Fat bike fever!

Posted on Nov 20th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Fat bikes are nothing new. Surly came out with their first model, the Pugsley, in 2004 or 2005. However, over the last year or two the popularity of fat bikes has exploded. This year several of the largest US bike companies entered the market. The WSJ even published an article about them last week! I was certainly c […] read more...

Heck of the North

Posted on Oct 14th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

The Heck of the North was started in 2009. As Jeremy Kershaw returned home from the Almanzo 100, and having recently finished the Ragnarok, he came to the conclusion that the Northland needed to represent. So started the many mornings before work pouring over county maps and the many sorties up dusty, dead-end roads. […] read more...

Pedals and Steps

Posted on Oct 8th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a fitness fanatic. I just don’t feel quite right if I don’t get a solid amount of exercise most days. My fairly recent introduction to the “Dad Club” has made working out a bit more tricky than it used to be. I’m short time, sleep and energy. My best solution thus far has been intr […] read more...

A Simple Solution to Many Complex Problems

Posted on Aug 30th 2013 | Better World, Bike Life, Blog, Video,

Being a company in the bicycle industry, it should be obvious that Planet Bike will support bicycles as a form of transportation. However, we go much beyond that in our efforts to reduce our impact on this earth. We were recently featured on Madison Gas & Electric’s Green View. Much of the footage was filmed during […] read more...

Camp Bluedog

Posted on Aug 20th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Planet Bike has been a proud supporter of Camp Bluedog for the past few years. The three day camp put on by Bluedog Cycles in Viroqua, WI (and an awesome group of volunteers) introduced roughly 60 kids to mountain biking! It is a wonderful thing to see so many kids stoked on mountain biking. […] read more...

Fading Summer Days

Posted on Aug 12th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Somehow the calendar has flipped to August already and the change of seasons looms. We’ve been enjoying a pretty spectacular summer here in the Midwest with more moderate temperatures than last year’s scorcher. It’s been a good summer to get out and ride. These days my riding is more short trips and I’m rarely riding […] read more...

Summer 2013 Super Commuter – Josh Sims

Posted on Jul 25th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Super Commuters,

Imagine that you are an employee at a rural Indiana bike shop. On a beautiful summer day, an eight-year-old boy and his parents stroll in looking for a bike. You help the lad pick out his dream bike — a late 1980s era Jazz Flipside by Trek. After installing a computer and tail light, you wish him luck and send him on […] read more...

Eat Play Bike

Posted on Jul 8th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

I had the honor to help organize Eat Play Bike in south Madison. My fellow collaborators included The Urban League of Greater Madison, Sustain Dane, WIBIC, and the City of Madison. The original concept was to do placemaking in southern Madison and it morphed into a month long festival at the Villager Mall parking lo […] read more...

Employee Bike Feature

Posted on Jun 27th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Dave has been getting a lot of trailer and tag-a-long duty on his bike lately so he finally added a geared bike to his quiver. He decided on the Salsa Vaya 2. It’s a super solid build with a myriad of features. After a couple of weeks of riding Dave has added a K.O.K.O. rack for cargo duty, a Brooks saddle, and Gras […] read more...

Build it. Bike it. Be a part of it.

Posted on Jun 17th 2013 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

Adventure Cycling Association’s Build it. Bike it. Be a part of it. Campaign once again surpassed its goal for 2013. In its inception in 2012, they set a lofty goal of $50,000. After meeting and exceeding that goal, the bar was raised substantially for 2013 with a $100,000 dream. With the support of industry and indi […] read more...

Cultural Trail

Posted on Jun 13th 2013 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog, Video,

Very cool and progressive bicycle infrastructure that was just completed in Indianapolis! More here. […] read more...

Customer Love!

Posted on May 31st 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

We love our customers and we love when they send us pictures of their awesome bikes! Thanks for the note Keith!

Guest Blog: The Alexander 400

Posted on May 21st 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

I met Martin Rudnick several years ago through various racing circles. He promotes/organizes a free gravel event in MN called the Dirty Benjamin (which Planet Bike supports). We provided Martin with two of our new Blaze 2 Watt Micro headlights to use in the Alexander 400 last weekend. The lights performed wonderfully […] read more...

Makin’ Bacon

Posted on May 20th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Our 7th annual Bacon on the Bike Path was a huge success. A gorgeous day helped bring out a massive amount of bike commuters. All the food and refreshments were devoured by 9:30. Thank you to all the bikers that stopped by. We are very grateful for our wonderful partners in this event: –Nueske’s –Just Coffee Coop […] read more...

Haulin’

Posted on May 9th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

I’ve lusted after a cargo bike for some time. We’ve certainly got no shortage of bikes at our house but I’ve slowly sold off some of my race bikes and the time was right to add a new utilitarian bike to the quiver. I thought about various styles of cargo bikes but ultimately decided on a long tail as it would allow me […] read more...

