Special on FreeRad kits TODAY. http://ping.fm/wcoxf

12 Days of Christmas Starts Dec 9-Daily specials offered http://ping.fm/pB0Ko

Tuesday tweet. 50% off beautiful bicycle art batiks today only! http://www.cycle9.com/c9store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=30&zenid=5679af89014fd6baa8acd9108ae9bdf0 Code TWEETME

Tuesday tweet. 50% off beautiful bicycle art batiks today only! http://www.cycle9.com/c9store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=30&zenid=5679af89014fd6baa8acd9108ae9bdf0

It was a beautiful morning today out on the bike taking my daughter to catch the k-garten bus!

Biking Stimulates the Soul

Today I had to go into the doctor's office for a diagnostic visit. No food, no drink, and all that. The appointment was mid-morning, located on the other side of town from my home. The car was really, really tempting - it is a cold and cloudy day in Chapel Hill. Last night I stayed up way too late doing some research. And I've caught some kind of cold from my kids. Overall, this combination doesn't exactly lead to an optimistic outlook on life. I don't know about you, but with me, when I don't get enough sleep, everything seems more dramatic, and this morning I was feeling dramatic about things. The alarm rang, and I just lay there wishing I could go back to sleep. But, nope, the world called, and I had to drag my rear end out of bed, get showered, and get on my way.

All through getting ready, I debated about whether to take the car. The problem with taking the car is that I have no parking permit at work. One of those would cost me over $1,000 per year (seriously!). So I would have had to drive across town to the doctor and back, then park in a remote, expensive hourly parking lot far from my office.

I intentionally decided not to buy the parking permit, to force myself to ride the bike more. It is just too easy to get in the car some mornings if everything is so convenient. On mornings like today, I sometimes wonder about that decision.

But anyway, I decided the hassles of driving would have equaled the hassles of hopping on the bike when it was all added up, so I took the bike - my electric assist "Big Dummy" (who comes up with those names?).

The first 5 minutes or so on the bike I continued to be in a bit of a sour mood, and feeling a bit chilly. But then the blood started flowing. Pedaling was therapy. As I pedaled on I forgot about my woes, and started enjoying the sights and smells of the morning. It helped a lot to have my eZee electric assist this morning - that made all the difference, because I was able to fly across town in time to make my appointment. And I wasn't in the mood for major exertion today. I did pedal, I always do, because I like to. But just the light pedaling was enough to warm up my body and my mood.

I got to the doctors office, and am sitting here writing this in the waiting room. I'm in a far better mood now, and very glad I biked. I wouldn't have been so cheery if I'd driven. Driving almost never lifts my mood. It makes me wonder about the whole concept of convenience. Does comfort and convenience equal happiness? I think there's a fine line. Certainly some comfort and convenience is good. But for me personally, if I have too much comfort and convenience in my life, it just ends up leading to a sort of numbness. Maybe that's what Roger Waters was writing about in the song "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. I thrive on challenges - at least small ones - and I think many people do.

This reminds me of a Cycle 9 customer named Rick. He's a really fun guy. He's a professor and doctor whose hobbies are sailing, flying and building airplanes, and now, electric bikes. Rick got interested in e-bikes back when Cycle 9 was operating out of a small rented warehouse space with dirt floors. We built him up a customized e-bike with a hub motor that can do some incredible speeds (I'm not going to mention them here, because I don't want to get Rick in trouble with the local authorities). He really needs those speeds for his situation. He lives in a place with no good bike route to work. Around his neighborhood the biking is good. And around his university the biking is reasonable. But there's a section in between where the only connector road is an almost 1-mile stretch of very busy highway, with a 45mph speed limit (meaning cars travel 55mph). Some bike advocates would say - well, just ride like a vehicle and occupy that lane. I'd say to them that one would be crazy to do that. Rick does it this way. At the one traffic light before this stretch of bad road, he waits for all the traffic to go through. Then he guns the throttle and flies down the road as fast as he can, to get past "the gauntlet" before the light cycles and lets the next group of cars through. It works, most of the time (I saw him alive and well last week!).

Rick clearly likes challenges. It might be the easier thing for him to drive everyday given the location of his home and work. But he chooses to bike. So do many other folks I know, an ever increasing number. I'm glad that I'm not the only one these days out there riding. And I'm glad for days like this that riding the bike puts me in a much better mood.

And by the way, the doctor's test was fine.

What is pink and purple with spots all over?

Are you a fan of retro steel mountain bikes? Then have a look at this....

Clearance on Cargo bikes, electric bikes, floor models

For those looking for great end of year deals, we have some sweet clearance deals on cargo bikes to get you and the family out riding around town! Xtracycle's Radish bikes now just $999 complete! With Beach Cruiser styling and feel, this is a great way to get into what an Xtracycle can do for you.

Also on sale, Madsen cargo bikes, just $999 (that's $300 off!). The easiest loading cargo bike on the planet - just throw it in the bucket. Also carries up to 4 small people (or 2 big if they're willing to get cozy). Or fill it with ice and beer and pedal to that last of summer backyard party - you'll be the talk of the party guaranteed. Only a couple left at this price.

Looking for an inexpensive electric bike for shopping or cruising around town? The Powabyke electric bike is now on clearance for $399 (almost 50% off!). Set up for shopping with front basket and rear carrying bags and racks. A great deal!

We also are clearing out our demo models. Come see what we have.

Summer Clearance Sale - On NOW

Come into the store now for incredible end of summer deals and prices!

Every in-stock bike is marked down 5-30% ! This includes commuter bikes, kids bikes, mountain bikes, cargo bikes, and electric bikes. Electric bikes as low as $425! Get your bike now to enjoy for the great fall weather at these incredible prices.

Been thinking of electrifying? E-kits Now on sale! Bionx electric kits on sale $100 off. eZee electric kits on sale $75 off. These are 2 of our most popular kits and only go on sale a couple times a year.

Cargo bikes NOW MARKED DOWN at prices not to be seen again soon! Madsen bikes $200 off. Yuba Mundo bikes and Xtracycle Radish bikes $100 off. Xtracycle kits $50 off. There's no better time to get you car-replacement vehicle.

Get stocked up on lights, locks, fenders, bags, baskets, racks, and more. Accessories on sale now through the end of August. 

These prices won't last long so come in now for the best deals of the year. 

Cycle 9 wins GO!Triangle commuter award

In June, Cycle 9, along with the other bike shops in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, won an award for working together to promote bicycle transportation as an alternative to cars. The award reads:

Go Chapel Hill Commute Challenger Award
Chapel Hill & Carrboro Bike Shops
The Town of Chapel Hill recognizes all of the Chapel Hill & Carrboro Bicycle Shops for outstanding participation in Bike to Work Week events. Rarely do competing businesses put aside their own bottom lines for the bigger cause. Yet, all five of the Chapel Hill – Carrboro hotspot bicycle shops joined together to promote cycling in our area. Throughout Bike to Work Week they offered discounts, ran special promotions, offered free inspections and conducted Bike on Bus workshops. Representatives from all five shops are currently working with the Town of Chapel Hill to develop a more intense promotional campaign for the coming year! Hats off to The Clean Machine, Cycle 9, Performance Bike, Back Alley Bikes and the Bicycle Chain for your teamwork for the greater good!

Just goes to show what a great bicycle town we live in! Keep up the good work.

Bike Art Batiks

Recently, my Mom, who works wonders with a sewing machine, sent us a beautiful quilt that featured a woman riding a bike with 3 kids, including 2 twins! The center of the quilt is a batik done by an artist in Uganda, where my Mom's friend regularly visits on a health care humanitarian mission. We hung the batik up in the shop, where some of you may have seen it. 

Now, we've been able to obtain a few more of these unique batiks for sale. Each one features a bicycle carrying kids or loads. Each is individual and hand made. And each purchase helps support the artists who make these. We've got only a few right now (and hope to be getting another batch later in the fall) so don't miss this opportunity to get a unique item for that bicycle lover in your family. You can check them out at our online store, and we'll be displaying them in the shop soon.

We sell regular bikes, too!

To many local folks, we are known as the electric bike shop. We are one of the very few shops in our area that carries electric bikes. But that's not the only thing we do. We promote biking in all of its forms, whether electrified or not.

We carry regular bikes by Surly, Marin and Breezer, Day 6, and more, that are great for getting around on by leg power.

The owners and employees of Cycle 9 all have non-electric bikes that we ride regularly. Kristen has a nice fixie (single speed fixed gear bike) that she built up from an old road bike. Morgan rides a 1x9 mountain bike that she built up from a Soma Juice frame, a Lemond racing bike, a Fat Chance Yo Eddy mountain bike, and a Downtube folding bike. Elise rides a Bridgestone MB-1 with slick tires and moustache handlebars. And Chris rides an ANT bike. Erika rides her commuter bike with her neato panniers everywhere.

We all love and ride regular bikes, and we can help you pick the right bike, whether electrified or not.

We specialize in road bikes that are meant for people who ride every day or long distances. We carry the Surly Long Haul Trucker, an excellent bike for someone who wants the efficiency of a road bike without the discomfort of a racing bike. We carry the Surly Cross Check - a light, versatile bike that can be used on or off road. We are building up a Surly 1x1 commuter for a customer, using the Nuvinci Continuous variable transmission. His bike will have the simplicity and low maintenance of a single speed, with the benefit of having gears for some of the steep hills he rides every day.

We can even order racing bikes for folks who like the one of the great models offered by Marin or Soma Fabrications. We like racing bikes, though we only have limited floor space, so don't have them on the floor. We also like the Marin Alp bikes, since they provide the speed of a road bike but the more upright riding position of a mountain bike.

We can help you find the right biking solution, whether you are looking to go with only leg power, or want/need a bit of a boost from an electric assist.

Bike + Bike part swap meet Aug 29th!

Have you got a bike or bike parts you want to sell?

Or are you looking for a great bargain on a used bike?

Mark your calendar for our Back to School Bike Swap, on Saturday August 29th.

Cycle 9 will be offering some great deals/closeouts on electric bikes, including a Powyabyke Shopper electric bike for $450, and many others.

More information coming soon.

News for 48V eZee customers

We've been selling the eZee hub motor kits for about 1.5 years now, and have had great success with them over all. We have not yet had a single motor fail. Unfortunately, we have had some controller failures (which we've warranted). It turns out that many of those failures are associated with 48V operation using a LifePO4 battery, since those batteries often run at higher voltages (e.g. 52-54V).

We have alternative controllers lined up for anyone wanting to use this at 48V, please contact us.

Follow us on Twitter to get the weekly Tuesday special

Don't miss out on the weekly Cycle 9 specials: follow us on Twitter, and also hear about other great happenings around the utility biking world. Last Tuesday's special was Flash Flags for $5. That's below our cost, on one of the best safety devices you can own for your bicycle.

Nine Continent kits are here

The Nine Continent motor kits have arrived. These provide a low cost hub motor solution with good climbing torque and speed. We are putting together complete kit options starting at under $350, including shipping. We'll be posting them on our online store in the hub motors section later this week.

Web store redesign

We have been working on a new and improved layout for our web store, to make browsing and shopping easier. It has been almost ready to go for a few weeks, but there are still a few little remaining imperfections. We will have those sorted out soon.