Spin's Blog

Sometimes wear is amazingly good.

2011-01-26T08:33:00.001-08:00

An excellent customer brings his bike to SPIN at a minimum of once a year for general maintenance, then as often as necessary to fix or replace whatever has worn out in between services. Here's a fantastic picture of his bottle cage. The entire surface of the cage has been machined or ground off from literally thousands of uses and tens of thousands of miles of vibration and gentle constant wear. So, how is the wear good? The wear is an indication of enormous amounts of time riding, reflecting, exercising and stress relieving. Beautiful.

2010-10-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Cat Attack!
The new CatBike Musashi arrives at SPIN tomorrow. I can't wait.

Time for Fenders on the Cat

2010-09-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

Raining earlier this morning... On my way out of the neighborhood on my recumbent trike on wet pavement, I noticed a light mist. I stopped to get my glasses and noticed the mist was gone. It wasn't raining a drop anymore. My tires were throwing up a light mist of worm guts, dirt and other choice ingredients, directly into my face. I think it's time for front fenders.

Continuing the Catrike Commute...

2010-09-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

We've been a single car family all spring and summer. The Catrike has been a huge contributing factor. I've been splitting my commuting miles about 50/50 on my red Catrike Expedition and my road bike. The road bike is about 5 minutes faster over my 10 mile commute, but the Catrike is decidedly more fun. I'm approaching 1300 miles this season from commuting alone.
If you ever have any questions about commuting, from equipment to route planning to traffic strategy, please feel free to visit and bend my ear. I love to talk about the commute. In my opinion, riding to work is one of the best ways to stack miles on your bike... or trike.

NEW NAME - NEW LOCATION!

2010-08-28T05:57:00.001-07:00

What's the name of that bike shop in Old Town? Spin Cycle? Spin City? Spin...? I dunno...it's Spin something...

Since no one could remember the full, correct name of the shop we decided to make it easy.
The bicycle shop in Old Town is now officially known as, SPIN. Plain and simple.

With the new name is a new location!
SPIN is now located right around the corner on Grand River across from the Sir Pizza parking lot. You can't miss it.

We're still in the process of arranging everything, but sales and service are in full swing.
Stop in and check out the new place - it's shaping up to be a beautiful location with all the Old Town charm you'd expect.

SPIN
206 E. Grand River Ave.
Lansing MI 48906
517.372.3000

Back to Warm Weather Hours!

2010-04-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

We're back to being open on Mondays. We're hoping to stay open later one evening...still working on that. If you've got an evening that works better for you, please let us know!

MON: Noon - 6pm
TUE-FRI: 10:30am - 6pm
SAT: 10am - 4pm
SUN: Closed

Catrike Blue Jean Commute

Chad has logged almost 200 miles on the Catrike riding back and forth to work.
This is what he says about the Catrike Road, "I can't remember having so much fun on a bike! Here are a few cool things I've learned about riding a Catrike":

Staying clipped in at stop lights is cool!
Motorists think you're a unique object and give you LOTS of room while passing
I can answer cell phone calls with no problem - and even carry on a conversation while sipping my water...all while keeping it on the road
I'm only about 1mph slower on the Catrike than on my road bike
It's fabulous to lay back and relax while coasting down hills
There is absolutely NO way to appreciate this type of trike without taking a serious test ride.

There is a Catrike available for test riding at SPIN - any time it's dry outside! Come take it for a whirl :)

Demo Bike Special #2 - Bianchi Milano Cita 18" Black

2010-02-25T11:25:00.001-08:00

The Milano Cita is a blast to ride. She's taken us on a handful of trips to the hardware, made a few lunch runs and and has seen both ends of the river trail a few times.
Fenders and a sturdy rack make this bike a perfect commuter, campus cruiser or recreational ride.
Light use has left her in exceptionally good health, very close to showroom condition in fact.

Regular price: $600.00
Demo Sale Price: $399.00

Demo Bike Sale #1 - Rans Hammer Truck

2010-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

One lucky commuter will own this amazing Rans Hammer Truck.
This is a demo bike with very few miles.
The crank forward model has incredible versatility. Payload capacity is 300 lbs and the rider weight limit is 275 lbs for a total maximum capacity of 575 lbs.
In spite of the huge carrying capacity, the Hammer Truck provides a very efficient ride. It's perfect for cross town jaunts to the city market, fully loaded camp touring or anything in between.

