Jip, us again. We were hoping that our shop would be open by now, but alas with all the political and event activity we are running a bit behind. But, as the wise people say, a good thing is worth waiting for…
Wow, how insane was the World Cup!!!
If you can still remember the 1st edition of “Feeding your cycling addiction” you will see that our logo has changed. This is now the final logo and a brand you will become very familiar with!
We are committed to open our doors by no later than Monday 4 May and are planning our official opening bash for Saturday 30 May … please diarise this day so long … we are planning something special.
During the course of this past month we have also finalised the products we will be carrying stock of and just too wet your appetite, check these out:-
Then we are also agents for the following bikes that will be ordered on request:
- Maverick American - (We are waiting for confirmation as to developments on their side before we will be carrying stock of these bikes again)
- Whyte
- Nicolai
- Pivot Cycles
Some of these bikes you have probably never heard of and we will be telling you more about them through these newsletters as well as our website (which will be up soon).
To start this process off, we are going to look at Ellsworth:
"those who ride know"
The debate has raged for years with people on both sides of the fence (and the ocean) saying they can build a better bike. While we believe that a fully-trained welder in Taiwan or China can produce just as high-quality of a product as a welder in North America, there are many other emotions and environmental considerations that can also be thrown into the mix–thus mucking the waters even more.
In the case of Ellsworth Bikes, they are still dedicated to hand-building all their framesets in the States. The quality and function of every Ellsworth bike we’ve ridden goes without saying, but it does come at a price, of course. However, consider all the other factors that make a company “successful” and you’ll see that Ellsworth is not only producing high-quality bikes, but they are doing it the right way.
Here are a few examples of the sustainable business practices of Ellsworth Bikes:
• All frameset manufacturing is done in the USA, thus reducing shipping and worldwide energy use to transport frames overseas
• Solar, geothermal and wind (Q2 2009) power results in energy neutral or energy producing facilities
• Aluminium waste is collected and recycled
• They are working on the ability to remove a pivot bolt or two from the rear triangle and reduce the container size and costs of shipping framesets
• Anodized, not powder-coated results in lighter weight and reduction of paint wastes
• Laser-etched logos eliminate sticker use and waste while increasing durability
• Simple tube usage with limited need for extra moulds or unnecessary manufacturing processes
• Founding Sponsor of RideLocal.org to promote the benefits of cycling to their health, the environment and their local economy
• They support the protection of rainforests with every “Rainforest Green” frame and breast and ovarian cancer with “Project Pink” frames
After looking over their Web sites, it seems as though Ellsworth has put a lot of focus and effort into their sustainable business practices. We applaud Tony Ellsworth for leading the way.
Now, if all of this interests you … that’s great, but what about the bikes:
Every one-of-a-kind handcrafted, anodized Ellsworth frame benefits from Instant Centre Tracking (ICT) – the only mountain bike suspension technology that is internationally patented and globally recognised as the most efficient fully active suspension design in the world …
When you buy an Ellsworth, you have a hand built bike. It is absolutely beautiful! The frame is anodized, so they last long and its light. It has one of the best suspension designs in the world. Every buck you spend goes towards saving the rain forests. It is backed by one of the best distributors in South Africa. You have our personal guarantee in terms of service … WHEN YOU BUY AN ELLSWORTH FROM US, WE WILL NOT CHARGE YOU FOR LABOUR FOR AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE BIKE! Oh, did we mention that they are absolutely freaking gorgeously beautiful!! You will be the envy of all your friends … until they get their own Ellsworth!!
…. No you did not misread the last paragraph.
At WSQUARED we are committed to you like you have never been committed to before. If you buy a custom built bike from us, you will never pay labour for any work we do in our workshop on your beauty again … (This offer excludes Merida and Cannondale).
ACTIVITY
Over the next couple of months we are not only opening our shop, but will also be involved in hosting an event … The Life in Motion MTB Enduro. Life in Motion is a project Allegra and Johann are very involved with (see www.lifeinmotion.co.za) and this event will be the main fund raiser for some of the projects Life in Motion is involved with. Watch the press for more details … it is not going to be your average mountain bike event!
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS ONE AS WE NEED A RESPONSE ASAP ….Then on 14 June is the Sardine Classic at Port Edward … and the Monday and Tuesday are holidays as well. So here are our thoughts... Join us for the Sardine Classic on the Sunday, we stay over at Port Edward Sunday evening and then Jan Abbott (Clearwater Trails) can take us on his new unbelievable trail on the other side of the Umtamvuma Gorge … about 40 km and the closest thing we have to Moab!
If you have not been to Clearwater before … this is arguably one of the best MTB rides in SA!! Jan has handcrafted exquisite single track!!
OK, so please let us know if you are keen to join us for a truly amazing MTB experience. Please drop us an e-mail to info@w2cycling.co.za. We have reserved the whole Clearwater camp for the Sunday evening and need to confirm to the good people at Clearwater if we are going to take all the accommodation.
Ok, ok, before this becomes too long and you become bored, let me say good bye!!
See you at our shop opening soon!!
Johann and Gordon
