Haven't been posting much lately but it is starting to slow down a bit at the shop. As we try and make the displays better at the MOMBAT, we find that there are just too many bikes to move around. The best way of making the displays look better is to have fewer bikes to cram into our limited space. So, it is time to move some metal. It is easiest for us to post them on the MOMBAT Facebook page so just head over to Facebook and search for MOMBAT and smack the "like" button. We will also be posting them on the web site as well. Check 'em out!

The blog to end all blogs (at least here!)

It's been awhile since I have posted anything on the MOMBAT blog. It isn't because nothing has been going on, it is just more of a time factor. Anytime, I posted a blog entry, I felt the need for it to be somewhat "robust" and informative.......which takes times. On the other hand, Facebook posts can be pretty quick and are easily shared so we have been posting there a fair amount. The web pages and photos for many of the vintage bikes have been updated recently and I think there are about 20 more to go. Every time a page was update, it was easy to post it to the Facebook page and then easy for others to share.

So,take a minute and "like" the MOMBAT Facebook page and you'll get up to date information.

Neat Old Stuff

Just took delivery of a nice stash of vintage goodness last night. We will be unpacking everything over the next day or two so follow along with the progress on the MOMBAT Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/MOMBATorg/166038966758066

Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times

It is fun writing the articles for Bicycle Times and Dirt Rag. Every month, I look around the shop and try to find a bike that has a good story (this makes writing the article much easier!). This month, I chose the Schwinn Varsity for Bicycle Times. A customer brought one in for new tires and I thought it was neat that a 30 year old bike was still getting regular use. We have a couple of nice examples upstairs so we used one of those for the pictures. Most riders who are now in there 40's probably have owned a Varsity at some point in their lives.



For Dirt Rag, I tried a comparison format for the article. The Fisher Sawyer came out this year and reminded me of a couple of earlier "klunker" replica bikes, the Fisher Klunker and Breezer Ignaz. Josh, editor of Dirt Rag, sent me an email that said they received favorable feedback on this idea so look for something similar in future issues:

MOMBAT on Facebook

Pop on over to the MOMBAT Facebook page and "like" us. This is where we will post any new bikes we get.

1984 Hanebrink rear suspension

If you ask most people, they would probably guess front suspension came first......but they would be wrong. The earliest suspension bikes used rear suspension about 6 years before suspension forks surfaced. The builders often used motorcycles parts. The damping on this bike was actually adjusted by tightening the quick release skewer on the top of the shock! We've added this one to our Descender and Hanebrink SE Shocker which makes for a nice display of the evolution of the design.

More pictures and details HERE

Salsa Cycles scans and photos

In the slower months around the shop, we get an opportunity to clean up the shop, build displays and work on the web sites. One task that always get pushed to the bottom of the pile is the scanning of literature. It is interesting but takes a lot of time and doesn't generate revenue..........but I do enjoy reading up as I scan and it is a great resource when we are trying to make a bike "period correct". Over the last weekend, I scanned in over 100 pages of Salsa literature and some pictures that Ross Shafer provided. Pretty cool stuff. Check it out on the Salsa Page.

couple of sample pages: