 10 speeds, or racing/touring bikes. Surprisingly most do not get raced our toured on, but simply used for riding on the roads to go a long distance with the least amount of effort. These bikes will have the narrowest tires and the most aggressive body position, which makes them the most efficient style for speed and distance. Due to their tire width they will have limitations as to what surfaces they can safely be ridden on.

Cyclocross bikes: these bikes are very similar to road bikes, yet the major difference is the size of the tire. Cyclocross tires are slightly wider than road tires, have moderately deep tread, and are designed for off road use such as gravel roads or dirt track cyclocross racing. Gear ratios will generally be slightly lower than a road bike. A very common alternative use for these bikes is for commuting by changing to a smoother tread and adding full coverage fenders.

Fitness bikes: similar to road bikes but have flat traditional styled handlebars, slightly wider tires, along with different gearing. The top end speed of these can be just as fast as a road bike, yet they will generally have lower gear ratios as well to help with climbing hills. They are ideal for those who are looking for a bike that is very easy to ride on hard surfaces yet may wish to sit slightly more upright than a road bike. They also make for a good, lightweight, and fast commuter bike. These would be classified as performance hybrids as well.

Hybrid bikes: also known as cross bikes or cross trainers. For paved trail riding with an upright body position these are the most common bikes you will see on the trails. They are made for recreational, paved trail, town, and gravel trail usage. Designed to be comfortable yet lightweight and easy to pedal with gearing designed to allow you to go fast yet be able to climb most hills with ease. The tires will be slightly wider than that of a fitness bike and be a nice, happy medium between a road and a mountain bike. Hence the term hybrid as it’s a cross between two things.

Comfort bikes: just as the term states, these bikes are designed to be comfortable, and give a very plush Cadillac ride. For comfort features these bikes have front suspension to soak up the bumps, the widest, most padded seats, along with suspension in the seat posts and wide tires with a slight amount of tread. The wider tires help give new riders confidence, along with extra traction and a more cushioned ride due to lower air pressures and higher air volume. Think of old, balloon tired bikes, like Schwinn cruisers. Big tires ride soft. The trade-off for all these comfort features is that they add weight, which requires extra effort to pedal, but the gear ratios are lower than hybrids or road bikes to compensate for this. Top end speed will be slower but most times these bikes will be ridden rather casually.

Feet First/Crank Forward bikes: the most confidence inspiring bikes for beginner riders or those who haven’t ridden in many years or for those who have balance and stability challenges. These bikes have lowest to the ground seat height, along with the most upright body position possible. As the term states, crank forward means just that. Your cranks are out in front of you more compared to other bikes where they are directly below you. With this design you still achieve an efficient extension of your legs while pedaling, yet have a seat height that allows one to stay seated and put their feet on the ground when they come to a stop. No other type of bike will allow that without compromising your leg extension while pedaling. These bikes will be lighter than comfort bikes, and for gearing most have a limited number of gears, such as three or seven speeds, sometimes even basic single speeds with pedal brakes. These could be considered the modern day cruiser bikes.

Mountain bikes: Designed for the off road scene, these bikes are very versatile and can be used for much more than just off road. These bikes will come equipped with wide, deeply treaded tires, lower gear ratios for navigating hills off road, and sturdier front suspension. Some bikes have only front suspension some have both front and rear, and some do not have any at all, which is called rigid. The body position is similar to that of a fitness bike in that you will lean over somewhat aggressively in order to balance your weight distribution.  Mountain bikes can be considered an all purpose bike that can be used for recreational purposes as well as year round commuting.

Fatbikes: Designed with tires twice as wide as a typical mountain bike, these are like mountain bikes on steroids, designed for maximum flotation on surfaces such as snow or sand.  They are most commonly used by mountain bikers who wish to continue riding off road throughout the winter and need increased traction and flotation.  Many find these bikes to be the most fun to ride, even for beginners, by giving extra confidence for rolling over obstacles and having the traction available to navigate challenging technical sections.  Much lower air pressures allow the big tires to conform and grip the terrain much better, yet still roll very easily.  Because of the very soft tires, these bikes also provide a very cushioned ride even without any mechanical suspension. 

Once you have an understanding of the different types of bikes that are offered, you will be able to determine what styles make most sense for your riding needs.  At that point, you are ready for the next step in the process:  the test ride.

Throughout the process of selecting a bike, one should expect to go out on numerous test rides in order to gain a sense of different body positions one could have, and to determine things that one likes or dislikes that can then be communicated to the shop employee. Many times bikes can be tailored to fit you better if they don’t yet feel quite right, and through communication with the staff, they will be able to help you achieve a comfortable fit, and in the end, a much more enjoyable ride. This is where communication is key, so don’t be afraid to speak up and tell them what you feel, or ask questions; even if you feel they might be dumb questions. The staff is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and having as much fun on two wheels as possible. Anyone working at a shop who rides bikes has also been through the learning process of buying a bike so they can all relate to where you’re at. Rest assured that more often than not, they work with beginners who are just getting started in the world of cycling, and they are used to these types of questions.

