$2430 less than TREK's advertised price,
$1800 less than our regular price. Limited supply, no substitutions, our
best bike buy in years, get it while you can!
The TREK Fuel EX8 features a Fox fork up front and TREK's
ground-breaking "active brake pivot" that eliminates the nasty effects that
braking usually give rear suspension!
Read all about it here. As of 5/29,
15" is already sold out, but all other sizes are in stock. A great buy at
$2399.99, now yours for just $1999.99 at Chain
Reaction Bicycles!
The TREK Madone Performance 5.2 has
the exact same frameset Alberto Contador used to win the 2007 Tour de
France. Climbs fast, descends solidly, rides smoothly over rough roads.
Ultegra SL components available in either triple or compact crankset. At
$3749.99 (for the triple), a very good deal. But at
$3249.99 during our sale, it's a steal!
PLUS-6-MONTHS-SAME-AS-CASH
ON ALL TREK & GARY FISHER BIKES OVER $599 WITH TREKCard. No
interest, no payments for 6 months on approved credit for any TREK or Gary
Fisher bicycle over $599! Just sign up and get approved for
the TREKCard.
Either on-line or in the store, it's easy and just takes a couple
minutes! ENDS July
31st.
05/17/09-
WHY WE RIDE #36- BECAUSE THERE'S A NEW GENERATION TO TEACH
THE JOYS OF CLIMBING!
And today's ride had a lot of "joy" to it. It was time to expand Kevin's
(that's Kevin in the picture) universe to include roads & hills not in his
back yard, so we set off for Scott's Valley and did a 50 mile ride with
about 5700 ft of climbing, including the infamous Alba Road out of Ben
Lomond and Mountain Charlie, a fun, twisty one-lane road the heads up to
Skyline.
This was also the warmest day of the year,
running 91 to 97 degrees (in the shade) for most of the ride. I'm sure many
were sitting at home wishing they had air conditioning, but we were
surprisingly comfortable riding. Yes, we drank a lot, and on the drive over
17 to Scotts Valley, we even hid a cooler, filled with ice & water bottles &
Mountain Dew, at the top of the Mtn Charlie climb.
As we were enjoying our secret stash a couple
other cyclists rode by who were very appreciative of our offer of ice cold
water and Mountain Dew (we'd stashed more than we needed for just
ourselves).
Next time you're planning a challenging ride,
you might consider a strategically-located secret stash yourself. And
definitely include more than you need, so you have something to share with
other cyclists that might come by. --Mike--
IT'S TIME TO RIDE! If you're a Chain Reaction customer (or live close enough to be
one), you know that this is one of the best places on the planet for
cycling. We've got great mountain biking, road biking and family fun
all around us... in many cases, you can leave from your front door!
Check out our past WHY WE RIDE pieces
for inspiration. Then go ride! JOIN THE FUN!
Chain Reaction can supply you with the right bike, properly fit, and
back it up with exceptional service. And Cycle California magazine
has a great page with
links to
the various clubs & rides in the area.
"I didn't go to anyone else for bikes in 2008" Johan Bruyneel, Astana Team Director
"Obviously Trek knows what they are doing. Look at the
races they have won. I'm happy to stay on a Trek to defend my Tour title."
Alberto Contador, winner, 2007 Tour de France
"Trek was an integral part of my success during 2007.
The new Madone has all the elements I look for in a high-performance bike;
it's light, stiff, and looks awesome. Most importantly, I know I can trust
its reliability."
Levi Leipheimer, 3rd place, 2007 Tour de France
As
you can read, the new Madone is a huge hit not
just with our customers, but with the most-demanding riders on the planet.
In the photo above/left is Alberto Contador unfolding a Spanish flag just
after winning the '07 Tour de France. And above/right is Levi Leipheimer on
a secret spy mission to Trek's Waterloo, WI facility, several weeks prior to
the announcement that Trek would be sponsoring his (Astana) team for 2008.
And of course we like these bikes as well! Check
out our detailed review of the Madones
(apparently the first one posted on the 'web). Yes, these bikes really are
that good. So good, in fact, that remaining stock of older-style Madones
have been drastically discounted.
BREAKING NEWS- WE'RE HAVING A TREK PRO-BIKE SALE ON MANY 2009 MADONE
MODELS!
CHECK HERE FOR DETAILS.
GETTING
YOUR BIKE REPAIRED- During the fall,
winter & early spring months, Chain Reaction Bicycles is able to
offer the same expert service to all customers, regardless of where
their bike was purchased.
When our repair load gets so great that we cannot
maintain our service standards, we have to cut back on servicing
bikes we haven't sold. This typically happens during Daylight Saving
Time.
Fortunately, there's an excellent mobile bike repair service run by
Erik Fetch, also known as
The Bike
Doctor. He'll come out to where you live or work and, for a very
reasonable price, take care of your bike repair needs.
The Bike Doctor is now offering a line of recumbent bicycles as
well!
--Mike--
It shows perhaps the most important things that we, as cyclists, can
do. Passing the torch to a new generation, showing others that
cycling is a timeless, wonderful thing.
Ultimately, I hope it's what Chain Reaction will be known for.
--Mike--
09/17/07-
SHE FINALLY DID IT. Maybe 3
or 4 years after threatening to ride up Old LaHonda, my daughter
Becky, whom some of you have met in our Redwood City store, made it
up the hill with her friend (and fellow co-worker) Emily. It might
not have been the fastest trip up the hill, and certainly not the
easiest, but they got there. I told Becky to plan on two hours for
the ride (hot-shot cyclists can do it in just over 15 minutes) and
to stop every half-mile or so, the idea being to make it manageable.
And 2 hours is just about how long it did take them, after which
they did the lunch-at-Alice's ritual that I used to do with Kevin
(Becky's younger brother).
Some credit goes to Emily (on the left in the photo), her
very good friend who was encouraging her all the way. Emily's been a
bit more active in outdoor activities than Becky, but perhaps that's
about to change. I don't expect to see Becky climbing Haleakala any
time soon, but hey, it's a great start!
Why Buy Your Next Bike from
Chain Reaction? We thought you'd never ask! From
our expertise in helping you select the right bike, get it properly fit, a
dedication to your bike that goes on for years... a whole lot of things.
Cruising this website will give you a good
idea of what we're about and how we treat our customers, but better yet,
come into one of our stores, talk with our staff and maybe take a bike or
two out for a test ride.
One thing's certain. You'll discover that we really like bikes.
Finally
bikes built just for women, with shorter top
tubes, women-friendly saddles & ride positioning, ultralight aluminum
frames a more! Road & Mountain
Bikes! Great prices, too.
If you're 5'10"
or shorter, chances are you've never had a bike that really fit
well. No more!
And now, the wait is over for the ultimate
women's bike- completely-redesigned Madone, available in 3 models starting at
$2249.99. Many other great women's road bikes starting at just $799.99.
Remember
your first time up Old LaHonda?
October 9th 2006 we decided to
throw something pretty tough at Kevin- Old LaHonda Road. Probably
the prettiest and least-traveled (by cars) route to the top of the
Skyline (above Woodside), a twisty, tree-covered 3.75-mile climb of
around 1100ft or so. (More)
What's missing is You!
Your
TREK Project One Madone, first on the beach in Maui, and later
that same day at 10,023' atop Haleakala. Every ride is an adventure
with a TREK Madone!
Now, two years later, I still have great
memories of that ride.
Tour of the TREK factory! Shown here is a
framebuilder in TREKs Waterloo, WI facility,
in a photo taken by your faithful webmaster.
And we've got a "factory tour" page
on-line. We even have one of our photo-heavy ride descriptions of a
typical noon ride in the area. Not shown is
their new, 160-acre private mountain biking park with 5 miles of singletrack
to test their latest creations.
Check out our
Gateway to France, with many articles & photos about cycling in France, viewing the Tour de France
and more!
Also practical stuff like
where to get money
exchanged at the best rates, and taking the Eurostar between Paris &
London.
WHAT'S AN "UGLY" BIKE RIDE?
12/16/07- THE UGLY
BIKE RIDE
is taking on appearances of becoming
a regular Sunday afternoon tradition. I rode the normal
Tuesday/ Thursday morning loop essentially backward, going down
the west side of Old LaHonda, back up 84 to Skyline, and then
that dreaded piece of road heading north on Skyline towards
Kings Mtn (the very same road that is so fun in the opposite
direction).
View the ride
map on-line.
CHAIN REACTION SUPPORTS
Team in Training, Aids and MS Society Rides
Every year, millions of dollars are raised for research by cyclists
riding for Team in Training (Leukemia Society), Aids and the MS Society,
and Chain Reaction helps riders by pledging 5% of all of their purchases
(bikes & accessories) from the time they register with us until the ride.
This is in addition to our 10% discount on accessories purchased with any
bike from Chain Reaction!
Killer squirrels
go after cyclists! Now with expanded coverage, including
stories submitted by YOU! The latest includes Killer Chickens, Chipmunks, Deer,
Ducks & Cougars.
Mid-life crisis
for bike shop owner results in bizarre behavior.
WE
COULD SHOW YOU MORE PHOTOS OF LANCE ARMSTRONG FROM THE TOUR DE
FRANCE,but this one, with Australia's Stuart O'Grady
being tended to by the medical car during a stage in this year's
Tour de France, hits home. Because Chain Reaction, along with many
other better shops, are part of a support team that wants to make
sure you have every chance possible to really enjoy cycling.
