Velofix in Silicon Valley: The Bike Shop That Comes to You

Vera Arais, working in a Velofix van 

Most of what I learned about bicycles is by taking apart old ones bolt by bolt - a practice I began in Stamford, Connecticut over ten years ago. I learned when I made my own mountain bike in 2011, a California Cargo Bike in 2016 and, most recently, a Back to the Future themed road bike in 2019. I've written about what I've gotten right (and wrong) here on this blog. 

But I hit a wall with my learning - and you never want to do that when you're passionate about something. I knew there was more to know but I just wasn't sure what any of it was. 

So I did something smart: I asked Velofix to come to my house and work on my Back to the Future bike.

Now you're probably thinking to yourself: "Isn't that Vera, the leader of Women's Night at Good Karma Bikes?" and I am thinking "Yes, it is Vera, and while she now works full time at Velofix she still runs Women's Night for Good Karma Bikes."

I had never heard of Velofix before she began working there - possibly because I don't watch Dragon's Tank or Shark's Den or one of those other reality-based funding shows on TV. The short story is: the Velofix people must have put on a good show, because they got some funding for their concept: a bike shop that comes to you. 

The premise does have a solid foundation. Driving - especially in the Bay Area - is annoying and outdated zoning rules put businesses far from homes. What if you don't want to lash your bike to your car, drive somewhere, park the car, wheel the bike inside, explain what's wrong, leave, and drive back again another day?

Velofix services range from about $65 to the neighborhood of a 'spa day' like treatment for your ride of about $500 - even more if you order a la mode* or your bike is laden with the latest gear and tech. Since my Back to the Future bike was cobbled together with mostly older parts I had picked up over the years, I knew I wouldn't max out my Visa card with a 'Silver' package purchase. 

The first thing, though, was I got to go inside the van that Vera parked in front of my house. It was a rare moment of pure workshop envy.

Velofix should charge money just to tour the van. Everything that should go in a shop six or seven times the size was found in this van - and it was put away in such a way that it just...worked. 

Magnets above the workbench, a Park Tool workstand mounted on one wall, led lights. And foam in the drawers so each was like a horizontal tool board made out of Nerf.

It was just an amazing place that radiated confidence and wrench skill. If Vera herself was a bike shop, this is the form she would take. 

She had read my post about building my Back to the Future bike and was familiar with a few of the, ahem, design quirks which include brake and derailleur cables that run the length of the frame so as to look more like the Delorean. She set the bike on the Park Tool workstand and went at it. 

Clients of Velofix can watch the mechanic work. Vera even offered me a cup of coffee because there is a coffee machine right there in the van. 

Yes. A coffee machine. I don't even have a coffee machine in my shop. Why had that not occurred to me? I was learning more already. 

There's also a well-curated supply of items for sale in the van - either just to buy or to add to your bike if a certain component was broken. 

I've been friends with Vera for a while and always knew she was a much better wrench than me but this was my first time being with her when she's in Work Mode - and I genuinely saw what an effective teacher she is. It made me glad she could not only allow clients to watch her while she worked - including, of course, little kids who will benefit from having bikes demystified right in front of their eyes - but also that she was still teaching Women's Night at Good Karma Bikes. 

It's also an important thing that separates bikes from cars - knowing the service you are getting and having it deconstructed right in front of you. After all, we have all been there with our motor vehicles: dropping it off for a service and getting the dreaded I-Have-Some-Bad-News/I-Am-Holding-Your-Car-Hostage phone calls in the middle of the day from the mechanic asking you to greenlight the installation and/or removal of a part you never heard of (I relayed a true story of trying to fix "The Noise" on my car a few years ago).

But back to the Velofix van: while Vera was finishing up tuning the rear derailleur, she asked if I had built the bike with all SRAM or all Shimano components. I admitted I was stumped, and it was then she casually imparted some wisdom that felt like a cartoon light bulb went on just over my head. 

