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Have a question about anything you've read on this page?
Just Email JF at JF@Gords.com and he'll get back to you
pronto.
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Gord's Ski & Bike
2 Locations to serve you better!
[L1]
2 Donald St
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.284.2952
[L2]
1765 Kenaston Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.269.2952
info@Gords.com
1.877.GORDS.61
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Lauri
riding along the Red River on her Rocky Mountain Slayer
30
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BUYING A BIKE
Looking
to put a little excitement into your life? Want to venture
off road to escape traffic and congestion? Attracted by
friends' tales of sweet singletrack and jaw-dropping overlooks?
You've got the mountain-bike bug. Good for you. Now's
a great time to be shopping and we've got a showroom full
of sweet two wheeled machines that'll satisfy all your
dirt dreams.
We've come up with some information we hope will help
you out in your quest for a cool new bike. Let's start
with 5 key tips then we'll get to the meat of the matter:
The nuts and bolts.
[1] Shop your bike shop.
It's simple, everyone in town is selling good bikes at
competitive prices... Find a shop that speaks YOUR language,
one that has employees, managers and owners who's pastimes
and values reflect yours. A shop that will LISTEN to you.
A shop that offers a reasonable, comprehensive service
package. A shop that will make a focused (as opposed to
"here, let's try 23 bikes today") recommendations
and naturally a shop that will stand by those recommendations
... You want a partner that can relate to you and help
you achieve whatever goal you set for yourself, whether
it be a Victoria Beach cruiser or a super light race bike.
Why shop bike shops as opposed to paint shops that happen
to sell bikes or department stores who sell something
resembling bikes right next to leaf-blowers and Bar-B-Q
sets? The reason bike shops are an important ally in your
bike-purchasing experience is that bike shops have a vested
interest in you staying involved in the sport, we don't
have guns, wheelbarrows or golf to fall back on if biking
goes away. Diversification is key if you're a mining operation,
independent bike shops are intrinsically linked to the
sport of cycling, it's absolutely necessary for us to
survive that you, your husband and your neighbor enjoy
cycling THAT's the difference..
[2] Do some research, and yes, check out the
web
But PLEASE take it all with a grain of salt. The anonymous
'bike expert' on the "blueavidbiker" chat group
can extol the virtues of bike 'Z' at the detriment of
brand 'Y' until the cows come home... but will he give
you your money back if the 'Z' bike thing implodes? Trust
the guy or girl who'll put his money where his mouth is.
The person that is accountable to you, the person you
may very well end up riding with at some point... THAT
person must weight his or her words and recommendations,
that person can't hide behind a screen name in their parent's
basement.
Case in point: A few years ago here was an internet frenzy
with a particular model of front fork... Most every chat
group or review site was saying they were crap... I owned
one, my best riding buddy owned one... these things were
amazing... Maybe the person who posted the first negative
comment worked for a competitor to this company... who
knows... It's still a mystery... 4 years later, my buddy
STILL loves his front fork. Go figure. Every tom Dick
and Harry (sorry Harry) has an opinion... Their ability
(or willingness) to back it up is key.
[3] Buy a bike like it's a pair of shoes:
Now I know this is going to incense some bike weenies
to no end but let's just type it, post it and deal with
it: NO MATTER WHAT THE PRICE OR THE TITANIUM CONTENT OF
A BIKE... IF IT FEELS LIKE CRAP, IT'S CRAP TO YOU. No
level of Race-Face whatever is going to make that carbon-fiber
hardtail feel better if it feels like a gun-rack shaped
rectal probe on wheels. Go with fit, period. Once that's
out of the way, we'd LOVE to talk to you about carbon
fiber.
[4] It's OK to end up choosing the bike that
looks the best:
We all know SOMEONE (hehehe) who's plunked down an inordinate
amount of money on something just because it was soooo
cool. As long as it fits and you can afford it, go for
it.
[5] Accessories make the ride:
Any $800 bike with pedals, bike shorts, bike shoes, a
Camelback, toolkit, tube, pump, bike gloves and well fitting
helmet will be infinitely more pleasurable to ride than
any $1500 bike with none of the above: And that's the
truth, sister.
