Cog Bike Cafe

nothing like good preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:53:00 +0000

Hey all,

what lovely riding weather we are having, get out if you can, pedal and taste the fresh air.

On the weekend I went to Mt Buller to compete in the Bike Buller event hosted by Rapid Ascent. Along with me was 2 other Cog Bicycle riders. The event is a 3 stage race held over 2 days with individual stage winners but with a strong accent being on riders that enter all 3 stages.

Steve rode his Cog 96er with 1 x 9 gear setup, Kaz rode her brand new Carver 96er also with a 1 x 9 setup. I rode my Cog 96er, singlespeed, fully rigid.

Stage 1 was a 25k cross country loop on some of the fine new tracks styled by Glen Jacobs.

Here's where my preperation let me down. I had a good start but pinch flatted at about the 1k mark at the start of the A Bomb downhill course. I can fix flats pretty quick so I was keen to repair and get back in the mix. CO2 ready, tube ready, wrong valve! I had grabbed a random tube from the back of the Cog mobile without checking the valve. (cant fit a fat valve in a skinny hole!) Anyway, I sat by the side of the trail while the occasional rider made humorous comments about singlespeed reliability. The 'naked man' on an On-One lent me a puncture repair kit and I decided to wait for the 200+ field to pass so I could enjoy the new track without all the traffic.

Had a great ride and ended up 91st outright. Meanwhile, Steve cruised in first in his class.

Stage 2 was Super D format. 5 riders at a time on a 13km course, descending Mt Buller with 11 river crossings. Steve and I won both our classes, I was 9th outright, (remember, no shocks, one gear)

Stage 3 was a killer 50k course that summited Mt Stirling and then back to Mt Buller. Weather and track conditions were fantastic. Steve flatted but still won his class. I also won my class, (vets) and came in 11th outright. Kaz didn't ride stage 1 and 2 but came second in her class on the grueling stage 3.

Overall, Andy Fellows won the men's and Tori Thomas won the women's. Good racing, good festival.

Damo

Summer's over

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:27:00 +0000

Hey crew,

Cog Mt Evelyn keeps pottering along, fighting the good fight. As you may know we are involved with the Warburton Cycle Fest, May 1 and 2. New to the weekend, unicycle hockey! Yes, on top of the already unique and full event schedule. Work is being carried out on the XC (cross country) and CX (cyclocross) courses and other events so far confirmed are; 16 inch Fourcross, unicycle racing, road race, Trials comp, Dirt Jump comp, skid comp, Downhill and chariot racing. Mark it in your calendar and get in early for accommodation. There will be bike films shown at the Arts Centre, (main feature "The triplets of Belleville")

We have used Bikes for sale,......
Steel 29er, large frame Avanti KISS. single speed with White Ind crankset, Racing Ralph tyres, Salas Pro moto 11 degree bars, Magura Hydraulic brakes, bargain $800

Raceline dual suspension EXT Expert, XT equip. Rock Shox Reba fork, Oury grips, 27 spd, Shimano Hydro brakes, Large frame size, only $900

Ridgeback Velocity Alloy frame commuter, med size frame, brand new Shimano Nexus 8 spd rear wheel/internal hub. $800

Open long weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:13:00 +0000

Cog will be open everyday over the Labour Day long weekend. Our hours are Saturday and Sunday 9-6, Monday 9-4 (or maybe later if the weather is good and riders want coffee!). Have a great long weekend, drop in and have a look at the new titanium Carver belt drive or try one of our new cooling drinks - lemon tonic or Morrocan mint tea. Have a great weekend! The COG team x

Warburton shop news flash

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:38:00 +0000

After talks with the Shire of Yarra Ranges, Councillors Tim Heenan and Chris Templer have offered funds to cover part of the cost of connecting to mains sewer at our Warburton shop. Hopefully we can engage a contractor and get works started soon, stay tuned...

Warburton shop status, just read the sign which is now in the shop window

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Warburton Cycle Festival, Cyclocross!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:29:00 +0000

Hey all,

Thank you to all our regular Cog customers that have dropped in to our new Warburon
shop. For those of you who are not aware, Warburton is 34km (about 20 miles) along the
Rail Trail from the Mt Evelyn shop.
Things are quiet out there at the moment, but we expect when
People learn where we are, new habits will form.

We are also excited to be part of the Warburton Cycle Festival.
Stay tuned for more info but so far there is a Cross Country race
, A hillclimb, Cyclocross race, and many other exhibitions and events
yet to be finilised.The date is the first weekend in May, both
Sat and Sun, with cycling films screened on Sat night.
Cog in Warby will be having an unofficial launch on the Friday evening, so
Pencil it in your diary and make a weekend of it. Accommodation will book out
so get in early.

Thursday night rides are scooting right along. Last night we had 13
Keen riders, we leave at 6:30 and ride for approx 2 hours
Happing rolling

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:42:00 +0000

2010 is now apon us and Cog Warburton is operational. Yes! At long last our humble little Warby store is open for business. Thanks to all those who dropped in to say g'day and have a coffee last weekend.
Hours of opening Warburton;

Sat and Sun 8.00 til 6:00pm

Mon, Thurs, Fri 10:00 til 6:00pm

Hiring a bike?
Why not pick up from Mt Evelyn and drop off at Warburton.

Warburton and surrounding residents;
Drop off your bike for service or repair.
WE BUILD WHEELS.

Need a new bike?
We have great bikes in stock, Jamis, Bauer, Allegro, Carver and Cannondale.
We can order in Santa Cruz, Turner, Salsa, Surly, Colnago, BMC, Niner, and more.

The Trail will never be the same again, Cog Warby is here....

Rollin' in the new year

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:23:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our customers.
We will be closed from Friday 25th December until the 2nd of January. Saturday the 2nd will be the first day of operation of our new Warburton shop. Mount Evelyn opens at 9 and Warby opens at 8. New hire bikes and new bikes for sale.
Come and say hello and check out the shop. More details soon about the shop on our E-newsletter.
From all the staff at Cog'
Kaylin, Angela, Jackie, Em, Libby, Jack, James and Damo
Safe rolling in 2010

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010 and greetings COG Warburton

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:13:00 +0000

Well another year is about to pass and here at Cog we wish everyone all the best for 2010. May your wheels stay true.

New staff in the workshop. We would like to welcome Em as apprentice mechanic. Em will be training on the job and at TAFE. Em joins us with a bike passion, so already she fits in well. She usually commutes by bike on one of her many rides. Em has also designed our new t-shirt logo. Check out the photo of the logo on the front of our soon to be opened Warby shop.

YES, Warby will open very soon, in fact January 2nd. Come on down and enjoy a coffee and say g'day to Damo who will be looking after the helm all of January. We have an exciting new summer drinks menu and a super sweet hire fleet including 70's retro rentals.

officially Summer, let's ride!

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Even though we've already had a taste of some warm Summer weather, it is now December and hot weather and christmas are inevitable.

Great time to ride, so make sure your bike is in tip top condition. Need a new bike? We have some great deals on new bikes being superceded by 2010 models. Mountainbikes, comfort bikes, commuters, fixies ,...we do the all. Actually we have something new in the shop!!! Not one but TWO belt drive bikes. One is a demo bike, so if you are interested/intrigued/sceptical you have no excuse but to come and at least check 'em out. They are Carver Titanium framed 650B and 96er frames.

Damo has just returned from Newcastle where he rode the Singlespeed Nationals> He has some photos on the Cog Bike Cafe flickr photostream.

Speaking of new bikes, Angus picked up his new Jamis X24 last week and was overheard saying "this is the best day I'll ever have" Check out the photo. There is nothing like the prospect of riding a new bike, at any age.

We're sure Angus will love his new bike and 'pistonhead' helmet. This is the third bike in his family purchased at Cog since we opened 4 years ago.

Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:12:00 +0000

Testing from France

test from france

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:34:00 +0000

does this write to the blog?

Great prospects ahead, our wheels are true!

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:17:00 +0000

Yes, howdy all,
the crew here at Cog are amped for riding and advocating two wheeled (or one or three for that matter) machines for the upcoming Spring and Summer.
Just when you thought Damo was back from his research trip in Europe with Libby, he was off to the World Single Speed champs in Colorado and a quick stop off at Interbike Las Vegas. He's back now and full of energy for busy times ahead.

For a pictorial update on SSWC09 and some Interbike stuff, check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogbikecafe/3964492083/

Damo was picked up at San Fransisco airport by some bike buddies and took off on a riding road-trip across California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and a micro stop in New Mexico.

Back to shop news,
we have some new staff starting in Nov and an old employee makes a welcome return.
We have a huge range of helmets in stock and some 09 comfort bikes in stock at discounted prices, making way for 2010 models.
See you out there on the trails in Silvan,
come in and check out our new Cog printed shopping bags,
Cog team

Back in Town

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:01:00 +0000

Howdy all,
Libby and I are back on board at Cog and well inspired by our travels in Europe. In Spain we hired bikes and travelled from the lovely walled city of Girona, 60km to Olot at the base of the Pyranees. What a great Rail Trail, so well supported by services. We have some way to go here in Australia, check out some of our photos on our cogbikecafe flickr photostream. Drop in and say Hi,
no better time to ride, Springtime next week!
pump up your tyres, lube your chain, pedal and smile.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogbikecafe/3854560104/

Back in the Southern Hemi

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Howdy all,
well we're back but there's still news from over there that we'd like to share with you. I'll update the blog every few days and put some more pics and videos on our cogbikecafe flickr photostream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogbikecafe/sets/72157621854649693/
Come in and check our tan's and have a coffee and a chat. Only one week 'til Spring!! Great time to ride,
pump up your tyres, lube your chain, pedal and smile,
Damo

Hola from Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:26:00 +0000

Howdy all,
Libby and I have just finished our first Spanish rail-trail, from Girona to Olot. Great riding, weather and a gentle introduction to the Pyranees. The facilities were amazing and so we have tried to document them for possible influence on the Warby trail.
After the ride we spent some time in Barcelona and checked out the city cycle program. Bikes are located at stations around the city, mostly for local residents use. The system costs locals 25 euros per year, (about 40 aus dollars). We couldn't believe how well they were being used. If bikes are in need of repair, riders turn the seat backwards so that they can be identified for repair.
Check out some photos

Summer in the United Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:29:00 +0000

Howdy all,
Libby and I (Damo) are currently in Scottland enjoying the hospitality of our Glaswegian bike riding friends. We have just returned from a mini road trip to the highlands where we caught up with Nash from Bothy bikes and did some nice riding around Aviemore. Dave from Alpine bikes (http://www.alpinebikes.com/shops/glasgow-sgx/) was lovely enough to loan me a Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Duallie in XL! (Dave you're a legend) I had time to do a quick lap of the '07 World's course which was in amazing condition. Unfortunately, however, the course is scheduled to be detroyed for the timber (probably destined to become paper).
Check out some of the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogbikecafe/sets/72157621854407797/ when we visited the Lakeland Pedlar in the UK. http://www.lakelandpedlar.co.uk/
More photos soon, next we are of to Girona, Spain to do the Olot Rail Trail to Campradon,
keep on riding on,
Cog trail/cafe research team

new trails and business almost as usual

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Hey all,

We (Libby and Damo) are in sunny Europe looking for new trails and catching up with friends. Currently we are in Stockholm, it's refreshing to see a city so welcoming of bikes and pedestrians. There are city bikes available that are cheap to use and all major roads seem to have a bike/pedestrian path running alongside it. In the 'burbs there is a 30km zone around houses, creating kid, bike and walk friendly zones and everyone seems to make use of it. Just about everyone (old ladies included) rides to the local shops and kids cruise around with their mates safely on bikes. Check out some photos on our flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogbikecafe/

Whilst we are away the shop will be closed on Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays operate as usual.

bikes for sale at COG

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:43:00 +0000

We have a couple of x-hire bikes for sale and a great second-hand XL Trek ready to sell. We often have a few used bikes in stock, here are some good deals. Come in and check 'em out, test rides welcome.

