RAGBRAI Overnight Towns Announced

Image courtesy of Bike Iowa

Saturday the RAGBRAI overnight towns were introduced as a part of the Iowa Bicycle Expo. The annual ride is coming up on its 45th edition and will have a Northerly track this time which means pretty flat until you get into the last day.

The overnights are as follows:

• Orange City
• Spencer
• Algona
• Clear Lake
• Charles City
• Cresco
• Waukon
• Lansing

 Please see BIKE IOWA for more details.

We expect that along with the easier route, that the proximity of the route to Waterloo will amp up interest in doing RAGBRAI this year over last. With that in mind, you should get your rig in NOW and have it tuned up. Beat the rush and all that, don't cha know.

So here is a bit of mechanic insider info for you. Many folks wait to get their bikes tuned up right before the event so that (a) they have a "fresh tune up", or (b) "insure themselves" against failures. Okay, let's take "a" first.....

If your bicycle gets an early Spring tune up, and you train on it, assuming you weren't on the verge of wearing out parts and opted not to replace them, your bicycle tune up will still be "fresh". A good, thorough bicycle tune up done by a professional will be good for a season of use, barring unforseen issues like crashes, getting hit, or what have you, which leads me to.......

"b"- There are NO GUARANTEES that you will not have a flat tire, broken spoke, bad shifting due to someone inadvertently hitting your rear derailleur, or some other malady. Most RAGBRAI issues that occur happen NOT because you did not get a tune up just before RAGBRAI, but because something happened to your bike ON RAGBRAI. So, if you think, "I got a tune up a few days before RAGBRAI, so I am good.", well that won't stop most of the failures that happen on RAGBRAI from happening. The most common of which are flat tires and broken spokes, by the way.

So, if you want to relieve some stress just before RAGBRAI, have that bicycle tuned up now. That'll be one less thing on your list, and barring the unforeseen, you should be good to go for the event.

Stop in and see us now before the end of January for some really good tune up pricing.

Note: The "unofficial blog of Europa Cycle And Ski" reflects information that you cannot get anywhere else about Europa Cycle and Ski- not even from Europa's own social media channels. So stay tuned here for the best info you can get anywhere on Europa. 

Tune Up Class & Other News

Hey there! It's been a while now, but the rogue shop blog isn't dead yet! In fact, I am just so busy rubbing my hands together to stay warm lately that I don't have time to type on this here page!

But seriously, it isn't the busiest time of the year, obviously. Now that Spring is nigh though, there are the thoughts that should be entering your brain like, "I should get my bicycle(s) looked at soon....." (At least you SHOULD be thinking along those lines!) Maybe you have always wanted to know just what sort of magic bicycle mechanics do to bikes. Maybe the dark art of wheel truing, perhaps, or the deep magic involved in derailleur adjustments. (Well, it really isn't magic, but I have been bombarded with J.K. Rowling references by my teenage daughter lately, so....)

If this vaguely describes you in any way, perhaps the new "Bicycle Repair Classes" is for you. (Click the flyer to observe the text in a larger format.) This year we decided that a more "in depth", hands on approach may be desired by a few folks. It costs more money since you get yer own wrenches to spin that you can keep forever, and the class is "hands on" your very own rig, so you get it tuned up as well. Maybe no one will care to sign up, which is fine by me, since I will go on a bicycle ride instead! (<====HA!)

Special deals to be had.....

In other news....

We have a few "Special Deals" on some Salsa Cycles rigs. How special? So special I can't even tell you openly about them. That's how special! Here are a few bikes that are on our "hot list"....

Size Large Beargrease XX1
58cm & 56cm Warbird 2's ('13 models)
54cm Casseroll ('13 model)
Mukluk 3's- A few to choose from.

PLUS: Several Treks and Raleighs that are RED TAGGED. 

Interested in buying anything like this for a special price? Tell us you will buy one, (or heck- all of them!), and we'll tell you the price. Don't come tire kickin', cause we won't give you a price unless you are buying. Yes- it is that good of a deal.

RAGBRAI Comes Close in '14!!

In case you had not heard, RAGBRAI 2014 is coming through our area. It overnights in Waverly and Independence. It will be a flat, easy as pie ride, so gear up your steeds folks. We'll be super busy come June, so do not wait to get your new bike or tune up on your old rig. Get in the shop now and beat the rush! Don't look all sorry when you wait till June 15th and we tell you it is a two week backlog on repairs.

Don't say I never told ya so!

Servicing Shocks, Bleeding Brakes, And More....

Now servicing Fox Forks!

Suspension Serving: Winter may be putting you off your bike, but don't put off servicing your equipment till Spring! Do it now and be ready to roll when the weather finally turns. Europa is now a Fox dealer and can do any servicing on Fox forks. Plus, we can do servicing on your Rock Shox forks as well. Stop by and see us for that shock overhaul.

Say what? You have never had that done to your fork? You should check the servicing intervals for your shock and then maybe stop by and see us. Just a helpful hint there. Your shock performance may not be what it could be.

Also, if you have a mountain bike you love but the fork isn't lighting you up these days, we also can now get forks direct from Fox, and of course, we can also get any Rock Shox, Manitou, or Magura fork you may be interested in.

Winter time is the perfect time to check into servicing your fork or upgrading to a new one as the trails are socked in now anyway and your bike is probably just hanging from a hook, waiting for you to show it some love!

Your brakes need bleeding.....really!

Brake Bleeding: You may not know it, but your brakes probably need bleeding as well, especially Avid brakes. Any brake with DOT fluid that hasn't been bled really should be! Your DOT fluid draws moisture and that moisture affects how well your hydraulic brakes work. A quick bleed and new fluid takes care of your bike for the coming riding season. Typically hydraulic brakes, be they mineral oil based or DOT fluid based, should be bled once a year to rid the system of any air that has intruded during use. And typically with bicycle based hydro brakes, you don't notice how poor your brakes are doing until it is too late. Service those brakes now while riding season is out of season!

Got mechanical brakes and think you don't have to worry? Think again! Your cables and housings are the heart of your system, and if they have never been changed, they probably are taking away from the performance of your mechanical brakes by way of friction and housing breakdown. Mechanical disc brakes put a lot of stress on housings and can make them too flexible, which robs you of braking power. Stop in and have us show you the options to get you mechanical brakes working at peak efficiency. Stopping is good!

Time to tune up!

Maybe you don't have shocks or disc brakes, but you probably should get that rig looked at any way. Wheels need truing, cables and housings need to be checked, and tires and tubes need looking over before the cold weather leaves us and you reach the day that you want to grab that bike and just go for a ride.

Make sure you are ready by having Europa Cycles tune it up for you now. Beat the rush in Spring and avoid waiting for your bike for any period of time!

In the meantime, Europa's "unofficial, bandit blog" would like to wish you all out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks for checking us out, and we hope you get miles of smiles in 2014!