CHROME MESSENGER BAGS and more

 We are now your East Bay Chrome location!

"Chrome started in Boulder, Colorado 14 years ago when a couple of guys needed bags and couldn't find anything that met their standards. So they got the toughest materials they could find, headed into their garage and started sewing. Functional seatbelts from used car lots were re-purposed into bag straps, and tough vinyl fabric salvaged from old furniture was sewn into bag liners.

Before long, people were knocking on their door. Word was out that Chrome was making the best messenger bags around. What started out of necessity became a business with an ethic: build functional products that people can rely on and do it well.

Eventually we moved to San Francisco, a city with a huge urban cycling scene. The business grew. Bags were joined by clothes, gear and shoes. Our products showed up from Brooklyn to Berlin to Tokyo. But what matters today is what mattered in the garage – building products that work, and standing behind everything we make."

 

            
 Stop by and throw on a pair of shoes or a messenger bag. These sneaks are not your grandpa's Chuck Taylor's. They are built to out-last and out-ride those things into the ground. While they have only one SPD compatible shoe in the line up, they all share a special shank insert that stiffens the sole enough to make them a great shoe to ride around town in. Learn more http://www.chromebagsstore.com/

In celebration we will be having a SALE until December 24th. Come in and save 15%off your Chrome product purchase. Sale includes special orders too!

De Rosa Avant Arrives...

 Everything began just after the war. It was 1947, I was 13 years old and crazy about bikes. It was the time of the Sunday magazine, the Domenica del Corriere, with its covers drawn by Walter Molino illustrating the feats of Bartali and Coppi. For me, it was a time for studying but also for dreaming. And in the workshop of Filippo Fasci, one of my relatives, I dreamed of building myself a bike and becoming a champion. It was in that little workshop that my destiny was decided.  When I was 18 I set up business on my own and began this difficult but wonderful adventure that I am still experiencing today, with the same strength, desire and enthusiasm as in those early years.

 While Ugo De Rosa made frames for many riders and teams, one in particular is very familiar to us all.... that beautiful orange steel steed ridden by cycling's 'Great One'. Eddy Merckx was the heart of the Molteni racing machine, and beneath him was Ugo's work.

The Molteni machine 

For a limited time we will have a full size run of the De Rosa Avant. Please come by and experience the life work of Ugo. While the Avant is the introductory carbon frame in their line, its place belies its character and performance. 

 Stop by and we will attach your pedals, match your current fit numbers and pump up the tires. The rest is up to you. You can take it for sixty seconds or sixty miles! 

Eddy and Ugo inspect an auspicious track frame

Come ride with Ruthie Matthes

We have partnered with Marin Bikes, to share the honor of hosting you and Ruthie on a mellow mountain bike ride on Mount Diablo.
Don't have a mountain bike? Want to ride a new 2011 full suspension rig? No problem. We will have a Demo fleet of Marin Mt. Visions, Rift Zones, the new CXR Carbon 29'er and more. 
Afterwards we will enjoy some coffee and hangout in the Pegasus Lounge, while Ruthie shows off some new gear from Vaude, UVEX and Magura
Ruthie Matthes is an American professional bicycle racer who won the World Cup Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championship in 1991. She is also a road cyclist, having twice finished in 2nd place in the Women's Challenge bicycle stage race. I remember just getting into mountain biking when she was just killing it. An American woman, in what was an american sport, doing well in Europe. We need more like her! Come ride with an icon in the sport we all love!


Ride departs Friday December 3rd @ 8:am from the shop.


If you would like to reserve a bike please call us at 925.362.2220

Monday Morning Thank You!

Treats from La Boulange, two doors away.

We would like to thank all of you for joining us over the weekend
for the sale and to support the KFOG, Live From the Archives CD release. It was a great weekend, despite Sundays rain.

For those of you who couldn’t make it in we are extending the sale.

