General

How to Keep Bike Retail Alive

Lexington Center is more vibrant because we’re part of people’s everyday lives here. Let’s make sure we are able to stay in Lexington Center well into the future!

Lexington Center is more vibrant because we’re part of people’s everyday lives here. Let’s make sure we are able to stay in Lexington Center well into the future!

It’s never been more obvious why it’s important to shop local and support companies who support our local economy. The world is going to change as a result of the pandemic and small businesses are very directly affected by the stay-at-home order.

Thank you VERY MUCH to each of you who has bought a gift card, made a donation, or made a purchase of a bike, components, apparel, wheels, or other smaller items in the past few weeks. Even the smallest purchases mean a lot to us. Some of you are being hit harder than others, and have still contributed in some way. This reminds us why it is important to not just survive - but thrive - on the other side of this. Because this cycling community is TOO important to lose by way of unfortunate circumstances.

Reality Check: We need your business repeatedly

Next time you think: it’ll just be easier to go online and buy “X.” Please also remind yourself that you are lucky you have a choice. If you buy your cycling stuff online, soon (and now with the pandemic, even sooner) the choice to buy locally won’t exist. And those online prices? Often they are the same and sometimes higher than what you pay here. They’ve been going up steadily and in the future, when you don’t have a choice, they’ll be even higher. EVERY PURCHASE YOU MAKE COUNTS.

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Each time you press the “purchase” button online, imagine a little nail going into our front door, helping seal it shut. Think about the people who have offered their years of cycling expertise to advise you on new bike builds, suggested compatibilities on components, those who have offered you service on your bike.

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Think about the barista who made you a latte with a heart on it, on the day you really needed that latte - and that heart. Think about that person who won’t be able to walk through the door to help you in the future, that the door won’t exist, nor will the expertise or the great products behind that door.

We appreciate your emails asking us if we have something available to sell you. 95% of the time, we say “YES” we will get you that thing, we will advise you about it if you have questions, we will usually even deliver it to your home for no additional charge.

Many suppliers are making your retail experience even easier and working to keep retail brick and mortar stores alive. Please support them.

At times like these, we see who values retail, who values us as a partner. Many of our suppliers have stepped up, gotten creative, and it’s awesome to see some cool things happen!

Here’s a partial list (we’ll keep it up-to-date on our website going forward) of companies particularly pro-active in seeing us through the pandemic and who offer products we recommend for your cycling enjoyment!

Seven Cycles and Honey Bikes - Buy a Seven or Honey from us and have your cycling life made better.

Building a great bike takes great attention to detail and interest in each person who is getting each bike. There is a world of difference between a stock or custom bike built for you and one that isn’t.

Building a great bike takes great attention to detail and interest in each person who is getting each bike. There is a world of difference between a stock or custom bike built for you and one that isn’t.

  • Our bike suppliers Seven Cycles and Honey Bikes’ frames are built in Massachusetts. The craftspeople who build these fine frames and bikes are keeping great cycling and manufacturing alive in our state. What they do is important to our experience as cyclists and to our local economy. These people also care deeply about your cycling experience and building you an incredibly high value, quality product.

  • Email us to tell us what you want in a new bike, we’ll show you how much value you’ll get in a Seven or Honey, depending on what you are asking for. There is almost nothing bike-wise we can’t offer you by way of one of these great companies.

Frame builder at Seven Cycles, Dan Cariolo, shows Professional Cyclist, Kelly Catale, how he’s building her new frame for the bike that she’ll go on to race and win many races upon.

Frame builder at Seven Cycles, Dan Cariolo, shows Professional Cyclist, Kelly Catale, how he’s building her new frame for the bike that she’ll go on to race and win many races upon.

Garmin Cycling and Fitness Computers - Buy ANY Garmin product from us, Garmin will drop-ship direct to you. Place orders via our webstore.

