HubBub Custom Bicycles

Everybody's Doing It

or teaching it or writing about it... Yoga, that is.  And there is something both good and bad about that. 

I think that the practice of yoga is the practice of living - not just an exercise class one goes to once a week.  It is about breathing and eating, sleeping and bathing, exercise and introspection.  It is about LIVING fully. 

THE GOOD

The good is that yoga is becoming more mainstream.  It isn't considered as weird and off-the-wall as it once was.  Much of its acceptance among those who would never have practiced it a decade ago is the "star quality" that it now seems to garner.  When Ali McGraw and Erich Schiffmann made their video "Yoga - Mind & Body" in 1994, it played to a very small audience indeed. 

Today, there is a plethora of stars - men and women - who start or end their days with their asana practice and meditation and no one makes fun of them; rather, these yogis and yoginis are emulated - sometimes right down to their expensive yoga pants and tops.  People are no longer afraid to try a yoga class or sit and meditate; especially when they see their favorite movie or television star doing it.

There are magazines devoted to yoga and its practices and there are yoga teachers who themselves are "headliners", appearing on the covers of fashion magazines and in television ads.

It is also somewhat likely today that health care professionals will recommend yoga, citing its calming effects and encouraging the gentle stretching that can help the body heal itself after illness or surgery.

There are even the "approved" medical programs such as the Cleveland Clinic Sunrise Yoga program - free to any Cleveland Clinic employee - bringing yoga and its benefits to those who work in a medical setting; which, in turn might rub off onto patient interaction and care.

Most of the local yoga studios have well trained teachers and many have teachers who have been teaching for decades.  Almost all of us are committed to the rigors of ongoing education and practice, giving students the benefit of a variety of teachers, styles, and experiences.

This is all good - truly.  And it feels good to be in the right place at the right time doing something I really love to do.

And then there is the "but"....

THE BAD

I see all kinds of books and videos that say things like "yoga for cyclists" and "yoga for triathletes" and "yoga for swimmers" and "yoga for runners" and "yogilates" (allegedly a combination of yoga AND Pilates) and I wonder what the hell they are talking about! 

Now I am NOT saying there are not a variety of forms of yoga that have a great deal of merit.  But for some reason, Americans are so bent on being individuals and expressing that individuality in a wide range of ways, that the marketing geniuses figured we needed dozens of "yogas" to suit all these different individualities. And so, we have conjured up all kinds of variations on a theme when in fact, yoga at its essence is simple and thorough without being difficult or painful.

Yoga teachers are being turned out at an amazing rate; yoga training programs are popping up all over the place.  Since I was certified to teach in December, 2002, at least 6 more programs have cropped up in NE Ohio.  And, the number of studios that have opened is mind boggling. 

This explosion of yoga "styles" and new teachers has also spawned a lot of negative issues such as mis-behaving yoga teachers and injured students.  I can't tell you the number of people who have said to me that they won't go back to a yoga class because they were injured!  And, while it is true that a certain type of competitive student - the one who wants to "do it right" or "do it better than the next person" rather than working from a safe and mindful place - is often the one who ends up injured, yoga should heal - not hurt!  

SO WHAT'S THE ANSWER?

I think that teaching yoga is a privilege and carries with it a resonsibility to a core yogic principle - do no harm (ahimsa).  

I am always saddened when a student gives up on yoga because of a teacher or style; and, I am not hurt when a student leaves my practice upon finding a more compatible one with another teacher. I hope that I have conveyed the essence of yoga so that the student still wants to practice. 

It is my opinion that yoga is good for everyone - man, woman, big, small, heavy, light, old, young, athlete, or couch potato. It isn't just the physical postures, but the mental, emotional, and spiritual practice that, conveyed with sincerity and understanding, will keep a student engaged.  Yoga well taught makes you feel calm and peaceful, quiet and whole. It doesn't need to be pigeon-holed into yoga for this or yoga for that.

So, the answer is - yes for yoga.  After all, everybody is doing it!

Never Seem to Get It All DONE

I was really going to put up more about Interbike - honest!  Then the PVG Tour weekend came along and I just had to tie up all the loose ends before the ride - which was great, BTW.

