Phat Cycles

The Bicycle Escape is proud to announce we are now a Phat Cycles dealer. Their entire line of bikes are high-style, laid back cruisers. Every bike rider should own a bike like this and at least 4 times every year ditch the Lycra, clipless pedals, and gloves for a recreational cruise to the ice cream parlor, coffee shop or pub. It is good for the soul!

Bikes For the World Pick-Up

BIKES FOR THE WORLD
Do You Have A Bicycle You No Longer Use?
Solution – Donate It!

The Knights of Columbus Bishop McNamara Council 1622, in partnership with Bikes for the World, will be collecting bicycles in relative good condition and/or easily repairable condition. (Also good bicycle parts, bicycle accessories, tools, and portable electric sewing machines.)

These collections will benefit developing nations with a means of transportation, allowing their citizens the opportunity for employment and education, thus helping to transform their lives.

Donations are tax deductible, and receipts will be provided. We request a cash donation of $10.00 accompany your donation, to help defray shipping costs.

Collection Site: St. Johns at Prospect Hall
889 Butterfly Lane, Frederick, MD
Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008
Time: 9:00 – 12:00
Goal: 200 Bicycles
Chairman: Jose Rector – 301-928-1083

Donate Your Old Bikes For This Worthy Cause!

2009 Giant Bicycles

OK it's Giant's turn. Here are some of the Giant bikes you can expect to see in 2009. Pictured here is the 2009 TCR Alliance 0. Open the PDF to view the new Defy 3, Avail 3, FCR 3, Trance X4 and even the Halfway folding bike.

Enjoy!

2009 Specialized Catalog

Here is another sneak peak of the up-coming 2009 Specialized bikes. Shown above is the much anticipated and redesigned 2009 Epic which has a center mounted shock. Open the PDF link to see even more good stuff.

The FSR XC Pro gets an uninterrupted seattube for increased saddle height adjustment. This is the same frame design that the Stumpjumper received for the 2008 calendar year.

The 2009 Specialized mountain bikes highlighted in the PDF catalog are the S-Works Epic, Big Hit III, SX Trail II, Myka FSR Expert, and the Hardrock Pro Disc.

The 2009 road bikes show are the S-Works Roubaix, Allez Elite, and the women’s Dolce Comp.

The Super popular 2009 Crosstrail Expert is also revealed. A lot of the 2009 bikes are a ways out but this should wet your appetite until they land in shops.

Giant Bicycles 2009 Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak to the 2009 Giant TCR Advanced SL. We don't have too much info yet but note the sexy styling and new 2009 Dura-Ace parts. For the fist time ever the shifter housing is hidden under the bar tape.

Jeff Jones at The Bicycle Escape

This Thursday's Jeff Jones visit was a great success. Jeff addressed a crowd of about 25 cyclists. He explained his philosophy on frame design and frame building. After the presentation he answered questions for attendees both young and old. It was fascinating to see Jeff’s Truss Fork spec’d with a 4” tire. It was even more fun to ride the steed. His short stays make the front end very light which gives the bike a playful feel. This playfulness led to some parking lot goofing around after the event.

Special thanks to the Single Speed Outlaws who help organize the event as well as Clipper City Brewing for helping us out with the beer.

Nostalgia

When I was a kid I use to flip through the Spooky bike catalog and dream about one day owning one. Recently I got to live vicariously through Ray, one of our customers. Ray was one of the lucky guys who actually owned a Spooky. An OG, real-deal, old school one, that is, and we converted it to a single speed for him.

We first laced up some White Industries hubs (the eccentric type) to take up the chain slack. Then we specked some Avid Single Digit Ultimate brakes married to Paul brake levers. A Thompson post and stem with an Answer carbon bar were next. The old school yellow Raceface cranks were highlighted with new Oury grips in a matching color. The whole bike tips the scale at 22.06lbs.

Giant Bicycles

Now available at The Bicycle Escape!

Jeff Jones Visits Maryland

The Bicycle Escape invites fans of handmade bicycles to our shop on June 12 at 8:30 pm for a presentation by frame builder Jeff Jones. Jeff's unique designs challenge traditional thinking and push the limits of hardtail mountain bikes. We hope you can join us on the 12th for light refreshments and great bikes.

2009 Orbea Diem

Spanish frame builder Orbea enters the flat bar road bike market with their sexy and stylish carbon fiber Diem.

The following come straight from Orbea:

Orbea's Diem is made of equal parts: utility, technology, and style. Conceived as the ultimate in fast transportation for modern European cities, the Diem is finding its place as the premium alternative to conventional road bikes where a little more comfort and control is desired. Diem is perfectly suited for enjoying a century, challenging rough city streets, enjoying your daily commute, or pedaling to the coffee shop.

--Diem gets the same love as Orbea's top-level racing bikes-it's stylish shaping is the result of monocoque carbon fiber construction with Size Specific Nerve technology and a lifetime warranty.

--Using Size Specific Nerve technology from our flagship Orca, all five Diem frame sizes use different tube diameters and volumes. This ensures that every rider, from under 5 feet to well over 6 feet, get the same inspired ride quality.

--With an attitude for urban travel, Orbea is putting stopping power at a premium The Diem features disc brakes for consistent powerful braking-rain or shine.
--700x28 tires offer rack and fender options.
City, townie, street, metro, commuter - Whatever you call it, the Diem is in a class of its own with a style beyond description.