  • Check out the Garmin 1030 at $400 (you save $200) for the best cycling computer available on the market today

Industry Nine - Buy Industry Nine wheels through us, they will drop-ship to you (or send to us to set them up for you)!

  • Industry Nine makes awesome quality, very cool looking wheels. Lightweight, durable, and built for nearly every type of riding.

UnTapped Maple - Buy on their website, they send us margin dollars

  • UnTapped Maple Products are natural, tasty, and available here normally when we’re open. We encourage you to shop on their online store while they are offering us margin on your purchases and thinking creatively to support retail!

Vittoria - Buy tires on their website 10% off to you with free shipping, they send us margin dollars

  • Use coupon code VittoriaAA2J on Vittoria.com for 10% off + FREE SHIPPING sitewide

Quality Bike Products - Buy any of thousands of bike components or accessories and get any/all of it drop-shipped to your door from theirs!

  • There are thousands of products available via QBP, please ask us for anything and we’re likely to be able to ship straight to you! Sorry, there’s simply too much to list. Please email us at connect@ridestudiocafe.com and ask us for what you want!

Rapha - Buy any Rapha apparel from us for curb-side pick-up or we’ll deliver to you.

  • Why buy Rapha apparel from us when you can get it online? Because you want to try it on in the store, you want to see it on our shelves once things go back to “normal.” Rapha left all retail stores ~4 years ago. Now they are back in brick and mortar. Why? They NEED retailers. Therefore, we need you to buy all of your Rapha from us or you won’t see it here in the future.

  • We place WEEKLY Rapha orders Tuesday mornings for delivery before the weekend. Get your orders to us by 10am Tuesday mornings!

The future is here and it is yours to define now. This is the time to make your cycling life even better than it has been.

A shopping area that used to be full of business is desolate. Just a few miles away from here, and only a few weeks away for many small businesses in our area.

A shopping area that used to be full of business is desolate. Just a few miles away from here, and only a few weeks away for many small businesses in our area.

Very Special Promotion for the Seven RedSky Bike

RedSky BikeVery Special Promotion: Seven Cycles RedSky Bike

Meet the Seven RedSky bike, Seven's newest bike model.

We are offering you a full build with 30% off Shimano Dura-Ace 9000* components! This offer is over a $1,250 discount to getting you on this incredible Seven Cycles bike. The deadline to order a bike and take advantage of this offer is Thanksgiving.

Here is a short summary of the RedSky bike:
The RedSky bike is a light-weight, pure performance bike with a large amount of versatility usually assumed to only be possible on disc-brake bikes.
redskybikeWhy the name?  A "red sky" in the morning means there is a storm warning.  Rather than be off the bike for the day, the RedSky looks for those days and relishes the ride.  Harsh conditions require the right bikeRedSky is that bike.
  • Lightweight:  A typical RedSky builds up at 1.5 to 2.0 lbs lighter than an equivalent disc brake bike.  The bike is the same weight as any lightweight road bike; the mid-reach brake calipers are only about 30 grams heavier than most lightweight short reach brakes.  The bike pictured tips the scales at 16.2 lbs with the MSO 32c tires; without pedals.
  • Tire Choices:  From a 23c road slick to a 33c knobby and everything in between, the RedSky is even more versatile than a true cyclocross bike.  The bike will also fit some 35c knobbies or slicks, depending on rim and brake caliper choice. This bike loves riding on dirt roads and trails.
  • All Weather:  Designed to fit fenders with up to 32c tires. Even 30c studded tires fit.
  • High Performance:  This design sacrifices nothing compared to any performance road bike.  It's fast, agile, and accelerates with the best of bikes.
  • Optimal Handling:  Seven's 5E fork allows for matching the fork rake to the frame geometry so there's no compromise to the bike's front end handling.
  • Hidden Fender Mounts:  At dropouts and chainstay bridge.  The mounts are there when you want them, but hidden when you don't. Adding rack mounts is a no-charge upgrade option.
  • Travel Bike:  Simple brake system makes for fast, easy, and lightweight bike travel. Any RedSky bike can be an S&S coupled bike for even easier traveling.

