Cog Bike Cafe

The shortest day cometh and Kaylin leaves us

2009-06-20T10:59:00.003+10:00

Hey all,

Regular customers of Cog will know Kaylin who has been working at Cog for over a year now. Sadly we say goodbye to her this weekend as she sets off on a journey to Asia and Europe. We wish her all the best in world adventures and will certainly miss her coffee and muffin making skills. (Kaylin is pictured with Angela who will be working more often now)

yes we are certainly deep in the beautiful crisp days of Winter. Cold mornings but fine clear days of late. This weekend marks the turning of solstice when the days will actually be getting longer.

Still a great time to get out and ride, actually sometimes all the more rewarding to warm up and keep moving. The scenery, especially in the Silvan forest area, has been great to see change through Autumn into Winter.

Cog still keeps rolling along. Workshop turnaround times are very quick at the moment, so it's a good time to book in your bike for a service.

Nice time to hire a bike too. Make a weekend of it and treat yourself to a nice stay in picturesque Warburton. Plenty to do and see out there at the foot a Mount Donna Buang.

Happy riding!

Ride now or forever hold your peace

2009-05-09T09:25:00.002+10:00

Ride before you buy! Cog currently have 4 very nice demo bikes available for test ride. Make sure you get in early as they will not be here forever.

Cannondale Rush 4, 110mm duallie Large

Jamis Dakar XCT 3.0, 4 inch duallie medium

Rocky Mountain Altitude 50, 5 inch freeride medium

Carver Killer B (650B wheels) titanium hardtail 1x9 drivechain small

These bikes are not only for demo but are sale as 'demo' bikes, so are heavilly discounted, check 'em out!

Nice machines

2009-04-29T09:44:00.002+10:00

We've had some nice new builds here at Cog lately. Here's a photo of a Turner Sultan 29er. Dave Weagle's DW link frame, tubeless wheels, Stans rims, DT swiss hubs, new XT brakes, overall a nice light package, ready to race.

Here's some dates for the Cog Thursday night rides, lights essential.

May 14th and 28th. June 11 and 25. 6:30pm start. Sorry I haven't been on the last couple due to a couple of cracked ribs.

Bikes for sale at Cog now!

2009-04-20T17:05:00.002+10:00

Howdy all, fantastic riding weather at the moment, hope you're making the most of it.

Congratulations to 2 Cog riders Kaz and Steve, both on 96ers who placed well at the BMC100 on the weekend. Kaz second in her class and Steve third in his, good efforts!

We have some second hand bikes in at the moment,

Ladies hybrid, small frame size, virtually new, Fuji Sunfire 3.0

see photo, New RRP $549 , now available for $350

Giant Reign 3, 20" frame (large) this bike has been is storage for 3 years and is in excellent condition, it is an '05 model. now available $1250

These bikes are available for test ride anytime. Of course dont forget our Allegro range in stock too. Most of these are internal hub commuters, either 3, 8 or 9 speed. There are also the sinle speed and conventional gear models too. The prices for the internal hub bikes start at $799

Cog open for Easter

2009-04-04T12:03:00.003+11:00

Yes we are open every day of the Easter weekend. Why not come and hire a bike and explore the lovely Warburton Trail?
Opening times Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 9am-6pm.
See you then,
the Cog team.

Open for Easter!

2009-04-04T11:20:00.002+11:00

Yes we will be open over the Easter weekend. Why not come and hire a bike and explore the Warburton Trail?
Opening hours: Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon 9am-6pm
Plenty of muffins, yummy coffee, warm toasties, smoothies etc.
See you then,
the Cog team

650b, what's that?

2009-03-24T10:26:00.003+11:00

What lovely riding weather we are having lately. Things are back to normal here at Cog after the ferocious fires ravaged Victoria. People directly affected by the fires will still be along way from 'normal'.

New things here at Cog; 2 Carver complete bikes were picked up by customers last week. The first a standard singlespeed 96er, the other a titanium Bumblebee/Killerbee combination, (see photo). This is a 650b bike. If you're not aware of the 650b wheel size, it sits somewhere between the 26 inch and the mighty 29er. It is actually 27.5 inch diameter.

We now stock 650b parts, Stans and Velocity rims and Schwalbe and Pacenti tyres. Some 26" bikes can be fitted with these wheels without any alterations. If you want the benefit of a bigger wheel without buying a new frame, this may be your solution.

Roll on,....

latest bike drop ins at COG

2009-03-09T13:44:00.002+11:00

Lots of cycle enthusiasts pass through our doors every week. Yesterday Matt dropped by riding his 8ft unicycle!

Another regular ccustomer dropped in to show us his completed Raliegh International. We painted the frame and fork here at Cog. Looks great!