Click HERE
for part 2 of our article.
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THE LONG TRAVEL HOLY GRAIL
What we look for most in a full-suspension bike is intuitiveness. When a bike simply does its job, no fuss no muss. Rare is the ride you just jump on and go. Rob and I share that appreciation for that particular underrated characteristic. Many 4" travel bikes deliver that "comfortable hardtail" feel, I'm no expert but I kinda believe that the drama free suspension experience of 4" bikes has something to do with the fact that, well... quite simply, there's less suspension travel... so it's more "buttoned down". Examples of solid, intuitive 4" designs are many including the Jamis Dakar and the timeless Rocky Mountain Element family of bikes.
 Getting bikes with more than 4 inches of travel to behave in that efficient, solid, yet lively way is not that easy it seems. Very few "5 inch and up" bikes that we've tested over the years managed to deliver the feel of a 4 inch bike with one or two more inches of travel. Once you get up there it seems that many bikes get wobbly knees or either get heavy in order to counter that long-travel challenge... The less-than-perfect examples simply become "squishy"
When we find that rare combination of balance, poise, comfort and efficiency it's usually very subtle. These bikes rarely jump up and shout "HEY LOOK AT ME! I DO MY JOB INTUITIVELY!" When we find a bike that blows us away we usually quietly look at each other and go "pssst! I like this bike" and ride for a bit longer until we add "hey, I think you should try this bike out, I'd like your thoughts"... all the while smiling and simply enjoying the ride.
 To say that 2007 and 2008 have been very good full-suspension test seasons would be an understatement. With 3 sweet new bikes recently inducted into Gord's Long-Travel MTB Hall-of Fame. The Jamis BAM, the Scott Genius and the very bling Commencal Meta 5.5... Joining such superlative squishy icons such as the stalwart Jamis XLT, the Ellsworth Epiphany, the Rocky Mountain SXC and the much loved Jamis XAM.
Life is pretty sweet at Gord's. How fortunate are we to have some of the very best long travel bikes that don't act like big fat spongy marshmallows. Long travel bikes that make you wonder why anyone would ride less.
 Listen, if you ride any trail, flat as it may be or steep as you can find... If you're over 19 years old and you want to keep on riding into your sixties and beyond... if you're still riding that hardtail WAKE UP! Give your head a shake. Do yourself, your body and your ass a favor, get with the times. INJECT SOME FUN in your moribund life, get a full suspension bike and join the ranks of those who do more than just ride, join the ranks of those who are having the time of their lives on their bikes, join the ranks of the living. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO RIDE A HARDTAIL. (We should make a T-shirt!) Check out our full-suspension page HERE |
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BEST
BUILT
BIKES, PERIOD.
When bikes arrive at our door from suppliers, they're unfortunately
not assembled. We proudly employ highly qualified technicians
to carefully assemble our bikes and pay them hourly. In
fact, we're convinced our bike builds are the best in the
city. Our experienced tech shop staff guarantee it. Our
27 point quality verified assembly process ensures that
your bike will ride well and require less maintenance in
the long run. It's pretty simple: Less down time equals
more fun time.
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LE
PHOTO ALBUM
It all started with Matt Goyer (mattgoyer.com) a good friend
and computer aficionado and JF taking pictures here and
there... Enter uber-camera-guy Gavin... Matt started hosting
out pictures on a server... Thousands and thousands of pictures
were taken, an extensive record of all our great adventures.
Unfortunately now password protected to shield the innocent.
Wanna surf the album? simply join the Gord's MTB Club, get
a free Username and Password and BAM! you're in.
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JOIN US!
We've said it before: It's all about the ride. The ride to Seven Eleven, the ride to your buddies house, the ride we call Ingolf, the ride at Panorama, Fernie, The Seine River, the ride through the monkey trails at Assiniboine Park, the ride with your 30 favorite buddies or the ride with your daughter.
Yes the bike is important. But more important than the bike is the smile on your face. So get off your butt, dust off your bike, throw on your helmet and come riding with us next season! For more information on how we can help get you out, click on the following link:
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Attention all bike lovers! Gord's is very proud to announce that we'll be offering