Staff Tuesday: Dante

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. Are you as full as I am? My two brothers Maxxis and Pedro (who live in the upstairs of the Bike Shop) and I were given a very full bowl of kitty chow and we devoured every last bit of it. Yummy Yummy Yummy! Christy also left us treats in hiding places for us to find. I think I am still finding them around the upstairs area...Meow Meow...more treats for me!!!

With the Holiday weekend I was unable to write up the Weekly Items post this past Sunday. Meow Meow I know, I'm sorry! 

We had a Black Friday Sale and continued the sale through the weekend in honor of Small Business Saturday! This kept everyone including myself on our toes all weekend. With all the specials going on in the store this past weekend I also was not to sure as to what would be good items of the week to discuss. 

I promise I'll be back to my normal kitty blogging ways next Sunday! 

MEOW MEOW - I almost forgot! It's Tuesday and time for me to introduce another on of the wonderful minions I have working at B&L Bike Shop. Today I will be introducing Dante. Dante is a newer member to my minions club but seems to be fitting in well. 

So here we have.....DANTE.....

Dante reads to his bicycles!!! Meow?

Dante was born on January 12th in 1982!

 Looks like we have a birthday coming up here in a month in a half. I will have to think of something to get him!

Dante has a few bicycle that are all Schwinn Stingrays from the 60's that he has turned into Low-riders!!!

Speaking of Stingrays make sure you stop in and see the 2 we have on the sales floor at the shop. We received 2 of 450 released from the Schwinn vault this year!

I asked Dante about the longest ride he had ever been on and man o man did I get a story! 

(I had to have him write it out so I could tell it to you word for word) 

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little ride. So I rode to the end of the road, and when I got there I thought maybe I'd ride to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just ride across Greenbow Country. 

Now, thinking since I'd rode this far, maybe I'd just ride across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I rode clear across Alabama. No particular reason. I just kept going. I rode clear to the ocean, I figured since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back and keep going. And when I got to another ocean, I figured since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back and keep right on going. 

When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go... you know... I went. 

I'd think a lot aout Mama and Bubba and Lieutenant Dan. But most of all, I thought about Jenny. I thought about her a lot. 

I say all in all if you were to count it up... now keep in mind this is just a guess, but I would say exactly 36,217 miles, no big deal." 

As you might be able to see Dante is a good story teller! However, he may have not have ridden his bicycle 36,217 miles but he does ride his bicycle everywhere he can!!!

Dante Likes to cycle because he feels it keeps him in peak athletic shape. He feels everyone should ride their bicycles to stay in this peak performance because and I quote Dante, "someday when aliens come to conquer planet earth, or when zombies rise from the dead and start hunting for brains, the first people to go down are the out of shape ones. The peak fitness people can run a black away from a zombie before they get winded and become lunch. Next time you are watching tv instead of going outside and doing some exercise, you are setting yourself up to be some zombies lunch in the near future, just sayin."

An interesting fact about Dante (that I pawndered even putting) is that he "allegedly" shot a man in reno, but the prosecutions lack of physical evidence couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was even in Rento that day. [I really dont think Dante would be capable of doing such a thing he is so nice to everyone at the shop and especially me.]

Well that is all I have for you on Dante. He is quite the character but I think a great addition to the Staff and my minion's club. 

Please make sure you are checking out My Facebook, B&L Bike Shops Facebook Page, Milo's Corner, and B&L Bike Shops Twitter. The ladies at the shop and myself are working hard at keeping everyone up to date when it comes to specials on products, sales, new products and events. These social media sites are the hub for us to be able to market to you on a daily basis.

I did over hear the ladies in the office talking about a Customer Appreciation Night on December 11th from 5pm to 7pm! As well as 12 Days of Christmas Specials!!!!

Till next time I leave you with one of Dante's favorite Quotes: "When I die, I want to go like my grandpa: sleeping, not like the people in the back seat: screaming!" - Louis Yore

Commuter Chronicles: Is it worth it?

