Closed Tomorrow, Sep. 24th

Necro Bikes will be closed tomorrow, the 24th due to me being out of town. We will re-open on the 25th with repairs. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Gearing Up

We still don't have our painting area locked down yet. I promise we're working on it. Hopefully by the end of the month we will be ready to go with the bike painting, and then the bikes will begin to run through the necro cycle (pun intended). Make sure to stay tuned for the bike sales that will probably start to hit the website early in the spring.

NYC - Bike the Twin Lights

Last chance to sign up for the Bike the Twin Lights ride! Registration ends Friday for the discounted rates. The ride is on September 26th, starting and ending in the beautiful New Jersey Highlands. Don't miss out, register today!

"The Twin Lights Ride offers ample opportunities to savor the last bits of the season, from stunning sights (including the ride's 148-year-old namesake, the Twin Lights lighthouse) to myriad restaurants offering fresh, local seafood. A post-ride festival with live music will top off the day."

Sign up today for the discounted rate of $50 which gets you into the ride as well as the souvenir T-shirt. See you at the ride!

The Big Move

This weekend is the big weekend. I am finally moving out of my temporary home in New Haven and officially moving into the new digs on Clark Street. I am really excited about the move because this finally let's me have my stuff back from storage and gives me room to setup the bike shop again! Work on the blank frames I've accumulated will finally begin!

Five Borough Bike Tour Success!

Yesterday was a great day for a 50 mile ride. The weather could not have been better, although sunscreen will be the first thing I pack in my pack for next year. I had a blast riding through the city without any traffic to worry about! There are some pictures below, I'm sure all who were there had a great time, and I'm sure next year will be just as awesome.

I did learn a lot about long distance riding, the five borough especially, and have some suggestions for anyone thinking about doing the 5BBT next year.

• Bike shorts, are well worth the investment and I wish I had invested in some gloves as well. 
• BRING SUNSCREEN!
• Get to the starting area as early as you can. Being in the middle of the pack will leave you standing around waiting to start for well over an hour as well as get you backed up every five minutes or so along the route. 
• Bring more than water. I had a 2-liter camelback with me which I kicked just after the ride, but I would have killed for some Gatorade. You can really feel the need for something more than water at the end of the ride.

Zak and Sarah at the Astoria Park rest stop

New Biker Friendly Finger Joint on the Pulaski Bridge!

It was a pleasant surprise coming home from work today. The infamous finger joint (that zipper like metal joint where the drawbridge sections come together) had been renovated with a much more biker friendly alternative! It is nice to see the city engineers acknowledge the high cycle traffic over the bridge and accommodate our ride!

Photo credit: Maud Newton

No Butts About It

If there is one thing almost every cyclist complains about at the beginning of the season, it's their sore rump after the first ride of the year. But don't be so quick to blame your bike's saddle! Your legs aren't the only thing out of shape after a long winter without biking. Nine times out of ten the cause of sore rides in the spring is due to out of shape gluts, not your saddle. If you finished last year's season without any trouble, chances are your saddle is just fine and you just need a few rides to get back into the grind of things.

Now if you're still complaining about the ride after a few weeks of riding there are a few things you can do. The easiest fix is trying to reposition the saddle in an effort to eliminate pressure points during your ride. Remember, your weight should be on the "butt bones" while you ride, not on your crotch. If that doesn't seem to fix the problem you can buy special gel inserts for your saddle that will add a little cushion while you ride. Failing that a new saddle can make all the difference. There really isn't any tried and true method for fitting a saddle other than riding it that I'm aware of. Ask your friends or other riders what seems to work best for them.

Now for those of you brave enough to cough up the cash and sport the spandex, there are the bike shorts. These are specialty shorts with padding built right in the seat. I will be honest I was a hater. A year ago you wouldn't have caught me dead in a pair of spandex shorts, but after hearing their praises from a number of sources, and with a five-borough bike tour on the horizon, I decided to buy a pair and give them a try. I have to say they are amazing. The difference in comfort is incredible. If you can suck up your pride, and gut, the bike shorts are hand down the best way to improve the comfort of your ride.