And what a year it’s been
I’m still in the UK enjoying what will most likely be my last days off in 2008 (already). When I return to the shop on Thursday, I ‘ll have to hit the ground running. It was not quiet while I was away.
Things to look forward to in ’08? (besides the JET9):
New website
One day super sale on Feb 9th, mark your calenders…
More product reviews
And a couple of things that I’m still keeping secret for now…

Thanks to all that have helped Bike 29 this year. It means a lot to me, and I’m really excited for what’s to come.

Happy New Year!

It’s a fun as it sounds. After our arrival on the “old sod”, acclimatizing was the task at hand.
Fortunately, we were cushioned with deliciously prepared meals (thanks Mom!) and aged Scottish Whiskey (thanks Duncan!).

Christmas day was a blur, and now, in my Boxing Day post meal stupor, I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of the time change.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Being so far away is a little strange, but I have access to the whole wide world via the internet. It’s business as I’ve dreamed…
I hope to wake up before 8am tomorrow. Fingers crossed..!

Normally, we head to Allentown for the Christmas holidays, but this year, we are using it as a base for our trans-atlantic hoo haw. Santa came a little early, so our boy would not miss out on a good old fashioned Pennsylvania Christmas.

This wee bike is actually a 29er, except it’s in millimeters.

This is the first real day of my “vacation”, and it has been filled with activity. After presents, it was time for emails, and brunch, which consisted of pre-noon Yuenglings and sandwiches. We then busted 3″ of ice off the in law’s driveway, and got it all clear for the great grandparents, who will be visiting for tonight’s feast. I got two really nice blisters in the middle of my palms. Now crippled, I am forced to keep something cold in my hands at all times. I will be useless for the rest of the day. Bring on the whiskey!

As I write this, I’m listening to David Byrne’s (of Talking Heads fame) streaming radio station. Every month, there is a different theme, and this month, it is the music of Ennio Morricone. Anyone who has watched a spaghetti western will immediately recognize his work. It’s really interesting music, and great to listen to while building wheels.

Good stuff.

Tomorrow, it’s off to NYC.

It is a busy time of year, every attempt I make at getting to bed early is thwarted by tasks that must be completed immediately, thus pushing my bed time further and further back.
I won’t lie though, I get a kick out of the pressure. And so far (knock on wood) I’ve been dotting my i’s and crossing all my t’s. This will only last for a day or so.

The family is embarking on a voyage you see. We are headed to England (where my mom still lives) for a full on, no holds barred “English” Christmas. What that actually means, I have no idea, but we were warned. No matter what, I will not eat the figgy pudding. I don’t even know what it is.

It will be a great opportunity to relax. I’ve been working on B29 straight for 2 whole years now without a break, and I think it’s time to step back, gain some perspective, and plan for the upcoming year.

I know that it will be a big one.

Because of the miracle of modern technology, I’ll be able to keep tabs on the business from afar, but will not be able to ship until we get home on the 3rd. Emails will be answered (hopefully in a timely fashion, it depends on how much I get dragged around sight seeing).
The blog will also be updated when I can get to it.

So, Happy Holidays to you and yours from Bike 29!

One of the dangers of having an internet business, is the exposure to those that seek to do you harm. In other words, hackers.
After launching the Jet 9 promotion, the whole site was hacked, rendering the site useless for about 12 hours. No blog, no store, no nothing.

Fortunately, we caught it quickly, and have been making some changes that were a long time coming. The most frustrating part about the whole thing, is that there really isn’t much you can can do. If someone wants to hack your site, they’ll find a way. Most of the time, it’s mean spirited little trolls that get off on disrupting things.

So, I apologize to anyone having a hard time viewing any B29 content. We are working on it as hard as we can.

Sorry for the lack of truly interesting commentary as of late, but as it stands, bike season is pretty much over in our neck of the woods.

Sure, there’s really cool stuff happening, like the delivery of the brand spanky Vassago Bandersnatches, the super grippy Nokian Gazza Extreme winter tires (which Stan’s up nicely I hear) or the long awaited Schwalbe Racing Ralphs. It’s all here. Kermit AIR 9s? Here. RIPs? Here. Fox forks? Here.

This is the time of year we hunker down, make tweaks, improve, plan, and try to not loose our minds.

One of the things we do, is get outdoors. Just because we don’t ride bikes, doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. Sunday was no exception. A large and partly unplanned posse of some of my closest friends got to play in the snow together. There is nothing finer than blasting down one of New England’s finest ski slopes surrounded by your friends.

It doesn’t happen often.

Lots of folks ask me about the Niner Jet 9, and I’m pleased to be able to say, that we are taking pre-orders!

If you want to book one, simply visit the Niner Jet 9 page on my store.
And here’s the kicker, Niner is giving away a really cool embroidered Patagonia Half Mass messenger bag to anyone that pre-orders their frame by December 14th. I have one of these bags, and it is nice! Think of it as a little Christmas present.
As if that isn’t enough, Bike 29 is offering a pre-order special to our customers, in addition to Niner’s offer. You need to sign up for our newsletter to get the deal though. And I’m not going to say what it is either, you have to sign up to find out!

If for some reason you are not familiar with the Jet, it promises to be one of the most sought after bikes of 08. With a little over 3″ of rear travel, this bike is the ultimate XC machine. Pair the amazing CVA suspension design with the 29″ wheels ability to roll over stuff, and you have a match made in heaven.

The first run of these will undoubtedly run out very quickly.
Catch your Jet, book your flights early!