Mondays With Mark

Monday's With Mark is going to happen this coming Monday at 6:30pm and will be held at the shop. The subject for this one will be about tubeless tires.

Tubeless tires; are they right for you? How do they work? All that and more this Monday. Then after this one, there will be one more MWM the following week. It will be about what I saw at Frostbike. There will be more about trends, and in a special for the folks attending, there will be a private showing of the movie short, "300 Miles Of Gravel", which is the documentary of Trans Iowa V7 by Jeff Frings.

MWM is free of charge, so just stop on down to Europa Cycle and Ski before 6:30pm, grab a seat, and listen to me gab about tubeless tires and all manner of cycling stuff.

Hope to see ya there.

The Last Monday's With Mark

Well, the last get together with me is tomorrow night at the shop @ 6:30pm. This time I'm covering some good places to ride and some commuting tips as well will be discussed.

Really- when it comes right down to it, it is all about throwing your leg over whatever you have for a bicycle and riding. I don't think it matters if you race, or if you do RAGBRAI. It doesn't matter if you ride to work, or for your work, it just matters that you ride a bicycle.

Why? Because the bicycle, in its simplicity and efficiency, is a marvel of a machine, useful for human fitness, human well being, human environment, and for human entertainment. The bicycle is more than a mode of transportation.

So, my goal for the last Monday's With Mark is to inspire someone to ride one more ride more than they would have otherwise. If I can do that, the whole series is a success. It doesn't matter that I may have, or not- as the case may be- taught you anything. It doesn't matter that the shop gets you in the door. It doesn't matter if we sell you something, or that if someone else gets your money.

To me, it just matters that you ride a bicycle.

Maybe I'll see you Monday night, but if not, please consider riding your bicycle more. Thanks!

Mondays With Mark Redux

Mark, aka "Guitar Ted"

So, I guess I will be doing this paid gig soon called "Mondays With Mark", which will focus on a few topics to help anyone mildly interested in repairing and maintaining their bicycles.

We used to do this several years ago, but interest waned.....

Make no mistake- these won't be for advanced or intermediate level cyclists who do their own wrenching. These sessions are geared towards those who basically don't know squat about their bicycles, but would like to change that status.

Is that you? well, here is a tentative list of things I will be touching upon over the course of three to four Monday nights. (Dates and times to be announced soon)

• Getting Your Bicycle In Shape For Spring!
• Trailside Repairs
• Where To Ride In The Cedar Valley/ Commuting To Work

There may be one more session, but we'll see how the attendance goes. If the series fizzles, there is no point in doing a fourth session. You folks out there in local Europa-land will help determine that one!

Stay tuned to this space for further updates.