We had cool temps, threatening (but never materializing) rain, a full moon, a fabulous sunrise, and even a rainbow during the weekend.  Neither Brian nor I felt "ready" on Friday, but somehow it all seemed to fall into place and everything worked out well.  Well, the person who plowed into a telephone pole on Sunday morning sometime around 2am and knocked out the power to the hotel, didn't do us any favors.  We got up late, had no hot water for showers, and the breakfast was limited.  BUT, no one seemed all that upset.  There are lots of photos and even a rider's blog if you want to see and know more about the event.

So, while we were in Ashtabula County over the weekend, the coffee shop went dark!  And, I don't mean a dark blend either.  The Saturday barista slept through the entire morning and on into the afternoon, never opening the store at all.  It was the final straw in a series of obnoxious events and on Sunday, we turned out the lights for the last time under our management. 

The coffee shop may open under new management in the near future, but I don't know that for certain at this time. We are still going to be offering our High Peaks Coffee blends including: medium, dark, decaf, espresso, and HubBub Anniversary.  We will be happy to special order any of the other beans that we sold.  I will be updating our on line store to include them in the next day or so.  At least now I will have more time to focus on HubBub and Daily Yoga. 

Oooops - gotta' run for now.  (NEVER seem to get it done.)

Bibi

 

Interbike 2009 - Tuesday

We arrived in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon and hopped a shuttle to Treasure Island – sorry “TI” as it is now known.  Brian remarked on the quality of the shuttle driver,  who seemed to know all the shortcuts telling us that there are several LV properties on the strip that are causing a lot of construction headaches.  We usually find ourselves the last ones off the shuttle for some reason but this time we were second – good thing too, since it was well over 90 degrees.

There was a short registration line at the hotel AND they had our reservation all ready for us.  So far – so good; until we got up to the 30^th floor where we found that our door lock was a bit temperamental.  Fortunately, a nice lady from housekeeping was in the room next door and showed us some tricks to making the touchy lock-key combination work.    

We were both hungry and decided to go back to an outdoor restaurant not too far from TI, but wait, now we had a temperamental elevator – or maybe it was just super slow;  we waited well over 5 minutes before it showed up and we could go back down to the lobby.  Somehow this scenario rang a bell with me.

[An aside]You would think that the 4 elevators that serve the 30^th floor and only have to stop at 25-30 once off the ground, could run more often than every 10-15 minutes, but we’ve encountered the same issue every other time we’ve tried to go down to the lobby.  Which is interesting in itself since there always seems to be an elevator IN the lobby when we want to go upstairs.  I dunno.

So we walked over to Ba-Ba Reeba, a tapas restaurant we’d been to before and had a great experience.  It was only around 5pm but, seemingly following in the footsteps of the sluggish elevator, we were now experiencing prolonged and uninspiring service.  In fact, we almost got up and left before someone finally reminded the server that she had another table.  In the end, there was good news; the meal was awesome, really awesome.  We had a bunch of little tapas things that made me very happy and the sangria was great.

We went back to our hotel to await a call from our friend and Brian’s part time assistant Mike who had flown in with his Dad later in the afternoon.  We met down in the lobby for two of the most expensive drinks I can ever remember ordering but then, free drinks only appear when you are gambling, which we were not. The drink coupons that were supposed to be good for a BO-GO, didn’t work out so well either.  <Sigh> Vive Las Vegas!

Anyway, we decided to walk across the street to the largest Walgreens ever built as far as we knew.  Except, you don’t just “walk across the street” on Las Vegas Blvd. – You need to go up an escalator, across a bridge, and then down another escalator to get where you want to go – it’s bizarre.  Anyway, this Walgreens, which was NOT there in 2007 when we were last at Interbike, was a mall all by itself.  It had EVERYTHING!  We just wanted to buy water and Aleve but we were pretty astounded at the breadth of merchandise that had nothing to do with a drug store.  It deserves a blog entry all to itself actually.  So, we meandered back to TI, got in the elevator – immediately of course – and caught the last 15 minutes of the new NCIS.  Oh it’s so good to be back in Vegas!

 

Yoga in Yellow Springs - September '09

 

Once a year I go down to Yellow Springs, Ohio (it’s near Dayton) and spend the weekend with about 100 other Yogis in a workshop led by Erich Schiffmann.  Many of us are yoga teachers, others are longtime practitioners, and some are students of some of the attending teachers.  To say that this workshop is enlightening doesn’t even begin to describe its quality. 