2009-02-23T20:37:00.002+11:00

Smokey air over the last couple of weeks has made the shop a little quiet. People affected by the fires are in our thoughts. The fires are very close and are still burning.

We are still serving good coffee and building and repairing bikes. Two particular bikes have been finished recently;

Jen's Hartley

This bike has been in the family since new, but was rusting in the shed. It has now been restored and had it's maiden voyage to Warburton on Sunday. Hartley is an Australian brand and this bike is circa late 40's early 50's.

Kaz's Custom Cog 'Lotus' 96er single speed

This is Kaz's dream bike. Kaz is one of our first customers to purchase a bike from us 3 years ago, a Jamis Dragon Pro, (she likes steel!) On Sunday she took posession of her new steed. They have now gone on holiday together!

Hot hot hot

2009-02-05T11:51:00.002+11:00

Howdy all,

the hot weather is upon us. Some days are too hot here at Cog, so we decide to close a little early. Hope this doesn't put anyone out, it's usually when it's over 40 degrees and at the end of the day.

This Saturday will be one of those days, the forecast is for 43! We will closing at 2pm. (gone to billabong)

We have the Carver 96er singlespeed available for demo, the frame size is large, give Damo a call if you'd like to go for a spin.

Cog SOCIAL RIDES,

these are every second Thursday, leaving the shop at 6:30pm

Feb 5th and 19th

March 5th and 19th

April 2nd and 16th

Happy riding, see you out there.

happy new year

2009-01-18T16:10:00.002+11:00

Howdy all, a great time to ride, more than ever. Just a reminder that we custom build wheels here at cog. Singlespeed, freeride, road, fixxie whatever. We use/stock and recommend White Industries, Paul Components, Velocity, DT Swiss, AtomLab and Stans hubs rims, spokes etc. We love building good strong wheelsets!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-23T11:35:00.002+11:00

Seasons greetings to all Cog customers and bike riders/coffee drinkers accross the plains! Ride and ride safe, see you back in the new year, Jan 2nd. Damo, Libby. Kaylin, Jack, Jackie and Genevieve.

New Sweetskins Tyres

2008-12-19T16:42:00.002+11:00

check out these tyres, 2 patterns, two colours. Funky tyres that are also good to ride on, $49 each (26" mountainbike only)

New stuff at Cog, CARVER BIKES

2008-12-13T10:56:00.004+11:00

It's the festive season, so get out there and get some cycle-therapy! In the tradition of Cog keeping up with the BIG WHEEL revolutions, we now have in stock 29er carbon forks. These are disc only and weigh in at 850g. $450. Of course we have tyres for 29ers as usual, Kenda Klaws, WTB Nano raptors, Exiwolfs and Schwalbe Racing Ralphs, (2.25" and 2.4")

We now have a 96er CARVER frame in stock (http://www.carverbikes.com/) and a singlespeed demo bike too! Come in and have a ride and experience the 96er phenomenon.We will be closed 26th, 27th and 28th December and reopen on Friday January 2.

long weekend - long rides

2008-11-02T12:20:00.003+11:00

Cog now has brand new hire bikes. Bauer Comfort bikes and Jamis Trail X3 mountainbikes. We still have some of our Cannondales in use and will sell them off after christmas. We are also stocking more new bikes, Allegro, Jamis and Bauer.

Breakfast burrito anyone? On our recent trip to the Single speed world champs we dined at a fantastic Mexican cafe in San Fransisco. The burritos were massive,.... and tasty.

Nice trail!

2008-10-30T11:49:00.002+11:00

Lots of nice trails in the Silvan area close to the shop. Some old, some new and still the great thing about the area is that it is under-ridden. It is quite rare to see other riders on the trails. So, get out and explore legal trails close to Melbourne and avoid the crowds. Access is via singletrack from Cog (aquaduct trail) or enter through Silvan Dam picnic area or even from thr highside, Ollinda.

Whilst in Canada a couple of months ago, Libby and I rode on Hornby Island, off the coast of Vancouver BC. We rode most of the trails as a strategy to overcome our jetlag. The photo shows us on 'No Horses' trail with our borrowed bikes, Geoff Kabush's old Kona and his mum's Giant.

Dont forget the shop rides every 2nd Thurs at 6:30, next ride, 6th Nov.

new stuff at COG

2008-10-24T12:25:00.002+11:00

Howdy all, we now have double the bike parking! Along with some new lanscaping outside the shop, we have a new bike rack.