(More)
Chain Reaction sponsors
"Soda Stop" at Sequoia Century During the Sequoia Century
last June, Sal Contreras (in
the middle of the photo) staffed our "secret" refreshment
station, dealing with 400 pounds of ice and 600 cans of Coke,
Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Sierra Mist... you get the picture, the stuff
you really wanted after a long, hard climb, when
watered-down lemonade just doesn't do it for you.
This was Sal's third year handling the "soda stop" chores
for us, and we're very appreciative of his efforts (as were a
whole lot of thirsty riders!).
The Sequoia Century is the area's premiere organized ride,
typically held the first Sunday in June. Details at their
website
www.WesternWheelers.org.
Road
Bike Rides! This website is known for
them, from our extremely challenging Sonora
Pass ride to the easy-going Bicycle Sundays on Canada
Road. Check here for an
overview of the many road rides on our website!
Mountain Bike & Family Rides!
We've got Arastradero Preserve and
Waterdog Lake, both offering beginning to intermediate
challenges, and Bayfront Park,
Waddell Creek and Bicycle Sundays
for great family outings!
TREK-
The largest manufacturer of high-quality Road, Mountain & Hybrid bikes in
the world…most made in the USA! TREKs are widely regarded as being the best
engineered bikes anywhere, and their designs, instead of being trendy, are timeless and
functional. As a result, they hold their value better than any other bike line we know of,
which is an obvious indication of their desirability!
Gary Fisher-
From the man many say helped invent the
mountain bike come many unique & innovative designs. Very cool stuff, truly different
from the rest.
Bontrager-
A great line of components, from
cutting-edge carbon wheels to the most-durable high-quality stems,
handlebars & cranks on the market.
Please note that
we cannot sell bikes through the "mail" or
Internet due to a combination of various aspects of our dealer agreements and the fact
that bikes really should be purchased locally to ensure proper fitting and follow-up
servicing.
What Chain Reaction is known for-
Apparel-
We offer a tremendous selection of apparel for men &
women. Pearl Izumi, Sugoi, Primalwear, Giordana, Nike, Bellwether, TREK, Shebeest,
Hind, Castelli & more. Great prices, too!
Accessories-
One-stop shopping is a reality at
Chain Reaction. We have a larger selection of locks, pumps, tools, lubes, cassettes, tires
& wheels than just about anyplace else.
Service-
Our
expert staff knows what's what, and won't try and bluff their way through if they don't.
It's easy enough with an experienced staff like ours to find an answer to just about any
question!
Road bikes-[Editors note- this piece was first written in 1996, before road
bikes became "popular." A bit of a joke to us, since they always
were big at Chain Reaction!] Yes,
road bikes. While most other shops have very few, 50%+ of the bikes Chain
Reaction sells are road bikes. This puts us in very elite company, which, to us, seems
very strange. We live in an exceptional area for road bikes! No matter where you live in
the bay area, chances are high that a 20-minute bike ride will get you away from the city
and into the country. Unfortunately, one of the things that's always held back road bikes has
been a snobbish attitude among employees at those shops that do sell road bikes. This is
really unfortunate. We've gone to great lengths to make road bikes as accessible as
possible, and fit each and every one to the individual using the New England Cycling
Academy's Fit-Kit. People who never believed they could be comfortable on a road bike are
frequently amazed at how easily they can survive that first metric century!
Prices-There's no reason to go anyplace
other than Chain Reaction! We work hard to try and ensure the best pricing possible for our customers, as well as keeping
things in stock. One of the big inside jokes in the bike industry is that it's easy to
advertise a really low price on something if you never have it in stock; we won't do that.
In fact, we sell merchandise to the employees of a national chain just down
the street (but we won't name names!).
Chain Reaction sells bicycles & accessories
from Trek, Gary Fisher, BikeFriday,Shimano, Pearl Izumi, Continental, Descente,
Sidi, Giro, Blackburn, Speedplay, Oakley, Saris, NiteRider, Bontrager,
Torelli, Look, DeFeet, Rock N Roll, Hammer, Cytomax,
Powerbar, Fox, Clif
Bar, CamelBak, Chris King, Profile Design, Craft, X-Lab and many more!
05/17/09-
WHY WE RIDE #36- BECAUSE THERE'S A NEW GENERATION TO TEACH
THE JOYS OF CLIMBING!
READ WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT THE TREK
MADONE ROAD BIKE-
09/17/07-
SHE FINALLY DID IT. 
Finally
bikes built just for women, with shorter top
tubes, women-friendly saddles & ride positioning, ultralight aluminum
frames a more! 
CHAIN REACTION SUPPORTS
Team in Training, Aids and MS Society Rides
Select & join email lists
