Calgary Cycle Shop Update - April 2021



Hello bike riders!

To start off we would all like to say how awesome it is that the world is getting more into the sport that we all love at
Calgary Cycle. More adults and kids on bikes has always been one of our goals and this last year has been
unprecedented!

BIKES are FUN!

That said, this has brought on a laundry list of challenges and we are committed to doing a better job of communicating
the issues that have arrived with this boom. Please read below and know that we are doing our best.

Top 5 List of things we don’t like but are doing for your safety during COVID times:

1. We have a hard cap on our store’s occupancy at each of our locations as it is very hard to social distance when
buying a bike and accessories. We care about you and our staff and will have these limits in place until we have a
green light from the province to change.

2. We are lined up from open until close at our Bow Trail location, and are lined up the majority of time we are open
at our Canyon Meadows location. To maintain proper social distancing guidelines, and still offer the best in-person
customer experience, we are prioritizing our in-store customers. In order to provide that in-store experience, we
are unable to answer the phones most the time, particularly at our Bow Trail location. We sincerely apologize for
this but our main goal is to keep the line outside the store moving.

3. Our staff policy is strict; no staff member may come to work if they feel ill or if they have had any chance of close
contact with a positive case until cleared as per AHS policy and guidance. This continually puts us in a short staff
position and we ask for your patience during these times. We are looking to add team members immediately, if you
know anyone that has bike shop experience please send us a resume at info@calgarycycle.com

4. Our service lines are the longest wait and we can not remedy this without compromising your bike service. We
need to accurately assess your bike and talk to you about what work is required before our awesome techs get to it.
We need to be clear with you about what is needed before you leave as we do not want to surprise anyone with an
unapproved bill or unexpected delays for service. We are dealing with unprecedented and massive shortages in the
industry on regular wear parts. We can’t have a bike sit at the store as we wait for inventory to be replenished. To
provide an example; if you needed a Shimano 12 speed chain, we would not be able to provide a reasonable
timeline for this chain to be replaced. We have enough of these chains on order to pave the ring road but they are
back-ordered for months. We appreciate your patience.

Current Service Booking times for:
Bow Trail – May 4, 2021
Canyon Meadows – May 6, 2021

5. Parts shortages, shipping delays, and price changes are all very real, severe, and occurring every day. We are
doing our best to keep people informed about shortages and delays, however, the information we provide is only as
good as the information we’re given. Price increases have come and more are coming. In some cases, shipping
costs have seen an increase of over 800% and things do not look to be getting better until mid-2023 at the earliest.
Compounding the price and availability issues is that both metal and plastic are in short supply. This is a daily
struggle for our sales and service staff so please do not shoot the messenger as they hate higher prices as much as
you do.

We are all super excited to invite new people into the sport, we truly value all our long-time customers and we want
to be your one-stop shop to get your 2 wheels rolling. Please understand that we currently have limitations and we
are all running at 110% to make your ride better!

See you on the trail and don’t forget BIKES are FUN!!


     


Insight into 2021 Bicycle Industry



2020 Proved to be a crazy year in the bicycle world, and 2021 is shaping up to be even crazier!


Due to a number of circumstances caused by the ongoing changes in the world from the global pandemic COVID-19, the bicycle industry has been taken by storm over the course of the last year.


What is happening/has happened?
- More people buying/riding bicycles than ever before!
- Supply Shortages due to lower production levels over the past year, as well as international shipping delays.
- Major supply uncertainty (inventory numbers, shipping time frames)

What does this mean for the cycling consumer?
- Limited supply/shortages on bikes, parts, and accessories
- Uncertain and potentially changing timelines
- Potential price increases

How has this affected Calgary Cycle?
Aside from the changes mentioned above, all locations have been experiencing a much higher than normal volume of both emails and phone calls. Unfortunately, this means that at times it may seem difficult to get in touch with our store. We truly apologize for these difficulties, and frustrations this can cause.

Please try to be understanding and know that we are doing our best to reply back to emails and phone messages as soon as possible. 
*Could be at end of the day*

What you can do to make it easier?
When leaving a voice mail or email please fully explain what you are looking for, or how we can help you. This will make it much easier for us to assist you in the most efficient way possible.

 

Trying to book a service appointment?
 Our service departments are currently running at maximum capacity, What this means for you is that bikes can not be dropped off without an appointment and we can't "squeeze" you in!

The most efficient way to book a service appointment is to email;
service@calgarycycle.com - BOW TRAIL LOCATION

canyonmeadowsservice@calgarycycle.com - CANYON MEADOWS LOCATION

Provide the following information;
- Full Name
- Phone Number
- Bike Model
- Brief description of any issues you're having
- Last time the bike was serviced
- Was the bike purchased from any of our locations?