Often times a person is so focused on the purchase of the bicycle that they forget to factor into their budget adequate room for additional accessories that will help make the cycling experience much more enjoyable and safe. Bikes don’t come from the factory with any accessories installed, and most bikes don’t even come with kickstands anymore, but whatever accessories you choose can be installed at the time of purchase. Many times shops will offer a discount on accessories with the purchase of your bike. As an added bonus, the maintenance of your bike will be free for the first year so that you can be assured that your bike continues to run properly throughout its wear-in period.

So now with a bit of knowledge on your side to help you understand how it all works, you’ll be able to shop with confidence and end up with a new bike that you will enjoy for many years to come. We’re all looking forward to another fun riding season, so to all of you from all of us at Decorah Bicycles, happy trails and thanks for riding bikes!

Tune-up Time is Now!

As we enter February, it reminds us that spring is right around the corner, and our shop will be overflowing with repairs. We have really stressed this year for people to think ahead and start bringing bikes in early for a tune up.

This will also be a particularly busy year as Ragbrai will be so close to Northeast Iowa, and many individuals living in Decorah and the surrounding areas will want to attend. We do expect an influx of individuals coming in for Ragbrai tune-ups.

The question is: how long do you want to wait for your bike? There is no way to know how long turn-around time will be for the summer months. We can guarantee you that if you brought your bike in now, you would get it back within a couple days. In doing so, you won’t be missing those awesome riding days while we’re working on your bike. 

Now that we’ve told you about the benefits of bringing your bike in early for a tune-up, you’ll want to know what it entails.
Our tune-up rates are $55.00 
We will give your bike a thorough cleaning, and if you choose, you can have your drive train cleaned for extra $15.00
Wheel truing (straightening)
All bearing adjustments
Shifting and brake adjustments
Safety check all of the components
All necessary lubrication
Tire inflation
Parts replacement is extra, but you will not be charged for additional labor for installing parts or accessories.

Here are some helpful tips on how to check for some of the most common issues-

Hub bearings: grab your wheel and shake side to side. It should not have any play at all and if there is any play, you need an adjustment.
Front end bearing: squeeze left brake while rocking bike, if there is play an adjustment is needed.
Crank/Bottom bracket bearings: hold on to one of the crank arms and wiggle side to side-if any play you will need an adjustment.
Wobbly Wheels: lift your bike up to spin the wheel. Watch the

rim while it goes past the brake pads, if it goes side to side it is not straight and needs to be trued. 
Worn brake pads: make sure they are not too worn/thin.
Worn out/sticky grips: grips are important for holding on and maintaining control of your bike, worn grips will make this more difficult for you. Replacing grips are inexpensive and an easy way to freshen up the look of your bike.

Worn/cracked tires: Look at the tread for balled or worn spots and look at the side of your tire for cracked/fraying sidewalls. It is possible to prolong the life of your tire with a tire rotation (moving back tire to the front). You wouldn’t drive your vehicle on extremely worn or cracked tires, so why would you ride your bike on unsafe tires?

With your bike tuned up, you can be confident that you know everything is safe and functioning properly. It’s an important part of taking care of your ride and getting the most out of your bike riding experience. 

For you future annual tune-up needs, consider having your bike tuned up at the end of the season. In doing so, you can be ready for that first nice day of the bike season. Your bike mechanic will appreciate working on your bike during a slower time of the year and you won’t be missing your bike when you want it the most!

Skratch Hydration

"I’ve seen this Skratch stuff around, what is it exactly? Somethin’ to help with itchin’?”

Nope, not quite. It’s one of the best sport hydration mixes around, and we now stock Skratch at Decorah Bicycles. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Skratch, here’s the lowdown on what they are all about.

Skratch is a small, independently run business based out of Boulder, Colorado. 

It was started in 2008, when Dr. Allen Lim kept having athletes complain to him about their sports drinks. Many of the drinks out on the market are made with artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and excess sugar. People were experiencing upset stomachs or “gut rot” from ingesting these sports drinks. To counteract the sugary sweetness, athletes would water down their drinks. Unfortunately that would dilute the electrolytes and you drink a sports drink to replace what you lose in sweat. 

All of these contributed to Dr. Allen’s research and study into making an all natural drink that was free of all the nasty artificial colors, preservatives, and excess sugar. He literally started out of his kitchen, mixing and matching various ingredients and flavors to find a solution to this ongoing problem.

This “Secret Drink Mix” was made with natural ingredients; it had less sugar, more sodium, and nothing artificial. Eventually due to high demand and popularity, along with the desire to educate individuals on consuming healthier options, Dr. Allen and a few close friends started Skratch Labs.

The mission of Skratch Labs is simple-“to develop and sell food and drink products based on real world science and practice that taste great, that are made from real ingredients, and that optimize performance for both sport and life. Most importantly, we intend to educate and continue to learn and grow ourselves- to help our customers improve and thrive as they help us do the same. We know we have a lot of work to do to fulfill this mission and we are the first to acknowledge that we are a work in progress- that things won’t always be perfect. But there’s no better time to start than now.” –Dr. Allen Lim

Skratch Exercise Hydration is also made without any wheat, gluten, soy, or dairy; a good thing to be aware of if you have intolerances to those ingredients.
Skratch boasts packaging made 100% in the U.S.A.

Decorah Bicycles carries Skratch Exercise Hydration in 1 lb bags as well as single serve packets. We have Raspberry and Lemon/Lime available in 1 lb bags for $19.50
We have Raspberry, Orange, Pineapple, and Lemon/Lime for our single serve packets and they are priced at $1.99 each.
We also carry single packets of Daily Hydration in Lemon/Lime; this will eventually change to Daily Electrolyte Mix and be available in Raspberry and Lemon/Lime. They are priced at $1.99 each

Exercise Hydration mix is used for athletes as a healthy hydration drink; it replaces your electrolytes with enough calories to fuel your muscles.
Daily Hydration/Daily Electrolyte mix is for the average person who isn’t exercising at the moment, but wants to hydrate themselves without drinking plain water. Consider this a good option instead of the artificially flavored sugar-mixes you can add to plain water for flavor. It has half the calories and 1/3^rd
the sodium of Exercise Hydration.
Hyper Hydration mix is for individuals who need to over-hydrate before a sporting event or physical activity in extreme conditions. This drink is meant for those who will sweat out more fluid than they can take in. It has the same amount of sodium as a bag of potato chips; do not use this drink for general hydration purposes. It will be available in Mango flavor. 

Socks-We have 'em!

Simple and understated title for this post, because I'm going to let the socks do all the talking! Travis got in a fun-filled order of Sockguy socks and we're super stoked over them.

 The one thing I love about Sockguy socks are the fun designs and overall attitude. I can't imagine how much creativity goes into making so many different and fun sock designs! You can find a pair of socks for each and every friend; truly there is a sock for everyone!

 Sockguy socks are comfortable as well. Plus you get something much nicer than the standard blah white crew sock in a bag. Socks are such a fun and simple way to show some attitude without being over the top.
With this order we have some SGX socks. They provide a compression fit, performance ribbing, enhanced ventilation, and reduced friction. Great for the athletic person; Stretch-to-Fit sizing and reinforced toe and heal provide long-lasting comfort.

 Do you have a female friend that loves running or yoga? Well we have socks for them as well! A fun fact about the Love2Run sock is that it is one of the Channel Air socks. Channel Air socks are super comfortable and have a nice amount of cushion and arch support. They are designed with 5 channels of padded cushion and 4 channels of mesh for increased airflow. Your feet will not overheat and you will not have the discomfort you would typically have from other bulky socks.

Who doesn't love Colorado? Now share your love for the state with some new socks!

Perhaps you originate from Colorado or maybe you visited. Maybe you have a family member who lives there and want to send them a surprise gift. Whatever reason you love Colorado, you are represented now with our socks. Awesome!

 From basic to fun, to crazy and insane; everyone loves a good pair of socks. What do you get when you cross a bear with a deer?

I have a soft spot for cozy wool socks, especially in the winter months when temps are frigid. Now you can rock out some sweet wool goodness while boasting a Sasquatch! It's random, it's fun, and it's beyond comfortable.





So come on in and take a look at our Sockguy display! It's fun, it's fresh, and it's sure to keep your feet feeling comfortable and looking stylish.

Thank You from Decorah Bicycles!

Trek Stache 8

We at Decorah Bicycles would like to thank our customers for a great year!

Our business wouldn’t be here and successful without each and every customer. Whether or not you purchased a bike or an accessory, as a customer you contributed to our success and growth.

Travis has continued to make improvements to the building and sale displays. His attention to detail expands beyond just bike builds and mechanical issues.

We are sure you noticed the green Fixit station out in front of the store, now you can do basic improvements, tune-ups, or pump your tires regardless if we are open or not! Also we have a nice bike rack out front as well.

We expanded our bike rental and included some great upgrades to our rental fleet! Check out the Trek Stache 8 for your next mountain bike rental. We added some new fitness bikes to our fleet as well; you now have the option of riding either the Specialized Sirrus Sport Disk or the Vita Sport Disc. Kids have a nice option as well; Specialized Hotrock 24 ST for both boys and girls.
Tandem you say? We have the Trek T900 tandem available for rent! 

Fatbike Rental Fleet

We also offer fatbike rental! This investment brings forth bike-related fun for the winter months. Each bike was custom built, so you aren’t riding an out-of-the-box feature; you get an experience above and beyond standard.

As you can see, we put money right back into our business. We pride ourselves on bringing you quality product and a positive experience. This is a positive effect of what happens when the community supports a small business; you help us expand, grow, and better support the cycling community.

So we want to extend a thank you to all of you who have supported us this past year and we hope that we can continue to support you and whatever your needs are.

Sincerely,

All of us at

Decorah Bicycles

Specialized Hotrock 24 ST 

Specialized Hotrock 24 ST

Specialized Sirrus Sport Disk

Specialized Vita Sport Disc

Trek T900 Tandem