Starting TODAY, Box Dog Bikes will open a weeklong raffle to finish-off a last bit of fundraising for my AIDS/Lifecycle ride.  I’ve got two weeks before the 545-mile, 7-day ride, and I’m just about to reach the $3,000 donation goal.  Help me reach that goal by grabbing a couple of $5 raffle tickets during the week, leading up to a BBQ at 5 p.m. Friday, May 29, at our shop, 494 14th Street.

Our Grand Prize will be a V7 Public Bike, a 7-speed city cruiser set up with fenders, a rack and a chainguard.  Plus, we’ve got lots of other prizes such as tickets to the Roxie, a bike-rental gift certificate from the Streets of San Francisco and even more gift certificates from the great restaurants in our neighborhood.

At the BBQ, we’ll have some quality sausages from the Avedano’s Butcher in Bernal Heights and delicious brews from San Francisco’s own Speakeasy Ales & Lager’s.

Come down to the Mission and join us for the final blowout to get me in the ALC.  Grilling begins at 5p.m., and we’ll draw the raffle tickets at 6:30 p.m.  We’ll party ’till Sunset.

We unofficially named our recurring night rides after a certain non-fiction book (which later was made into a movie then subsequently turned into a television show). The rides fall on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month. They take off from the shop around 7:30pm, a bit after we close, to allow people to filter in and to give those of us working that evening a chance to get ready.

One can expect to log in about 25-30 miles, mostly on-road but with some entry-level mixed terrain thrown in there. The route has typically been a variation on this Headlands loop.

Essentially, after crossing the bridge, we’ll climb Conzelman Road up to the roundabout. At that point we may continue up the rest of the hill, descend either Coastal Trail or McCullough Road, and head towards Rodeo Beach along Bunker Road. This street terminates near the Marine Mammal Center, but the ride continues up past the barrier on a certain unmaintained road (I believe it’s part of Coastal Trail). We’ll loop counterclockwise on this path, right passed Battery Townsley, and end up at the big parking lot near the beach. Now on Mitchell Road, the ride moves east until the street changes back into Bunker Rd., jumps off into a dirt lot north of the lagoon, and links up with Miwok Trail. After a right turn on Bobcat Trail, and an almost immediate right on Rodeo Valley Trail, we’ll be well on our way through the off-road portion of the ride. There’s an easy-to-miss right turn which’ll link right up near McCullough. Once back on Bunker, we roll through the tunnel until the road becomes Danes Drive, then turn right on Alexander Ave. At these later hours of the night we’ll be crossing over the Golden Gate on the east side then pulling over in front of the Bridge Cafe. From there it’s sort of a choose-your-own-adventure in how one concludes the ride.

Long story short, there’ll be one of these rides happening Fri. May 17. Please feel free to come on over and join us. Like any of these group rides, don’t let the idea of mixed terrain frighten you into not coming. The portions on dirt and “off-road” will be super flat and mellow. Realistically even a road bike with skinny tires can handle it. And lastly don’t forget to bring lights and any basic ride supplies you’d normally take with you. See you out there!

It’s been known for a while that the shop has been without much in the way of riding apparel. With the release of our new Pelicans came a new logo. Then that logo became integrated with the rest of our shop. Today we’re happy to announce that new bib shorts and jerseys have been designed and approved. As of now we’re setting funds aside for a big deposit and order from Capo Custom. There’s been some encouragement from friends and patrons to put a pre-order together, so here it is!

We’re asking for a deposit of $100, to be paid either in-store on through the link below on our online shop.

http://shop.boxdogbikes.com/products/bdb-capo-kit-pre-order

If, say, we leave this pre-order open for the month of May, then we’re looking at a turnaround of approx. (and hopefully) a couple months. So, thanks in advance for all your interest and support!

Over the past few weeks, we have had a few customers bring in their road bikes to get tuned up for the AIDS/Lifecycle. The massive ride is just over a month away, starting June 2, so it makes some sense to give a bike a little love for all those miles.

Box Dog Bikes wants to share in that love and offer a few good deals that will spruce-up your steed for those 545 miles along the Cali coastline. We’ve got some equipment upgrades we’re offering to ALC riders at 15-percent off. And, trust us, these seemingly small upgrades will absolutely improve your ride.

Fizik Bar Tape and Gel: Cush-up your ride with Fizik’s unique MicroTex fiber handlebar tape and some comfy gel pads underneath. Fizik’s tape is perforated for breathability during those hot road days, plus the gel inserts absorb the shock of the road. After a week on the road, your hands and arms will appreciate the extra comfort. Fizik offers a soft touch tape and a tacky tape, each in lots of fun colors. Treat yourself.

Gore cables: These are high performance cables and housing systems that keep your shifting from misbehaving. Trademarked as the “Low Friction System,” these strong cables use better seals and housing that compress less than standard housing. The results are gears that won’t slip out of adjustment after your first day on the ride.

Schwable tubes: Oh yeah, that’s right. Better than a Schwable tire is a Schwable tube! Using a quality rubber mixture with a thorough molding process, Schwable’s tubes are airtight, with uniform wall-thickness through-out the tube. Basically, these tubes won’t leak as much air as common tubes.  Plus, the valves are nickel plated and threaded, with replaceable valve inserts. Unplattbar!

Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tires: Continental’s 4-season tires are the toughest, most durable tires on the road – wet or dry. Constructed with the Grand Prix 4000 casing, 3-ply and 330-tpi core, the 4-seasons are designed for the cobblestones in the Paris–Roubaix race. Still light-weight racing tires, they’re layered with Conti’s trademarked DuraSkin sidewalls and Vectran Breaker strips to wield off punctures. The 4 Season tires won’t wear-out with simply one Lifecycle ride. Truth is, this tire could take two or three trips down the coast.