The experience always elevates my awareness in a way that not only emphasizes how much I enjoy teaching yoga but also reminds me of how gratifying it is to be the student.  Even though I've taken this workshop four times over the past 5 years, (or maybe four times over the past four years...hmmm) it is always both unique and familiar.  It feels like a continuous thread that twists and turns and expands on itself, sometimes filling out an idea and sometimes allowing me to peek at something I hadn't noticed before - "knowing" though that it was probably there all along.

We arrive on Friday evening for a 3-hour session that begins with a conversation - even though Erich does most of the talking.  It is obvious that most everyone is curious and excited by Erich's ideas and explanations of how yoga is working for him and what he is conveying to us.  It is quickly evident to anyone who has not studied or practiced with him that the breadth and depth of his experience is vast and masterful.  The rest of us, while not taking it for granted, come especially for these qualities.

"The main work", he says, "is meditation" - but not in a traditional "sit-down-and-meditate" sense only. We do sit (or lie down, or do whatever makes us comfortable) and we do become still and we do "meditate."  But the real goal is to be in the meditative "listening" mode all the time - not just a programmed 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night.  Instead, it is in the work that we do, mentally, physically, and emotionally, that the truth shows up and decisions that might otherwise have been painful and protracted, become simple and self-evident.  It is a workshop in how to live the yogic life.

And, so, throughout the sessions we pause at the end of a sequence and spend 2-3 minutes back in the quiet, listening, meditative state - thus allowing not only what we've just done to sink in, but giving new feelings, ideas, and thoughts the opportunity to reveal themselves.

The work - if you want to call it that - is thorough and intelligent.  It is so obvious that Erich's 40+ years as a yogi - his hundreds if not thousands of hours of doing the practice, working with the masters, and "listening to the universe" for both guidance and answers - is translated into a cohesive and exciting experience for us.

One of the most important and perhaps not often mentioned (though not overlooked, I'm sure) aspect of Erich's workshops is his personality.  He's engaging, funny, smart, and contemporary.  He isn't full of himself; rather, he is genuine and guileless.  And, I find it impossible not to stay both interested and expectant.

Towards the end of our Friday night session, Erich added a new dimension which I think he may initially have feared could be construed as a "cop out" to him continually "teaching" us for the 10 hours we had been promised.  Within a few minutes however, I don't think anyone thought that; rather, it became quickly obvious that everyone not only enjoyed it, but thoroughly got into it.

He calls it "free form yoga" and it is meant for us to use our self-expression and just "do what came to us".  Some chose to just relax on their mats; others did vigorous "vinyasa" (flowing) sequences (although I don't know where they got the energy!)  Still others just gently moved into one inner guided posture or another. The feeling in the room during these free form sessions (we did two that evening)was fascinating.  It seemed as if no one actually "decided" to do something, yet everyone was engaged in the process.  The results were fabulous!  The energy was mixed and everyone seemed totally comfortable doing whatever s/he decided to do.  It seemed the most natural thing in the world to add it to this workshop. My personal practice IS a kind of free form and it has carried over into my teaching as well.  Listening to what felt right was nothing less than perfect in that moment.

The Friday night session ends with savasana - seated or lying down again - and our "homework" is to "slide in the meditative state" twice more before coming back to the space in the morning, (Practicing sitting up in bed was strongly recommended.)  :-)

Saturday is divided in two sessions - 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.  It is a seamless continuation of the night before,  which offers us both continuity and familiarity.  The structure and pace kept me glued to my mat even when my hands and shoulders were tired from the "heavy handed dog sequence" on its fourth repeat.  I didn't want to miss any of it.  (I never do.)  The conversations were again stimulating and interesting.  Much of it wasn't new to me, but it was gratifying seeing others become engaged by the concepts and entertained by the stories and examples.  I have repeated many of them over the past few years and always love hearing them again direct from Erich.

The Saturday session ended with a longer savasana accompanied by the strange and dreamy  music of el- Hadra (Mystik Dance).  Erich doesn't always use music in his sessions, but this piece in particular blew me away so I thought it was worth mentioning.

