BLUG

Just for now, just for Deciembre: We’ll be open on Domingo from 10 to 2. It’s because  Yes, we need the money, and Also, because the shopping days are few and often spent in major shopping areas not here, so an extra four hours on Sundays makes it easier.

We’ll get the phones then, too, but may not be able to research current or past orders—not on Sunday, at least. Takes too much time.

—————- Let’s Talk About Giving Away Money ————-

There’s this charity and it’s a really good one. In a sentence it teaches public schoollers how to write. gets them into books and reading, too. Really supportive, super effective, and the writings are published in real books you can buy, too. This is a charity we wholly endorse and want to support. We’ve already sent it a couple of hearty donations this year, and will send at least that much again even though it’s a lean time for us, because it’s so, so worthwhile. And we’ll make it easy for you to donate, too. Click up there or right here and read about it. Find the donation link and donate. You’ll be emailed a thanks and proof, and you forward that to donations{at}rivbike.com (just email the donation receipt there, don’t ask tech questions, etc.), and we’ll cut you a credit here for 40% of your donation, up to $300. Guarantee a speedy turnaround by including your customer number, which you can find on an old invoice or search your emails for subject “rivbike.com order confirmation” and the number is on the top right.  That’ll make it easy.

So, you donate $10 and you get a credit for $4. A hundred gets you forty, and so on—- up to that max $300 credit.

Donate in $10 increments to make the math easy. Hundreds even better.

It’s tax-deductible, 100 percent.

Assuming you’re going to buy stuff here anyway, what this means is it costs you forty cents on the dollar to support this fantastic, worthy, needy, productive charity that is so effective that there have been spinoffs in other parts of the country, too.

As icing on the cake, it is also the only independently owned and operated pirate supply store in the country, probably the world.

Get on it, and we’ll process your credit within two business days, probably the same day, but give us two. Progress reports at least weekly. And each week, now thru the end of December, we’ll calculate your donations and match them up to $1,000. Per week. This is a good charity, so let’s go. Thanks. G.

Sound good?

I woke up this morning, as you all did, to emails announcing “Cyber Monday” sales. Yuk. Isn’t Monday enough? Is tomorrow “Cyber Tuesday”? Is all week “Cyber Week”? Enough!

——

Computers and blogs and even Blugs can get you into trouble, but they can also save you money while making me saner. This one’s about general and perennial year-end stresses that every involved and dependent small business owner feels. But, I am speaking only for me, not those others. They’re free to horn in.

The general stresses are sales, which means bills get paid and the emps get some kind of holiday bonus; and taxes, always a big one for us, because we’re taxed on assets, which includes money in the bank which we never have, and inventory, which we have either not enough of or too much of. But we can’t pay the taxes on the assets with the assets that are inventory, so while the government (and I like the government, don’t get me wrong here) sees profit on paper and thinks we can afford a $30,000 tax bill, we in fact have no money in the bank (to speak of, no pile after payroll and bills and the twenty or so other extremely boring but extremely real bills that we get every month are paid)—yes, no money left after that, and so we borrow money to pay our taxes, which makes it harder to pay the normal bills that have to be paid, and make holiday bonuses extremely painful, and yet—everybody is so deserving, and I’m not going to stiff ‘em.

Every year I plan to plan better and every year I don’t. A paper Holiday flyer seems so basic. I’d fire anybody put in charge of that who failed, year after year, to get it out on time or at all, and yet I can’t fire myself. I do other good and valuable things. I earn my salary ($75,000). But I do a lousy job of putting out a holiday flyer on time. It should include fun gifty things and a few fun normal things.

I did a really really great fun fantastic one about eight years ago, but nobody noticed. It may have even backfired, in it’s own tiny way. It is here. I cannot emphasize enough that this is an ancient one, we don’t have lots of this anymore, and if we happen to, the price is changed. It is here purely for entertainment value, and offers little of that.

This year, now and soon, as you’re reading this it’s happening, we’re getting in some possum wool

You’re all old enough to remember the song Society’s Child, right? Janis Ian? She wrote it at sixteen, and here she is, still sixteen, performing in on the Smothers Brothers show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW_rYLoIR08&feature=related

And then there’s this one, too. It’s chock full of mondegreens, but what a fine little compact contribution it made. It’s about the dad of a dead soldier. Do they make songs like this anymore, and would they…be Top Forty? I don’t know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFcRRKqcaEI

OK, then, one more. This is the second easiest song of all time to identify within one second….if you’re, like, 55 or older. A fantastic video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXjVd0TeOX0

———-

Hurricane Sandy Damage

The owner and his people are OK. His nextdoor neighbor’s house exploded, blowing up his house as well, and this bike was in int. It came in the mail today. For puposes of inspecting it, assessing whether or not it can be ridden safely, repaired, and how much all that would cost, and how long. Here are some detailed pix:

It was built in 2001.