Hello everybody! Today I was chatting with one of the staff about their ride in and they were going on and on and on about the stresses and awesomeness of starting to commute by bike. So, in order to get her to shut up for a few minutes, I'm going to let her type away this afternoon. It's a total "I told you so" moment for me because, well, I told her so. Bike Commuting is awesome, even when you don't want to do it at first. Anyway, here she is:

There are days where I wonder if it is all worth the effort. I wake up late every single day [They have alarm clocks for that you know!] [Shut up Milo]and have to dig out two outfits: one of lycra and polyester and one poorly aimed in the direction of “cute” [Is that what you call it?] [Milo!] [Ok, ok, the peanut gallery is shutting up] [Thank you!]  I load my panniers with whatever essentials I can find. Pump, cliff, bar, multi-tool, spare tire, lights, deodorant [Thank God! ok, now I'm REALLY done], makeup bag . . . Where are my shoes?? I think about my seat height and if I need to readjust it because yesterday’s ride felt funny. I fill my water bottle, forget my keys, lose and refind the water bottle I just filled and bump my bike out the door. I click in right foot first and head down the street, praying to God for a tail wind because I’m already 10 minutes behind.  As soon as I pass the city limits I begin to glide with a slight wind at my back and even though 20mph is a big deal for me, a mountain for some, or a mole hill for others . . . I feel like I’m flying.  Heads of wheat crash into one another like tiny, soft cymbals. I can barely see snow capped mountains in the distance beneath the wind-cleared sky. My legs are burning because I’m just starting to realize that I can push myself little by little. I'm realizing that my body can do so much more than I’ve ever demanded of it before. I don’t burn for too long because this is still new and the drive to pedal myself into the ground isn’t there yet. 

At work I think about getting a shorter stem to ease the throbbing pain in my shoulder because I, unknowingly, bought a bike that is a bit too big. I bought shoes that are vacuumed and molded to my feet, ok maybe that’s not necessary, but they were on crazy sale and feel so good with my odd bones and toes. So far, the perfect combination of gear and fitness remains out of reach and I’m still trying to keep this whole thing simple. Adjustments are constantly being made and parts can always be tweaked or replaced. Mechanics juggle carbon fiber, steel, aluminum and titanium in front of my face and the choices seem overwhelming. So I ask over and over, is it worth all this effort and tinkering and pedaling? 

But while others were likely sitting in their car, drinking Starbucks, and wondering if the semi in front of them is ever going to move back to the right lane, I was busy riding the wind and racing birds.

Today I flew to work.

So yes, it’s worth the effort.

Milo here, so she seems a bit overly poetic, but I'll take whatever I can get. Ride on, Ride on. Now, who has some treats for me?

What keeps you riding on days when you don't want to be in the saddle? 

Milo's Makeover Monday Rachelle Edition

Rachelle is one of the cool girls over at B & L Too and she's fairly new to cycling. She is, however, hard core enough to show up at the shop at 7:30am for that Saturday group ride that no one else shows up for. C'mon guys, where you at?

Anyhow, the other day she let me play dress up and this is the snazzy number we came up with:

 On Top: Black and Aqua Cyclone Tank by Canari (w/ a built in shelf bra)
On Bottom: Awesome black Knickers by Canari

I see lots of different types of riders come into the shop and each one enjoys cycling for a different reason. Some are into racing and sprinting to speeds up to 40 miles per hour, while others enjoy a beach cruiser for trips to the movie theater. Since Rachelle is new to cycling, we set her up with some cute, fitness oriented clothing. She can use the tank for other activities, like walking her insanely happy dog Maia, and the knickers as well, so long as they're padless (no one wants to play ultimate frisbee wearing a bike diaper).

Where's your helmet young lady?

Success! Another job well done. If you come in and want to get this whole outfit, I'll get the boss lady to take 10% off! P.S. We're already having a huge sale right now that I'll tell you about tomorrow!!!

Commuter Calculator

Ever wonder how much money and how many trees you could save by commuting by bike? Ever wonder how much good you're already doing?

Today, I found this handy dandy calculator on Bike Commuter's Blog.

Gas Saving Calculator

To give you an idea we plugged in what some of our own staff does on their weekly commute:
Miles Commuted: 22
Price per gallon: 3.75
Car MPG: 27
Days Riding per week: 4

Results:
Your daily gas savings is $3.22 dollars and lbs of CO2 will NOT be added to the atmosphere
Your weekly gas savings would be $12.87 dollars and 64.53 lbs of CO2 will NOT be added to the atmosphere
Your monthly gas savings would be $51.50 dollars and 258.13 lbs of CO2 will NOT be added to the atmosphere
Your yearly gas savings would be $669.45 dollars and 3,355.73 lbs of CO2 will NOT be added to the atmosphere

YAY You! Yay Us! Keep it Up guys!

Milo's Lonely Saddles Club

Hey Gang! So, it's Saturday and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. I hope everyone is taking advantage of the warmth and sunshine by getting out and riding their bikes. If not, shame shame on you.