We went back to our hotel tired and sore, and somewhat euphoric.  I always rent the room with the hot tub and after a soak, emerged feeling hungry and refreshed. 

Sunday's session is always bittersweet.  Knowing the weekend is over means we must continue on our own until we have the privilege of coming back together the next year.  Yet we take with us a renewed sense of our commitment to our work as yogis.  Once again the discussion was engaging.  More attendees asked questions in this session and so it became a larger conversation among us. Our asana practice was invigorating and fun - I love all the reclining lunge work. 

Then, the final Namastes were said, the mats were rolled up, and by 1:30 everyone was gone. What remained was the room - the space we had thanked many times over the weekend.  For 10 hours it had been transformed into a space for learning and expression.  As a group of yogis we hoped we added some peace and gratitude to the universe - we were all grateful to Erich.

Namaste Erich ("Namaste yogis" he would say!)  See you next time.

 

Bellfaire Biathlon... what's happened?

Many years ago, I was the first director of the Bellfaire-JCB Biathlon.  The run-bike-run event has become a mainstay of the racing scene here in NE Ohio, raising money for Bellfaire's programs and providing a nice east side venue for the multi-sport athlete.

Evidently, the event has changed over the past 12 months and is now a foot race and a bike RIDE - WHAT?  In todays' Sun Press, Mayor and Safety Director of Beachwood, Merle Gordon, states "This is a residential community, and people should be able to back out of their driveways and not expect a bunch of bikes racing down their street and flying through our major intersections."

WHOA... back up here Mayor Gordon!!  #1, backing out of your driveway into traffic, especially traffic that is either going the speedlimit or UNDER, is against the law - especially if you hit someone.  

Ohio Revised Code:

4511.44 Right-of-way at highway from any place other than another roadway.

(A) The operator of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley about to enter or cross a highway from any place other than another roadway shall yield the right of way to all traffic approaching on the roadway to be entered or crossed.

#2 If you don't want this event to go through your community, you should just say so.  The amount of time that the streets are closed or otherwise monitored for this event is incredibly short - the cycling portion was only 15 miles or so as I remember (which is out AND back). 

#3 - A biathlon by definition is a race - not a ride.  Those who have participated in this event in the past train for it with the intention of either reaching a new personal best, winning or placing in their age group, or perhaps winning the entire event.  Changing the intent to something else will discourage participation and Bellfaire and its programs will suffer.  (Not to mention pissing off the athletes.)

I think this is probably more a political issue than a safety issue. I hope they figure it out - it would be a shame to lose this event.

Where HAS the Banking Industry Gone?

Can you say FIASCO???   So far this year, my bank account has been a yo-yo unlike anything I've ever experienced.  And, it took until this past Saturday to finally figure out what has been happening and why.

We purchase many of our bicycle parts from vendors who have on-line systems.  The FIRST time the card is authorized, there is no freight added and the initial authorization is for exactly what the order amount states.  THEN, the order is picked, packed, weighed, and FREIGHT is added... only, it isn't a second charge just for freight - THE ENTIRE AMOUNT, THIS TIME INCLUDING FREIGHT, is again debited to the card.  So, now the card is tied up for approximately twice the amount of the invoice.

It takes THREE BUSINESS DAYS for the lesser of the two charges to drop off the card and in the case of this past Friday, that amounted was almost $2,000.  So, the charges to the card were almost $4,000.00.

None of this would matter if the bank didn't see it as being 'OVERDRAWN" in "available balance."  And what does the bank do?  Charge overdraft fees AND return other checks or scheduled payments while holding onto a charge that isn't real.  The actual balance can be many hundreds, even thousands of dollars - but because the alleged AVAILABLE balance is negative ...

So, FREE CHECKING is really a euphemism for  - "we can't get you for the basic checking account, but we make it up in absolutely everything else!"

I think that banking regulations need to be changed - banks are ripping us off in their quest to remain solvent and breaking the backs of small businesses such as mine. 

I wonder what I can do about it???

Lightweight Exploding Wheels!

We build our own wheels at HubBub.  It seems that this is one of the things that sets us apart from many other shops - even those that sell custom bicycles.  It has also been a bone of contention with some customers on occasion, but we've held to our beliefs - being proven justified  more than once.

