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Next week we’ll be welcoming a new bike brand to the shop. Marin Bikes had their start in California in 1986 when the mountain biking boom was just starting.

Stylish Commuters

For our bike shop, we’ll be focusing on their urban commuter models and fitness bikes. The Fairfax, Presidio, and Muirwoods models all fit well into our lineup. The Nicasio RC pictured below is made for DC. It has large volume 650b tires that defy DDOT’s pothole strewn streets. The color matched fenders prevent road spray, and add a stylish finished look. We would suggest adding an Axiom Journey Disc rack to complete the chic and useful commuter package.

Drop Bar Adventures

Fans of drop bars will also be glad to see the arrival of some allroad models. The Nicasio and Gestalt lines take care of the weekday mission and go out on the weekends as well. Both of these models take the essentials of racks and fenders and sport disc brakes for all-weather conditions. Once we get these in the shop, we’ll have a quick review of them here.

Belt Drive Simplicity

We have long been fans of belt drive bikes. Working in a shop, you would think that maintenance would be easy for us, but the last thing we want to do at the end of the day is put another bike in the stand. Having a belt drive and internally geared hub cuts down the task list. So we were happy to see that the Presidio line from Marin included belt drive and internally geared models.

Simple and Durable Steel

Your bike becomes a companion. A trusted friend. The Marin Muirwoods takes inspiration from classic mountain bikes and is the perfect platform for building a long term relationship. With hydraulic disc brakes and a wide range 3×9 drivetrain, this bike can take on city streets or gravel trails. Take the long way home, or find an off road shortcut.

Our first Marin bikes will be arriving in store the second week of February 2019. Come in for a test ride then!

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If you’re making an emergency snow day run to the Whole Foods and need some gloves or other snow essentials, we’re here for you.

Adding an e-assist kit to your bike can extend your range and reduce effort needed to get up hills or carry passengers and cargo. Many of our cargobike customers have decided that an e-assist kit is essential for getting their growing families around the city and up Capitol Hill. Our shop is equipped to install and service a variety of different electric motor systems. Recently, we have been using the Lunacycle mid-drive kits to add power to Yubas, Workcycles, and regular bikes. This system is powerful enough to handle fully loaded longtails and Bakfiets.

Mid-drive power

The mid-drive motor for this electric bicycle conversion is the heart of the operation. We use the 750 watt and 1000 watt versions in most builds. This provides enough power to get a fully loaded cargo bike up to 20mph and maintain that speed.

Starting the build

We start out with a regular bike, in this photo, a Yuba Mundo. The first step is to pull the crankset and bottom bracket and replace with the motor unit.

Battery mount

The battery tray is installed directly onto the water bottle mounts for a secure platform.

Cabling to the display

Cables run from the electric motor to the speed sensor and to the brake sensors. These components all get wired into a harness that passes through the display/control unit.

Once we get all the cables set up, we’re ready to pull the battery off the charger and test the drive motor. A few tests of shifting and braking and the newly electrified bike is ready for the street.

We can walk you through the build process if you’re considering making a conversion to electric motor assist. A typical build with motor, controls, battery, and installation will run around $1500.

Is it worth it? Our first Yuba electric motor assist installation customer said her face hurt from grinning on her school run.

We think that’s a pretty good endorsement.