Our Hammer Truck Demo bike is equipped with:
Runners: $30
Runner Covers: $80
Orange Sling Bags: $230
Topper Deck: $85
Regular retail as spec'd: $2420.00
Demo Bike Sale price: $1400.00

Spin's Early Season Checkover Special

2010-02-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

We're running a limited quantity checkover special. Here are the details:

Only 30 checkovers will be sold at $45.00 (regular price $65.00).
Checkover must be booked by March 5th.
We will install any upgrades and accessories that you purchase from us for no additional labor charge.
This is a great opportunity to replace a chain or cassette, brake and derailleur wires, brake pads, tires and tubes, or have a new computer installed. How about fenders and a rack for the commuters out there?
Call the shop to reserve your checkover or to be placed on a short reserve list in case there are any cancellations.

Winter Commuting and Recumbent Trikes

2009-10-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

For most "all weather" commuters, the one stopper to pedaling for transportation is fundamental safety. When roads get snowy and iced over, staying upright on a conventional two-wheeler is a challenge. Enter the three wheeled recumbent.
This ride will transport you faithfully in all conditions short of deep snow in stable, efficient comfort. Equipped with a fairing, frozen fingers are taken out of the equation as well. This beauty stopped one of my die-hard commuters in his tracks as he approached the sales counter. "You're tempting me, man", he said, before I was able to deliver my sales pitch.
Trikes are available for test ride now. Come see what I'm talking about.

Cycling in Lansing...

2009-03-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce our newest line - Rans Bicycles.
Rans makes an awesome line of recumbent bikes, crankforward bikes and an amazing utility bike called the Hammer Truck which happens to be available in the shop now (you've got to see this thing). Check out Rans here.

Spin Street is makin' some NOISE - - View our latest Noise article about cycling in Lansing. NOISE is available all over Lansing, for free.

Shake, rattle and roll. Riding weather has arrived (finally!). Riding in 40 degree weather is actually quite comfortable with the right clothing. We have leg and arm warmers, toe covers and gloves to make riding in the transition season perfectly comfortable.

Don't neglect to bring your bicycle to Spin Street for some expert attention. We'll only have it for a day or two, and then you can hit the road or trail knowing your bike is safe and ready to ride.

Now, roll out!

Jamis Bicycles Have Arrived!

2009-01-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Jamis Bicycles fell off the back of a truck just a few days ago! We quickly threw them through the front window. Jamis has a great line of bikes for all riders. Check JamisBikes.com and come visit the shop to see these shiny new rides.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

2008-12-24T11:20:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for supporting Spin Street in our opening year. We're off to a solid start.
Every purchase made by our loyal customers has a profound effect on our business. My family and I are very, very grateful.

We will close Wednesday December 24th at 2:00 and reopen on Tuesday January 6th at 11:00 am. Feel free to drop us a line at chad@spinstreetbikes.com if you have any pressing issues. We'll check email periodically during our "vacation".

Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays,

Chad and Nicole Cottom and Family

We're Open Sunday12/7.

2008-12-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

We're Open on Sunday 12/7 from 11:00 am til 4:00 pm. Old Town is bustling with Holiday activity. This weekend is the Old Town Dickens Village event. Lots going on, so check out www.iloveoldtown.org for details.

Running Bikes?

2008-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Look, no pedals! This Running Bike, by Strider Sports, teaches kids age 1-5 years old how to balance and steer a two-wheeler. The simple design offers easy control and helps build confidence. Skip the tricycles and training wheels. These work amazingly well. And don't worry about your child outgrowing the running bike. They're surprisingly popular among the two-wheel riding crowd as well.

The Cat's Out of the Bag!!!

2008-12-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Spin Street Bicycles is very proud to announce that we're an official Catrike Dealer!
Catrikes are amazing performance recumbent trikes, arguably the best you can buy.

Recumbents, in general, suit an amazingly wide array of cyclists. Recumbent trikes broaden that array a little further. Go fast, have a blast, steer like a go cart, drink your coffee while you ride, stop worrying about falling over, climb hills so steep you can barely keep moving, stop and rest on that same hill without putting your feet down, RIDE IN THE SNOW... All perfectly valid reasons to ride a recumbent trike. Check them out at www.catrike.com

Officially OPEN!

2008-04-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

SPIN STREET is now open!

LSJ NOISE article - though brief and not exactly accurate, it's free advertising!

Read Article

Here are a few pictures from our first day open.
As new inventory arrives, the shop is growning and changing - in fact, we have considerably more inventory now than what you see here.

Would your child like to cast off those training wheels? Bring her/him in for a quick lesson with Chad - he has taught all the kids on our street to ride!

It's finally happening...

2008-03-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE BIKES!

A big truck pulled up to deliver bicycles to the shop yesterday, and Chad received them through the front windows - how cool :) I wasn't there to see it but Chad was pretty excited. He sent me phone pictures of the bike boxes lined up against the wall. 17 bikes so far...and so many more to come.

I am proud to say that Spin Street has already had its first sale - a top of the line Fuji.

Check out those two proud dudes.

We will update this blog often, and the website will be up and running later this spring.

Please check back often!