We believe wheels should be reliable, safe, and built for the rider - qualities that rider include weight, experience, and the kind of riding intended.  Our wheels are meant to offer thousands of miles of trouble free riding, just as our bikes are.  Even (or especially) in racing situations, we believe that sacrificing reliability and predictabilty for weight isn't usually the wise decision.

The current trend in wheels has been pushing the limit with low spoke counts, paired spoking patterns, and a lot of carbon fiber.  While some of the production bike companies have begun to spec more appropriate wheels on some of their road bike models, the after-market wheels that many dealers are selling have become more and more exotic.   And, the marketing pitch to own and ride a pair of these wheels is hot and heavy in the media marketplace. 

And, no one has been more aggressive in getting specialty wheels into the hands of the rider than Mavic.  From their original Helium wheel that was touted as "the lightweignt, climbing wheel" to the new R-Sys carbon-fiber spoked wheels, Mavic has stubbornly held to their claims of a superior wheel, even in the face of obvious, and now dangerous, failures. 

Case in point: on June 9th, one of Velo News editors, Ben Delaney, was racing on Mavic's POST-RECALL, redesigned R-Sys front wheel when it literally exploded in a turn.  At first, Mavic wanted to blame "rider error" but, to Velo News' and Ben Delanye's credit, they tracked down witnesses, had photographs, and reported on it immediately, even though Mavic is an advertiser with the magazine both on line and in print. 

Brian has weighed in on this from both my persepective and a more technical point of view on his blog, Artispin.

I don't know if this incident will serve to wake up the riding public, those who oversee these types of problems, and/or the manufacturers; but, with the speed that information travels and the number of people who are able to read and assess information quickly, I hope the manufacturers will stop using the general public as unsuspecting test subjects.

As for the riders, I guess there will always be those who want the newest, the lightest, and allegedly, the fastest.  The question always comes back to... at what cost?

Do What You Love - Love What You Do

Cliche?  Maybe... read on please.

As the owner of a small, seasonal business that is inextricably entwined with the ups and downs of our clients’ disposable incomes, I  have to occasionally take a step back to get a perspective on life that doesn’t go down the road to sheer panic. 

Over the 35+ years that I have been in the bicycle business, I have seen other economic cycles that have led to business unrest and substantial layoffs.  Why this one seemed so different was a little difficult to pinpoint for me until I remembered the speed at which information travels – ugly news in this case; coupled with a media that tends to whip bad news into frenzy, often it seems, just for the hell of it.

Our business model is unusual, to say the least.  Many in the bike business will say that if you want to make a million dollars, you need to start with two million.  Not so funny when you look at the economics.  But, HubBub’s original concept – every bike a one-off custom fit, design, and build – was virtually unheard of in 1996 when it was conceived. 

We got off to a somewhat slow and shaky start, and managed to refine the idea rather well.  Then we decided to move to a location we thought was well-suited to our needs.

We had high hopes and aspirations for a bright and successful future, when we opened Hubbub’s new store in Chesterland in 2004.  Then, deception and a series of unforeseen circumstance, shattered all of that optimism in a matter of months, almost closing the doors before the first season was over.   I think we kept going the summer and fall of 2004 because we just didn’t know what else to do.  The effort to put our heads down, come to work every day, and just keep going was nothing less than monumental.  The stress was nearly unbearable (and sometimes still comes rushing in with a fierceness that knocks the wind out of us).

The next couple of years were difficult but we saw a lot of progress.  2006 saw the best sales year in our history.  2007 was flat but satisfactory; and finally, our massive debt began to slowly diminish.  

Then, as you might suspect, the bottom began to fall out again in late ’08.  We were once more staring at that “why are we still in this business” question and wondering whether we are mentally, physically, and emotionally equipped for another trip UP the fragile financial ladder.

 Which brings me, finally, to the essence of what I intended to write in the first place:  our clients.

The truth is that we deal with the most extraordinary people.  And I need to keep reminding myself that these are very challenging times for many if not most.  Some clients are terrified of losing their jobs often working an obscene number of hours; some have lost huge sums of money; and some are doing quite well.   Some are women, some are men; some are well-off and some are of modest means. What they all have in common though is that they consider cycling their sport and trust us as their cycling advisers. 

