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There comes a point every spring when a bike shop owner starts to wonder if they're participating in a social experiment. The weather is finally beautiful. The pathways are full. Every coffee shop in the city appears to have at least three bicycles parked outside. Families are riding cargo bikes. Commuters are riding to work. The counters on 5th St are always above 1500 per day. Every second person that walk in asks if the Highwood Pass is open yet. It isn’t. And yet. The shop remains just quiet enough that I have recently developed several new hobbies. I've become deeply familiar with the behaviour of the magpies in our parking lot. There's one in particular that I suspect is running some kind of organized crime operation. I don't have proof, but I have observations. Definitely a shifty looking character. I've also started playing this game of trying to guess what tool the guy in the bay next door is using to bang on whatever car he’s working on today. What that sledgehammer? Did he just use an angle grinder on that Nissan? It’s a fun game - especially when they start yelling at each other in a language I don’t understand. Are they swearing at each other now? The strange thing is that all of this is happening while thousands of Calgarians are riding bicycles that almost certainly need attention. Statistically speaking, some of you are reading this newsletter while sitting beside a bike with a brake that squeals, a chain that skips, a tire that's slowly leaking air, or a mysterious noise you've decided to classify as "probably normal." History suggests it is not normal. History also suggests that bicycle problems rarely improve through neglect. I've been in the bike business for a long time and, despite my best efforts, I have never witnessed a bicycle repair itself. Chains don't heal. Brake pads don't regenerate. Loose spokes don't wake up one morning and decide they're ready to do some crunches and “tighten up”. Eventually every bicycle reaches the same conclusion: it would like a little attention. When that happens, we'd love to help. Whether it's a tune-up, a repair, maybe a new cargo bike or an e-bike for replacing car trips, advice for your next bikepacking adventure, or simply a second opinion on that weird noise, we're here. Lifestyle councilors are standing by. And if everything is working perfectly, stop by anyway. I could use a second opinion on whether we should level up our store security, especially with that shifty magpie hanging around. ~ Sean
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