 So, please stop by and take a look. We just received winter clothing shipments from CAPO, Giordana, Gore, Pearl Izumi and Sugoi. 

Still to arrive... Assos and Hincapie clothing. See you soon.

KFOG, Pegasus and Peet's

This weekend Peet's and Pegasus will have KFOG live broadcasting at our location! Stop by and support your local food banks by purchasing a copy of Live from the Archives volume 17. In celebration, we will also be having an Early Winter Sale! All clothing will be at least 15% off! Bikes up to 20% off!

visit www.kfog.com to purchase your CD, download or VINYL edition! Or, buy it at the event. Bikes, coffee and music....what could be better? 

See you this weekend.

The Morning Diablo Sun

The Mount Diablo Challenge began with an amazing sunrise and rain reminiscent of the central plains. The sage infused breeze delighted our senses and the stage was set for a very Northern California day.

By 8:45am we had the Pegasus Lounge set up with Peet's coffee and Noah's bagels and schmear. We enjoyed sharing with all that came, from the first to the last rider (who happened to be under the age of 10!). This little girl rocked and coincidentally, she was one of our customers riding a bike I had sold her. It was the icing on a great day!

Thanks again to everyone for coming out to support one of the World's best training centers, Mt. Diablo.

In honor to you all, we will be offering a 10% discount to all entrants of this year's Challenge. Just stop by with your race number during the next week. (This offer will expire on Sunday, October 10th at 5pm and does not include sale items.)

Stay tuned for our Pegasus TV video clip showing moments and interviews from the day!

Wave One Drawing Ends

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to throw their names in the hat! We hope that the lucky five, and any of you that are taking on The Challenge, chalk up some PB’s on Sunday.

Please look for us up top after your climb. We will have some limited seating and refreshments in the Pegasus Lounge, where you can hang out until the much anticipated descent. We will also have limited bike parking and post ride bag valet service for our customers. Please feel free to drop off your post ride bag at the shop by 4pm, Saturday, October 2^nd.  Your bag will be waiting for you at the PBW Lounge.

Annie and Steve will be hosting the Orange Couch interviews, as well as, informal comments, thoughts, and reflections on the ride and event. The interviews will uncover not only why we ride, but also what draws us to the mountain for this special event. We are looking for a diverse cross section of riders, so please stop by with your friends and record your part of our local Mt. Diablo history on Pegasus TV. 

It is sure to become a Mount Diablo Challenge tradition.

Remember When......

Late 60's Schwinn Midget.
Made in USA, $41.90

At one point in time this was the height of my cycling consciousness. We all have our earliest memories of our first bike and the life expounding moment when we first flew across the surface of the earth. My first bike looked just like this one, but was blue. I imagine it must have been a birthday gift. You'd think I'd remember, but that day my father and I took a trip to his friends shop. And, I had no idea where we were headed, so the day started on an exciting note. Yes, my first bike came from a man who ironically, was starting his own shop in southern California. (being an IBD supporter started early in my family)

Dima aboard a 70's AMF midget knock-off

My first attempts at flight are guided by my father. It is fall and the crisp, cool morning air hits my face as I nervously turn the pedals. Catching my self as the bike falls from side to side, my father runs behind me to my left. Words of advice and encouragement fall over my shoulder as I pedal forward. Slowly, rhythmically, the bicycle  stabilizes and I feel the weight of the world lift from my shoulders and I'm flying! I had forgotten about the conversation my father had started, to slightly distract me from concentrating too hard. I turned my head to check in with him. He is gone. I am alone, guiding my own destiny, following my will and whim. (Well at least for the moment.) That feeling of flight, weightlessness, freedom, strength and independence... It has never left me.

Whenever I'm asked about the name 'Pegasus', I think of this experience. The bike is never the same. No ride is ever the same. Every time we saddle up we are not sure if that horse will let us ride, or for how long, before she tries to buck us off. Those horses can be unpredictable, especially when they leave the ground!

Each time I climb aboard a bike, it all comes back.

