"The New Guy"

My name is David and I am a recent hire at The Bicycle Escape. I am new here, but I am the “old guy” in the shop… I have been around bikes riding seriously since 1986. I have worked at two other bike shops in Frederick over the past 15 or so years.
Being older, I have had my time riding and racing and then “falling off the horse” so to speak… Life gets in the way. Marriage, having children, career choices, injuries, and the list of excuses can be long. I haven’t quit riding or being active, I am just not the zealot I once was. I ride with my wife and kids, coach soccer and play other sports with my family. We go camping and take the bikes on every outing.
Being back in the shop has given me the itch to get back on the saddle and get back to riding more miles! Even though my mountain bike is somewhat out dated, (can’t be upgraded to disc brakes!) I still want to get back up in the woods as well. Working with the younger staff at The Bicycle Escape is very inspirational to an old dog like me. I am having a lot of fun getting to know everyone and working there.
Riding is an activity that everyone can enjoy at any level, or at any age. Whether it is tooling around the neighborhood with the kids, riding towpath to Harper’s Ferry for ice cream, enjoying the scenery of the watershed, pounding the pedals on the roads, biking around here is greatly rewarding. I don’t think you need to get a job in a bike shop to remember the joys of riding so get back out there and ride! Maybe I will see you out on the road or in the woods!

Deller Cycling Hats

A few weeks ago we received a shipment of Deller hats. The initial order was instigated by Mike who wanted one for himself. After seeing the hats (and grabbing one for myself) I was glad we placed the order. Shaun Deller hand makes cycling caps out of recycled fabrics (mostly wool). His hats offer high style without the billboard look usually associated with cycling caps. Hats-off to Shaun for making recycling look so good.

Meals on Bicycle Wheels…?

This past Saturday was the Meals on Wheels Charity 5K Run in Baker Park. If you participated in the run or happened to be in the area, you probably saw a few cyclists cruising throughout the course. Well, if you did, it was me and some other TBE employees assisting with the run. I led the lead woman runner along the 3.1 mile course. My cohorts rode back and forth between the athletes to make sure everyone was headed in the right direction and not passed out in the street. We carried water for thirsty runners and walkie-talkies to communicate from our different locations.

We helped with this event for a number of reasons. For one; we think this organization provides a necessary service to the housebound and elderly in our community. Number two; the event allowed us to support the community which so graciously supports us and our bike shop. And three; any day we get out on a bike is a good day!

I enjoyed reliving my former days as a cross country and track runner. I can remember running in similar races, in a pack, behind a bicycle leading our way. I was able to cheer for the runners and encourage them to push it to the finish line (something that is easy to do when you are peddling a bike at 3 miles an hour). It was very nostalgic for me to be out in the frigid cold weather watching the runners try to keep themselves warm and relaxed before the race started.

The Bicycle Escape will be assisting with the Garrett 5K run next month. This run is also located at Baker Park and is the same course as the Meals on Wheels run. If you want to participate in the Garrett 5K run swing by our shop and pick up a registration form.

Titus Envy

A gauge of how cool a bicycle is might be the level of jealously experienced by the mechanic who assembles the machine. I recently built a Titus Eleven all dressed up with Shimano XTR bits for a local rider named Adam. Now, I work in a bike shop and have done so for well over a decade now. I don’t get jealous about that many bicycles. I mean come on... I light my cigars by burning custom bicycle frames. After building up Adam’s new ride I found myself wishing it was my own. The Titanium hardtail had flawless welds and the new XTR equipment shifted fast and precise. The bike, as pictured with XTR pedals and Ti cage, tipped the scale at 23.03lbs. Oh well, this bike my not be mine but at least it was fun to assemble and share with the world!

Fixed Gear Gallery

I recently found out about a neat fixed gear site called www.fixedgeargallery.com. Mike posted his Montarino on their photo gallery. His bike is proudly listed as #4651. If you are into fixed gear bikes you should check out the site. They have lots of photos, a forum, and direct-drive friendly links too.