2012 Lifetime Chicago Triathlon Comp Entry Contest

It is that time of year again.

Time to run, bike, and swim your butt off that is.

Village Cycle Center is once again a proud sponsor of the Lifetime Chicago Triathlon, and to celebrate, we are giving away 6 comp entries to the races, 2 for each race, International, Sprint, and Kids.


What you have to do to win is:

1. Post a picture of your bike to our Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/villagecycle
2. In the photo description let us know which race you would like to win an entry for.
3. Get your friends to like your picture.
4. The pictures with the most likes at the end of the contest wins.
5. Contest ends Friday March 9th at noon.

 So if you want an entry, post your picture and rally your friends to your cause!


Details.

Decisions of the winners are final, and that of Village Cycle Center.
There will be (2) International, (2) Super Sprint, and (2) Kids Tri comps available to win.
Contest ends at noon on 3.9.12.
If you don't like it, don't enter. If you do, do it!

Review by Sara D. on Yelp

- 2/21/12 by Sara D. on Yelp

I had an amazing experience at Village Cycle. I worked with a salesman named Joel. He asked a number of questions about what I would be using my bike for, where I lived, what kind of trails/roads i would be riding on, etc. he kept my choices within my price range, and gave me exactly what I was looking for. The coupon on yelp was easy to use, and the woman at the register was very familiar with it, which made checkout fast and easy. After the bike was built, the guys in the back answered questions I didn't even know I had. They made sure I knew the bike inside and out before I left. I was very happy with my experiences with the entire staff, and would definitely send my friends there.

Ladies Night with Trek Bikes - Wednesday, March 14th 2012 7pm-9pm

Village Cycle Center is host another ladies night, and this time it is with Trek Bikes.

Wednesday, March 14th 2012 7pm-9pm

Meet other bike-minded women and learn riding tips.

Lindsay Sherman, of Trek Bicycle,  will be here discussing
topics from flat fixes to womens apparel.

H’orderves and beverages.

Special discounts for attendees.

Raffle for great prizes like:
Bontrager Turbo Charger WSD floor pump
Bontrager multi-tool
Bontrager Race Lite WSD Fusion GelFoam glove
Bontrager Trip 2 computer
Bontrager Ion 1 and Flare 1 light set
Bontrager Air Pack CO2 inflator kit
and much more!

Schwag bag from Trek!

Limited to 40 ladies. RSVP required.

RSVP to catherine@villagecycle.com by 3.12.12

facebook.com/VillageCycle
facebook.com/TrekWomen
trekbikes.com/Women

Pretty. Fast. Womens Race Mechanics Workshop at Village Cycle Center

On Saturday the 11th, we were lucky enough and very proud to host a women's race mechanics workshop with Pretty. Fast.

We had four workstations set up around the shop each with it's designated topic of discussion and hands on demonstration. The four stations included pre race, during race, post race mechanics and maintenance, as well as one dedicated to tires, tools, and the new SRAM Red, which was helicoptered in, and tactically escorted in it's ballistic casing.  interrupted only by the crashing tranquility emanating from our revered gong which signaled it was time to rotate. Cardboard treasure chest brimming with precious bicycle goods to be raffled off which included priceless gems from Gore Bike Wear, Park Tool, and Blackburn Design.



Great turnout, ample volunteers, lots of participation, and a surplus of knowledge. Everyone had fun, and learned quite a bit in the process.



"Thanks for hosting the Pretty. Fast. Women's Cycling Clinic on Saturday! I learned a ton and it was far the best clinic I have attended." - Deanna Doohaluk  via Facebook 

Quick and easy studded tire swap on commuter bike followed by coffee.

Studded tires are fun on ice and snow, but are a bit cumbersome on dry pavement. The crew over at Village Cycle Center have a quick way to change tires and grab your coffee to go when you have a busy day ahead of you.