Our RedSky Offer to you is here. Note we will gladly make parts substitutions or offer you a quote for a different build you have in mind:

Frame: Seven Cycles RedSky S - Titanium frame
Fork: Seven Mid-Reach Carbon Fork
Components: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000*, mid-reach brakes, crank size and gearing your choice
Wheelset: Mavic Elite S
Support Package: Seven handlebars, stem, Zipp aluminum seatpost, Cane Creek headset, Fizik saddle and bar tape

Special Included Service and Support:

  • Professional Bike Build - a $413 value
  • Free service on the bike at either Ride Studio Cafe and Ride Headquarters for a full year
  • Free first Performance Package - a $150 value
  • Full professional fitting - a $225-$300 value

MSRP Price of the RedSky S: $7,542

Price of the RedSky S with Promotion Applied: $6,288
This is over $1,250 in savings!
Lead times with Seven are 3 weeks for an unpainted frame from the date of confirmation. Lead times on painted frames are 5 weeks.
* The offer for 30% off Shimano Dura-Ace parts is good until supplies last. Once they're gone, they're gone. The deadline on this offer is Thanksgiving Day.
Contact us for more details or to come in to demo ride our bikes to see why this is a bike that will change your riding life.
RedSky Bike

Welcome Kuma Coffee as our next guest roaster

Welcome Kuma Coffee as our next guest roaster!

Kuma logo red

By US measures, Seattle has a long, rich history with coffee. If it isn't the birthplace of what we call Specialty Coffee in the US (along with the Bay Area), it's certainly a founding father, particularly when it comes to espresso and café culture. Influenced by Italy in the late 1970s early 80s, you can hardly walk a block in the Emerald City, even in residential neighborhoods, without passing a cafe.

In a market as mature as Seattle’s, launching a successful roastery is no easy endeavor. In less than 10 years, founder Mark Barany has grown Kuma from a small hobby business to an award winning microroaster. Like our house roaster, George Howell Coffee, Kuma is dedicated to supporting coffee farmers, generally paying above Fair Trade rates and developing Direct Trade relationships with most.

Unlike many of their brethren in the Pacifice NW, Kuma roasts on the lighter side, highlighting and honoring the terroir and intrinsic flavors of the beans rather than covering them up with a dark roast. We’ve just finished our first batch of their ‘Fresh Crop - Balanced’ espresso and were blown away by its complexity (see our Instagram posts for our gushings). Next up is their ‘Bright’ blend of Ethiopian espressos before we venture into their drip coffees.

RSC Kuma Sunshine

These next few weeks are sure to bring some delicious and exciting coffees from Kuma (the 2016 Guatemala crop is about to drop!) and we’re looking forward to enjoying them with you at RSC!

Tour Seven Cycles

Tour Seven Cycles Friday, May 202016-01-11 14.58.33

Seven Cycles is located just down the street from us in Watertown. Seven is a company full of bike building professionals. It is the place where custom bikes come to life and many new innovations in bike building have been created.

2016-01-11 14.58.00 Seven has been making the finest bikes for 18+ years and their experience shines as they work. It's manufacturing at its best: handcrafted bikes are very carefully and perfectly built one at a time, yet the short lead times show efficiency, and a well-run business full of highly-skilled people who are passionate about what they do.

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We're heading to Seven Friday, May 20. Hopefully you have some time to join us then. The tour of Seven will begin promptly at 11:30am. Feel free to arrive 10 to 20 minutes early to check out their showroom prior to the tour. Please register by Thursday, May 19, so we can give Seven enough notice of how many people to expect. An email will be sent to you with details and directions after you register. We hope you join us!

