About Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery

Friendly Bike Know-It-All

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  Folding bicycle?

  0 0 I love folding bikes, but the range of quality is pretty huge. I've owned a couple of folding bikes and my favorite is a Raleigh 20. It is a very heavy bike though and it required a LOT of modifications to make it practical and useful for me. I'd add the Bike Friday Tikit to the top of the class, both in price and in quality. I have no sense of what is available in Taiwan, but I bet the fine folding bikes from Dahon are available there. My friend Kent has written a great deal about his Dahon Curve, a bike he loves: http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-dahon-curve-d3.html I'd say that the thing to look out for is that you give yourself a good test ride and test fold and try several bikes before settling on one. The experience of riding on small wheeled bikes can be pretty strange at first and that may make first impressions a little confusing. Good luck! Small wheeled bikes are really fun and folding bikes are super convenient for the kind of multi-modal commute you are describing. Have fun In Taiwan! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

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  Kids Bicycle

  1 0 Yeah! So glad to hear that your child is so confident a rider, and that you are confident in her riding as well! Congratulations! It is true that quality kids bikes are hard to come by. I love the idea of a 20 inch 3speed, but I've only seen those as DIY hacks, never as a stock bike for kids. At Bike Works, we specialize in used bikes and kids bikes both! Along with the other suggestions already made, our shop might be a great place to look. We also offer classes where young folks ages 9-17 can learn the fundamentals of bike repair by refurbishing bikes that we then redonate to other young folks. The students are then given the opportunity to build a bike for themselves, at no additional cost! Even better, they can keep coming back, wrenching on bikes, making friends, doing community service, and earning bikes for themselves until they turn 18! http://bikeworks.org/programs.php Good luck! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Does this bike have a bent fork?

  1 0 Yeah, that's a nice looking bike! Unfortunately, the fork does look severely bent. Its weird, because they are usually bent in the other direction, from front impact. FOrks from bikes of that period are very easy to come by at places like Bike Works the Bikery or Recycled Cycles. Maybe you could find a fork with a cool color and swap it out for the bent one? It'd be fun! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

• Comment on Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery's answer…

  1 0 Maybe my story about the concert was more amusing than helpful. Take my word for it, I ruined that helmet. I am not necessarily telling the original questioner to replace their helmet at all. They do not specify how long they have had their helmet, so who can say? What I am suggesting is that it is possible that the common number of "three years, replace" might be a little much and we can likely keep undamaged helmets for longer than that. Why create the waste and spend the money if you don't need to? Personally, I'd replace a ten year old helmet. Materials do age and most of the wear on a helmet is not going to be visible to you. Also, technologies for bike helmets have improved to the point where a newer helmet will probably do a better job than a ten year old one at keeping your skull in shape if you do fall on your head. Heaven forbid. That said, it sounds like you feel fine about your own choice to hold on to that helmet. Good on you! Ride in good health! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery commented 11 months ago

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  Where can I get my trusty 10 speed serviced without a kid behind the counter giving me an overdose of attitude?

  5 1 Great question! Bike shops can be scary places, even when the staff are trying to be nice. Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks involved in bikes who don't realize how intimidating choosing a bike or bringing one in for service can be. To make it worse, there are rather a lot of jocks and nerds and snobs out there who seem to get something out of making other feel dumb. Luckily, there is a growing awareness in some circles that we don't need to just accept this state of affairs. More and more bike enthusiasts, organizations and businesses are committed to improving bike culture and that's a good thing! The thing is, you have a right to feel like you are well treated. If you don't like the service at a shop, find another one! If you have the energy to put into it, let the first shop know why they lost your business. That might help them get better. The two organizations I work with are both committed to ensuring a friendly, positive experience for customers. At the Bikery, www.thebikery.org you will learn how to fix your trusty ten-speed yourself in a friendly and supportive environment. At Bike Works, the Bicycle Shop is committed to serving Seattle with affordable bicycle sales and professional service. We’re a full-service repair shop that also sells quality used bikes and various new and used bike parts and accessories. We are also a non-profit committed to bike education and recycling. We work with bikes and with people of all sorts. Good luck! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  What are the top 3 tips for riding a bike in the city, if you're new to this whole "biking" deal?

