February 2006

Orbea

Orbea is another bike that sets you apart from the heard and also tells everyone you ride with that you have style and sophistication. All Orbeas are handmade in Spain and hand painted. There are no decals on the bike all the lettering is painted. The ride is fantastic-quick handling with a high level of vibration damping. They fit extremely well with their compact geometry and we do a fit kit to get it right. Everybody that works at UBG rides an Orbea because they are the best.

Urban Bicycle Gallery Credit Card

It is your right as an American citizen to have a wallet or purse full of credit cards and I am sure that as a patriotic hard working American you are fully embracing the credit card culture. And why shouldn’t you? You work more hours than any other country on earth therefore you deserve to reward yourself with the equipment you require to pursue your hobbies especially if your hobby is cycling; because anything you spend on cycling is an investment in good health. Your spouse or partner should be grateful when you drop a couple of grand a year on bike stuff because that is bound to prolong your life not to mention your earning years. So what you need to completely fulfill your desire to enhance and prolong your life and also to reward yourself from time to time for participating in the superior American work ethic is an Urban Bicycle Gallery credit card that is exclusively dedicated to bike related purchases at your favorite bike shop-The Urban Bicycle Gallery.

Come in and apply today-it only takes a few minutes. You fill out a quick and easy application, we punch your data into our credit card terminal and you get an approval. The card is mailed to you and it entitles you to a variety of different terms including 90 days same as cash. Image it: you use your Urban Bicycle card for all your purchases at our store, you receive a monthly statement and instead of having to pay the bill in a month to avoid finance charges you have three months. We will offer better terms on large purchases like bikes or wheelsets. The best part is that you don’t have to use it and you never have to pay anything unless you buy something. So come in, fill out an application, get approved and add another credit card to your collection-only this one is better.

Ride of the Month: Chappell Hill
(view PDF map)

Chappell Hill is my favorite road ride within a hundred mile radius. The way we do it it’s a forty-mile ride and for me that is the perfect distance. Much over that and it becomes more of an endurance test and less of a fun ride and I ride for fun. Fitness is an important fringe benefit but it’s all about fun for me. You may have different motivations or your priorities may be arranged in a different order but you will still like this ride. It has long gently rolling hills for ample challenge but not so steep that you need a triple chainring.

The roads are not busy but there is no shoulder so you need to keep your head in the game and not wander all over the road like a drunk.

The way we do it is to park at the historical church right in the center of town where there is a parking donation box that you should drop a couple of bucks in so the locals won’t think cyclists are a nuisance with no redeeming qualities. Then we ride to Washington on the Brazos State Historical Park twenty miles away. The park is cool. It’s where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed so I’m told and there is a cool historical museum there and restroom facilities and water fountains.

The local scenery can provide a much-needed respite from the somewhat controlled chaos in which we live and toil. After the ride (as long as it’s not a Sunday ride) you can stop at Bever’s Kitchen and Gifts at 5612 Main Street for some exceptionally good home-style cooking and these incredible pies. They even have a website www.beverskitchen.com.

MS 150 Team

We have about 60 people on our MS150 Team this year and they are all going to have a great time and raise a bunch of money to help find a cure for M.S. If you can’t ride this year but you still want to help the cause you can donate by going to our MS150 Team Link and then go to the donation page. http://www.ms150.org/ms150/donate/ If you don’t have a rider to donate towards you type in the Urban Bicycle Gallery Team and your donations will go towards our team.  Thank you for your support!