Quick Store Tour

This is the bike shop I've been waiting for.

90% done, but oh, that last damn 10%!!!

Setup continues - full fitting studio ready

A few more deliveries yesterday (all the Juteau Cantin fitting tools), trainers are set (6 mag trainers and 3 computrainer lab units) and so all that I really have to do is build the change area beside the bike gear cubbies at the back of this picture. That and catch up on all the things that have either gone wrong (accounting software failure, need to re-receive) or that clean the place up (a few lights and some cabling).

Closed the 24th and 25th, back at it 12-8 the 26th and 27th. Indoor Cycle training begins on January 3 (http://www.hellovelo.ca/docs/iCYCLEJan09.pdf).

New stuff

At the end of every night I try to do a little something that makes me feel great. With new items arriving every day and all the minor rennovations that are going an, a day can go by without even touching a bike. So last night I continued my clean up work on the group set that came of the BMC I just sold. Dental pick? Yep, removing the factory applied loctite.

New saddles from Louis Garneau came in, Men's and Women's Airstream 3.  Under 300 grams and the holes go all the way through the saddle body and top, and if you wear LG's shorts with  Airgel Chamois you'll get cooling all the way through to your bottom.  Should be great for the dog days of summer.  And both match the 2009 DH Flyers Team Kit.

 

2 Days of Rest

The shop is really coming together and I can't wait for the bikes and other 6 trainers to arrive.

I'll be away in London for Parker Family Christmas this Saturday so the shop isn't open.


I'll be back on Tuesday, open 12-8.

p.

Wednesday update

More stuff arriving, Chain-L No. 5, a great oil that will penetrate your chain and stay there.

The fit bike is also all hooked up to the computrainer and ready either to find your fit coordinates, fix your pedal stroke with the Powercranks or to be used to take your graded and maximal power output (measure your fitness now and track your development over the season).  Elite and Junior racers, I'll be calling you in next week to work on your positioning.

The sign is painted, but not yet mounted - I still need to install the bench lighting and run the wires.  Schwalbe Ultremo R tires came in as well; too bad about the ice otherwise I'd be out there giving them a try.

Powercranks and the shop moves forward

Lauri came by and put up the window film for me (sorry ladies, lads and ladyman ladies of the classifieds you are no longer my window screens) and Claudia came by for her sizing.

Claudia also had the pleasure of using Powercranks for the first time.

80% done, open Tuesday

Christopher, Chelsea, Toni, Andrew, Elizabeth, Andrew, Heidi, Mehdi, Michael, Jez and Marie Beath came by Friday night to slap a little paint on the wall and help sand the logo for the wall.

Melanie was here in the morning (to discover the over flowing toilet and centimetre of water on the floor) and made quick work of a very curvy logo. What a great job! I'll paint it red next week and hang it over the work benches.

So what's available on Tuesday?  Spring bike pre-orders and time trial sizing, Schwalbe tires, Pro and Shimano components, GIFT CERTIFICATES for Christmas for winter training or mechanic classes, tune-ups, winter bike wheel rebuilds, and the best chain lube out there.

Grand opening in January, but I am here for the next couple weeks from 12-6 Tuesday to Saturday.

Getting closer - open next Tuesday

I got the fitting and testing bike together (centre of picture) with the help of Emile, sorted through the tools and mopped 1/3 of the shop floor (I had one of those, how many times will I have to do this?? moments).

The shop/studio is really shaping up and if I am lucky, the super will drop off paint tonight or tomorrow and enough people will drop by to do a little painting on Friday. If there is no paint it'll be more of a pizza and drinks party (which ain't too bad).

I am off to instruct fitting to the next class of mechanics on Monday at the Winterborne Bike Institute so Tuesday I'll be open, working on bikes and planning the mechanic and training courses. More news about the team and club to follow as well.

You can drop by tomorrow (Friday the 5th at 6PM) if you want to check it out.

Getting closer to opening

I am getting down to bits and pieces, waiting for deliveries and doing the final touches.  Still a fair amount of cleaning to do and the super hasn't fixed the window sill yet, but I should be operational by Tuesday morning.

I picked up a fridge and filing cabinet yesterday.  The office looks good where it is and it is also far enough away from the front door (a little cold during the winter when the door opens).