When you build a bike, it is best to build with either all SRAM or all Shimano components. 

This was one of those it's-so-simple-it's-brilliant breakthroughs. I had been Wall-E-ing builds for years - taking anything out of metal recycling bins or other items I could scrounge and afford and it never occurred to me that there could be a difference in how everything works together. A shifter with the little clicky things** carries the derailleur cable only so far, and the gears on the cassette may be imperceptibly closer or further apart than others. 

I went into my shop and looked at my California Cargo Bike and the Bike Friday Tandem that I restored last year for a ride in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Both hadn't given me a lot of grief in terms of how well they shifted and I realized that might have something to do with the fact I just happened to cobble both together with all Shimano components. 

It's like when you make a list of all of your favorite X-files episodes and discover that they were all written by the same writer.*** I returned to the van to attempt to soak up some more wisdom.

Vera wrapped up her work and relinquished my Back to the Future bike. The next morning I rode it to Morgan Hill and back - managing just over 23 miles in an hour and a half - which is apparently pretty good for me.

Sorry: I'm still kinda new at this Strava thing. 

I've booked additional appointments with Velofix since - but the only thing I didn't like is there isn't a way to definitively ask for a Velofix mechanic by name. Right now, if you book Velofix in Silicon Valley, Vera will probably be the person who shows up even though someone from Velofix's corporate office assured me that every mechanic is equally talented.  That may be true but the thing is - and I'm relatively sure I'm not alone on this - relationships with good bike mechanics are like relationships with a good hairdresser or barber. 

Other than that, I have no quarrel. My Back to the Future themed road bike works better than ever and if you're ever stumped on a build or a fix, visit Velofix and have a bike shop come to you. If it's Vera who knocks on your door, be nice to her and listen - you'll definitely learn something. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

* I meant 'a la carte' but wanted to make sure you were paying attention. 

** I still have a dreadful cycling vocabulary. 

*** yeah, it's Vince Gilligan (who went on to create 'Breaking Bad'

Finding Good Karma and Women's Night in San Jose

November 6, 2015 - the day before Good Karma Bikes moved into their 460 Lincoln Avenue location I biked inside and took this photo. 

It's a bit hard to believe I've lived in San Jose long enough to feel nostalgia over certain things. When I moved from Connecticut to California more than four years ago I had a few freelance clients I was clinging to and quickly began volunteering as a mechanic at Good Karma Bikes as well as do some social media and other communications work.

It wasn't sustainable - freelance work began to dry up and after about nine months volunteering at Good Karma Bikes, I came to the sad realization I needed to work on business development - and search for full-time work - more than I was doing, so I stopped volunteering. It was a feeling akin to breaking up with someone for no other reason than the summer was ending and you were about to go your separate ways.

But I've kept in touch with Good Karma Bikes and still shop there and donate bikes and bike parts to them to this day. In fact, most of the bikes I own - including the serious* road bike I used on the Cycle of Hope ride - have at least a couple of used parts on them from Good Karma Bikes and almost my entire California Cargo Bike was built from bikes and parts I bought from them. 

So it was a great pleasure to go there last week for their quarterly salon and hear a few words from Jim Gardner, the founder, and also Vera, the head mechanic there who is just one of Those People I'm grateful to know. She's the wrench I trust with any problems I have with my builds when I discover - usually when building anything having to do with front derailleurs - that I'm out of my depth.

Vera also leads Good Karma Bikes' Women's Night - a free class "for women and by women" to teach bike repair and other cycling skills. The next one is today: Tuesday, November 12, but check their page for their full schedule so you can go to one.

At the friend-raiser the other night, there were drinks and light snacks served on workbenches with bike parts crammed under them, and Jim began his remarks about twenty minutes in. I got a bit distracted while he was speaking because I was marveling at the highway billboard-sized list of milestones the organization has achieved in its ten year history - the nonprofit got its start in November 2009.