It is a privilege and it is a big responsibility.  To not take it seriously would be arrogant and an affront to those who have put themselves in our hands.  The leap of faith that each must make to trust that we will deliver exactly what we promise is all the more important in times when deception and loss is so pervasive. 

Over the past 12 years, we have continued to perfect our methods and the results are becoming better and better.  Yet, what most of our clients do not realize is the nervous anticipation we feel each time a new bicycle comes off the workstand.

This is the moment when it all comes together – the fit, the design, the hours of conversation and discussion, and the attentive build that Brian orchestrates.  We literally hold our breath as we wheel the bicycle out to its new owner and he or she clips into the pedals for the first time to circle the parking lot and then take off for a short test ride.  The rewards are the smiles and thank yous – then we breathe.  And when someone calls or writes or comes in to say that what we have helped them do has changed them in some positive way – allowing them to accomplish goals that they thought were unattainable - we are both humbled and proud.

So, even though we have really rough days, sometimes weeks – times when we aren’t sure how we will keep the lights and phones on or pay the rent and taxes – we roll another beautiful bike out of the shop and the magic begins once again.  It is the moment that makes it all worthwhile.

Do You Offer A Club Discount?

This topic comes up pretty much on an annual basis, so I am going to address it in this, our public forum. 

HubBub strives to support the entire cycling community with high quality equipment at prices that are competitive coupled with technical expertise that is unparalleled.  Bike shops are small businesses with enormous investment in tools, inventory, and supplies.  We also support many local clubs and organizations with assistance in the form of promotion of their events, bag stuffers, and SAG support.  

In addition, we provide venue for cyclists in the form of organized rides (Emerald Necklace Tour for 15 years: PVG Ride for the past 4).  These rides are open to everyone and are offered to encourage new cyclists the opportunity to join larger, more seasoned groups to gain confidence and broaden their cycling experiences.  We invest heavily in these events with both time and money asking nothing in return but the participants' enjoyment. 

If the only criterion for shopping with us is a discount, we think you are missing the point.   

 

 

Bike Summit - Wrap-up

   

I'm not certain I am 100% ready to write this wrap up to my experience of the 2009 Bike Summit, but I'm going to try.

First, I would have to say that the League of American Bicyclists MUST be commended on a stellar job.  The Summit was exceptionally well-organized, with attention paid to details that made the experience seamless.  When we needed food, there was food; when we needed assistance, there was assistance; and when we needed a break, we got a break.  Everyone worked hard, learned a ton, and I think went home feeling that we had made an impact.  It was exhiliarating.

Each day and every breakout session we attended was a step forward to Thursday when more than 550 of us descended on Capitol Hill with our message - support bicycling related legislation.  Being a part of how our system works at the legislative level reminds one of how fortuante we are to live here and now. 

The message that was repeated to us over and over from those legislators who took the time to come to our Amphitheater in the Ronald Reagan Building was - "you have a partner in Washington" - and on Thursday, when we called upon our Senators and Congresspeople with our message, it was clear that they knew we were coming!  Even the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, made it clear that we could count on the Obama administration to support bicycling related ideas.

I have heard back from some of our attendees that there has already been action on "asks" (requests) that were made.  I have sent Congressmen and Senators my written reminders of the programs I want to see supported or legislation I want to see renewed or passed.  It remains to be seen what the long-term impact of our work will be.

One of the most compelling speeches that we heard was from Lawrence Selzer, CEO of the Conservation Fund.  I have been given permission by Larry to offer a link to his Bike_Summit_Speech[1] .  It took the better part of the lunch hour on Wednesday and the ballroom, which housed more than 550 of us for meals, was absoultely silent during his presentation.  He received a standing ovation; and, if you read his speec, I think you will understand why. 

So, there may be another wrap-up coming.  I am still processing some things and would like to report back down the road when (and if) I hear back from the legislators' offices about my follow-up to to our visit.

Most importantly, I am committed to getting involved in advocating cycling in a new way - especially locally.  I also hope to encourage at least 150 bicycle dealers to attending the Summit in 2010.  That would be quite an increase and still barely 4% of our total numbers. 

If you have specific questions about the Summit, pending legislation, contacting legislators, or becoming involved with bicycle advocacy, contact me OR go to the advocacy section of the LAB and get involved.  I would also urge you to join the LAB!