New product, we are now stocking the SPEX tyre sealant. It is an Australian made product for use in tubeless tyre systems and comes in half litre bottles, $38-

Just a reminder that the COG social rides are back on every 2nd Thurs at 6:30pm. Last night we went out and had a great blast through some of the new singletrack in Silvan,

$notmuch per litre

2008-10-19T09:36:00.002+11:00

Hope everyone had a nice 'round the bay in a day' The trail has been quiet this weekend probably due to the bay ride and the final crit of Herald Sun Tour.(all the more egg pies for us to eat!) Happy riding

Critical Mass

2008-10-13T15:32:00.002+11:00

With the current uncertainty in the world, what better thing to do than ride your humble old pushy. Ride it to work, to the shops, to the pub, to your mate's place, wherever. Riding a bike is cheap and good for you. The more you ride the better you feel,(bit like beans if you know the rhyme). Look after it though, it costs virtually nothing to maintain, but it does cost. If your bike squeeks, grinds or makes noises, get it serviced by your LBS (Local Bike Shop). Services here at Cog only cost $45. If I'm preaching to the converted, sorry and here's a photo of critical mass in San Fransisco from 2 months ago.

(yes it's a banana riding a bike and it's drinking Tecate) Sorry about the blurry photo, I took it with my phone.

blue skies ahead

2008-10-08T11:07:00.002+11:00

The forecast for this coming weekend is amazing. 25 and 28 degrees C. So there's no better time to get out and have a ride. Why don't you venture to Warby, through the lovely Yarra Valley with vistas of the Warburton Ranges. Yesterday I did and was reminded of the beauty of the ranges and Mt Donna Buang. I rode to the top to be presented with a snow capped mountain in cloud. A fantastic ride, albeit a cold descent. For those who aren't aware, our current hours are;

Friday 10am - 6pm

Saturday 9am - 6pm

Sunday 9am - 6pm

Our first shop ride of the season is tomorrow, Thurs 6:30pm blast off

2009 comfort bikes now in stock

2008-09-24T15:54:00.002+10:00

The Bauer Comfort and Comfort Plus bikes that have been so popular as hire bikes are now available to test ride and purchase. Both models come with ergonomic handlebar and grips, suspension seat post and the larger 700c wheels. These bikes are ideal for the Warby trail and feature a more upright riding position for those riders who are not racing to get to their destination. Check 'em out

Spring is here! (ride more)

2008-09-15T14:41:00.002+10:00

Damo and Libby are back from their OS jaunt and the weather is all over the place.
Cog Thursday night social rides start again when day light savings starts, the first one is 9th Oct, 6:30 start from the shop as usual. For those who haven't been on one of these rides, they take place in the Silvan forest and go for about one and a half hours.
See you in the shop for a coffee or a toastie.

Spring is here! (ride more)

2008-09-11T12:21:00.002+10:00

Hey all,
Libby and Damo are back from their jaunt overseas.
The weekend ahead is looking good for a ride, weather on Sat is forecast for 22 degrees C.
So come on out and have a ride through the lovely Yarra Valley. We still have one of the best coffees in the area and for those who haven't visited Cog for a while, we serve toasties on organic sourdough bread with tasty fillings.
happy riding

gone riding! (to sunny California and Canada)

2008-08-12T13:27:00.003+10:00

Hey all,
well to say it's a bit chilly would be an understatement, considering it snowed here at the shop for the first time in over 20 years! Not too many people around at the time so Libby, Kaylin and I took the oppurtunity to frolick a little in the snowflakes.
Just as Damo gets back, he's off again, this time for a holiday with Libby. It just so happens the World Singlespeed Champs are on too, in Napa, California. Libby will be racing her new singlespeed, the CHERRY BOMB. First stop is Hornby Island (off the coast of Vancouver, BC) where Libby and I will ride some of the flowing, picturesque singletrack, guided by our friends who live on the island. Our friend's son is Geoff Kabush, who is competing at the Oi!limpics next week,(mtb) good luck Geoff.
We then head to Portland Oregon to soak up some bike culture and maybe check out some op shops! Then it's off down the coast route to San Franscico to catch Billy Spaceman's event, pre SS Worlds.
See you all on the trail in a couple of weeks, Kaylin, Jess, Liz and James will be takin' care of business at Cog,
stay well and ride lots.

Damo back next week

2008-07-26T12:35:00.003+10:00

Damo is back in the country on Monday after finishing off his arts project in the UK. If you want to see what he has been up to check out the following links.

sundaysun site site http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/07/09/bamboo_bridge_feature.shtml http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tm_headline=eighth-iconic-bridge-for-river-tyne&method=full&objectid=21353553&siteid=79310-name_page.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7508608.stm

WEB CAMS>> north tower cam>> www.tynebridgewebcam.com

photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drj0n/