After Jim's remarks and a nice recognition of some of the folks who have been volunteering for Good Karma Bikes, San Jose City Council member Pam Foley spoke and said Good Karma bikes would be getting a commendation by the San Jose city council at the December 10th meeting at San Jose City Hall at 1:00pm. 

Then Vera spoke about Women's Night - and mentioned she'll be teaching Park Tool School with Good Karma Bikes next year - which is great news. If you want to become skilled at being a bike mechanic in the Bay Area I can't think of a better person to learn from.

Vera, the lead mechanic at Good Karma Bikes who runs their Women's Night program. The bike in front of her is a new Univega - a new brand of new bike Good Karma Bikes will start selling soon. 

I'll be sure to post links to the Park Tool School schedule when it's available, but in the meantime please look around your sheds and garages for gently used bikes and bike parts to donate to Good Karma Bikes during their business hours - remember they are still trying to restock their supply of bikes since some recent burglaries. Also check out Women's Night - starting with the one on November. 12. And finally, volunteer. Even if you can't do it forever, you'll remember the experience just as long. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

Good Karma Bikes, October 2019

Four Ways to Make 2016 Great Again (at least in San Jose)

This has been a tough year. Personally, professionally, and, well, in general. 

Where to begin. My grandmother died (as did my Uncle Wayne) and among other talents we lost Gene Wilder, John Glenn, Prince and the guy who played Preacher in Firefly*. Also: Mythbusters went off the air and The Nightly Show was cancelled when we needed them the most. 

And I didn't even get to the election. 

But before we join the voices of Amy Schumer, John Oliver and others who are rightfully extending the middle finger to the calendar year let's realize that not only were there some good things about 2016 (Visiting Japan, biking in the UK and Cranksgiving San Jose to name a few) there are better things to do than find a baker willing to put a swear word on a New Year's Eve cake. 

As it happens, I have four ideas to #Make2016GreatAgain for the Bay Area - and these things can be done starting tonight:

1) Yoga and Cello at Be The Change Yoga & Wellness

One of the cool things that happens when you move to a new city is you meet new people. An even cooler thing is when you meet new people and find out they also know other people you've already met. 

Like Cellista, the cellist who the founder of Cowgirl Bike Courier once carried on a cargo bike while she was performing. I met her through him - but also know her through Be The Change Yoga in San Jose (And regular yoga is a good thing - I'd be in a Nerf Hilton if not for Be The Change). 

Tonight, from 6 - 7pm there is a Flow class and Cellista is performing live. Hear the music. Move your body. Sign up here. 


2) The Ugly Sweater Ride by San Jose Bike Party

After listening to the talented Cellista, take off your yoga clothes and put on the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find so you can join San Jose Bike Party's Ugly Sweater Ride at 7:30. It starts at the Children's Discovery Museum parking lot at 180 Woz Way so you'll easily be able to bike that distance from Be The Change in time to catch the start. It'll be a great chance to see bikes (and people's homes) decorated in Christmas lights.

In the event you do not have an Ugly Christmas Sweater I highly recommend MoonZooom on 1630 West San Carlos Street. There is a bike rack right out in front and a generous selection of so-bad-they're-good Christmas sweaters inside (that's where I got the picture).

3) Donate a Toy - and see Santa - at Hub's Coffee

Since my 'No Words' Sandy Hook ride I did in Connecticut a week after that horrible day in 2012, I try to donate at least one toy at a toy drive every Sandy Hook anniversary. That's what I did on Wednesday.

In general, it feels good to shop for a toy (I always buy one I'd be excited to play with as a kid) and realize a child you never met is going to have a happier Christmas because of you.

I bought my toy - I opted for a Knex kit since I was raised on Capsella and Robotix as a youth - at Target. As always a cargo bike is a perfect way to not only avoid fighting for parking spots but also carry your stuff home.

At home, I switched to faster equipment - my city bike - and took off to Hub's Coffee on Blossom Hill Road.

