info@rideyourbike.com
January 14, 2008 via email
My bike is riding better than ever, thanks for the great work.
Steve Dillow
October, 22, 2007
Aaron and All:
I wanted to drop a line and say a few words.
I recently moved from Austin, Texas to Seattle, and have felt a little intimidated by my surroundings. When my bike arrived, I thought it might be time to give the puppy a spin again. I did a bit of online research and found your website, and started investigating bike commuting. On a whim, I rode over to your store in West Seattle, and ran into Gregg Sundin.
Mr. Sundin immediately put me at ease, and provided expert help in fitting my helmet and gloves. Additionally, his advice on lights proved to be right. (I'm coming back for a better bike light next paycheck.) He also took the time to mark a good bike route on the free Seattle Bike Map.
I am so grateful for my experience with Gregg and your store. Because of your store's help, I took my first bike ride in a decade on Sunday, and today I'm riding my bike home from the office.
Thanks, Kevin
Aaron,
Thanks for the help this weekend at the shop. I am looking forward to getting out and riding with y'all on Thursday. You have a great shop, very rider friendly.
Orion from the Point 83 Forum
Aaron,
Just wanted to let you know that I am thrilled with the 700/28 Ruffy Tuffy tires you recommended. I came into your shop thinking about a carbon fiber fork upgrade to plush-out the ride of my trusted Bridgestone RB1 a little. You suggested that a tire change would make a bigger difference than a fork upgrade, and wow did it ever. It's hard to imagine that simply changing from a 700/26 Specialized Armadillo to the 700/28 Ruffy Tuffy can improve ride comfort so much. And, I doesn't seem like I've sacrificed performance.
Good call Aaron!
John, Recreational roadie seeking comfort
Aaron,
You have the best shop website I have ever seen. It rocks. Nice job. I can't wait to see your shop in person.
Did you know you can see the Crop Circles [Tapeworm Trail in Renton] from space?
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=renton,+wa&ll=47.467546,-122.193997&spn=0.007263,0.007102&t=k&hl=en
Cheers,
Nick
Aaron,
Just wanted to thank you again for the work on the Motobecane. We are very lucky in West Seattle to have your shop. The great majority of the bike shops I have been in are nothing more than toy stores with the owners younger brother doing the repair. Your shop is staffed by professionals that take pride in their work and it shows in the finished product. By the way the Motobecane rides GREAT, I love it.
P.S. I read the article about your vending machine in the new Bicycle Magazine, won't be too long before Bicycle magazine does an article on your shop. It's a great shop!
Thanks, Ro
Hello Aaron,
My name is Mike Tremann and I am the manager of a shop in Charleston, SC. Let me start by saying every time I look at your site I am inspired in so many ways. This last time I was on your site, I noticed the American flag with "Ride its Patriotic" on the screen. if possible, could you please let me where you got that, and if it is possible to find stickers and shirts with the same. Thanks for your time and thanks for the inspiration.
Mike Tremann, Manager
The Charleston Bicycle Company
Hi Aaron:
Just wanted to thank you for the tune-up on my Shogun Alpine GT. It's like having a new bike. So I can see now that it was worth the money.
David Zuckerman
Aaron,
I would like to recognize the great customer service provided by Michael Doig. One day recently I came in carrying a wheel with a flat tire. Mike had his pack in hand and was just leaving for the day. You were busy working on a customer's bike with one or two waiting in line. Mike sized up the situation, set down his pack, took my wheel and fixed my tire, offering advise and selling me a new tube and Slime. He followed through clear to checkout with a smile, friendly demeanor and great customer-service attitude.
Thanks,
Dennis
This is just a note of support for the article "Don't buy mail order" on your web site. I mention it because I find myself returning to it now and then for inspiration, as I did today.
I agree with you completely, in principle, until it affects me personally. I myself am currently in a price dilemma. I ride my bike to work and am trying to upgrade my rain capability, in a quest for the coveted "All-Weather Capable" patch. My rain gear is good except for footwear. I have found non-breatheable waterproof boots at Payless Shoesource, a national chain with a local store but with headquarters elsewhere, for $23. I have found higher-quality, Gore-Tex boots at Chet's Shoes, a local store, for $128. My spouse has been laid off for over a year.
I remain paralyzed with indecision. Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing. I do support my local bike store. They have been very helpful. Love you web site. Gotta go.
Best,
Steven White
Aaron,
I have been meaning to email you for a while now... I just wanted to let you know you have a very satisfied customer. I LOVE my bike so much. It has been inspiring to work with someone who is passionate not only about biking but also about what it can stand for :) Thank you! 'Til the next tune-up...
Best,
Paige
Mike and Gypsie,
I just thought you would like to know that today's ride, the Tour de Pierce, was great. The LeWedge really does work! I had no numbness in my feet and absolutely no knee pain! I really felt great after the 50 mile ride! You guys are great! But I bet you hear that all the time!
Thanks again for all your help!
Sue Krezelak
Aaron, My name is Kevin Markham, I'm an ARMY Recruiter. I have been in your store and I love it. I may not spend a lot in your store, but I have been treated well when in uniform. I thank you for that. As you said in your "Free Speech" on the web page, I totally agree with most of it. I just wanted to say I respect your opinion and will continue going to your store. Thank you for what you do in the community and for the environment.
