Biking Links

Index

Select Bicycle/Component Manufacturers
Shops/suppliers
Single Speed Links
Bicycle Maintenance
Local (West Michigan) Trails
Other Interesting Stuff

Select Bicycle/Component Manufacturers

These are some of the brands that I put complete faith in because of their superior design, quality, durability, and aesthetics.

Avid - T-H-E name in brakes, but they make other components and accessories, too. Avid is the benchmark for mechanical disc brakes.

Chris King - Headsets, hubs, wheelsets and bottom brackets (coming soon). Each component Chris King manufactures sets a standard for the industry.

RaceFace - Some of the best components out there. Seatposts, stems, cranksets, rings, bottom brackets, etc.

Salsa Cycles - Frames & various components. Of particular interest to single speeders...Salsa offers a 26" wide flat handlebar (very cool)!

Soulcraft - Bike frames (single speed, mtb, 29" mtb, road, cyclocross) & components. Gorgeous frames!

Surly - Bike frames (single speed, fixed-gear, cyclocross, dirt jumping) & components. Surly somewhat specializes in single speed conversion parts, too.

Thomson - Stems & seatposts that can almost double as art. All components are machined out of solid aluminum stock (no welds).

Shops/Suppliers

West Michigan Shops of Choice:

Alger Cyclery (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Good products and knowledgeable mechanics! Check out the low-down on my Biking Rants page.

Velo City Cycles (Holland, Michigan) - These guys are great! Excellent product selection and knowledgeable mechanics. Check out the low-down on my Biking Rants page.


My Favorite Internet Stores:

Alfred E. Bike - A great retail/internet store based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Great parts selection, reasonable prices, and fast service. AEBike caters to single speeders and tandem riders, among others.

Chucks Bikes - Internet store specializing in manufacturer buyouts and hard-to-find items. Item descriptions are very brief, but Chuck will get back with you about any product questions you have via e-mail. Great prices overall.

Harris Cyclery - Retail/internet store, and home of Sheldon Brown. Wide variety of bikes, parts (hard-to-find ones, too), and technical information. Caters to single speed and fixed gear junkies.

Icycles - Internet store based in Las Vegas, Nevada specializing in manufacturer buyouts and hard-to-find items. Great customer service, and fast turnaround on orders.

JensonUSA - One of the big-hitter internet stores. Good selection of items and great prices.

MTB Tandems.com - Internet store specializing in offroad tandem frames and components. Now, this is a truly niche market!

PricePoint - One of the big-hitter internet stores. Good selection of items and great prices.

Supergo - One of the big-hitter internet stores. Good selection of items and great prices.

Speedgoat - This retail shop in Pennsylvania also has an internet store. Knowledgable sales staff. Excellent customer service! All prices listed on their site include shipping, and every time I've ordered, I have received the item in 2-3 business days.

Trails-Edge - Michigan-based internet store specializing in equipment for outdoor enthusiasts. Sherpaboy a.k.a. Mike Flack (owner) is a great guy to work with. He also gives a discount to MMBA (Michigan Mountain Bike Association) members.

WebCyclery - One of the big-hitter internet stores. They also cater to single speeding.

Single Speed Links

This information (and a LOT more) can now be found on my Single Speed/Fixed Gear References page.

Bicycle Maintenance

Park Tool - Bike Repair and Maintenance - An excellent bicycle maintenance reference from the premier bike tool manufacturer.

Sheldon Brown's Articles - Once again, Sheldon Brown comes to the rescue with a number of maintenance and "How-To" articles.

Local (West Michigan) Trails

Singletrack:

Bass River State Recreation Area Flat, but twisty singletrack (~5 miles total). A great trail for beginners or advanced riders. Located between Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan. Check out a review of this trail.

Cannonsburg Ski Area - This is a short (~4 miles), but very hilly trail. Cannonsburg's website doesn't mention anything about the trail, but you can get the Ski Area location there. The singlestrack starts to the left of the leftmost ski hill after crossing the little bridge. A long, sandy uphill leads you into the trail. The end of the trail dumps you into a huge climb up the ski hill. It's tough, but the ride downhill is a scream! Located Northwest of Grand Rapids. Check out a review of this trail.

Cannonsburg State Game Area (a.k.a. Egypt Valley) - Fun singletrack (~7+ miles) with a couple good climbs and fair amount of sand. Located Northwest of Grand Rapids. Check out a review of this trail.

T.K. Lawless Park - Cass County Park; Challenging singletrack (~10 miles) in Southwestern Michigan. There is a small use fee at this park. Located near Cassopolis. Check out a review of this trail.

Yankee Springs Recreation Area - Challenging singletrack (~13 miles) with some good climbs and LOTS of sand. Located in Middleville, about half way between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Check out a review of this trail.

Other Trails:

Grand River Park - Ottawa County Park; Scenic multi-use trail. While the trail is not difficult to ride, it does include some beautiful scenery. There are a couple challenging hills to climb, and it's a great trail for kids to ride. Located near Jenison.

Pigeon Creek Park - Ottawa County Park; Easy, but fun biking on cross-country ski trails. Again, this trail is not difficult to ride, it does include some beautiful scenery. Another great trail for kids. Located near West Olive.

Other Interesting Stuff

Chris Timm's Cycling Site - Serious offroad tandem cyclist (among other types of riding). Great tandem articles, product tests, links, etc.

Double Forte - Forum for Off-road Tandem Enthusiasts.

Gear Inch Calculator - Here's a nice gear inch calculator compliments of the Johnson County Bicycle Club.

Icebike - All about Winter biking. Lots of great information on component selection and winter riding tips.

MMBA (Michigan Mountain Bike Association) - Trail advocacy, race promotion, etc.

Sheldon Brown - Harris Cyclery Home - The ultimate "How-to" site. Sheldon is well-known for his technical expertise. He also offers bikes/parts for sale (including many older, hard-to-find components).

Shiggy's Mt. Bike Tire Site - Comprehensive tire site including specs (manufacturer claimed specs & actual), rants & reviews.

Switchback Tandems - Manufacturer of a unique tandem adapter that can be used with mountain bikes as an alternative to a trail-a-bike.

Tandems & Kids (Precision Tandems) - Information on tandeming with kids of all ages (as young as 16 months old). Details on child stoker kits and other options.

United Bicycle Institute - Links (various subjects) - EXTENSIVE list of bicycle frame/component manufacturers, recumbent manufacturers, painters/restoration companies, online cycling magazines, etc.