When I got inside I was pleased to see the bucket they were using to collect donated toys was overflowing, and I hope visitors to Hub's between today and Saturday make it overflow even more and catch Santa's visit (he'll be at Hub's on Saturday, December 17th from 1 - 3; follow Hub's on Facebook for more details).

4) Good Karma Bikes' Bike Build at Sacred Heart 

This is taking place on Thursday, December 22nd between 8am and 6pm at Sacred Heart Community Service at 1381 S. 1st St.

I've seen pictures of bike builds done at Elves & More in Texas and always thought they looked fun. This is a great chance to take part in one and help kids get one of the most important gifts in their lives. Volunteer to help Good Karma Bikes' mechanics and unload bikes with any one (or more) of three shifts: 8am - noon, 11am - 3pm and 2pm - 6pm. You can sign up for a shift on the Good Karma Bikes' web page and email Collin@goodkarmabikes.org if you have any questions.

We can spend the last two weeks of the year being miserable about the previous fifty or we can stand up, listen to music, wear ugly Christmas sweaters, have fun and #Make2016GreatAgain by helping people who are having a much worse year than any of us. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

* His name was Ron Glass - some of my older readers know him from Barney Miller. 

My feature on Good Karma Bikes is in Urban Cyclist Magazine!

Great news from San Jose! Not only did the Willow Glen Road Diet pass unanimously (and is now permanent) a feature I wrote about Good Karma Bikes has been published in Urban Cyclist magazine.

Buy the May/June issue at your local newsstand and read about Good Karma Bikes - and marvel at the outstanding photos by Forest Parker. And read about Vince, who is both a homeless man and a volunteer at Good Karma Bikes I interviewed for the story (and am thankful to the editor my sidebar about him made the cut). 

Urban Cyclist is a UK magazine so it may not be available everywhere - you'll probably find it at Barnes & Noble - which is a good bookstore despite the fact they ignored advice I gave them four years ago that would have saved them tens of millions of dollars.

I hope the piece inspires people to think about who they share the road with and maybe, just maybe, create a way to use bikes to help homeless people in their town. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

Give to Good Karma Bikes for Silicon Valley Gives Day

Today is Silicon Valley Gives Day and I’d like it if you could please make a donation to Good Karma Bikes - an organization that helps homeless and at-risk youth earn bikes and learn life skills. 

It’s very simple: simply visit svgives.razoo.com/goodkarmabikes and make your donation. It literally takes less time to give than it took me to add the word ’TODAY’ to my bike trailer. 

When you give, please remember one thing: when people like you or me get a flat tire on our bike, we take a picture of it and whine on Twitter. When a homeless person gets a flat tire, it can affect their entire life. The smallest donation can make a big difference and just like yesterday when I said not to take people for granted I want you to not take your ability to fix what’s broken on your own bike for granted either. 

So please give for Silicon Valley Gives Day and tell your friends about it on social media using the hashtag #SVGives. Thanks for reading, thanks for riding, and thanks for giving. 

Explaining Car Maintenance to Millennials

This isn’t the post I was expecting to write today - all I wanted to do was make a quick reminder that Silicon Valley Gives Day is coming up May 3 and you should make a donation to Good Karma Bikes using this link. 

But instead, I just spent more money fixing my motor vehicle in a day and a half than I spent on bikes in the last four years. 

This may seem like an odd thing - especially if you are a millennial who has the good sense to not own a car. So let me explain to millennials, space aliens and others who have not purchased a car what will typically happen when your car needs to be fixed. 

First, you come to a moment when your car needs repair and you either can’t drive it, it becomes unsafe to drive, or, simply the vehicle is making A Noise it shouldn’t be making. 

You’ll bring it to a car repair place - often a dealership with a big, complex building. You’ll talk to a person behind a counter with a nametag. You’ll ask about how much it will cost and you will get an answer we’ll call ‘A’. You are skeptical, but the person with the nametag assures you they can do it and the car will be fixed by the end of the day. 

