Trail's End Cycling Center

TECC had the pleasure of helping Kristen and Mike explore Irvine. We had two bikes available for them so they could sample our great Class I multi-use trails. Looks like they had a fun time!

TECC just received six Manhattan Aero Cruiser https://www.manhattancruisers.com/2020-manhattan-m/aero-20/ beach cruisers, three men's and three women's. We also just received two KHS Urban Xcape 3x7 hybrids. These bikes will not last long. Stop by and check them out.

A note to our customers affected by the Silverado Fire... We know that some of our customers needed to evacuate their homes this week. If you are affected by the evacuation order and we have your bike in for service, please give us a call. We would be happy to store your serviced bike until you are permitted to return home safely. Stay safe!

State of the Bike Industry If you're in the market for a bike, you've probably been pretty frustrated lately. New bike inventory at all shops, even ours, is woefully low. Entry-level bikes, road, mountain, hybrid, and city cruisers, left the building about 8 weeks ago and bike manufacturers do not have any replacements. High-end models are also becoming scarce for several reasons, one being model-year changeover. The word we have from our manufacturers is that worldwide c...omponent shortages (derailleurs, wheels, hubs, seats, tires) is partly to blame. Sales have exploded over 2019 with many manufacturers reporting sales of 200% over the same period last year. What that meant is that all companies went through their 2020 inventory in March or April and they were not in a position to build more frames. Yes, many bike frames come from Asian countries and the factories were affected by the pandemic shutdown. Many bike companies we deal with are telling us that most of their 2021 models will not be available until (gulp) 1Q2021. We have pre-ordered several models and hopefully will see them in March. If you are interested in a new bike, we are putting together a waiting list right now, so contact us at the shop and discuss this with Dan or Randy. We may be able to source a bike this year, but supplies are getting really thin. In the mean time, get your current ride back in shape. Our service department wait list has gone down considerably and we do not need to schedule all work in advance. Give us a call and we can give you an assessment of the turnaround time for many repairs. Thank you for understanding.

This morning, we had a customer who refused to heed the warning posted at our front door to wear a face covering while in the store. When Randy politely asked him to put a mask on, he responded that apparently we had "drank the Kool-Aid". Randy asked him to leave. As he departed, he added that Randy "was pathetic" for not selling him a chain. We are here to serve our customers. We also reserve the right to deny service to someone who does not comply with state, county, an...d local health mandates. We are concerned for the safety of our staff as well as our customers. We do not want to engage in political discussions with our customers. We would rather lose a sale, or possibly a customer than put the safety of our staff and other customers at risk. Our store policy is clear: Wear a face covering upon entering the store or be denied service. Because we are considered part of the transportation industry and our services are considered essential, we have come in every day to assist customers who need bike repairs and have never shut down our operation. We are complying with CDC guidelines for cleanliness and disinfection. We do not want to deny service to anyone, but safety comes first. We truly hope you understand .

Tubeless rims and Gorilla Tape... Three words: DON'T DO IT!!! Gorilla Tape is simply fabric-backed duct tape with a slightly more tacky adhesive. While duct tape has a lot of creative applications, making a rim tubeless is not one of them.... We see wheels come into the shop all the time where the owner is complaining that their tubeless wheel and tire are losing air. When we break it down, we many times find Gorilla Tape and almost always find that sealant has seeped past the tape. We also had a rider come in recently who could not get his Schwalbe tire mounted on their rim that was taped with the Gorilla stuff. Clearance is yet one more issue with Gorilla Tape and tubeless prep. The facts: NoTubes tubeless tape is actually a product known as strapping tape. Tesa is the name closely associated with strapping tapes. Their 4289 tape is so close to Stan's that it could be a clone. Tesa 4289 has an elongation rate of 35% before it will break. In other words, it will stretch. I have no idea about Gorilla Tape since the manufacturer does not list its elongation rate. Tesa 4289 has a tensile strength of 214 lb. Gorilla Tape's tensile strength is 285 Newtons, or about 63.15 lbs. Tesa 4289 is 0.0059" thick. See the photos. Gorilla Tape is 0.4318mm, or 0.017". Gorilla Tape is THREE TIMES the thickness of Stan's or Tesa 4289 yet only has 25% the tensile strength rating. This is why you can't get the tire mounted over Gorilla Tape with some rim/tire combinations, Mr. DIYer! And forget about the high pressures of road tubeless setups. Clean-up and re-taping NoTubes tape is a polypropylene non-filament strapping tape with a rubber-based adhesive. It comes of pretty cleanly. I have no data on Gorilla Tape adhesive, but since it is cloth-backed, it usually tears when removing it from a rim and the adhesive remains behind. We have spent nearly an hour removing Gorilla Tape remnants and adhesive with industrial-strength 3M Adhesive Remover. Customers are shocked when we quote a service fee to clean up old Gorilla Tape. New Players: Stan's NoTubes is a tried-and-true product and Randy uses it a lot in the shop. Stan's is synonymous with bike tubeless setups. For tubeless sealing tape, valves, and sealant, there are two promising newcomers: #mucoffproducts and @orangesealcycling. Dan prefers the MucOff tape. It has great form-ability and is easy to install. Conclusion: We really don't care what you saw on YouTube or what some other shop may recommend. Please, please, please...don't use Gorilla Tape to set up tubeless rims!!! Yes, it is a lot cheaper than the real stuff, but as the saying goes, you can pay me now, or pay me (a lot more) later. Invest in a quality tape.

We got news that #Workingwardrobes Irvine Donation Center was about to open. Well, Trail's End has another refurbished donation bike looking for a good home. Thanks to our generous customers we can make this happen.