        

Pegasus Goes Klunking in Marin

Normally we're extremely cutting edge at Pegasus Bicycle Works. We're always keeping our eye out for the next technological advancement in cycling. It's a part of what we do. That said, we also have a strong appreciation for the rich history that the bicycle has provided all of us during the past decade and a half.

On a recent ride in Marin County, yours truly, the BlogginGoggin, got his Klunk on. Yes, klunk! I had the pleasure of riding the latest addition to my barn full of bicycles. It's an Alan Bonds built 1938 Schwinn Pullman built to be precisely as the original Repack Klunkers were built. Thanks to Alan, and also congratulations for his recent indoctrination into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame.

It's hard to explain in words just how much fun I had on this bike. I will say this, I now know exactly why the founding fathers of mountain biking were riding these bikes. They're a real dream of a ride. They may be rigid, but their feel is like nothing else that I've ridden.

The blue and white bike is Eric Borsky's 1936 La Salle with its original paint. He's a huge fan of these bikes since he rode them back in the seventies. I'll need to play catch up on the history of these bikes. I'm feeling a bit like a rookie.

These bikes are a part of our history...

- BlogginGoggin

Circular Momentum

It sure was good to be able to string two rides together in one week. It's been a long time since I've had either the time or the skeletal composure to do that, and it goes without saying that I definitely miss a big part of my life when I can't keep the wheels rolling. The grumposaurus I become when I don't is a royal pain in the glutes and best kept chained and subjugated.

The first ride was a fun road rip with Alex, with my stem sporting a decidedly upright stance (rotated by yours truly to allegedly relieve pressure on my L5 but in the end only making me feel like a total Magoo and absolutely killing my wind profile) and a new-found creak in my BB. We headed out to do the Carquinez loop from Martinez and soon started to rue the blast of wind as we pedaled up the hill. Welcome back the headwind seemed to say as it made the climb oh-so-much-nicer for my rubbery legs and crunchy knees. On the way down into Crockett the cross-winds were having a party with my bladed spokes and prudence (the virtue, not the dog) urged a restrained approach to what is usually a 45 mph + tear down the hill on the loveliest of asphalt. At the bottom when we turned towards home we finally had a pseudo tailwind that kept the pace lively and more than made up for the earlier inconvenience, and with grins plastered on our mugs we tore it up on the way back. When we were done I was stoked to discover that my various wonky body parts held together, and that the ride left me hungry for more.

Part deux of this epic two-part saga was a freedom and independence romp on Mt D on my mountain bike on the 4th. Due to the scorching heat we've been having I knew I had to get out early to avoid getting cooked - sadly it was too early for anyone else to join in the fun so I went solo. Thought that maybe I'd fling myself with reckless abandon at Wall Point, but once again prudence held court and presented other alternatives - as did the certain possibility of broiling as the sun and heat index rose higher. So in the interest of saving myself to ride another day I did what comes with great difficulty - I took it easy. I put together a mellow loop that gave me ample opportunities to dig a bit deeper without bringing on a blowout like I've managed to do in the past with alarming frequency. It appears that, like a boneheaded rat in a bizarre experiment, I'm finally learning and having more fun in the process.

Rocky Mountain Bikes Demo Day

Please join Us on May 29th for a day of test riding The new Rocky Mountain 2011 line up. We will be leading an early morning ride from the shop, for those who can join us for a short 16-20 mile loop. After that the bikes will be at our shop all day for you to take on Mt.D or Las Trampas.

Please call ahead to reserve a bike for the Mt. Diablo loop ride as models and sizes will be limited and, available on a first-come-first-served basis.

We will have the following bikes for the demo this weekend:

Element 70 18"
Element 50 16.5"

Slayer 70  18" & 19"

Altitude 29 18"

We will be setting up early and ready to ride by 8 a.m. After that the bike bikes will be back at the shop by 10:30-11:00 am.