You will then spend money to arrange other transportation home. There may be a shuttle van driven by someone who smells like Otto's jacket from The Simpsons, but you will spend money to arrange other transportation home. 

Partway through the day, you will get a phone call from the repair place. They will tell you they found A Problem -  that means the repairs will no longer cost ‘A’ but cost ‘B’ - and ‘B’ is more money than ‘A’.

You’ll be tempted to argue. Argue, don’t argue, it is entirely up to you. But because your motor vehicle is in pieces on a workshop floor and you need the car back...there is almost no value in your side of the argument. You will say ‘yes’ and go back to your life - secure in the knowledge that you’ll get your car back at the end of the day even though it cost you more money. 

Then if you’re really lucky, you’ll get another call in the afternoon that you think is the person you talked to at the dealer telling you your car is ready. Instead, you’ll find out that there is A New Problem - and they have to keep your car overnight. That means even more inconvenience. 

Then, the next day, you get a call to pick up your car. You take a cab, Uber or even a folding bike there and want to speak with the person you spoke to the day before. But that person is nowhere to be found. 

You wait for five or ten minutes. You may be sent to another desk who may send you back to the desk at which you were waiting (as what happened to me this morning) and wait for the person you spoke with yesterday. You want to talk to the person with the nametag about the promise made to you the day before about getting your car back the same day. Instead, someone else shows up.

You will explain calmly that you are disappointed that you were told twice the day before that the car wouldn’t be held overnight and you were inconvenienced. The person will not respond and simply give you the paperwork.

At this point, you may be tempted to speak to the manager. But at this point, you do not have anyone to back up the conversation you had the day before: you signed off on the ‘estimate’ agreement. So, you go back and forth fruitlessly with a hapless but pleasant manager who, by the way (and this is for all of you fellow freelancers out there) is making money standing there while you are not. So you will get back on the road. 

Because you are agitated at this point, you will start to see how absurd the business of owning a car and driving actually is. You may begin to wish to have all the time you have spent looking for a parking spot or stuck in traffic. 

You will also start to think about alternatives to your present situation. You will also realize that every day you ride your bike is another day between you and the next time you have to bring your car to a service station. You realize that a bike that costs a few hundred dollars from an independent shop will save you a lot of money that just can’t be found in a spreadsheet.

You’ll also realize Bike to Work Day is around the corner, and, come hell, high water, or both, you are going to take part. The Bay Area Bike to Work Day is May 12…

…and National Bike to Work Day is May 20th. 

If you’re a Bay Area resident do yourself and you car a favor: take the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s Bike to Work Day pledge. If you don’t have a bike, visit a bike shop and get one - because it is cheaper and easier than 'ash in your brake fluid' rear shocks or any other one of hundreds of possibly made-up problems a car service place may charge you money for. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

Five Things Every Bay Area Cyclist Should Be Aware Of

This is not a complete list - there are a lot more than five things that a Bay Area cyclist needs to be aware of (i.e., the dolt in the electric Ford Fusion who insists on texting while driving) but this is my list which, in the tradition of ‘listicles,’ frees me from having to do a whole lot of work while writing. So here goes:  

5) San Jose Bike Party is Cool 

Last Friday I finally was able to participate in a San Jose Bike Party ride - the one with the superhero theme. And it was…and nearly two decades of wordsmithing for money are being deployed for this summary…fun. 

This wasn’t a random flash mob style ride: I could tell a lot of planning and actual work went into this. The reason I mention that is there were several superheroes scattered along the route to give directions if needed and several astonishingly good food trucks waiting for us partway through the ride.

The only thing that went wrong is my cape wouldn’t billow behind my bike…but more details of my actual ride will soon be available as a post on the great UK bike light maker Blaze but for now be content to follow San Jose Bike Party on Facebook to get details of their next ride - I believe wearing pajamas may be involved. 

