News

My friend Rohin from Priceonomics.com asked me to sit down for an interview the other day, hoping I'd share the secrets of starting a regular, non-tech, brick-and-mortar, super-smooth business.  And, well, I guess I did share a lot. We talked over a beer for about an hour and in that time we managed to dig fairly deep into the specific details.  The resulting article was a pretty comprehensive blueprint for starting a bicycle shop -- well, in a technical sense anyway. Starting was in many ways the easy part, keeping it alive is a whole other issue. Let's do another interview in ten years Rohin -- I'll tell you then whether I was actually successful. This is just to say thanks to Rohin and Priceonomics for the article, which was picked up by many, including the Atlantic. We were amazed.

[slideshow][/slideshow] Our good friend Gregory Joseph Barnabas Tissi has been touring across Vietnam on his bicycle now for a few months. We've been following his tour on Facebook and, without a doubt, it is some of the best travel-facebooking I've ever witnessed. Before he left he took with him a few gear staples from the shop, promising to review them while on tour. One of those staples, is the shoe shown above, Chrome's Midway Pro. The Midway Pro is one of the best crossover spd-compatible shoes that we sell at the shop. Anyway, without further adieux, Tissi's review of the spd-compatible Chrome Midway Pro: I have wanted crossover shoes for so long and am so happy to finally have a pair. This is the only pair I have ever owned and before was using the same mountain SPD's for years. I put a lotta trust in Chrome here cause I got them and used them for the ole World Class Designer California Tour of the Unknown Coast (I highly recomend it) for like 4 days right before my international tour that I am on right now. They sucked. I hated them and wished I hadn't bought them because they rode right on my rather pronounced ankles and gave me blisters. They also slipped in the heel when I walked and was pretty surprised at how uncomfortable they were when I walked. I knew there had to be some break-in time so I let it go and hoped for the best...

-- Two months pass Cyclotouring through Vietnam.--

Holy sh*t, break-in time is exactly what these cute little pups needed. They are way more comfy in the pedal (I don't lace em all the way up so my ankles won't get hammered) and walking around in them feels WAY better and WAY smoother. The construction of the shoe seems fine and I haven't noticed unnecessary wear given the shit I put them through. I mean the best part of the shoe is that I can get right off my bike and have shoes on to bang the streets. It's not like I use them for hiking around or trekking in the jungle. I have paper thin Luna sandals for that. The last on the shoe is certainly stiff enough for me to ride in (with thin merino socks my feet do not go numb) and not too stiff to still have a natural stride when walking. I think the sole is soft and wears quicker when walking tons in them so I'm mindful to change into my sandals after I post up at a place for the evening. I understand these shoes were probably never made for a six month international bike tour and are more made for hip young crushers slaying the city and commuting, but they have certainly made their mark on Adult Contemporary Recreational International Cyclotourism. I love them and the times I have soaked them with street sludge grit water they have always just brushed right off when dry. I will also say that Chrome has continued to put out bangin' products with the design reflecting a few staples: durability, function, and style. When their products begin to fall victim to most brands' decline I will wave them goodbye, but until then I will hold them to a standard they have held themselves to since the beginning. Great product.

