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Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is gone.
This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still open. I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues. The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a Starbucks and a Peet's coffee. I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past 25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well thought-of shop for Trek buyers. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 1:06:52 PM UTC-8, sms wrote:
I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is gone. This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still open. I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues. The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a Starbucks and a Peet's coffee. I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past 25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well thought-of shop for Trek buyers. Trek has a bike for everything. https://www.trekbikes.com/ They even have bike-packing bikes. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an anti-American communist), but I'm surprised you couldn't find something that suited your needs. Bike Gallery has a mind-boggling variety of bikes. https://www.bikegallery.com/ That's where I got my Emonda via Trek directly because I know the guys in legal. Shameless plug: Bike Gallery. The Yelp post indicates Mike got squeezed on rent and parking. I'm sure he also go hit by the downturn in the bike market -- which, I am told, hit all the retailers regardless of brand. -- Jay Beattie. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On 12/3/2017 2:34 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 1:06:52 PM UTC-8, sms wrote: I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is gone. This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still open. I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues. The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a Starbucks and a Peet's coffee. I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past 25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well thought-of shop for Trek buyers. Trek has a bike for everything. https://www.trekbikes.com/ They even have bike-packing bikes. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an anti-American communist), but I'm surprised you couldn't find something that suited your needs. Bike Gallery has a mind-boggling variety of bikes. https://www.bikegallery.com/ That's where I got my Emonda via Trek directly because I know the guys in legal. Shameless plug: Bike Gallery. The Yelp post indicates Mike got squeezed on rent and parking. I'm sure he also go hit by the downturn in the bike market -- which, I am told, hit all the retailers regardless of brand. -- Jay Beattie. I like Bike Gallery. Purchased my first Burley trailer there while on a business trip up to Intel in Hillsboro. Trek's touring bicycle selection has always been lousy, they have the Trek 520 which is inferior to other brands' touring bicycles. Chain Reaction's business model is to be a Trek-only dealer and it seems like a good plan though it does result in some lost sales when Trek has no product to serve a specific segment. But if you look on Trek's European web site, there were quite a few suitable bicycles that we would have considered, but they aren't sold in the U.S.. Not bashing Trek, their business model makes sense--concentrate on selling high-profit, high margin, carbon-fiber road bikes. A bicycle shop as good as Chain Reaction should have been able to have two locations in this area, but shopping center owners can get unreasonable when it comes to lease renewals. Their Redwood City location is not open Sundays which is a pain. The owner of the shopping center where Cupertino Bike Shop moved to a few years ago is looking to tear down the shopping center to build housing, I'm already being lobbied by someone to support that rezoning when it comes up, probably next year. Last Friday night I went to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition holiday party held at Microsoft/Linked-In. The companies in this area are really promoting bicycle commuting. At the party I talked to one of counterparts in Sunnyvale about bicycle infrastructure. Unfortunately, SVBC has become involved in issues that discourage bicycling, |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3:41:21 PM UTC-8, sms wrote:
On 12/3/2017 2:34 PM, jbeattie wrote: On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 1:06:52 PM UTC-8, sms wrote: I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is gone. This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still open. I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues. The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a Starbucks and a Peet's coffee. I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past 25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well thought-of shop for Trek buyers. Trek has a bike for everything. https://www.trekbikes.com/ They even have bike-packing bikes. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an anti-American communist), but I'm surprised you couldn't find something that suited your needs. Bike Gallery has a mind-boggling variety of bikes. https://www.bikegallery.com/ That's where I got my Emonda via Trek directly because I know the guys in legal. Shameless plug: Bike Gallery. The Yelp post indicates Mike got squeezed on rent and parking. I'm sure he also go hit by the downturn in the bike market -- which, I am told, hit all the retailers regardless of brand. -- Jay Beattie. I like Bike Gallery. Purchased my first Burley trailer there while on a business trip up to Intel in Hillsboro. Trek's touring bicycle selection has always been lousy, they have the Trek 520 which is inferior to other brands' touring bicycles. Chain Reaction's business model is to be a Trek-only dealer and it seems like a good plan though it does result in some lost sales when Trek has no product to serve a specific segment. But if you look on Trek's European web site, there were quite a few suitable bicycles that we would have considered, but they aren't sold in the U.S.. Not bashing Trek, their business model makes sense--concentrate on selling high-profit, high margin, carbon-fiber road bikes. A bicycle shop as good as Chain Reaction should have been able to have two locations in this area, but shopping center owners can get unreasonable when it comes to lease renewals. Their Redwood City location is not open Sundays which is a pain. The owner of the shopping center where Cupertino Bike Shop moved to a few years ago is looking to tear down the shopping center to build housing, I'm already being lobbied by someone to support that rezoning when it comes up, probably next year. Last Friday night I went to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition holiday party held at Microsoft/Linked-In. The companies in this area are really promoting bicycle commuting. At the party I talked to one of counterparts in Sunnyvale about bicycle infrastructure. Unfortunately, SVBC has become involved in issues that discourage bicycling, Hey, synchronicity -- last night, I went to a birthday celebration and campaign rally for a friend of mine who is running for Washington County chair. She is currently a Metro Councilor. Yes, envelopes were distributed, but I'm happy to give. She's a former Intel EE and totally over-powered for any job short of the White House. I got button-holed by a guy who was on the Bicycle Transportation Alliance board with me a million years ago. Nice guy, but he wanted to talk traffic circles/roundabouts and the various bicycle infrastructure projects in close-in Washington County (Intel and Nike). I was trying to get to the wine. Raptor Ridge -- fabulous Pinot. This guy is still active and trying to make a difference with the local planning departments and has a different agenda than the current iteration of the BTA -- the "Street Trust," which has become too big for its own good and too tied to large scale projects that make the world worse for cyclists like cycletracks, confusing hardscape, etc., etc. It made me want to get involved again -- until I got my wine and got over the impulse. Its funny that back in the day, the BTA was fighting city planners, including Mia Burke, who went on to start Alta -- the death star of crazy bicycle infrastructure. https://altaplanning.com/alta-planning-and-design/ She told me I was in her book, but I haven't bought a copy. https://www.amazon.com/Joyride-Pedal.../dp/0615384110 I like Mia. I just have a different vision of what makes cycling convenient and pleasant. -- Jay Beattie. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On 12/3/2017 5:04 PM, jbeattie wrote:
snip Hey, synchronicity -- last night, I went to a birthday celebration and campaign rally for a friend of mine who is running for Washington County chair. She is currently a Metro Councilor. Yes, envelopes were distributed, but I'm happy to give. She's a former Intel EE and totally over-powered for any job short of the White House. Heh, I was so shy about asking for money. I believe I ran about the lowest cost campaign in the last 30 years. I sent you a link to a Google Doc with some of the campaign stuff that worked for me, maybe your friend can use some of the ideas. It was a real experience running for office, with unexpected experiences, i.e. dealing with the distractions like a former mayor, who is not one my fans, who at one point insisted that someone from our grassroots group tried to steal his car. You should run for something. I got button-holed by a guy who was on the Bicycle Transportation Alliance board with me a million years ago. Nice guy, but he wanted to talk traffic circles/roundabouts and the various bicycle infrastructure projects in close-in Washington County (Intel and Nike). I was trying to get to the wine. Raptor Ridge -- fabulous Pinot. This guy is still active and trying to make a difference with the local planning departments and has a different agenda than the current iteration of the BTA -- the "Street Trust," which has become too big for its own good and too tied to large scale projects that make the world worse for cyclists like cycletracks, confusing hardscape, etc., etc. It made me want to get involved again -- until I got my wine and got over the impulse. They served Linked-In private label wine at the SVBC party, but they ran out of the red wine. They had good beer. I expect that in Portland, no one would dare serve bad beer at any event. The food at the SVBC event is always terrible, cold, soggy, low-quality, pizza. Its funny that back in the day, the BTA was fighting city planners, including Mia Burke, who went on to start Alta -- the death star of crazy bicycle infrastructure. https://altaplanning.com/alta-planning-and-design/ She told me I was in her book, but I haven't bought a copy. https://www.amazon.com/Joyride-Pedal.../dp/0615384110 I like Mia. I just have a different vision of what makes cycling convenient and pleasant. Ah, Alta design. Quite familiar with them of course. They have proposed nothing crazy in Cupertino. They produce really beautiful reports! I would think that our own public works people would have come up with identical proposals since what can be done in terms of infrastructure is pretty straightforward here, but I can't complain about their proposals. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 5:41:21 PM UTC-6, sms wrote:
Trek's touring bicycle selection has always been lousy, they have the Trek 520 which is inferior to other brands' touring bicycles. Trek has the 520 for loaded touring. Most every other bike company has exactly ONE loaded touring bike too. The 520 is very similar or the exact same as every other loaded touring bike sold. There are no differences in loaded touring bikes. They all have steel frame and forks made in China. Shimano or maybe SRAM mid/low level components. Bar end shifters. 9 speed cassette. Triple crank. They are all the same. None are inferior or superior to the others. They are all the same. Only difference is price. Nashbar and Bikes Direct are at the cheaper end and Trek is at the higher end. Same bike. I assume you have never ever in your life been loaded touring. The Trek 520 works just fine as a loaded touring bike. I have several months and thousands of miles to back this up. You just want a bike that works just fine day after day. Nothing fancy or wild. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 4:34:35 PM UTC-6, jbeattie wrote:
Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an anti-American communist), -- Jay Beattie. Probably 99.9% of every bike Trek sells is made in China. I think only their Project One OCLV 9000 or so bike is actually made in USA. All the other carbon bikes come from China. I guess Dell Computer is an American company even though 100% of everything they sell is made in China. And Toyota is a foreign company even though their cars are made in USA. Its a wacky world we live in. |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
On 2017-12-03 14:34, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 1:06:52 PM UTC-8, sms wrote: I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is gone. This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still open. I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues. The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a Starbucks and a Peet's coffee. I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past 25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well thought-of shop for Trek buyers. Trek has a bike for everything. https://www.trekbikes.com/ They even have bike-packing bikes. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey I am quite certain I'd rip out those tiny rack mounts within the year: https://trek.scene7.com/is/image/Tre...=0&cache=on,on This is how it's done right, four 1/4" diatemer bolts and so on: http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Muddy4.JPG Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an anti-American communist), but I'm surprised you couldn't find something that suited your needs. Bike Gallery has a mind-boggling variety of bikes. https://www.bikegallery.com/ That's where I got my Emonda via Trek directly because I know the guys in legal. Shameless plug: Bike Gallery. The Yelp post indicates Mike got squeezed on rent and parking. I'm sure he also go hit by the downturn in the bike market -- which, I am told, hit all the retailers regardless of brand. What is causing this bike market downturn? I wonder if E-bikes could turn that around. Not that I like those, being more of a purist, but yesterday I test-rode one that my MTB buddy built up from parts. Heavy Specialized DH MTB, now with a 750W crank motor, battery pack temporarily strapped to my back. Woohoo, that thing was like a rocket, uphill it almost wanted to pull a wheelie. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
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Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.
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