Back 40 Haiku V

Posted on May 8th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Dave returned from the back forty carrying long tasty asparagus and news that the tulips are peaking. So I grabbed the camera and headed back for my annual haiku inspiration. Camera displays, “Battery Exhausted” How share true beauty? Sunlight through petals, Translucent structure casts Shadows, telling through. Tende […] read more...

Single speed coffee pot, zero speed brain

Posted on Apr 30th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Our fancy all in one coffee grinder/brewer/carafe finally died a few months ago so we invested in some old school coffee technology, a stainless steel french press. This morning I discovered the Coffee Chasm, the gap between one’s pre-caffeinated motor skills and the minimum motor skills required to operate a coffee p […] read more...

Call of the Bacon

Posted on Apr 29th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Wisconsin will be celebrating Bike to Work Week for the year from May 13-17. What? You thought Christmas was the most wonderful time of year? Think again. Planet Bike will yet again be slinging bacon, donuts, fruit and coffee in appreciation of our fellow bicycle commuters! Join us on Thursday, May 16 on the John Nol […] read more...

Spring Classics

Posted on Apr 17th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

Getting to witness two of the most celebrated spring classic bike races was an ethereal experience. Sitting on the hillside of the cobbled Kwaremont at the Tour of Flanders in Belgium we soaked up the culture of the country and the sport. From small children to groups of teenagers to elderly couples; spectators of all […] read more...

Jeff Jones City Bike

Posted on Mar 25th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

If you’re not a mountain biker, you might not be familiar with Jeff Jones. Being a huge fan of “off the beaten path”, I’ve been quite fond of the Jones Bike aesthetic for a long time. Jeff recently posted on his bikes as a city or touring bike. Of course he chose Planet Bike Cascadia fenders for the build! […] read more...

Passive Transportation

Posted on Mar 18th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

“Freedom of mobility is important to human beings. There is dignity in being independent, in being in control of one’s movements and one’s time. We place value in this, and with dignity and independence comes prestige.” Find the rest of this intriguing post over at Lovely Bicycle! […] read more...

High School Mountain Bike Leagues

Posted on Mar 12th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

It’s really exciting seeing mountain bike racing taking off at the high school level. Singletrack High is a documentary following the Northern California league. “Many kids in America stop riding bikes in high school. Riding through puddles is no longer cool. Two wheels get traded in for four. For hundreds of ki […] read more...

CIRREM 2013

Posted on Feb 26th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Planet Bike has been a sponsor of CIRREM for several years now. It’s a great grassroots gravel road race in Iowa…in February! If you’re one open to adventure, you may want to add this one to your bucket list! […] read more...

Every day is a great day to ride a bike!

Posted on Feb 13th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

Madison Bike Winter is a small but dedicated band of cyclists who are determined to keep their bikes out of storage when the temperature dip and snow starts to fall. In a effort to acknowledge the efforts of the area’s winter commuting community, Madison Bike Winter declared this week to be the 2nd annual Winter Bike […] read more...

Live Forward Club

Posted on Feb 11th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

This month, we’re teaming up with our friends at Sustain Dane to give away five free bike light sets to Live Forward Club members! Light your way through February with the Blaze 1W and Superflash Light Set. To enter to win, show some love on Facebook or Twitter. The five most creative, entertaining posts that mentio […] read more...

Cyclocross Worlds on Home Soil

Posted on Feb 6th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

Last weekend was an historic event in the cycling world. For the first time ever, and surely the last time for many years, the UCI World Cyclocross Championships were held in the United States. Louisville assembled a top notch course and thousands of spectators filled the grounds at Eva Bandman Park. In case you mis […] read more...

Superflash Turbo

Posted on Feb 5th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

I’m back after two weeks out of the office and I’ve got some serious catching up to do! Let’s start off with an easy one, the Presidential Inauguration. We tagged up a few pedicabs that were pedaling around the grounds. I’d say they were an eye-catcher! Anyone see one of these in the wild? […] read more...

Community Homestead

Posted on Jan 15th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

A few weeks ago we received a request for light donations from Community Homestead in Osceola, WI. Community Homestead is settled on the bluffs of the St. Croix River. The CSA helps sustain the community of nearly 40 people in six households. They are all ages, all abilities and disabilities, living and working togeth […] read more...

Champions among us

Posted on Jan 14th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog, News,

Those familiar with cyclocross know that Planet Bike founder Bob Downs is an enormous supporter of the sport as well as a force to be reckoned with on the race course. Over the weekend Verona, WI hosted the national championships. Conditions changed by the hour, from mud to ice to mud-covered ice…you get the idea. Al […] read more...

Adventuring

Posted on Jan 7th 2013 | Bike Life, Blog,

It’s hard to capture the invigoration in a crisp, winter morning bike ride. Today, this was my best effort in showing the feeling. This backwoods trail is off a “hidden” Madison bike path. It looked especially packed down so I decided to give it a whirl. I was wishing for a fat bike, but had a fun adventure nonetheles […] read more...