Here’s the downtube decal. Not too much heat got to it.

The top tube was paint-melted over a lot of them.

Front of the bike. Mostly soot-damage.

This is not beasage, it’s burnage. Brake lever.

Presumably the bag was all-consumed. Lugged stem. Computer.

Rear brake with some meltage. The invisible pad suffered more than the visible one, but still, what’s a brake pad?

I am guessing there is insurance. I know that of many burned things, this is a relatively unimportant one, it being fixable or replaceable for less than the piano, as an example.

We’ll look it over and see where it all goes. This is no reason to buy a steel frame, but a frame of any other material would be unsalvage-able for sure.

——-

We got chambray shirts in, and they’re exactly as planned, hoped, etc. They’re on the site now. I’m thinking no more shirts after this. I won’t rule it out, but we’re not cut out for the shirts, the whole textile world. Bottoms are easier, shirts…hard. But these are good ones.

We also got soap. Holiday soap. We’re not veering off of Pine Tar for good, just offering some holiday additions, and they’re all on the manly side of things. The new two flavors are clove and anise (like licorice). These are strong, pungent soaps—-nothing subtle about them. You can wash hair with them (as with Pine Tar soap) and now here’s my once-or-twice a year washing tip. I can’t be the only one who does this, because it’s so simple and works so well, but here it is:

OK, you’re in the shower, the bath, or in front of the sink washing. Lather up your armpits, scrub a dub, then rinse. Now later up again and LEAVE THE SUDS. That’s the the deodorant you need. You won’t stink, the soap will dry, it won’t itch, and you won’t have to spray weird stuff in your armpits. I have not stunk in 40 years, and that’s how long I’ve been doing this. It works fine, and if you sweat after it dries, it doesn’t froth up.

Three great soaps. When they get down to stubs, compress them together in a ball. The flavors mingle well—-all dark smells, really good.

All for now. OH—on Dec 8 between 6 and 9 there’s a Brooks event at Huckleberry in S.F. I was invited to go there and talk a little, somehow related to Just Ride, and so I’ll be there. More later, but ——- we’re closed till Monday the 26th. Want a fun novel to read over the weekend? Run, by Emma Donohugh.

Haven’t had these Tweed Seat Pouch’s (aka Banana Bag) for like 71 weeks.  They’re now back in stock.  Who knows when or if we’ll have them again.

Nigel Smythe Seat Pouch

Read More →

Nigel Smythe Li’l Loafer

Nigel Smythe Big Loafer

Nigel Smythe SaddleSack XS

Nigel Smythe Seat Pouch, not in yet, hopefully in a couple weeks.

Once a year, or so, we clean out the warehouses here and have a small driveway sale before normal open hours on a Saturday. 

UPDATE: MORE STUFF THAN WE THOUGHT

Stuff that was in web specials for a long time, new but discontinued.  Used tires, lots of fenders with various defects, complete cockpits ripped from frames, baskets, stems, seatposts, some wheels, about twenty blem frames and bikes, discontinued items. Things will be sorted by price from $5 in increments up to several thousand for the bikes. So bring your ones, twos, fives, tens, twenties, hundreds. Cash only.  We can’t/won’t tell you EXACTLY what’s gonna be there, but there will be some real priced-to-move bargains and at least one box of really cheap front derailers. Also if you are an extra small or extra extra large person there will be plenty of clothing items just for you and practically nothing in between.

This is a local, cash only sale.

Normal Saturday business hours 10am-4pm will continue afterwards.

Authentic cloissonne flat Rivendell headbadge with a super strong rare earth magnet glued to the back.  Perfect for holding a pile of up to 30 papers to your ‘fridge.

Get them here.

New Gomez Badge:

It’s a watchface with Y-hands. Get it? If you have a Gomez (and only if you have a Gomez and can prove it)  and want one send $12 cash and a clearly written return address label through the mail to

Yves Gomez
PO Box 5289
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Gomez customers only, so provide proof. An invoice # would be great.

Last Book Talk

Today, Sunday the 4th I’ve got my last book-talk thing—in the Walnut Creek Barnes & Noble, 2:00. It will last about 75 minutes, and I think it’s in the record section.