This bike is fitted out with mostly new gear and rides awesome, DT swiss hubs, Sun rims, X9 rear derailleur, XT crankset, new Crossmark tyres, Rock Shox Tora forks. $999

We also have 2 x-hire bikes,

Jamis XC 2.0 2007 Large frame size $325

Cannondale F7 2008 Large frame size $385

The shortest day cometh and Kaylin leaves us

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Hey all,

Regular customers of Cog will know Kaylin who has been working at Cog for over a year now. Sadly we say goodbye to her this weekend as she sets off on a journey to Asia and Europe. We wish her all the best in world adventures and will certainly miss her coffee and muffin making skills. (Kaylin is pictured with Angela who will be working more often now)

yes we are certainly deep in the beautiful crisp days of Winter. Cold mornings but fine clear days of late. This weekend marks the turning of solstice when the days will actually be getting longer.

Still a great time to get out and ride, actually sometimes all the more rewarding to warm up and keep moving. The scenery, especially in the Silvan forest area, has been great to see change through Autumn into Winter.

Cog still keeps rolling along. Workshop turnaround times are very quick at the moment, so it's a good time to book in your bike for a service.

Nice time to hire a bike too. Make a weekend of it and treat yourself to a nice stay in picturesque Warburton. Plenty to do and see out there at the foot a Mount Donna Buang.

Happy riding!

Ride now or forever hold your peace

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:25:00 +0000

Ride before you buy! Cog currently have 4 very nice demo bikes available for test ride. Make sure you get in early as they will not be here forever.

Cannondale Rush 4, 110mm duallie Large

Jamis Dakar XCT 3.0, 4 inch duallie medium

Rocky Mountain Altitude 50, 5 inch freeride medium

Carver Killer B (650B wheels) titanium hardtail 1x9 drivechain small

These bikes are not only for demo but are sale as 'demo' bikes, so are heavilly discounted, check 'em out!

Nice machines

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:44:00 +0000

We've had some nice new builds here at Cog lately. Here's a photo of a Turner Sultan 29er. Dave Weagle's DW link frame, tubeless wheels, Stans rims, DT swiss hubs, new XT brakes, overall a nice light package, ready to race.

Here's some dates for the Cog Thursday night rides, lights essential.

May 14th and 28th. June 11 and 25. 6:30pm start. Sorry I haven't been on the last couple due to a couple of cracked ribs.

Bikes for sale at Cog now!

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Howdy all, fantastic riding weather at the moment, hope you're making the most of it.

Congratulations to 2 Cog riders Kaz and Steve, both on 96ers who placed well at the BMC100 on the weekend. Kaz second in her class and Steve third in his, good efforts!

We have some second hand bikes in at the moment,

Ladies hybrid, small frame size, virtually new, Fuji Sunfire 3.0

see photo, New RRP $549 , now available for $350

Giant Reign 3, 20" frame (large) this bike has been is storage for 3 years and is in excellent condition, it is an '05 model. now available $1250

These bikes are available for test ride anytime. Of course dont forget our Allegro range in stock too. Most of these are internal hub commuters, either 3, 8 or 9 speed. There are also the sinle speed and conventional gear models too. The prices for the internal hub bikes start at $799

Cog open for Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Yes we are open every day of the Easter weekend. Why not come and hire a bike and explore the lovely Warburton Trail?
Opening times Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 9am-6pm.
See you then,
the Cog team.

Open for Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Cogbikecafe) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Yes we will be open over the Easter weekend. Why not come and hire a bike and explore the Warburton Trail?
Opening hours: Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon 9am-6pm
Plenty of muffins, yummy coffee, warm toasties, smoothies etc.
See you then,
the Cog team