Archer Bicycle

The owner of this car has a sense of style and fun! (Spotted in Chinatown on Saturday)

Do you work on electric bikes? He inquired. That’s a motorcycle! Was my retort. No, it’s a bicycle. He responded. I looked a little closer, Wow! That is a bicycle! I exclaimed. Come on in!

Archer Bicycle is open. We are doing repairs & service by appointment only. Appointments are available Monday-Saturday from 10:00 until 2:00, every hour, on the hour. You can get your flat tire repaired without an appointment!... Sales and flat repairs are between 10:00 and 4:00 Monday-Saturday. One person at a time is allowed in the shop. Masks are required. Call 510-681-1141 to make an appointment.

Archer Bicycle will be closed Thursday through Saturday (November 5-7) I’m taking my three-year-old grandson to the coast for the weekend! We should have fun, and his parents get a weekend without a kid!

Archer Bicycle is temporarily closed. I have developed tendonitis in my elbows and cannot work on bikes for the moment. With luck, I’ll be back at work in 4-7 days.

It's 10:00am here on Mars. I sometimes wonder what life is like back on Earth.

Archer Bicycle is closed Thursday October 7. I'm installing a new computer & point of sale system. We will reopen Friday morning at 10:00am

Archer Bicycle will be closing early Thursday, August 20th at 2:00. We will reopen on Tuesday, August 25th at 10:00am. I'm taking a long weekend off to spend with my wife, and celebrate her birthday!

Chinatown Street Fair Friday's! Every Friday in August there's a socially distanced (masks required) street fair in Oakland's Chinatown! Come support this vibrant part of our city!

Archer Bicycle is open for Business. Service and Repairs are done by appointment. Appointments are available every hour, on the hour, from 10:00-2:00 Monday through Saturday. One person at a time in the shop.... Masks are required. Flat repairs and sales are available without appointments from 10:00-4:00 Monday through Saturday. If there’s someone in the shop, you’ll have to wait outside until they are done. Call 510-681-1141 to make an appointment for service.

Archer Bicycle will reopen. I hope by June 15 we will be working on bikes again. Wear a mask. Be safe. Stay sane. Be nice to others. We can make a difference.

Me in what used to be Archer Bicycle. If your bike was here, please contact me so I can get my insurance to replace your bike.

Accidental needle stick. Those are not words you want in your life. Unfortunately, it is a potential hazard if you’re changing a bike inner tube. I know this from personal experience. For years it’s been standard procedure to run your fingers around the inside of a tire to check for thorns, small shards of glass and the like, before installing a new or patched tube. This habit lead to me being stuck by a hypodermic needle abandoned by some drug addict. The needle had pi...erced the tire. The attached syringe or connecting plastic had been broken off, leaving no trace of the needle from the exterior of the tire. The sharp stab of the needle was how it announced its presence to me. My goal is to prevent this from happening to you. So, first let’s work on preventing this from happening; then we’ll go through what to do if it does. We have to modify the standard operating procedure for changing an inner tube. Here’s what I’ve done. The first inspection of a tire is still both visual and tactile, but I now use a folded-up rag to slowly sweep the inside of the tire while I visually inspect the outside for inclusions. Hopefully, the rag will catch on any large items, such as the needle that got me, giving you a chance to avoid being stabbed. I then do a second inspection, again visual and tactile, but using my fingers to check for small intrusions. These procedures should minimize dangers. There’s no way to have zero risk but taking some extra time and precautions will minimize the chance of problems. Ok, let’s say you get unlucky, like I did. Here’s what to do. First gently press on the area around the puncture site. You want to induce bleeding. The blood that exits the wound site will hopefully carry any infectious material with it. Next, clean the area thoroughly with soap and water. Now, get treatment. Don’t delay. The quicker you start post-exposure medications, the better chances you have. At this point, you should take precautions not to expose others. This means safe sex and taking caution not to expose others to your blood, if you get injured. Now comes the annoying part, the waiting. One month of medication. First tests for Hepatitis and HIV at six weeks. Final testing in six months. If you make it through the six-month test with all negative results, you get to breathe a sigh of relief. (My final Hepatitis and HIV tests came up negative. I’m clean.) The photo is a hypodermic needle, one of the ones that I have pulled from a tire. You can tell it is a hypodermic needle because it is hollow. The little gray oval at the sharp end of the needle is the opening.

New artwork on our door! Courtesy of Chris Granillo, an exhibiting artist here at our art gallery. You can see more of Chris’ work at www.chrisgranilloart.com He also has work hanging in our gallery right now! You can take a look, if you’re getting your bike fixed!

When I was a little kid, my family lived just outside New York City. One of the greatest treats for me was to go into New York's Chinatown for dinner. I ordered sweet and sour pork every time! (Give me a break, I was four!) As an adult, I've had the good fortune to walk through Oakland's Chinatown twice every day going to and from work. I've gotten to explore the restaurants and shops of this vibrant area. This cocktail is a tribute to the sights, smells and tastes of the C...hinatowns across the country. Chinatown Cocktail: 2 oz Bourbon Fresh ginger-a silver dollar sized slice (the old large silver dollar) Teaspoon of Honey Large strip of Orange zest Muddle ginger and honey. Add Bourbon and ice, stir to mix and strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with a large strip of orange peel. (I use a vegetable peeler to get a large strip of zest)

Shimano has given me (along with lots of other shops & mechanics) gift cards to help those in the industry during these trying times. I consider myself very lucky, I don’t need the assistance. So, the money that Shimano gave to me, I’m giving to those who are less fortunate. The $100.00 that Shimano has gifted to me is being passed along to the Alameda County Food Bank. Thank you, Shimano, for helping me help others.

Great news! My HIV & hepatitis tests came back negative! I'm officially out of the woods! It's been a long six months waiting for these final tests.