Again please call and reserve a bike if you would like to join us for the early morning ride. Reserved list is below.

Gravity, Allergens and Vertebrae

It's always wicked fun to introduce a newbie to Diablo, so we were quite happy to have Mike show up with the venerable Bloggin Goggin for a thrash up Dan Cook and through the swaying grass ocean that is blanketing the Diablo Ranch trail. Just before we left the shop an old friend rode by and we goaded AJ into riding his singlespeed up to the start of the gnarly climb. Idle banter, chitchat and taunting soon gave way to wheezing and gasping once the gradient steepened and Chris and John lit it up and took off.

We regrouped at a couple of points along the way and soon it was banzai time as we tipped our bikes into the singletrack that was barely visible as the grass had grown even taller since we'd ridden here just two weeks ago - nothing like rain, sun and more rain. For once I was able to draw on local knowledge and harried the typically unassailable Marin contingent as we threaded our way through the undergrowth - which now is more like overgrowth...

Of course the allergens were off the charts and we all inhaled copious quantities that we'd go on to enjoy later once the ride was done. Seems the last few times it's not been so bad while riding, but once off the bike it was time to cue up the misery as nasal passages clogged, eyes watered and reddened and a general feeling of itchiness came over us.

We wrapped it up with burritos and beer and talk about riding other places throughout the Bay Area. Sadly for me, a couple of days later (largely due to a lack of stretching and a long hike with my daughter on Monday that did nothing for my hoopty spinal column) I blew it up again and have been off the bike as I try to get some relief for my collapsed L4, L5 disks. Seems my IT bands are tighter than a snare drum and a major cause of my unhappiness - on and off the bike. Chris has taken up Bikram Yoga and swears by it. As soon as I'm able to get some basic stability back, I'm definitely going to give it a go. Right now, I'm following Dr. Heidi's orders and look forward to my massage tomorrow like a kid looking forward to Christmas morning!

Peace ~

GPS data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32321448?sms_ss=email

Cinco De Mayo Cruiser Ride At Norms Place

Come one come all to the first cruiser ride of the season! Wednesday, May 5th at 7pm.

Join us at Norms Place in Danville for their Inaugural 2010 Cruiser Night Ride. This fun family romp through the quiet neighborhoods of Danville is quickly becoming a tradition that we all look forward to. Entering it's fourth year, the ride has only gotten larger and the smiles bigger.

Any bike will do, but its not called a cruiser ride for nothing.

Join the revolucion ! Wear your sombrero and Norms will supply the moustache!

Need a cruiser in a pinch? We have plenty in stock and we rent them too!

Mountain Bike Ride - Sunday!

Join us for a ride up and around Mt. Diablo's western face - get your heartbeat on as we climb up Dan Cook to the junction, then grin the whole way down as we surf through the tall waving grassy singletrack of Diablo Ranch. Medium to beastly climbing, medium technical, totally awesome. We leave from the shop at 9 - see you there!

Green Grows the Grass.

I was doddering about what to do for a ride but late-night call from Chris sealed the deal and saved me from wandering around aimlessly on yet another solo ride in the local environs. The next day we headed down to Danville and hit Dan Cook as herds of roadies rolled by heading up South Gate road. The day couldn’t have been any finer – temps were in the upper 60’s already and the air was clear. The lower trails were dry and fast and my ischial tuberosities were singing a happy song being as how I had put a vintage WTB SST saddle on my bike, replacing the stocker which was a bonafide torture rack.

We climbed up past the junction and dropped down on the road to the first of the two Diablo Ranch singletrack trails that traverse the western face of Mt. Diablo. We were instantly engulfed by tall waving grasses in a sea of green as all the rain we’ve had has made for an absolutely stunning landscape, but as can be expected, the pollen count is off the charts. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl as we threaded our way down the improbably lush vegetation – intuition and local knowledge paid dividends as the trail was visible just a few feet ahead. We splashed through several creek crossings and stopped a couple of times to ogle the beauty all around. But as is always the case, downhill rides never last long enough and we found ourselves down in the canyon. Faced with an easy pavement slog back to the South Gate entrance, or the painful climb back up Wall Point so we could ride down Dan Cook, we stepped up and opted for the latter.