SFC Kevin "MAYHEM" Markham
Aaron,
I just want to pass on a favorable comment about your staff at the Bikestation. I try to do basic maintenance on my bikes myself, but was too busy to change tires and brake pads over the holidays. I left my Bike Friday with your staff on 12/30/03 in the morning. The work was well done and completed early that afternoon. Mike and another guy, I believe named Gus, were in when I stopped by that morning. They were both very friendly and helpful. It is great to have a shop so near my office, particularly one with such a friendly and positive attitude. I believe this was my third or fourth time using your services and I have had similar experiences at the Bikestation then. Best wishes for the New Year. I will continue to use your shop and will refer others.
Regards,
John McHale
The last time I was in to your shop you sold me a taller stem for my Raleigh sport bike. It has made a great improvement to overall comfort. And it’s perfectly obvious to me now that the size you recommended for the Atlantis frame makes sense; I wouldn’t have been able to stand over anything taller. I just needed to get the idea into my head of adjusting the height of the bars with the stem instead of the frame.
I log onto your web site now and then and always find something interesting to think about. Thanks.
John
Thanks for the great service you did on my Bianchi -- it rides really well. I'm looking forward to Chilly Hilly, which I've not done before.
Matt
Major kudos to you for this Website, it is fun, refreshing and highly informative. By far the best retail Website I have ever visited
Michael Tsagalakis
Just found your site, very impressive and very complete. Can't wait to check out the store.
BMC
You have an excellent web site. I have really enjoyed reading the bike fitting articles.
R. Fernandes
Dear Gypsie and Aaron,
Thank you for everything you are doing for the earth, the people in your community and all over the place. All the treasures in your website are very much appreciated and admired, even over here in Switzerland where I live. There is so much to do, and times are so sad in the world right now, that it is more important than ever to have wonderful energy like yours made known.
Karen Smith
Hey,
That's a pretty sweet bike you put together for me. I've been outrageously busy, and the only ride I've been able to take besides my daily commute was my ride home to Fremont the evening that I picked it up. I'm looking forward to some longer rides.
It feels solid. It handles well. It's predictable and comfortable with the hands off the bars. The light system seems entirely adequate for the dark sections of the Burke. The extra drag of the generator doesn't matter to me. I like the size of the tires.
I haven't ridden a saddle that uncomfortable since I switched from a Brooks to an Avocet saddle back in 1980. I'm using the Proofhide daily, and my daily commute on it is just fine. I'll switch to an old saddle if I get the chance to do a long ride before I get the new saddle broken in.
I appreciate the care you took in putting it together, both the selection of parts and the actual assembly.
It's a sweet ride. It's a pleasure to do business with you.
John
I want to tell you how terrific your website is. It is a great public service and I would not have known about your business without it. I especially enjoyed your eloquent discourse on business philosophy.
John
I was looking over your web page yesterday, and was impressed by your values and the way you do business. I would like to do business with you, even though I live in Kirkland.
Phil
Aaron, This is the first time I have visited your web site and loved it. I'm from Iowa, so probably won't be visiting your store anytime soon but appreciate what you do with your website. I am a student at a school called UNI and have many environmental ethics and sociology classes. Thanks for the book referrals, I'm always looking for new ones that have been recommended. I don't know if you are a Daniel Quinn fan but if you are looking for another good book, you should try Ishmael. It's definitely my favorite book to date that I have read. Thanks for doing your part and a terrific web site.
Sincerely,
Nate Fritz
Aaron,
After closing Island Bicycles this evening I happened upon your website and spent a pleasant 20 minutes or so checking it out. Good grief! someone else in Washington preps bikes the way we do. I'm impressed. I have a bike shop in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and have to make do with part-time help (no/little help in winter, lotsa help in summer), so I'm constantly training new people to do things the right way.
I attended UBI 18 years ago and had ingrained in me that everything coming out of a box is dry and too tight...so right! After spending enormous time removing a stuck handlebar stem that hadn't been greased 10 years before, or replacing pitted cones on a near-new set of wheels, one learns some lessons.
If I can get down your way sometime this winter I'll drop in and introduce myself. Judging from the kinds of bikes you sell: Atlantis, Heron, etc. you guys are steel frame people too. I do Gunnar, Waterford, Soma, and DeSalvo, in addition to Specialized and Redline.Paul Ahart
Island Bicycles
Friday Harbor
I love your website-- it's chock full of good information and It's very pro-cycling in all it's forms. Sometimes I get really bad vibes from hardcore roadies or mtb folks who believe that the whole cycling world revolves around them and their sport. The truth is that the bike universe is huge-- from millions of commuters riding $50 junkers to the Tour de France. Personally, I'm more of part of the great unwashed commuter crowd-- used bikes, no biker jerseys or biking shoes, doing most repairs on my own. This is why a tend to avoid most bike shops. I feel like I'm out of place. It's very strange because I have such a love for bikes-- any bike, form old clunkers to the high end racers.
Good luck on the whole commuter bike idea. I'm going to be rebuilding a bike for my wife this spring and I would like your input on it (and also some new parts from your shop as well) I'll be putting an internal gear hub and new wheels on an older steel frame.Thanks
Terry Wilmer
Tacoma
Dear Aaron Goss,
Wow, I was just at your website, it is totally kick ass. If I ever get the nerve up to learn to ride a bike I will definitely come to your shop.
Warmly,
Anna Spector