4) North American Handmade Bicycle Show is this weekend in Sacramento

As the photo of my workshop above suggests: I am finally embarking on building a new cargo bike - that’s right,  Bikeducken 2.0 is in the works - and if you are building something yourself or just want to see how talented people do it, head to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento this weekend. It is open from Friday to Sunday and looks like it’ll be a great place to get your imagination flowing or buy custom bikes yourself. 

3) Park Tool School at Good Karma Bikes Starts Tuesday 

If you’re up to learn some wrenching or know someone who does, make sure you’re aware that the March session of Park Tool School starts Tuesday, March 1. It's a $250 course that includes a 20% discount on anything you buy at GKB during the month of March, 18 hours of instruction, and a lot more. Learn more and sign up via Paypal at www.goodkarmabikes.com or send a note to goodkarma@goodkarmabikes.org 

2) The founder of Bike Box Collective is Doing a Charity Ride in Santa Cruz

Alex - the person who made the box bike I test rode last fall - will be participating in Climate Ride California 2016. Read up on what he is doing and why - then donate to his cause. 

1) Good Karma Bikes is nominated for Best of Silicon Valley 

So yesterday I learned Good Karma Bikes is a nominee for Best Bike Shop in the Metro’s ‘Best of Silicon Valley’ 2016 edition. If you’ve shopped there and think the place is a winner, click here to vote. Polls close on March 13th, so that means that if you have never shopped there before you have time to experience the shop for yourself and cast your ballot for Good Karma Bikes honestly. Also: they are having a parking lot sale this coming weekend so be sure to stop by 460 Lincoln Avenue in San Jose between 10:00am - 5:00pm on Saturday or between 11:00am - 3:00pm on Sunday. 

Hope to see you on and off the bike this weekend - hopefully on. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

New Session: Park Tool School at Good Karma Bikes Starts Feb. 9

I’ve learned how to fix bikes by working on my own bikes and making mistakes. Some of these mistakes were costly and this semi-expertise took years.

If you live in the Bay Area and don’t have that kind of time on your hands enroll in Park Tool School at Good Karma Bikes instead. The first class of the 18-hour course starts February 9th. It costs $250 and includes a 20% discount on all purchases made at the GKB retail store during the month, the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair and a Good Karma Bikes T-Shirt. Best of all: you get a lot of good instructor time since the class size is capped at 15. 

I’m of the mentality that the more people who know how to fix bikes who are roaming the earth, the more people will ride bikes. If you want to sign up for Park Tool School click the link here or forward/share the following with a friend. 

http://www.goodkarmabikes.org/park-tool-school.html

Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

#GiftsForCyclists 2015: Give The Gift of Helping Someone

I want to tell you a story about a young guy I met while volunteering at Good Karma Bikes in San Jose. His name is Dontae. I won’t be able to tell his story up to this point as well as San Jose Mercury News’ Bruce Newman did in the excellent Holiday Wish Book series, so I’ll tell a story that hasn’t happened yet.  

I can do that, you know. 

Sometimes I know how a story ends before someone finishes telling it to me. Years ago, I thought everyone who thought print books would shrink to a tiny share of publishing (while digital books were taking off) were wrong - and I said so publicly. I had the ending right.

When Barnes & Noble proposed that it wanted to split off its e-book business I told the Associated Press it was a mistake. The company plowed ahead anyway. Three years, millions of dollars and a CEO resignation later, the company backed off from that blunder. Again, I had the ending right. 

So with my credibility to predict the future solid, let me tell you a story. 

Years from now, Dontae is going to be standing in front of a crowd. Giving a commencement address, accepting some kind of award, I’m not sure. Probably both. 

And he’s going to be telling a story about his life. How he was born into foster care. How often he’d have to pack up and move to another family. How he burned down his own house to escape a violent stepfather when he was five. How he got involved with gangs. How he saw his friend get shot. 

How he turned his life around. 

How he got involved with Good Karma Bikes and their Traditional Age Youth program that helps foster kids aging out of the system. How he’s been doing since he stopped selling drugs and started being valuable to everyone he comes in contact with - in and out of the bike shop. How he's inspiring others. 