At the top of Wall Point the temp was 80, which explained the massive amount of sweat pouring from my noggin. We took a last look around at the swaying grass and the shiny new leaves bursting from the trees—as well as the massive explosion of poison oak that is absolutely everywhere this year—and flew back down, dodging the stick people tromping up the hill and through death clouds of tiny gnats that always get stuck to my shiny pate. We loaded up and headed back home, where cold Sierra Nevada beer beckoned. Ahhhh!

Ride on ~

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31261025?sms_ss=email

Our Easter Resurrection

After many days of being sequestered in a technological cave, our ISP provider has finally been able to roll the tombstone and set us free, at least on the web. We apologize to all those who tried to communicate via e-mail. It was unimaginably frustrating to us as well.

Please feel free to hit the send button once again.

Ready to hang? Next time we see them, they will be up.

Flingin’ it like a monkey…

More than a month off of any sort of bike due to spinal issues made yours truly a grumpy old fart. But I listened to my wise chiropractor (Dr. Heidi Olson rules!), took it easy, did what I was told and just a couple of weeks ago was able to rig up my trainer and flail indoors while the last of the season’s rains came down. A few sessions of boredom finally led to an actual hoopty ride, then a longer jaunt and it was game on at last. Now I’m slowly bridging up to my vanished early season fitness after it was collapsed by 2 vertebral disks that blew up like ancient tubulars.

Made sure to get a couple more road rides in to see how things were holding together and then it was time to get dirty. This past weekend I finally rolled on my brand spanking new Scott Genius mountain bike and immediately began to experience epic moments of transcendence and Zen. Even though I was out of shape and hadn’t ridden a mountain bike in over 2 months, the feeling was of immediate composure and speed. The Scott utterly overshadowed the performance of my old Marin and had me grinning from ear to ear. (I promise to write up a proper report once I get a few more miles in!)

Of course since the trails I was riding were on Diablo - and this being spring - I’d forgotten that not only is it drop dead gorgeous and the trails are just awesome, there are truckloads of young cows grazing and processing the lush vegetation into prodigious quantities of delicately scented bovine excreta. Up until now I’d done a good job dodging cowpies – until I rode up to a small herd ambling along on the trail. I tried to scatter them by yelling at them in Spanish, but three of beasts held formation and kept trotting along. The fire road tightened up on both sides and then as if on cue all three let loose – their massive wave of effluvia covering the trail. There was no escape. I did my best to slow down even more and thread my way through the curtain of doom – but avoidance was not in the books. I got spackled. My spanking new bike got spackled, and my stunning white saddle looked anything but.

Once anointed with fragrant Diablo Curry I decided that dropping down into the canyon and sloshing through the stream crossings would be a great way to knock the gruesomeness of it all back a notch or two. I thought it had helped, but maybe not so much. On the way home I picked up my daughter and she gave it to me straight as soon as she hopped in the car, she said “Eww daddy – you really smell like poo!”

Ride on ~ Melvis

Almost there.

New Store, New Sign

Our new location is almost official. While we have been open for months, our new signs are about to adorn our new home.

Master craftsman Erich M. is busy at work bringing our vision to life. Employing old world skill and modern materials, Erich has brought the Pegasus logos to life.

The results so far are impressive. And, we think you will enjoy seeing them to.

Look for the signs to appear in the upcoming weeks.

Thursday Night Clinics

Our clinics will begin with the basics of road side repairs. The first class will cover bicycle anatomy 101 and typical road/off-road repairs you can perform on the fly and impress all your friends. Next, we move on to basic bicycle maintenance and "my bike makes a creaky-sound" diagnosis. From there I like to leave things open. In the past we have had clinics on wheel building, bike fitting, nutrition, coaching, competitive riding and Off-road skills. It's all up to you so, let's begin!