I wrestled with the Ikea unit, getting it back up (almost took a hammer to it and moved on with my life).  This will be wear people can drop their bags and shoes for Thursday night time trial and Saturday morning brick workouts.

The peg board is up, benches varnished and Melanie has offered to make the Hello Velo sign for above the benches.

Tomorrow will be the last day of running around, some of the final cuts as well as sourcing the parts I need to put the fit/training bike together.

p.

Day 5

Finished the trim on the wall.  You can see how un-level the floor is.  The plan is to paint the base board and the wall white, leaving the rest of the wood unfinished.

Mark came by and helped me put the Kobila together.  This fit cycle (once I install the cranks, front wheel and computrainer) allows me to determine the perfect fitting bike.  It can also be adjusted to mimic the geometry of other bikes out there - say you want to see how a Medium Xenith T2 fits versus a 54 Cervelo P4.   No problem.

Beautifully machined to tight tolerances, the etched measurements let me know how a bike is configured in space in relation to the bottom bracket.

I'll be installing these on the bike to assist with fitting and so that people can use the bike as a training tool.  More on Powercranks here.

Lots left to do but the shop is definitely shaping up.

p.

4 days

Not too much building but lots of progress

So, we did a little moving around, a little more tearing down and settled on the location of the workshop.  Those tables probably weigh over 100 lbs each, are nearly 6 feet long and 2.5 feet deep.  Really ideal for working on (and I'll be renting the bench and tools out as well).

Still more fixtures to install and the lounge, which will give you a great view of your bike as I repair it.

The biggest find was this showcase from Recycled Displays.  Yes that is the 2008 cycling picture book and the latest edition of Rouleur under the glass..  Come by and have a read.

p.

Other Choices & Day 1 and 2 of rennovation

One of the things that I really wanted to be able to do was to start group rides from the front door of the shop.  And this includes the mother of all group rides that I organize, the Tour de Creemore 160.  A shop with a narrow front boulevard, a regular sidewalk or small doors just would not cut it.  I want to be able to collect 40-50 riders on a weekend and give everyone a chance to grab some water and get their chain lubed before the ride.  Of all the places that I saw over the last 8 months, this was the best one.

This is the entrance to the unit off Carlaw.

And the other side viewed from the unit. 

I made excellent progress over the last 2 days.  Took apart a wall, built another, installed the sink, counter and plumbing and built my 2 workbenches (which required a blow torch and a scraper - I'll tell you why when you come by the shop).

Tomorrow, finish the kitchen, the office wall, sign boards and pick up track lighting and a cash desk.

Lots of Choices

In November of 2007 I decided that it was time to go.  For very personal reasons, my seven year stint as a public servant was drawing to a close.  While my taste for working inside a bureaucracy had definitely faded, I can say that the people I worked with were both dedicated and a pleasure to spend 10 hours a day with. 

Finance, planning, budget work, human resources, large information system installs could all be rewarding work, but the core of that which I did was just not close enough to what I really loved to do.  Picture me winding myself up to work on a chart of accounts when I would rather be winding up the pedals on Scenic Caves Road in Collingwood.  So I made a choice and put in my notice.  First choice made and thousands more to go.  And here I am.  

Hello Velo will be located at 260 Carlaw Avenue, Unit 103.  The unit is just off Carlaw at the end of the loading bay entrance (this building was an old toy factory). If you zoom in on the map you can just about see the unit, just across from the white car.   

2 of the things I considered when choosing this location:

1) Location

It needed to be on the east side of Toronto, near the Lake.  There are a number of commuter oriented shops in the area but none dedicated to performance and training.  Proximity to Darkhorse Espresso Bar and home was also important.   I did not need a traditional retail location but it had to be close to other shops and services

2) Size and Amenities

I needed enough space for a full workshop, a training and instruction area and space for retail.  I also needed a bathroom with a shower and a full kitchen.  This space has all of this (although the Kitchen currently only consists of a drain and water hookups).  I also needed to keep things affordable and not have a mammoth location.  The unit works out to 1158 square feet - just right.

Here is what it looked like when I saw it for the first time.

Feel welcome to come by and say hello and watch it transform from the empty gray box it is right now to the shop and studio.  I am currently accepting tea and brownie (vegan) donations.