The bike should cost around $2200-$2400

2009 Specialized Bikes

Here are a few more 2009 bikes. The 2009 Rockhopper Comp 29 (shown in green and black) is a great budget 29er. In keeping with the 2008 bike, the frame comes stock with sliding drop outs to accommodate a single speed conversion if the rider ever desires.

The P.1 AM Disc is a stout aluminum hop-around bike. The bike will also be offered in stain grey/bronze or orange. If you are looking for a playful mountain bike in a lower price point the AM might be the right bike for you.

No word on any of the nicer road bikes just yet but check back often for more updates.

Even though I am hooking you fine folks up with this sneak peak don’t get all antsy just yet. We still have quite a while before these hit the show room floor.

2009 Specialized Langster

Here is a sneak peak at some of the 2009 Specialized Langsters. For the new year the big red ‘S’ added Las Vegas, Tokyo, and San Francisco to the fixed gear, city-themed line-up. These bikes always have fun touches. The Vegas ride has a gold stem and brake calipers which add a touch of gaudy class. Straight-up Vegas baby!

Puck's Passage Ride

This past Sunday was The Bicycle Escape/Single Speed Outlaw Puck’s Passage Ride. Despite the threat of thunder storms we had a great turn out. Fourteen cyclists, some riding fixies, some on mountain bikes and others with cross bikes, gathered at the Point of Rocks C&O parking lot ready to roll. We traveled down the C&O Canal trail to White’s Ferry where we boarded the people mover (cars and motorcycles first of course). We then headed to Route 15 towards Leesburg. Our destination was Vintage 50, a stylist restaurant/bar in Leesburg. While there we enjoyed yummy food, drink and relaxation. During our lunch break was the only time it really rained and when we hopped back on our bikes it had stopped. The overcast weather made the ride very pleasant. The sun didn’t scorch us and the few misty raindrops we received were quite refreshing. We went back home the way we came, across the ferry and down the C&O Canal trail. The ride ended up being a total of about 36 miles. I had a grand old time and I think everyone else did as well! Thank you Steve and Donna for leading the ride!

The Bike to Work Day 2008

The Frederick Bike to Work Pit stop was a great success in spite of the rain. Around 50 cyclists, young and old, gathered at the Frederick MARC station this morning for light fare and bike chit-chat. Several prizes were handed out including a folding Breezer which went to Commuter-Chris (pictured to the left.) Thanks to all who participated and helped to make this year's Bike to Work a memorable event.

What a Great Way to Travel

Welcome to Bike Month everybody!!!

This morning I was greeted with perfect temperatures and a cool breeze as I cycled to work. I want to encourage everyone to enjoy the same pleasure.

This month is packed with fun stuff!

Monday, May 12 Commuter Clinic - Join us at 6:30 p.m. at the shop where bike commuter John Gorham will discuss the tricks of transportation-based cycling. Learn how to integrate cycling into your daily routine.
May 12-16 The Bicycle Escape Commuter Sale
Stop by the shop for our annual commuter sale. Save 10% on all commuter accessories and 5%-10% on commuter bikes.
Friday, May 16 Bike to Work Day - From 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.
We will be at the Frederick MARC Station (Downtown-South East Street) greeting cyclists at the Frederick Bike to Work Day Pit Stop. There will be snacks, entertainment, dynamic speakers and we will be raffling off a chance to win a free bike and prizes!

Leesburg Bakers Dozen (2008)

The Leesburg Bakers Dozen was a blast. The rain held out until after the race and I hardly broke a sweat eating and drinking in the Single Speed Outlaw Shanty Town. Special thanks to JoJo for the delicous food and Clipper City Brewing for the brew and Keg Cooler. The SSO crew had high spirits inspite of exhaustion and Joe's cracked cog. We would also like to thank Plumb Grove for putting on such a great event!

6500 Miles for a Great Cause

This morning I meet Pat Blair, residant of Elkridge, MD. While he was here Pat told me about a 6500 mile cross country adventure he and some buddies took on their fixed gear bicycles. The riders were the Adventures for the Cure Cycling Team attempting to raise money for Diebetis. Pat's trip was captured in an award winning documentary narated by Greg LeMond. The movie trailer is above. Click here to learn more about Adventures for the Cure.

Carbon Fiber Frame Repair

A Couple of weeks ago we sent a Specialized Roubaix frame to Calfee Design for repair. The frame was damaged in a freak accident. The non-drive chainstay was gouged badly. As the pictures show the work preformed by the Calfee staff is exceptional! To the touch, the bike is flawlessly smooth and it takes a close inspection to even recognize the repaired area. The repair work costs less than 300 bucks! I (and the bike's owner) could not be happier with the service.

The Bicycle Escape Welcomes Herb Spicer to the Family

The TBE crew is super excited to announce that we will be sponsoring world-class Ironman Triathlete (and Frederick, MD resident) Herb Spicer in 2008. Please help us cheer Herb on as he begins another successful year of racing. To learn more about this local hero visit herbspicer.com.

Good Luck Herb!

Tomicogs

The other day we received a shipment of Tomicogs. For those of you who don’t know, Tomicogs are fixed gear cogs that install on a disc hub’s 6-bolt (ISO) mounts. If you have a disc brake single speed a Tomicog can provide you with hours of dirty fixed gear fun.