Tour of California Sale May 16th - May 22nd Welcome to California folks. Home of grizzly bears, poppy flowers, droughts, earthquakes, endless skyways and golden valleys. Home of The AMGEN Tour of California pro bike race ; home of sinsemilla. Heck, California is also home of Huckleberry Bicycles, the World's Smoothest Cannondale Dealer. Since the big race is this week, we're having a big road bike sale to celebrate. We've got deals so good you'd be losing money if you didn't come in and buy something. So Let's party. All Road Bikes are 10-40% off!!! All Performance Apparel is 20-40% off!!! All Shoes are 30% off!!! All Clipless Pedals are 20% off!!! For those of you who follow bike racing, this week is about as good as it gets. The Tour of California brings all the top racers from the domestic peleton as well as top Protour teams. We get to see the world's best racers race on some of the worlds best cycling roads. If you get a chance, go out and watch the local stages this weekend. It should be a blast. After the race, come on down to Huckleberry town and grab a new rig. [caption id="attachment_2987" align="alignleft" width="600"] Peter Sagan Winning on his Cannondale SuperSix Evo...again[/caption] Watching the pro racers do their thing always gets me fired up to go ride my road bike. I'm fortunate enough to ride the Cannondale Supersix Evo. This bike is amazing. The Supersix Evo is so light, so stiff, and so smooth it's no wonder it's been voted "Best Bike in the World" by a number of publications. It's also no wonder we just picked up a size run of these puppies--we are the world's smoothest Cannondale dealer. So smooth we're going to have the Cannondale SuperSix Evo on sale for almost 20% off the price on Cannondale's website. Yikes! Thats a $4400 bike for only $3400! [caption id="attachment_3001" align="alignleft" width="600"] Cannondale SuperSix Evo[/caption] All the Cannondale Supersix Evo models are discounted during the sale, so we can save you some serious cash, even if we have to special order your Evo. Here's the pricing breakdown for all Supersix Evo models: [table caption="" width="960" colwidth="320|60|320|" colalign="left|left|left"] Model,Original Price,Sale Price Supersix Evo Black Edition,$13310,$10200 Supersix Evo Hi-Mod Dura Ace Di2,$11650,$8925 Supersix Evo Team,$10320,$7950 Supersix Evo Hi-Mod Dura Ace 9000 Mechanical, $7990,$6120 Supersix Evo Hi-Mod Red Racing Edition, $7200,$5525 Supersix Evo Ultegra Di2,$5200,$3995 Supersix Evo Red,$4450,$3400 Supersix Evo Hi-Mod Women's Red,$7700,$5995 Supersix Evo Hi-Mod Women's Dura Ace 9000 Mechanical,$6660,$5100 Supersix Evo Women's Ultegra Di2,$5200,$3995 [/table] We also have great deals on the Cannondale CAAD10. The world's smoothest aluminum bike. It rides like a dream. So if you can't afford an Evo, you're still going to be set. You can own the CAAD10 5 105 for $1350. We have a grip of these bikes in stock and every Cannondale CAAD10 model is priced to move. [caption id="attachment_2988" align="alignleft" width="600"] Cannondale CAAD10. Smoothest aluminum bike ever.[/caption] If a CAAD10 or a SuperSix Evo doesn't suit your fancy, don't worry. We have amazing deals on all Felt an Masi Road bikes. The Felt Z100 is just $675! The 2013 Masi Speciale Strada is only $800! And the Felt F4130 is only $2250! Oh Wow! [caption id="attachment_2989" align="alignleft" width="600"] Felt F4130, modern steel shown here with some nice finishing touches. On sale for $2250.[/caption] We're also having a sale on all Clipless Pedals, Shoes, and Performance Apparel. We have great technical gear from Castelli, Giordana, TwinSix, Cedar Cycling, and Cannondale. All performance apparel is 20-40% off! Clipless Pedals are all 20% off too! And Shoes are 30% off! Whatever you need to get riding, we've got you covered. [caption id="attachment_2990" align="alignleft" width="600"] Salsa Colossal. Steel Road bike with Disc Brakes. It's pretty badass and it's on sale for $2150.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2992" align="alignleft" width="600"] The Salsa Warbird is the Colossal's country cousin. Built for dirt and gravel road racing, this is no touring bike. On sale for $2195 [/caption] Tour of California Sale May 16th - May 22nd

Betabrand releases it's latest Bike to Work Pants, in collaboration with Huckleberry Bicycles, San Francisco. Outstanding fresh funk "Treat My Body Right" brought to you by Planet Booty.

Daily Candy put out a nice article on Huckleberry. Juicy news about bikes bursting out all over Market Street.  Or something.

Above the Law did a feature on Brian opening a bike shop, and escaping the corporate lawyer hell into which he had descended. Brian tactfully explains himself:  "I left on my own accord. I really loved working for that group. They were awesome. It was a really tough choice to make, but I’d already gone so far down this road — and it was so exciting to me — that I had to take this risk.  I was afraid I would find myself 10-to-20 years down the road saying to some junior associate, 'Good for you man, I always wanted to do that.'" But he looks happy now, doesn't he?    

