Yeah! The first long weekend of the season is here and the trails are in exceptional condition - as are the roads, of course. Get on out there and ride your bike!

Long weekend hours are as follows:

Saturday - 10am-5pm
Sunday - 12pm-5pm
Monday - CLOSED
Tues-Fri - 10am-8pm

With the warm weather finally upon us, the time has come again to welcome new riders and veterans alike to join us for our Weekly Road Rides.

Leaving from our shop every Thursday night at 6pm sharp, two separate groups head out sorted by experience & ability.

For beginners, the emphasis will be on developing technique and sharing proper etiquette for safe and enjoyable road riding. (Average speed = 20 - 25km/h)

Experienced riders and/or racers will want to join the Intermediate/Advanced group where the speeds will be higher, the routes longer, and the breathing a little more ragged. Average speed = 28 - 33km/h.

NEW FOR 2013: All riders must pre-purchase a Citizen's Permit through the Ontario Cycling Association to participate. This grants us insurance coverage for our organized rides. Link here.

Spokes continues to be the most successful racing store in Ontario.

After an exceptional performance at the second road Ontario Cup of the season at Calabogie where Team Spokes scored several hard earned podiums in a few different categories, we took to the trails this past Sunday for the season's first mountain bike Ontario Cup.

The weather has finally broken in Southern Ontario and the trails were dry and super fast at the Uxbridge-based course known as Woodnewton.

Several riders has lifetime bests and almost everyone was also facing stiffer competition as they moved to more difficult categories after successful 2012 campaigns.

1st place: Steve Prosser (Senior Expert), Paul Cooney (Master Expert); 2nd place: Chris Reid (Master 60+), Robin Wallar (Senior Expert); 3rd place: Mike Cowan (Master Ex.).

Plus we had a bunch of top tens and many more strong efforts. Congrats team!

Join us next Wednesday, May 1st at Coulson's Hill, just north of Bradford, for a day in the dirt with some of the best trail bikes on the market.

In an annual tradition meant to connect riders with real riding opportunities aboard cutting edge hardware, Norco Bikes is visiting our weekly event on May 1st with a truckload of their latest dual suspension offerings (and a couple of hardtails).

Curious as to the future of the new 650B wheel format? Come and test the most progressive bikes in the world.

Directions to the trails can be found here.

Spoke O'Motion - We are grassroots cycling.

This past weekend, riders from the Team Spoke O'Motion road race team took a trip to Calabogie Motorsports Park just outside of Ottawa to compete in the second road Ontario Cup of the season.

While most Ontario Cup road racing takes place on open roads - forcing hundreds of riders onto 6-foot wide swathes of pavement (read: extreme danger), the opportunity to race on smooth pavement with no fear of traffic, potholes, sand, debris, and plenty of room for passing makes the Calabogie event the best road event on the calendar year after year.

And what an event it was! Team Spoke O'Motion hit the podium across more diverse categories than any other team in the province.

Team Spokes nailed all sorts of personal bests: Barb Hope smashed the whole field in a sprint for her first win. Jaxon Brennan (2nd) nailed his first road podium. Kelly Cullen (3rd) added another podium to her resume. Dave Knights (11th) had his best road finish yet and Myles Cullen (6th) had a solid finish.

Please visit our Facebook page for some more great photos.

Every Wednesday, riders from within a 90 minute radius congregate at Coulson's Hill just north of Bradford to hang with some buddies and test their mettle against other cycling enthusiasts.

Read our first race report and read all about the series here.

Shopping for a new bike? Why would you not shop at a store that builds trails, hosts events, and provides opportunities to enrich your lives through excercise?

Despite the snow, muck, and cold winds, representatives from Team Spoke O'Motion set out on Sunday for the inaugural race of the 2013 season.

This new race added was added to the calendar by the Waterloo Cycling Club and was intended to emulate the European Spring Classics with road, muck, and goo galore.

The route started with 9km of semi-frozen, semi-mucky rail trail that had riders slipping and sliding their way forward with lots of effort and not much progress.

Once this torture was complete, the route took us on scenic dirt roads through Mennonite country where we saw (and passed) countless horse-drawn buggies and gorgeous scenery. However, every which way we turned the wind seemed to meet us head on.

50km later we were treated to a return trip on the same rail trail we left on - except by now if was softer, dirtier and, of course, our legs were completely punched. Derailleurs had long since stopped functioning thanks to ice build up and it was an incredibly tough slog to the finish line.

At the end of the day, we all made it through and our two women Team riders both hit the podium! Kelly Cullen and Barb Hope both nailed 3rd place finishes in their respective age categories. Congrats ladies - and thanks for supporting the boys! To Kelly's added credit, she completed the race on a 28lb, dual suspension trail bike - not exactly the right tool for the job. Now that is determination!

Sorry for the bad podium pics - the lighting in the hall was awful. :( More pictures can be found here.

ONLY THREE BIKES LEFT!

This is way lower than wholesale. Not even dealers can get these prices.

Available models:

• 2011 E-112 (small) - Reg. $2700, Sale $1350
• 2011 E-80 (small) - Reg. $2000, Sale $1000
• 2012 Gallium w/ Ultegra Di2 (medium) - Reg. $5000, Sale $2500

Introducing LTD Performance Cycling - York Region's #1 source for cycling speed, fitness, and fun.

In keeping with our grassroots cyclng mantra, Spoke O'Motion has teamed up for local cycling legend Paul Cooney to offer the community a unique cycling experience modelled after other successful sports.

Recognizing the needs of families for an outlet of structured physical activity, Spoke O'Motion is proud to be the first bike store in the region to offer weekly instructional rides for riders of all levels. Read all about it here!

If you have any questions, head over to the LTD Performance Cycling Facebook page or email Coach Paul directly.

Read one man's philosophizing the "sales experience" difference he experienced first hand as a customer of Spoke O'Motion.

Link

Thanks, Trevor! We always aim for complete customer satisfaction.

The Stand-over Test Is Just A Start - The stand-over test, which you may have used or heard about, is a quick, ballpark-only indicator of whether a certain-size bike will fit. It's simply done by straddling the bike and checking the clearance between the crotch and top frame tube. On bicycles designed for road use, you usually want about one to three inches of clearance (depending on the size and design of the bike). On off-road models, which usually have sloping top tubes and long seatposts, more clearance is needed. Look for three to six inches (depending on size and design). There's a lot more to a proper bicycle fit than stand-over clearance and on some bicycles, especially those with compact frame designs, it doesn't tell you enough to judge fit. Be sure to ask us for expert advice in selecting the right size bicycle and getting it fitted correctly, too. We're always happy to help.

flat bar –

A handlebar that does not have any rise or drop. Flat bars are typically found on mountain bikes designed for cross-country riding and road-style hybrid bicycles.