Latest eNews in Your Email

Latest eNews in Your Email

Our latest eNewsletter that is delivered to your email inbox is out. If you didn't receive it, search for "Ride Studio Cafe" and see if it arrived in another place in your email. If you haven't subscribed, be sure to do so, there is a lot of news we have to share with you! We don't share your email address with anyone and we publish a newsletter every 2-4 weeks. Subscribe here. Click below to read the one we just published yesterday evening. We hope you can join us tomorrow evening and for the special rides coming up soon! Screenshot 2015-03-31 19.42.32

eNews: Conjure Series, Honey Launch Party, Cycling Tours

eNews: Conjure Series, Honey Launch Party, Cycling Tours

Read up on the latest of what's happening where it comes to special rides, the Honey 2015 Product Launch, and an evening of talking about bike tours with Cristiano Bonino. Click on the image below for the whole thing. If you don't receive our eNewsletter in your inbox, be sure to sign up for it now. We hope you join us for the many things happening here and on the road!

Feb 27 eNews

Latest eNews is Out

Latest eNewsletter is Out

Take a look at what's happening. For a blizzard-y February, we can see spring around the corner. The New England Randonneurs are meeting tomorrow. All are invited to attend, most of what they'll be discussing is their upcoming season full of looong scenic rides. We have published our Calendar of Events, and we have a very special bike promo happening now through the end of the month. Check it out by clicking on it, below!

RSC eNewsletter

Travel to Mallorca

Travel to Mallorca with RSC and Punto Tours in 2015

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Mallorca is the perfect place to shake out the winter and get some solid, glorious riding in early season. While it's still cold in Boston, Mallorca is typically in the 70s with blue skies and the roads are ideal for cyclists with huge bike lanes and few cars. In 2014, we traveled to Mallorca with Punto Tours and our local favorite guide, Cristiano Bonino. Everyone loved the tour so much, we decided to offer it again in 2015 at the same time of year.

 

Highlights of Mallorca Include:

  • It's an ideal place for early-season training and fitness building
  • Soak up the sun in an already-warm Mediterranean island
  • Savor Spanish cuisine with tapas, local olive oil and wines
  • Log ~320 miles and 28,000 feet of elevation gain during the trip
  • Exhilarating rides on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serra de Tramuntana
  • Ride across Mallorca with beautiful coastal views and pristine landscape inland
  • Experience a real cyclist paradise with plenty of other groups of riders from all over the world
  • Learn about local history and traditions
  • Explore small villages inland and a coastal town with Roman remnants
  • Top guides (which include Cristiano) make the experience more fun with their sense of humor and professionalism
  • A group no larger than 17 people

Dates

  • April 12-18th, 2015

Price

  • Registrations made through November 15, 2014:
    • €1,450 (in today's dollars, this is a very reasonable ~$1838) & includes a free RSC custom-embroidered Rapha jersey (a $250 value)
  • Registrations after November 15th:
    • €1,600 & RSC-jersey is an additional €85

Terrain and Riding Level

  • Mountainous terrain treats riders to 28,000 feet of climbing. This averages out to 4,670 feet of climbing per ride.
  • The trip is geared toward riders who are comfortable riding 50-60 mile rides during the in-season at a 13+ mph pace.
  • The trip assumes everyone is going in after a long winter! Don't worry if you're not as fit as you'd like to be going in.
  • Everyone rides at his/her own pace. It's a supported trip so all are supported and are free to ride within one's ability.

Registration

 

More details and registration is located on the Punto Tours website. Questions? Email us: mallorca@ridestudiocafe.com. We'll answer your question and gladly connect you with professional guide and Mallorca specialist Cristiano Bonino.

Register Now

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More beautiful Photos of our Mallorca 2014 trip are available at our Flickr page.

 

 

Seven Cycles at Pioneers Day

Seven Cycles at Pioneers Day

Innovating yet again, Seven Cycles is creating a bike built to recreate the past: to honor and remember those who began racing and who established the culture we now enjoy. And in this very same bike, Seven is doing what's never been done before.