  4 0 Yeah! Riding around town is a great idea! First of all; have fun, take it as slow as you need and build up to the stuff that scares you. Three things that I don't see in the previous (very good) answers: 1) Learn how to change lanes and make left turns. Practice looking over your shoulder and communicating with other road users your intentions so that you never need to feel trapped on the shoulder. 2) Try the side streets. You have a right to ride where ever you want to (except on freeways within the city), but the best bike route is not always the best car route. In a hilly city, route finding is very important. Get a bike map http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bikemaps.htm and ride with friends to determine the best neighborhood links for your rides. Take a bunch of exploratory rides now, while the weather is nice. Its fun! 3) Don't let those elitists scare you! It looks like you know you have all the gear you need and you have the interest. Go for it! Its hard to feel like you fit in with the established mode of what a cyclist is but the good thing is that you don't have to! In reality, there is a great deal of variation among bike riders and anyone who tries to make you feel dumb, or out of shape or uncool is just a snob. Let's all work together to create a new face for cycling, friendly, accessible and available to new riders! Have fun! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 10 more answers »

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  What kind of lock do I need?

  0 0 I'm sorry to hear that you are terrified! That's a bad way to feel. I hope that whatever you decide leaves you feeling empowered and comfortable riding your bike everywhere you want to go, and leaving it there for as long as you need to. Bikes do get stolen. I hear they get stolen on the UW campus pretty often. If you want to be able to ride with confidence you are going to need to get over your fear of theft, right? Regarding the lock itself; I think that you should get the highest quality lock that you can afford and that you can realistically carry with you every time you ride. I'd get a shackle or u-lock rather than a cable lock because those are harder to cut, and a smaller one because they are harder to pry open and easier to carry. If you can afford to, maybe get a second lock for your wheels, or use your existing cable lock for that! Multiple locks add time to the theft and may discourage stealers from choosing your ride over the next victim's. Also, be smart about where you lock your bike. A secreted spot behind the dumpster in the parking lot is not as safe as the pole right in front at a busy bar or restaurant. If you park your bike where there are likely to be witnesses, thieves may be scared off. Finally, lock to something which is itself secure and difficult to cut through. Finally, don't be ruled by fear! Ride where you want to and take the precautions that you see as reasonable for the risks that you take. Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 7 more answers »

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  How often should I replace my helmet?

  4 0 Hi, Squiffalicious! Great question! There is a lot of misinformation out there about the shelf life of helmets so I'm glad you asked! As you identified, once your helmet has sustained any real impact you should replace it. This includes more than just a bike crash. I once ruined a real nice helmet the first day I owned it tapping it against a concrete wall along with some loud music at a show! By the time I realized what I'd been doing one whole side of the helmet was dented! Impacts to your helmet wont necessarily be visible, though. Some folks say "multi-sport" BMX bucket helmets can survive more impacts than road helmets. I guess that sounds true enough to me, but I'd replace any helmet that's been smashed against something with any force greater than falling off your handlebars, capice? Regarding helmet age, good news! Helmets made in the last ten years or so are probably still good. You hear a lot about uv rays and sweat eating away at helmets, but according to http://www.bhsi.org/replace.htm this doesn't really happen with modern materials. This group http://www.smf.org/helmetfaq#aWhyReplace disagrees, fwiw. I don't know of any good ways to recycle helmets, unfortunately. We get asked that question a lot at Bike Works and would love to hear people's good ideas for recycling or reuse! Davey Oil, of Bike Works and the Bikery answered in Bicycles 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

• See all of my 0 Questions , 7 Answers and 1 Comment