Thanks to Erika at The Gazette & Deanna at The Press Citizen for writing articles on me & the shop.
Snow goer – Gazette article.
Time to buy a bike – Press Citizen article.
the broken spoke…best bike shop…?
•February 21, 2008 • 2 Comments 
I received this in an email yesterday. “Congratulations! Your business has been nominated as one of the top businesses in Eastern Iowa as part of the KCRG-TV9 A-List.”
I didn’t know what to think. At first I thought it was spam. What is the KCRG-TV9 A-List? Thankfully, all I had to do was keep reading.
“What is the KCRG-TV9 A-List?
– An online guide to local businesses that launched January 14th. The guide will be available year-round.
– Consumers from all over Eastern Iowa vote for their favorite businesses on http://www.kcrg.com/alist
– You can view your listing here: http://kcrg.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=76433”
So it certainly looks legit. Thank you, Anonymous, for nominating The Broken Spoke for Eastern Iowa’s “Best Bike Shop!”
If anyone thinks that the shop is deserving of such an accolade, feel free to vote here http://kcrg.cityvoter.com/signup?entry=41837.
Thanks again to whoever created the submission page to cityvoter.com!
sheldon brown dead at 63…
•February 5, 2008 • 2 CommentsOne of cycling’s greatest know-it-alls passed away last night from a heart attack. Sheldon Brown was very generous with his wealth of knowledge of all things bicycle related. His website, www.sheldonbrown.com, is relied upon by many people throughout the world, be it professional bicycle mechanics, or the novice rider that just wants to learn more about bicycles.
Sheldon Brown, American bicycle mechanic & technical authority.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/02/08/homepsun_wisdom/
kona explosif fully rigid mountain bike…
•January 12, 2008 • 10 Comments
Here we have a frame-up build of a fully rigid steel Kona Explosif. The proud owner will be using it for commuting & riding singletrack at Sugar Bottom.
Look closely & you will see that this bike lacks something very ubiquitous in the bicycling industry. No Shimano parts of any kind! This proves that you can have a top-notch quality machine without succumbing to the Japanese giant.
surly cross-check fixed gear year-round commuter…
•December 20, 2007 • 1 Comment
Coming out of the shop this week is a frame-up build of a Surly Cross-check. Much like the Salsa Casseroll from a few months past, it was built up as a more-than-worthy commuter. Studded tyres, fenders, & a rack are all represented here!
jamis aurora super commuter…
•December 10, 2007 • 4 Comments
The latest to come out of the shop is a Jamis Aurora touring bike that has been set up as an excellent year-round commuting bicycle. The touring tyres were swapped out with a studded Nokian on the front & a standard cyclocross tyre on the rear. Fenders & a rack round out the standard commuting necessities.
snowflake laced wheel…
•November 13, 2007 • 10 CommentsHere is another fancy laced up wheel to come out of the shop.
It’s a forty hole Campagnolo Gran Sport track hub snowflake laced to a Sun CR-18 rim with DT Revolution spokes.
retro-tec single speed townie…
•November 8, 2007 • 3 CommentsThis is a Retro-Tec frame that was half-way built up at the shop. Check out that lug work!
The finished build up on location. (photo ® John Stanec)
And here is a photo of John taking it home on his Karate Monkey outfitted in Xtracycle style!
salsa casseroll fixed-gear commuter…
•October 22, 2007 • 4 CommentsHere is the latest bike to come out of the shop.
It is a custom frame-up build of a Salsa Casseroll. The Casseroll is a very versatile frame. It can be set up with gears, but, it also has stainless steel(nice!) semi-horizontal dropouts, so it can easily be used as a single speed or a fixed-gear.
It has ample room for fenders & fairly wide tyres. Slightly long chainstays allow for a more relaxed ride & extended room for panniers.
The wheels were also custom built to specification. The 130mm spaced, dishless rear makes for a nice & strong wheel that will take plenty of abuse as its ridden year-round.
The Broken Spoke 