| BIKES |
BIKES
THE Shop |
For as long as I can remember, Action Sports has been nestled on
Main Street in Cortland, NY. While the neighboring businesses have
come and gone, Matt Belknaps' little shop has doggedly remained.
At first, visits to A-Sports was more business related than
pleasure based. For quite a while the shop sold our Baker Designs
line of BMX products. Eventually, the BMX scene really fizzled
out and it wasn't even worth keeping products on hand although
Matt has always been fantastic about ordering in when something
was requested. With the increase in popularity surrounding
mountain biking and road cycling, he focused more on a market that
was expanding in this area. And, his decision to do so really
paid off.
Main Street in Cortland, NY. While the neighboring businesses have
come and gone, Matt Belknaps' little shop has doggedly remained.
At first, visits to A-Sports was more business related than
pleasure based. For quite a while the shop sold our Baker Designs
line of BMX products. Eventually, the BMX scene really fizzled
out and it wasn't even worth keeping products on hand although
Matt has always been fantastic about ordering in when something
was requested. With the increase in popularity surrounding
mountain biking and road cycling, he focused more on a market that
was expanding in this area. And, his decision to do so really
paid off.
Most people, by now, know my career with bikes (if we want
to call it that) stemmed from BMX racing. I did try cross
country mountain biking one summer and hated it. When it
was suggested that I try road cycling because I was no
longer racing, I procured a tank from Wal-Mart which I
dubbed, Blue Thunder. Although the bike was decidedly
crappy, it gave me a taste of what road riding was really
about. This summer marks the beginning of my third season
on a bike. I am still considered a novice rider. When I
hop on the killer Jamis Comet named Curtis, that Mully
built for me, it's either for pleasure or simply exercise.
Because of my lack of knowledge I enlisted him to provide
his expertise.
With the return of pleasant temps comes the inevitable
purchase of a new bike. I hooked up with Jamie at Action
Sports to find out what he recommends. They are as
follows:
Specialized Allez compact- Good entry level road bike.
Aluminum frame/carbon forks/compact gearing and Shimano
Sora shifter levers and derailler makes this bike hard to
beat for the price if you're just getting into road
riding. Shop price is around $800.
Jamis Quest women specific model- This is a great
all-around rider with Reynolds 631 chromoly frame/carbon
forks/Ultegra rear derailler with Shimano ST-R700 shifter
levers for small hands. Again, it is a womens specific
model and if you could only have one bike, this one is
ideal. Really nice for approximately $1500.
(I really dug the brown/black saddle and matching grip tape,
myself!) Out of curiosity, I asked Mully if there was a
huge difference between the female specific bikes and
those that are not and he said, "Not really." While bike
manufactures are changing the angle of the top tube and so
forth there isn't a huge difference with the exception of
the price. However, there are several items that are worth
spending the extra on for comforts' sake and the top of
the list would be the saddle. If there is one item that a
woman should insist on it's a women's specific saddle. The
Terry Butterfly saddle was recommended to me and it is
worth it's weight in gold. With the female demographic
growing at an incredible rate you will start to see the
price tag on some of these items come into line with the
"guy" stuff, I'm sure.
Jamis Durrango 29er mountain bike- This entry level
hardtail 29" wheel cross country bike comes with aluminum
frame/Rock Shox Dart 100mm travel forks/Shimano Deore
shifters and deraillers/Tektro hydraulic disk brakes.
Right around $900.
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp- Great all around
mountain bike! Full suspension, 5" travel featuring a Fox
Triad riar air shock and Fox Float 120RL fork/Avid elixer
hydraulic disc brakes/Sram X7 shifters. Jamie says, "If
you ride harder than the average cross country rider and
like to launch stuff, you can't go wrong with this bike.
I Wish it were mine 'cause it's freakin' kickass!"
Price: $2200
Specialized Tarmac Elite Double- Great entry level race
bike. Carbon frame/forks/seatpost, Shimano 105
drivetrain/compact gearing/Mavic CXP22 wheel set with
Specialized hubs. Great, light, road bike that's more
than good enough for beginner racers and the carbon weave
looks so freakin' cool! You can't tell it by the picture,
but it's got one hell of a pretty paint job!
Approximately $2000
Now, everyone who walks in Matt's front door isn't
necessarily in the market for a high performance bike. He
gets a good deal of business from customers looking for
something to simply cruise around on. In addition to the
wide variety of road and mountain bikes that he sells, he
hasn't forgotten to include casual and younger riders.
Here is just an example of what is available for every day
commuting/cruising...
Jamis Coda Femme- womans model, flat bar commuter style
bike/triple crank/Shimano Acera shifters & deraillers/
Tektro V-brakes/suspension seat post for comfort. This is
like a road bike but with a flat handlebar. Good, cheap
commuter bike that will still ride fast cause it's just
about a road bike but don't have drop bars. Comes in mens
versions, too.