We are the honored ones, to have the deep talent of Seven manifest itself in this one-of-a-kind absolutely amazing bike. This head badge, which incorporates gold leaf, says it all. It and many other Seven spy shots of the bike in the manufacturing process are found on Seven's Instagram feed: http://www.instagram.com/seven_cycles

Don't miss this bike on display at the Studio Saturday, June 7th at Pioneers Day. It will be ridden in the 111 mile ride by Fear Rothar, then on display for the rest of the day.

Brunch begins at 7:30, Rides begin at 9am, Party for all is at 6pm. We're also very excited to be joined by Rapha and Rapha Continental riders for the day.

Join in, this is a not-to-be-missed event of the year! Details and RSVP:  http://www.ridestudiocafe.com/pioneers

Happiness on the bike this fall is...

Happiness on the bike this fall is...

...dressing right for the weather.  All it takes to be perfectly comfortable on slightly cooler, more brisk rides are a few more pieces of well-made clothing and happiness on the bike can almost definitely be assured!

Our model, smiley Stan, is showing off Rapha arm and knee warmers which very effectively extend the time you can comfortably wear your summer bike clothes. During this time of year, it might be chilly at the start of a ride, but when the day warms up, it's easy to adjust the layers without being burdened by too many extra clothes.

Stan is also sportinglong-fingered gloves and shoe covers - these items keep the fingers and toes comfortable throughout most of the coldest weather.

Add to this ensemble a light wind vest (jacket without sleeves) and viola! A full fall of cycling through gorgeous New England is yours. We've got everything here and more at the Studio: come by to check out our tested and true selection. We have years of experience of riding in all conditions so we have some helpful advice to offer on riding and bike setup for inclement weather, as well.

Before you go out and after you return from a ride, what better way to warm up from the inside than a latte, cappuccino or fragrant loose-leaf tea? Right now, enjoy coffee from Sterling coffee roasters. We always have a great line-up of outstanding and interesting coffee and espresso drinks as well as a tea menu that ensures a big smile on your face.

 

 

MM Racing Is Raffling a Seven

MM Racing Cyclocross World Championships Raffle

Presented by MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles

Online Registration Closes on Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 11:59 PM ET

This is your chance to win one of three amazing prizes and help cover the cost of Mo Bruno Roy traveling to Europe to represent the United States at two World Cups and the Cyclocross World Championships on Tabor, Czech Republic!

Here’s a break down of the incredible prizes:

Grand prize: Valued at $7500, a COMPLETE CUSTOM Seven Cycles bicycle built with the identical components found on the Mudhoney SLX Mo races.

1st prize: Valued at $1000, Pedro’s Master Tool Kit 3.0. This 65-piece kit has the tools you need for any event, hand picked by the pros!  You’ll never buy another tool again.

2nd prize:  Valued at $700, a full Thule rack system custom to the winner’s vehicle along with 2 bike trays.

There will be a limited number (250) of raffle tickets available for purchase.  Raffle tickets cost $50 each or 5 for $200.

The raffle is available only on BikeReg.com from January 8 through March 1, 2010.  Prizes will be drawn at a post World’s event TBD.

Should you wish to donate to MMRacing but not participate in the raffle, please make donations through PayPal to mo@mmracing.org or by mail.

To learn more, check out the details here and here.

Go Mo!

Honey Bikes

We just saw the first Honey bike! It looks great. We have a bunch of Honeys on order, including road, 'cross, commuter, and even a tandem! The entire fleet will be arriving in a few weeks. For now, here are some photos. We'll let you know when the first Honeys arrive. Subtle decals, simple graphics, very clean design. These photos do not do the bikes justice.

Welcome to Ride.Studio.Cafe

"The beginning is half of the whole." -- Aristotle

It does feel that way; it's been a long road to getting RSC open.  And, we're just about ready to open the doors.

We'll be posting here with updates about RSC's progress.  If you'd like to receive our newsletter updates, too, send us an email.

Thanks for stopping by.  Check back frequently!