Clinic One March 25th at 6:00 p.m.

Clinic Two April 1st at 6:00 p.m.

Clinic Three April 8th at 6:00 p.m.

Please R.S.V.P via email.

February Brings in a New Band of 2010 Bikes!

We are busy building your next bike. On your next visit take a moment to preview our new inventory for twenty-ten. We just received shipments from Wilier, Colnago, Bianchi, Scott, Marin, Rocky Mountain and Felt. If you're tired of riding in the rain.... the shop is always dry and the bikes are always clean.

Looking for a deal on a frame set? The dust is settling after our expansion and guess what we found? We are closing out some great frames, many of them below our cost. Come check it out!

Pegasus Crew Members Ride in Marin

Pegasus Bicycle Works has "team members" all over CA, and probably beyond. Today Chris and Darrin came out to Marin County to ride with me, BlogginGoggin. If you become a follower of this site, we make sure that you know about these outrageously fun rides.

The day was amazing and the riding was impeccable. We did all of the usual suspects in terms of the fire roads on Mount Tamalpais. We rode on Railroad Grade, Eldridge Grade, Indian Fire Road, and Blithedale Ridge. It was a lot of climbing, and then there were also a lot of miles were laid down today.

At the end there was a treat that was provided by BlogginGoggin. I promised Chris and Darrin that I'd show them some really great legal single track, but that they'd need to do at least another 1,000 ft of climbing. They were down with that! So off we went. We reached the entrance to the single track and we dove in with gusto. The trails are perfect right now, and I always ride the ones that drain well after storms. We rolled and swooped along the narrow and obstacle ridden trail until we reached the road below. I think that they enjoyed that! Thanks for coming out to Marin guys, it was a hoot!

Gut Check

There are a few places in the local ride arsenal that quickly reveal one’s technical skills – or lack thereof, in my case. Rockville Park is definitely one of them. Especially when you add 98% average humidity and temps barely brushing 40, creating a dank foggy blanket of misty wetness that coats every rock and root with snot-like slipperiness.

Five of us convened for early morning service at the Church of Rotating Mass on Sunday. We tithed our donation to the Gods of Rockville and hit the trails. The nice level warm-up lasted next to nothing and the push uphill was on. Gasping like a lungfish, I kept reminding myself that every hill here is short. But I mustn’t have been paying much attention because my suffering didn’t abate. So I hereby blame the Holidays for the demise of the puny shred of fitness I was grasping onto – now withered into a leathery and incompliant strip of jerky, ready to be stretched, pushed and molded back into something that resembles a cyclist and not a wheezing old codger. I’ve got some work ahead of me…

Once we got to the top the spectacular view was – nonexistent. Maybe 50 yards at best. The mist swirled and coated eyelashes and fogged glasses. But it didn’t dampen the fun. With an eager (and quite capable) Rockville virgin in our midst we laced together a series of trails that induced big grins and a few sphincter-puckering moments. Gravity bit a couple of us more than once and a small blood donation was made to appease the carnivorous spirits that keep watch over this very cool gem from the Pliocene era. As for my dreadful technical skills, the more we rode the looser I got, so towards the end of the ride I was actually not ploughing into rocks and trees, but dancing over and weaving around them. It was encouraging, to say the least…

Just before we got back down to the lot where our cars awaited, we found a sweet jump with a nice run-in and mellow landing slope that provided excellent elevation and distance. Whooping and hollering like kids, we hit the jump several times before we called it a day and rolled back to the entrance of this small (635 acres) park, but laced with a sweet network of trails of varying difficulty that can keep all but the most cynical cyclist happy for hours. Cheers to Alex, Chris, Darin and Steve who thumbed their noses at the less than stellar conditions and made it out for a sweet ride. Which begs the question: when are we hitting Rockville again?