Around $500
to call it that) stemmed from BMX racing. I did try cross
country mountain biking one summer and hated it. When it
was suggested that I try road cycling because I was no
longer racing, I procured a tank from Wal-Mart which I
dubbed, Blue Thunder. Although the bike was decidedly
crappy, it gave me a taste of what road riding was really
about. This summer marks the beginning of my third season
on a bike. I am still considered a novice rider. When I
hop on the killer Jamis Comet named Curtis, that Mully
built for me, it's either for pleasure or simply exercise.
Because of my lack of knowledge I enlisted him to provide
his expertise.
With the return of pleasant temps comes the inevitable
purchase of a new bike. I hooked up with Jamie at Action
Sports to find out what he recommends. They are as
follows:
Specialized Allez compact- Good entry level road bike.
Aluminum frame/carbon forks/compact gearing and Shimano
Sora shifter levers and derailler makes this bike hard to
beat for the price if you're just getting into road
riding. Shop price is around $800.
Jamis Quest women specific model- This is a great
all-around rider with Reynolds 631 chromoly frame/carbon
forks/Ultegra rear derailler with Shimano ST-R700 shifter
levers for small hands. Again, it is a womens specific
model and if you could only have one bike, this one is
ideal. Really nice for approximately $1500.
(I really dug the brown/black saddle and matching grip tape,
myself!) Out of curiosity, I asked Mully if there was a
huge difference between the female specific bikes and
those that are not and he said, "Not really." While bike
manufactures are changing the angle of the top tube and so
forth there isn't a huge difference with the exception of
the price. However, there are several items that are worth
spending the extra on for comforts' sake and the top of
the list would be the saddle. If there is one item that a
woman should insist on it's a women's specific saddle. The
Terry Butterfly saddle was recommended to me and it is
worth it's weight in gold. With the female demographic
growing at an incredible rate you will start to see the
price tag on some of these items come into line with the
"guy" stuff, I'm sure.
Jamis Durrango 29er mountain bike- This entry level
hardtail 29" wheel cross country bike comes with aluminum
frame/Rock Shox Dart 100mm travel forks/Shimano Deore
shifters and deraillers/Tektro hydraulic disk brakes.
Right around $900.
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp- Great all around
mountain bike! Full suspension, 5" travel featuring a Fox
Triad riar air shock and Fox Float 120RL fork/Avid elixer
hydraulic disc brakes/Sram X7 shifters. Jamie says, "If
you ride harder than the average cross country rider and
like to launch stuff, you can't go wrong with this bike.
I Wish it were mine 'cause it's freakin' kickass!"
Price: $2200
Specialized Tarmac Elite Double- Great entry level race
bike. Carbon frame/forks/seatpost, Shimano 105
drivetrain/compact gearing/Mavic CXP22 wheel set with
Specialized hubs. Great, light, road bike that's more
than good enough for beginner racers and the carbon weave
looks so freakin' cool! You can't tell it by the picture,
but it's got one hell of a pretty paint job!
Approximately $2000
Now, everyone who walks in Matt's front door isn't
necessarily in the market for a high performance bike. He
gets a good deal of business from customers looking for
something to simply cruise around on. In addition to the
wide variety of road and mountain bikes that he sells, he
hasn't forgotten to include casual and younger riders.
Here is just an example of what is available for every day
commuting/cruising...
Jamis Coda Femme- womans model, flat bar commuter style
bike/triple crank/Shimano Acera shifters & deraillers/
Tektro V-brakes/suspension seat post for comfort. This is
like a road bike but with a flat handlebar. Good, cheap
commuter bike that will still ride fast cause it's just
about a road bike but don't have drop bars. Comes in mens
versions, too.
Around $500
Specialized Stumpjumper
Jamis Durrango 29er
Jamis Quest
Specialized Allez
Specialized Tarmac Elite Double
Before a shop can be considered complete, they must
have a good selection and plenty of inventory. Action
Sports has got to be one of the best stocked shops
I've ever been in. Not only is there a plethora of
bikes to choose from but every other item under the
sun that you may possibly need for it.
have a good selection and plenty of inventory. Action
Sports has got to be one of the best stocked shops
I've ever been in. Not only is there a plethora of
bikes to choose from but every other item under the
sun that you may possibly need for it.
They carry products by Specialized, Louis Garneu and Sidi, just to name a few. When I recently went in to
purchase a helmet, Matt didn't try to force feed me the most expensive helmet on the rack. Instead, he
showed me which one he recommended and used personally. I ended up purchasing the Specialized Air Force 3
women's helmet in red for a very reasonable price. If it's good enough for Matt, it's good enough for me!
purchase a helmet, Matt didn't try to force feed me the most expensive helmet on the rack. Instead, he
showed me which one he recommended and used personally. I ended up purchasing the Specialized Air Force 3
women's helmet in red for a very reasonable price. If it's good enough for Matt, it's good enough for me!
| Whether you need a tube or a technician to replace it, Action Sports has someone on hand who can do bike repairs on premise. Our good guddy, Mully can often be found turning a wrench in his spare time! Needless to say, Action Sports is the favored bike shop by those on the STS team! Check them out on Main Street in Cortland. They are open Mondays, and Wednesdays thru Saturdays all year long. |