To our customers, Spring of 2022 is coming quickly, and it felt like a good time to write up something explaining a little bit about what the last two years have been like for us, and what the upcoming season may potentially look like.   Basically, since March of 2020 we’ve been chasing our own tails.  I wish there was a more graceful way to put it, but we were running.  Although our overall sales increased, at many times it felt like the wheels were falling off.  A huge thanks has to be given both to our staff for keeping their heads up and to all of our customers for sticking with us and being patient.   The question bike shops fielded most often over the past two years was ‘Where are all the bikes?’ Now, we feel like at BBB we’ve done better than the rest with keeping supply levels up, but we were nowhere near perfect.  Over the past couple of years we have been operating in unprecedented times.  COVID-19 rattled the world in more ways than one, and the bicycle and the outdoor indus

I always find cyclists to have a hunger for information. While bikers will obsess over highlight colors on their rigs, they tend to favor information in a direct format. Look, I love PinkBike as much as the next guy, but the website looks like it predates the iPhone. To describe the PinkBike website as rudimentary is generous. But my point is that cyclists like information and in 2022 fashion of rehashing old things and calling them something new ( Intermitted fasting used to be called skipping breakfast) radio is bigger than ever, and by radio I mean Podcasts. It's not for everyone, there is an art to the take. There has to be a balance between spiciness, logic, and knowing your listeners.  So what are the Podcasts that Berkshire Bike and Board is listing to? Jaryn Pierson - A sucker for the Barry Bonds of Cycling, Lance's Podcast THEMOVE is Jaryn's favorite.  With his alternative takes and willingness to say anything,  Lance brings only the fire. Atticus Elling - T

  Crazy Chain youth MTB program Crazy Chain is a youth mountain bike program based out of Northwest CT and Southern Berkshire County MA. This is a youth team made up of boys and girls from grades 5-12 (roughly ages 10-18). We are a part of the New England Youth Cycling (NEYC) league. Our team is based out of Canaan, CT, and we have kids on the team from throughout Northwest CT and Southern Berkshire County MA. We will hold one practice a week on Wednesdays at Norbrook Farm Brewery trails, with an additional Saturday practice at various locations throughout the area. Who should join this team? Beginners looking to get into the sport of mountain biking. Intermediate riders looking to increase their skills. Advanced riders looking to be challenged in their riding. Basically, we are open to any and all riders who want to be part of a mountain biking team. What type of riding will we be teaching? Basic riding for the beginners. Simple trail riding. We’ll work on fitness to slowly increase t

  Cycling, Its a vibe. In the world of cycling, there is a fine line between authenticity and disingenuous marketing and branding ploys. It’s the difference between digging through racks at Goodwill till you find a dusty army jacket that has an abandoned subway token in the breast pocket and buying the same jacket at a J-crew outlet. Few things embody this idea better than the painting that sits in Steffen’s Office.  It looks like it belongs between the 2am and 2:30am slot on Adult Swim. It bleeds the genuine emotions that every bike brand tries to capture. It's not another “X” or “Evo” added to a bike’s name to make it seem cool. It is by a Cuban artist named Llue Perfume Parati, who is based out of Havana.  How it landed in the tucked-away office of Steffen Root is cool as well. We often forget the privilege and power that come with leisure. “Fun”, as we see it today, didn’t really come around till the 1800s and only in rich colonizing countries. Owning 3 bikes for fun is somethi

The Great Chamois Debate I will say… I had a really hard time spelling that word. I tried Shammy, shammi, shami shamwow (RIP Billy Mays). I live and die by the chamois I won’t get near my bike without that extra bit of love right around the most tender of areas. I LOVE CHAMOIS! The only time I don’t wear one is when I go to sleep. But there are so many riders out there who are living life with no support. So I thought it would be fun to get everyone’s takes on why and how they ride. One of our employees gave their opinion on what the proper way to try on a chamois is.  “First, shave every single hair from your belly button down. Then apply a generous amount of chamois cream to the "contact area". Then wear a cycling bib with a chamois. Shorts without shoulder straps don't count (they're stupid). Repeat these steps for every ride.”  An interesting take to say the least. An approach I don’t think many of us have, but it sounds very aero.  Here is an opinion right from t

  Do you remember that weird teacher in second grade who would tell all the kids that she had eyes in the back of her head? She’d say things like “ When I was born the doctor knew immediately I would be a teacher because he saw the eyes in the back of my head.” Now obviously this was to stop kids from screwing around when her back was turned or at least I hope it was.  Out on the road, these cars can be tricky, they’ll ride right up on you, drive into our sacred land (the shoulder) and just play it a little too fast and loose. Now imagine having eyes on the back of your head. Think about how cool it would be to know how fast the cars were coming, where they were coming from, and how many of them there were. Boom enter the Varia , you too can be that weird teacher.  It’s a light that attaches to the back of your bike and uses radar to tell everything you’d want to know about the cars behind you.  It connects to your cycling computer and dots on the right side of the display will corresp