We will do our best to get back to you with an appointment date as quickly as possible.  Our service staff really appreciate your patience and understanding.


Vital MTB: The Inside Line Podcast - Santa Cruz CEO Joe Graney on the Current State of the Bike Industry



Looking for insight on some of the craziness that's been affecting the bicycle industry this past year? 

Check out the latest podcast from Vital MTB's "The Inside Line," where they sit down with none other than Santa Cruz Bicycles CEO Joe Graney himself. Not only does Joe discuss all of the obstacles Santa Cruz, and the bicycle industry as a whole have faced this past year, but he also explains how his company is planning ahead for the future in these uncertain times. 

 


         


Jumpstart Spring: E-BIKES



Maybe the lockdown has kept you on the couch for awhile, or you might have had a kid and haven't been able to get on the trails for half a decade: it doesn't matter why, you just want a little juice to get you back in the groove. Power Assist E-Bikes aren't just about beating the physical game - they're about getting back to the ride. 


 

Remember when it was fun to rail corners and flow down the trail? It's still out there waiting for you. But grinding up that long hill or spinning your legs around a 20k loop can get the better of you. If you haven't gone around the reservoir in years but today's the day, this is one way to begin again. 

CRUISING

You don't have to be crushing Moose Mountain laps to want an assist on the paths. Electra Townie GO provides a solid power assist for longer rides around city pathways and trail systems. Calgary has one of the most comprehensive path systems in the country, threading through the provincial land of Fish Creek, around Glenmore Park, through Edworthy and up into Nosehill - then it goes around again. 

If you haven't been riding much or far and you're looking to take in Calgary's full scope, it's worth checking out the casual fun of the Electra bikes — relaxed fit, upright posture, simple controls. 

The power-assist Electra can take you anywhere the pavement rolls.

ELECTRA POWER ASSIST BIKES

MOUNTAIN

You want back into the trails. Who could say no to such fun? But if a few years have gone by since the legs crushed it up Pneuma then you might need some juice at your back. Mountain E-Bikes jump you back into the game, smoothing out the early season pain to the body and giving you the power to go farther or faster on your favourite rides throughout the whole year. 

MOUNTAIN E-BIKES


Santa Cruz Pay Dirt



PRESS RELEASE: Santa Cruz Bicycles

Santa Cruz Bicycles commits to giving away $1 million to projects that increase access to trails

 


This is our commitment to increasing access to quality trails. We’re pledging to give $1 million over the next three years to trail development projects, local and national advocacy organizations, events, and programs geared toward creating and strengthening access to trails.

Santa Cruz wants to support activities that benefit riders and their local communities. And, we want to inspire others to do the same.

PayDirt is about supporting grassroots organizations to do the silent work of advocacy to build or maintain the trails we all enjoy. Any group who has an idea or running project that increases access or improves the experience of mountain biking can apply to the PayDirt fund. Starting today.

Apply today!... www.santacruzbicycles.com/paydirt

Starting November 19th we’re opening up the application process for local organizations and projects to apply for funding.

More information about PayDirt and information on how to apply can be found here.

We will consider any project that increases access for mountain bikes will be considered; whether that’s building trails, supporting local trail and MTB organizations with their advocacy efforts, trail builders or providing opportunities to get more riders on bikes more often.

Long-time supporters of good causes

SCB has long supported people and groups that provide greater trail access. We've partnered with groups like Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship since their inception on the quest to create sustainable recreation-based communities in California’s Lost Sierras region through trail stewardship, job creation and world-class events. We started by supplying Greg Williams with bikes for his rental/shuttle business back in 1994 and we’ve supported the Downieville Classic since the beginning. We’ve been supplying SBTS with bikes for their annual $5 Per Foot campaign, which to this day has raised over $400,000 thanks to riders everywhere. We continue to offer our financial support to SBTS each year and want to continue that relationship long into the future because they’ve got a lot of big plans for that area…

Locally, in Santa Cruz, we are big supporters of Mountain Bikers Of Santa Cruz (MBoSC). Despite the origin stories from Marin County, mountain bike trail access in California does not come easy. Despite being the home to a lot of mountain bike companies and a lot of mountain bikers the number of legal and non-threatened trails isn’t that great. Of the 220 miles of official trail in the county, less than 40 are open to mountain bikes. MBoSC works to support, preserve, and expand trail access and responsible mountain biking in Santa Cruz County. Every employee of Santa Cruz Bicycles is a member of MBoSC, we attempt to encourage as many of our staff to go out and dig alongside MBoSC, we’ve partnered on several fundraising programs in the past and we’re increasing our commitment to them for the future through event partnership of the Surf City Cyclocross series (the USA’s longest running CX race series) and the Old Cabin Classic in Wilder Ranch State Park. Both events are held a stone’s throw away from our bike factory in Santa Cruz.

The San Vicente Redwoods trails project is something that’s been brewing for a while. When a large area of wild space on the coast just north of town became potentially accessible by the public Santa Cruz Bicycles led a local industry syndicate to fundraise for the property’s recreational trail plan. This collaboration meant we were able to raise the funds necessary to get through the project planning stage (which was executed by MBoSC and SBTS), and we want to see it happen so we threw in an additional $500,000 in the campaign to raise the $7m the project will cost (it’s not just trails, but also infrastructure, maintenance and wildlife conservancy). Any day now, after a long bureaucratic process, the first shovels will start turning over dirt to create 38-miles of new multi-use trails - something quite rare in Northern California.

 

Creative ways of raising funds and awareness

We’ve helped raise a lot of cash and awareness for projects close to our heart. For example, 2017 was one of the worst wildfire seasons on record for California. Homes were lost, lives changed and singletrack went up in flames. “We talked to our shops, reps and customers in the areas affected by the fires and above all they expressed a real desire for a return to normalcy,” said Santa Cruz CEO Joe Graney. “We all know how a good bike ride makes you feel, and we want to help people get back to that.” In order to help with trail reconstruction efforts in Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara, we partnered with other California-based bike brands to make two custom bikes for raffling off. The total raised was $128,249.

Long-time friend of Santa Cruz, mountain bike guide and MS sufferer, Andy McKenna, has been doing the good work to raise awareness of how people with MS can still lead happy, healthy lives. He does this through his organization, STOKED ON MS. To help keep the fundraising momentum going we produced a one-of-a-kind, unique, custom-painted, fully-specced Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson bike. Each raffle ticket cost just £5, and ultimately raised£28,319.

There was also the time when Oregon introduced a new tax on bicycles (specifically mountain bikes), which we thought was kinda wack. “The whole thing seemed like a bad deal for Oregon cyclists in general and mountain bikers in particular,” said Joe Graney. “It doesn’t look like any of the money collected from the sale of mountain bikes will actually benefit mountain bikers, so we thought we’d try and do something to ease the pain of our northern neighbors.” Which is why we launched the “The Oregon Trail Tax” where we matched the $15 per bike excise tax customers pay on every new Santa Cruz or Juliana bike sold in Oregon with an equal donation to three Oregonian trail building organizations – the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA), the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA), and Team Dirt.

Advocacy in Oregon is nothing new for Santa Cruz; as part of the company’s sponsorship of the Trans-Cascadia enduro race (which goes towards the Ten For Trails program, event funding and bike raffle fundraising), our employee-based Factory Racing Team has logged more than 500 hours of trail work in the state over the last two years on trails near the towns of Oakridge and Ashland.

Generally all the events we support have a significant trail stewardship and fundraising element to them: this includes Downieville Classic, NZ Enduro, Trans-Cascadia, Ard Rock Enduro, Old Cabin Classic and Trans-Provence.

 

Mobilizing human-power

But our work doesn’t stop at writing checks. Whenever we can we’re side-by-side with these organizations at meetings, and mobilizing our employees to write letters of support en masse and turning up at trail days. In 2018 1,411 employee hours were provided to voluntary advocacy efforts - sometimes that was us paying for our employees hours to skip work and turn up to dig days, other times it’s our employees going above and beyond to make tool noises in their own time (which we don’t count in our total). But we know that sometimes it’s cold hard cash that really helps these grassroots organizations to do the silent work of advocacy so that others can make tool noises that build new or maintain existing trail networks.

In 2018 we donated approximately $175,000 of cold hard cash, and we helped raise around $225,000 to support new trails and maintenance. But starting in November 2019, we're going bigger. We're committing $1 million dollars in cash over the next three years. That's our solid commitment. How that money is best used is what we need help from the community to determine.

 

An even bigger commitment

We want to share our support further than the core groups and places we already support. We want to make sure they're rad projects put together by trail advocacy pros that will lead to better access to mountain biking. It doesn't even have to be for building or maintaining trails, it could be about getting some people on bikes or giving them a trail experience. Who knows, we're open to ideas.

We recognize that every mountain bike rider (many Santa Cruz Bicycles employees identify as riders above all) has a duty to put into the pot because at the moment it's a lot of volunteers and committed professionals doing all the hard work so riders can just enjoy their riding. We don't believe in No Dig, No Ride, not exactly, but we do think if we don't contribute in some ways then what's our worth to the world? This is why we’re supporting the silent work and tool noises that provide us all with great mountain bike experiences.


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