one less car news

thanks to everyone for making our christmas sale a success and entering to win the natoma pants from our friends at chrome & some goods from organic bikes too...not to mention the free stickers, and the copies of wrenched! your orders should arrive before christmas no problem. we'll announce the winners VERY soon!

if you're not big on the holidays, or if time isn't an issue, keep ordering! operators are standing by right now to take your order!

with ten days to go, christmas is right around the corner! we've got some reviews coming up before then for all of you last minute shoppers...

soooo.....FREE STICKERS!!! who doesn't love free stickers?
alright- so i've been trying to get reader stories about cycling, and we've gotten a few, but not as many as I thought... I should have known from my years of making zines & running contributor driven sites that if you don't give someone any direction, they get stuck.

like i said when i first tried this, i got the idea from an old graffiti newsletter, and they had weekly "chase" stories... so, to keep it in the biking spirit, let's do WEEKLY CRASH STORIES!!! send yours in along with a picture if possible and tell me where to send the stickers!

LET'S DO THIS!!! we've ALL crashed, and who doesn't love a good crash story, right?

RIGHT.

and it will be called THE CRASH REPORT.

All t's only $15 + FREE stuff* & WIN a pair of Natoma Pants from our friends at CHROME!!! 1 week only!



*Official Rules & FREE stuff:
1. CONTEST -pants & all- IS OPEN WORLDWIDE!!!!
1. ALL orders will get free stickers at Cole's discretion I have no idea how many or what ones you'll get. Feel free to make a request, but don't be sad if
2. The next 10 shirt orders will receive a copy of Chrome's new zine- WRENCHED...totally killer!!!
3. All orders will be entered to win a pair of Bamboo Grips and a water bottle from Organic Bikes!
4. And to top things off, all shirt orders will be entered to win a pair of Chrome's Natoma riding pants (pictured above- grey, size medium, new w/tags, non-negotiable; unless you wanna pass them on to the next winner in line for some silly reason!).
6. sale ends 12.14.2010 @ midnight SHARP!
...or early the next a.m.
7. the 14th is also our cut-off date to make sure you get your order by Christmas. Outside of the US? Order sooner if you want it by then!!!

***********************************

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a wonderful Festivus for the rest of us!!!

Thanks to all the people reading, our customers new and old, the companies that keep our review section running, and bicycle lovers everywhere!

Cheers to you-
Cole & Brandon
OLC

This weeks reader submitted story is from our home state Michigan!

Send in your own cycling story (with a picture if possible) along with your name and address and we'll send you some free stickers!!!

To break in my first real bicycle, a 2009 Giant Bowery single speed, I signed up for a midnight to dawn ride in my hometown of Minneapolis with a high school friend, Ashley. About 200 riders participated and they varied greatly in both age and skill level. The ride itself was casual, with two distance options. The longer route was about 38 miles. The shorter route was ten miles shorter and cut out a significant part of St. Paul, including the ice cream place Ashley and I planned on stopping at.

Aside from some problems with my front brake, the ride was going very well. We had ridden through several suburbs of Minneapolis and were heading towards the point where the riders split into two groups, those who would take the long route, and those who chose the shortcut. Ashley and I had to stop to adjust my brakes and became disoriented. Also, it was about 2 am, and my sense of direction was more impaired than usual.

After several miles of hills, Ashley and I realized that we were lost. Neither of us recognized our surroundings, so we pulled over to consult our maps, which were woefully lacking in detail. Eventually, we realized that we had accidentally taken the shortcut. Now at this point, we had two options. The logical choice would be to just ride straight to the creamery to get our ice cream and continue on the long route after that. But our 2 am logic compelled us to ride back along the entire shortcut and take the long route, adding about 20 miles or so to our ride.

When we finally arrived at the end of the ride, we were exhausted. We had almost fallen asleep when we stopped for a break on a bridge, gotten lost again on a University campus, and I had nearly crashed my bike trying to do the dance from the “Bad Romance” music video. I was too tired to eat breakfast and had to beat morning rush hour traffic on my ride home. Those last seven miles were the hardest I’ve ever ridden. They seemed to pass in flashes, with time slowing down every time I reached the slightest incline.

Despite the difficulties, that night confirmed my belief that the best adventures can only be had on a bike. I’m doing the same ride next summer. Minus the unnecessary extra twenty miles.

Thanks for such a great blog!

Anne P.

Thank you Anne! Be on the lookout for your stickers!

We'll be back Monday with the story of this years summer tour!!!

Til Then have a rad weekend-

Brandon/OLC

hey-