This morning two very cute girls sat outside of B & L at 7:30am hoping that some of you guys would come out to ride with them. Did you? Nope, not a one. Same thing happened with Christy and Emelia a few weeks ago.

I know the flyer says 20 miles, but really it probably won't be that long of a ride since Emelia has to open the store at 9am and look a little less ragamuffin-y and she's definitely out of shape [HEY!]. I only speak the truth. This was Rachelle's first real-ish ride and she did marvelous on the little 12 mile jaunt.

Just so you know, the girls told me that the quiet countryside was positively gorgeous this morning even in their bleary-eyed state. While you slumbered and sawed, Rachelle and Emelia pedaled about and topped the morning off with coffee and pastries from the farmer's market. When Emelia wasn't looking I snagged a bit of her strawberry and cream cheese danish and it was delicious! [YOU DID WHAT?!?!] Finder's keeper's, sucker.

Follow my/"our"Twitter or become a follower of the blog (you know you want to be one of my minions) and be updated on shop rides, routes, and news. Next week, I expect to see more of you in front of the shop next Saturday so that these frowns will be turned upside down.

Christy and Emelia sad to be riding "totawee awone"

P.S. Feel free to bring me cheese danishes and some tortillas with mango chutney and some of that funky green spread when you're done.

Milo Out.

Kitty Lion trumps Elephant any day

It's tough being King of the Urban Jungle, but someone has to take charge of this pride. My word is usually everyone's command, but lately competition has been rising up in the land of  B & L. A colossal, blue creature is roaming the back rooms of B & L and the staff quakes with fear of the unknown. She sits on bicycles, waiting to be repaired and dares the staff to cross her path.

Upon further investigation, we have deduced that the creature is an elephant of the hephalump family. We have yet to name her, but here she stays. So, I'm writing today to beg your assistance . . . what should we do with this strange creature? She's bike friendly, and I've tamed her over the course of the last few months.

 Now, the question is . . . what do we do with her? Any ideas?

Ladies Night and Sales of Self-Defense

Top of the Mornin’ to Ya!

Ladies Night was a wild success and I received more belly-rubs than any lion, I mean cat, knows what to do with. I just wanted to get on here between nap number seven and eight to say a big thank you to everybody at B & L and Susan Ashdown for all their hard work. Over $500 was raised for the Nor Cal Aids ride and Judith Givens walked away with a brand new Cidi 3 commuter bicycle.  Another big thank you everyone who stopped by for the festivities. I had an absolute blast and loved celebrating Saint Patty’s day with all the lovely ladies and daring gentlemen who joined us yesterday evening.I'm still full and a bit tipsy from the cheese, crackers, chocolate and wine tasting. If you had half as much fun as me we can count this as a job well done. Unfortunately, not everyone was as happy as me when all was ended.

Despite threats, no kilt-clad, wig-wearing, or falsetto speaking men showed up to brave the swell seas of estrogen. My legal council has informed me that due to riotous swarms of disgruntled men, who felt snubbed by the gender specific event, it would be wise to extend our special sales for the rest of the weekend. In the spirit of good will and general merriment, I say YES! 

SALE SALE SALE!!

So, this fabulous feline would like to invite one and all of all shapes, sizes, and plumbing back to B & L and B & L Too for more specials.

Take a break from the rain and come check out our sweet deals. Our sales staff is lonesome and we never want anyone to feel left out!

P.S. Gentlemen, your time will come too I promise.

I am Milo. Hear me ROAR!

It's a stressful job as the official shop cat and marketing director for B & L and B & L Too...  I have to help customer's find the perfect bike, defend the premises from those slobbering creatures humans affectionately call dogs, although, in my opinion, there is nothing affectionate about those weirdos, and I have to help bring in the customer's over at B & L Too with my cuteness. We just received a ton of new spring items that the girls don't know a thing about. [HEY! That's not true at all]  Girls, Please. So, it's no wonder why I need 15 power naps a day. Yet, despite its difficulties this job has its perks every now and then.

I was in need of a bit of respite, and I want to look my absolute best for Ladies Night next week, so I spent most of yesterday at the salon with the lovely ladies at The Craft of Fo' Paws. I told the girls that I would like my Spring Lion cut and boy did they deliver. The service was just divine and I've been busy strutting my stuff all day. Why? Because I'm FABULOUS!

Yes Ladies, that's right. I'm Milo the Kitty Lion and I'm here to melt your hearts with my ferocious cuteness.
Get ready: March 17th from 6-9pm at B & L and B & L Too. Saint Patty's day has nothing on me.