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Tag: Bike n’ Hike

  • Biking Recap for July 2014

    Biking Recap for July 2014

    My July Bicycling Accomplishments

    • This wasn’t much of an accomplishment for me, but another big thank-you to Hillsboro’s Bike N’ Hike. I broke two spokes on my rear wheel within the span of a fortnight. The second time I questioned whether it would make more sense to get a brand new wheel. Maybe mine had a bent rim that couldn’t be straightened without undue stress on a spoke or two. They suggested cutting out all the spokes and completely rebuilding the wheel instead of just replacing the single broken spoke. I was imagining the shop fee involved and asked whether it would be cheaper to just replace the wheel.1I bought a new rear wheel before. Bike N’ Hike treated me well then, too. :-) Of course not, was the reply. They weren’t going to charge me. When I pressed, they said I could show my appreciation with a six-pack of Henry’s. Thank you!

    Mileage Summary

    DistanceTime / Bike
    299Biked in July23,590 – 3,291
    1,668Biked in 201433,590 – 1,922
    3,665Biked on Sage43,590 + 75

    How is your 2014 so far on the bike?

    Keep pedaling!

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    Brent Logan

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  • Thanks, Bike N’ Hike!

    Yesterday I discovered a broken a spoke in my rear wheel. Today I took it to Bike N’ Hike, knowing they’d get me rolling again. After I told them I hoped to get it fixed sometime today, they removed the cogs and spoke guard, installed a new spoke and nipple, and trued the wheel. Putting it back together, they handed me the wheel and said, “Get out of here. We have enough of your money.”1I don’t know if they have enough of it, but we’ve bought five bikes from them in the past few years. I returned later today to buy some new brake pads. I think it’s about time to get Suzi a fun, new city bike

    Woo hoo! Thanks, guys.2This isn’t the first time Bike N’ Hike’s taken good care of me. :-)

    • 1
      I don’t know if they have enough of it, but we’ve bought five bikes from them in the past few years. I returned later today to buy some new brake pads. I think it’s about time to get Suzi a fun, new city bike
    • 2
      This isn’t the first time Bike N’ Hike’s taken good care of me.

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    Brent Logan

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  • I Got a New Bike

    I Got a New Bike

    Fathers’ Day came early this year. And my family is wily. That combination turned out great for me yesterday.

    Melissa invited me to Bike N’ Hike1We’ve had good experiences with Bike N’ Hike many times in the past. during lunch under the ruse of having me help her find a front wicker basket. She apparently hoped I’d want to test ride a bike I’ve had my eye on for a while. She needn’t have worried. I went prepared, taking my own helmet. Melissa and I test rode different sizes of the same bike, and

    1. I was oblivious to her sly grin,
    2. I assumed her grin was induced by riding such a fun bike, or
    3. Melissa is much more devious than I previously realized.

    It’s probably some combination of all three.

    Early yesterday evening, after being told to sit down on the couch and close my eyes, my family carried in the same bike I’d ridden during lunch and parked it in front of me. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe it. I had to go on a ride with Jamison.

    Today, although the forecast was wet, I biked to work. On the way home, the forecasters earned their keep and my bike was christened with rainwater.

    It’s perfect! A city bike — and exactly the one I wanted. It has fenders, a rack, a bell, and even a kickstand. All I need to do is transfer over my lights and maybe my bike computer.

    Now for the naming. We have a tradition of naming bikes after flowers and I’m willing to expand that to plants. I’m wavering between Sage and Lichen.2Okay, maybe I need to expand my classification to “organisms.”

    What say you?

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    Brent Logan

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  • Good Guys: Les Schwab Tires and Bike N’ Hike

    When someone treats me poorly, my first inclination is to complain about it, preferably in a public forum. In the last couple of weeks or so, a couple of businesses have been great. I thought I’d tell you.

    Les Schwab: My daughter Heather and a couple of her friends were heading to central Oregon for a few days. As they headed east from Salem, the car started to make weird noises from one of the front wheels. Heather called Suzi and she called me. Even when the car is sitting in front of me, my car fixing skills are poor. Distance doesn’t improve the situation. From long distance, my diagnosis was the constant velocity joint. After all, I’d had one go out on me, so that’s what all front-wheel crunching noises must be, right?

    Heather was near a Les Schwab store, so she drove in and told them about the noise. One nice gentleman put the car up on the lift, checked the transmission, bearings, and whatever other mechanical things might be under there (maybe CV joints?). He noticed that the mud flap was loose, that it likely caused the noise, and suggested he fix it with a couple of zip ties. He did so, lowered the car, and sent Heather on her way, safe and sound. The fix is invisible and likely permanent. The charge: $0. Thank you, Les Schwab!

    Bike N’ Hike: A few days ago, my bike’s freehub locked up in a relatively short, low-intensity ride. I went to Bike N’ Hike, bought a new rear wheel and they moved the cassette over. I transferred over the tube and tire. On the next ride, the new freehub started to act up. I was clueless.

    I went back to Bike N’ Hike, this time with the entire bike. One of the guys put it on the stand are started going through the gears. He pulled out a tool I’d never seen before and adjusted the derailleur hanger to be parallel to the wheel. He adjusted the other derailleur settings, played with the wires, and other stuff I didn’t understand. He took the bike off the rack, rolled it to me, and sent me on my way, safe and sound. The charge: $0. Thank you, Bike N’ Hike!

    I’ve done business with both Les Schwab and Bike N’ Hike before. They’ve earned my business. Even so, I didn’t expect this level of service from either. They’ll get more of my business. Maybe now, they’ll get some of yours.

    What businesses have gone above and beyond for you?

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    Brent Logan

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