Village Cycle Center Google+ & Gore Bike Wear Contest

Village Cycle Center Google+ & Gore Bike Wear Contest

The Low Down:

What you gotta do to win:
Add Village Cycle Center to your circles on Google+.
On February 29th at noon we will be selecting 4 people at random to win.

What you can win:
Gore-Tex Socks
Gore Windstopper Gloves
Contest Jersey
Oxygen Cycling Shorts

What you can and can't do to win:
Must have a US shipping address in the continental 48 states. Sorry, we don't ship international.
Our decision is final. Who gets picked, is who gets picked. We have lots of contests, try another one.

Bicycle Suspension Service Intervals

Suspension Service Intervals

Proper maintenance and service on suspension products is essential to ensure consistent performance and longevity of your suspension fork and/or rear shock.

The information we have gathered below is from each manufactures website.


Fox Racing Shocks Service Intervals

To extend the service life of your FOX fork or shock, the best product maintenance plan you can follow is cleaning the product exterior after each and every ride or race. Use mild soapy water, a very light pressure water spray to rinse, and wipe dry with a clean, dry cloth.

CAUTION:  Do not use any solvents or de-greasers, as these products can damage the shock's exterior finish or its anodized parts.

Do not spray water directly on the seal/upper tube junction. Never use a high pressure washer on your FOX fork or rear shock.

When dirt dries onto the fork upper tube or shock body, it will chafe and damage the wiper seal. With a damaged seal, dirt works its way into the fork or shock. Simple, periodic maintenance can greatly extend the service life of your FOX fork or shock.

Tip:   If you tend to ride in extreme conditions frequently (dry and dusty, wet and muddy, downhill racing, winter riding, etc.), correspondingly the service procedure items should be done more frequently.


Fox Racing Shocks Front Suspension

Air Spring Forks (All 32, 36: F-SERIES, FLOAT & TALAS)

Coil Spring Forks (36 VAN & 40)

Fox Racing Shocks Rear Suspension

Rear Shocks

RockShox Service Intervals

RockShox Service Intervals

Bicycle Suspension Services at Village Cycle Center

Prices below are labor only and does not include parts or oil.

Complete Overhaul - Suspension Fork - $125.00
Includes inspection of lower legs and upper tubes, replace air valves, o-rings, bushings, seals, crush washers, and oil.

Complete Overhaul - Rear Shock - $125.00
Replace air valve cores, eyelet bushings, and oil.

Change Oil Lower Legs - $65

Change Travel - $65
For forks with internal travel adjust.

Replace Damper Rods - $65.00

Replace Lower Legs - $65.00

Replace Air Spring Assembly - $65.00
Replace all o-rings, seals, pressure check system, custom tuning.

Click on the appropriate manufacture for more information:

Fox Racing Shocks
RockShox

75% Off In Stock GU Energy Products!

Check in on Foursquare

Check in on Facebook

Come by our store, check in on Facebook or Foursquare, and save yourself 75% on all of the GU Energy products we have in stock! 

Get your GU before it's gone!

This offer expires on 2.11.12 

For those of you who can not come check in, we have some GU products

on sale on our website as well.

Check them out here.

Trek Travel Is Coming to Chicago

Join Us In Chicago To Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary!

Trek Travel is celebrating 10 years of unforgettable travel experiences and we want you to be a part of it!

Join us February 9th at the James Hotel for an evening of mingling with the Trek Travel crew and one of America's favorite professional cyclists, Robbie Ventura, formerly of the Tour de France champion US Postal team. John Burke, President of Trek Bicycles, will talk about his Top 10 Trek Travel experiences. Our own President, Tania Worgull, will be highlighting our 10th Anniversary Destinations and our new Tour de France trips with their unbelievable race access!

Light hors d'oeuvres, paired with a delicious glass of wine or a frosty mug of beer, will be served throughout the event.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 from 6:30 - 8:30pm in the Great Room Lounge of the James Hotel.

Space is limited, please RSVP by February 6, 2012 by clicking below or calling us at 866 464 8735.