When he’s giving this speech let’s not have him skip over the part where a community of cyclists from around the world pitched in to help him raise his family after his mother recently died -  and get him where he’s going to be when he's standing behind that podium. 

As a gift to a stranger if you don’t know him - or to use money to help a stranger as your gift to someone else - you can help Dontae with this GoFundMe page and through the Wish Book. It’s a gift he’ll remember - and you will too. And your gift to the person who isn't opening a physical item is that you'll be able to tell that person Dontae's story. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

Follow me on Twitter @michaelknorris

DIYBIKING.COM Presents; #GiftsForCyclists 2015: Park Tool School at Good Karma Bikes

If you’re a cyclist in the Bay Area and you haven’t finished all of your holiday shopping, I’m here to help. If you aren’t a cyclist in the Bay Area and you haven’t finished all of your holiday shopping…what’s wrong with you? Go buy a nice bicycle for yourself that you can ride safely. Then come back to DIYBIKING.COM. Then I can help.

Since I don’t have a lot of time until Christmas Day I want to head straight to the summit of the Difficult People to Shop For List: the cyclist who has everything. As it happens, that category has a place of overlap with the polar opposite: a cyclist who has nothing but is home from college visiting his or her parents for Christmas break.

It is for these two groups (and more) that are perfect recipients for Park Tool School, which is an 18 hour education program taking place at Good Karma Bikes beginning on January 12 and ending on January 21. The full schedule can be found here. 

This gift of wrench smarts is $250 and includes a copy of Park Tool’s Big Blue Book of cycling repairs, a 20% off discount of GKB’s retail items during the month of the session, and a Good Karma Bikes T-Shirt. 

So if you’re giving a gift that falls in that Venn Diagram zone between the person who has everything and the college student who has nothing - look to Park Tool School at Good Karma Bikes - their retail shop is open today and tomorrow between 2:00pm and 6:00pm if you need other gifts as well. And if you want to exchange gift ideas on Twitter or Instagram, use the hashtag #GiftsForCyclists. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

Follow me on Twitter @michaelknorris 

A Cyclist's Thanksgiving Message

I’m thankful I can ride a bike and that I can #choosethebike where I live and work.

I’m thankful that I can fix 90% of what’s wrong with my bike.

I’m thankful that when confronted with the other 10%, I know someone who does.

I’m thankful that if my bike is stolen, I have friends who will help me look.

I’m thankful I’ve never had to write a ‘Homeless-Please-Help’ sign on the side of a bridge abutment and pounded my fists in frustration when I forgot how.

I’m thankful for the drivers who wait for a chance to pass me and give me plenty of room when they do.

I’m thankful for cycling activists who fought for years to make bike lanes, slow speed limits, available bike parking and countless other things usually taken for granted. 

I’m thankful for a comfortable saddle, handgrips that don’t feel like rocks and bike gloves that don’t seem to magically shrink mid-ride.

I’m thankful for Good Karma Bikes in San Jose, Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op in Cleveland, BikePort Co-Op in Bridgeport and other bicycle based nonprofits that improve lives.

I’m thankful REI followed my lead and made a stand on Black Friday.

I’m thankful that no matter where I go in the world the bicycle knocks down language barriers.

    Delhi, India 2014

I’m thankful I can ride after Thanksgiving dinner and feel less guilty about the second slice of pie. 

I’m thankful for the plastic Yoda action figure that sits on my desk after traveling 3,000 miles on the dashboard of my Honda Element when my wife and I drove safely from Connecticut to California (I got my sister, who lives in New York, an identical figure for her birthday and she put it on her dashboard for her Thanksgiving travel. Today I’m doing the same thing. Yoda solidarity or #Yodadarity as we can’t be together this Thanksgiving.)

I’m thankful for all who are mindful of their neighbors on and off the road.

I'm thankful. 

Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.