Before we even got our doors open, we got the word out on the streets. Appropriately, it was SF Streetsblog who first caught on to our story.

Nona Varnado recently spoke highly of Huckleberry Bicycles in the Bird Wheel, a collaborative women's cycling blog.  We are huge fans of Nona's line of women's cycling apparel and were very happy that she approved of our little bike shop. Thanks Nona! For the full article on the Bird Wheel, click here.

  In February we were featured as part of one of the Bold Italic's microhood events: the Mid-Riff.  The event brought hundreds of people to our neighborhood, Central Market. The accompanying photo piece by Abby Wilcox captured the images and thoughts of the people making a difference: There’s an exciting energy brewing at the intersection of 6th and Market in downtown San Francisco. Young entrepreneurs are opening up shop in one of the most poverty-ridden parts of the city. When I asked small business owners if they chose their location based on redevelopment incentives from the city, most of them just laughed. Maybe the funds were there at one time, but the people I talked to settled in the area based on personal motivation. Documenting 6th and Market for The Bold Italic’s upcoming Mid Riff microhood event on February 9 was an eye-opener for me. I witnessed a powerful community growing, and also met some of the most inspiring small business owners in the city (including the owners of Burning Man, who have taken up residence on the corner!) Despite the struggles of the area, they are proud to call it home. I asked them all the same question: Why 6th and Market? ... We were delighted to be a part of the event.  You can read the rest of the article here.

[slideshow] [/slideshow] *Update*  I posted this back in June after we received our first shipment of Bromptons. Since then, we've received a lot more, including a big shipment just yesterday. Right now the turn-around time on a bespoke Brompton is upwards of 5-6 months. Yes, I said months, not weeks.  SO, if you are in the market for a Brompton, please stop by our shop as our supplies will not last.  In fact, give us a call (415.484.6575) to ask whether we have one that is up to your specifications, and then come take it for a test ride. ** Get out your tweeds! Huckleberry Bicycles carries Bromptons, the greatest folding bikes in the entire universe. Indeed. The Brompton is a bike which rides superbly, is safe, agile and fast, yet folds easily and quickly into a highly-compact and portable package. The result is a vehicle that increases your sense of freedom and independence. Finely-engineered and elegant, the Brompton has a full-sized frame, made mainly of steel for strength and stiffness. It is designed to be practical and light enough to be genuinely portable; actual weight depends on model and configuration, but ranges from 9 – 12½ kg (20 – 28lbs). Brompton weights are true weights; unlike most bike manufacturers, we include the weight of mudguards, pedals, etc. in our figures – if it’s on the bike, we weigh it. The combination of a rigid frame and accurate alignment makes for efficient transmission of your energy and a lively, first-rate ride; countless owners use them on long journeys and for touring and many prefer the ride of a Brompton to that of conventional bikes. - from www.brompton.co.uk Every Brompton is made-to-order, based on your specifications. You can view the entire catalog by clicking on the image below: Prices begin at $1135 -- that's US Dollars, not pounds. Call 415-484-6575 or e-mail info@huckleberrybicycles.com to get started on your custom Brompton. **Update**      BROMPTON COLOR SELECTOR      **Update** We found an online Brompton color-selection app; click on the image below:

[caption id="attachment_304" align="alignnone" width="600"] AQ at 1085 Mission Street is looking gooooood![/caption] Read the complete article here. We were honored to be mentioned in the Grey Lady, and we wish our friends at AQ the best.  Yay Central Market!  

Huckleberry loves Civia and all of their beautiful neighborhood bikes!  In our store now, the latest member of the Civia fleet: the Twin City. The simplicity of the Civia Twin City bike encourages you to get out of your car and onto your bike. It’s perfect for cruising around town or going to the coffee shop. The integrated rear rack is great for running errands, and the optional frame bag makes travelling with your wallet and keys simple and worry free. The internally geared hub means maintenance is a breeze, and the quiet ride lets you fully engage with the culture and community around you. Available  as a step-thru or step-over with seven-speed ($850) or single-speed ($595) versions. Come take a test ride, and... thanks doobies!