City Bike i.e. Urbanistic in Style

Abici's Sveltino

The lugged steel frame produced in Italy exudes good breeding then it is the color of burnt sugar, so rich, so understated not at all hard to get used to.

Brook's Swift Saddle with copper rivets

The leather saddle is a Brook's, really what other saddle could one place on this elegant machine.



The handlebars harken back to the Cafe Racer style bikes so popular in Europe during the 1950's, playfulness is an attribute to admire.

a classic bell and matching leather grips

Full coverage fenders are an expectation granted
as an Urban rider will be sporting city clothes, perhaps a stylish pair of trousers, that shan't experience asphalt grime or mud.




Additionally the burnt sugar colored bicycle should be spared from as mud as possible too.

featuring a Shimano Nexius 8-speed rear hub

Once astride this bicycle the rider might be tempted to go further and further up along the path and why not?  The internally geared 8-speed hub allows for plenty of terrain to be ridden.







We will always have a weakness for 
the Italian aesthetic were it shoes, woolen jackets, espresso makers, or bicycles.
But most importantly it must be functional.  And so it is, Abici's Sveltina bicycle will allow one to most comfortably, most stylishly, and most efficiently arrive to one's city destination in the happiest state possible. For who would not be giddy upon such an elegant bicycle?



Size 56 cm
Call or email for more detailed information from Urbanistic Tea & Bike Shop
303-561-3025.

A Good Day on Tuesday

My Soma  Buena Vista

 

After zipping downtown to pick up store supplies, on my Soma Buena Vista bicycle, I am back at the store just in time to open the doors at 10AM.  Mack is already waiting for his tea, 6 oz of English Breakfast Blend. It has been the same order for 13 years. I have offered him samples of single estate Sri Lankan tea, Chinese black tea from Yunnan but it is always back to his English Breakfast, a loyal and decisive tea customer.

Fred strolls in with a box of pastries just to check on his custom wheel set. Ethan finished lacing them late last night and has them ready for his weekend race event. Fred commutes daily on his steel frame bicycle from the northern suburbs to Cherry Creek. His schedule then gives way to his epic weekend rides on his beloved race bike.

While we sample the pastries from Fred's white box a neighborhood mother struggles through the doorway with a stroller in need of new inner tubes and liquid sealant. We try to service the strollers as quickly as possible, it’s important that the neighborhood children get their daily walks!

As a neighborhood resident I feel a responsibility to our community. Our shop is to offer dependable products and services because if we don’t meet expectations I will hear about it in the local supermarket.  Tea may be the backbone of the shop. By specializing in loose-leaf teas and tisanes for 14 years we are on of the oldest purveyors of tea leaf in Denver.

Looking back to 2008 my brother and I noticed a  storefront available in an established Victorian commercial building. We looked at one another and said what a great space for a bike shop, specifically a neighborhood bicycle shop offering quality service and parts. Located in such a central position within the Highland neighborhood, close to downtown, close to bicycle paths that lead to Cherry Creek or the outer suburbs we knew just the bicycle lines to represent. 

Civia's Twin City model coming in Spring

Civia bicycle brand began business when we opened Urbanistic Tea and Bike Shop and they were one of our first bicycle lines. Civia bikes are representative of the American bicycle renaissance that we are experiencing right now by offering durable bicycles that are fun to ride and ever so stylish. We are conscious of the need to stock different city bike styles in different price ranges but then always ask ourselves “would I happily ride this bike everyday?” We need content customers because we expect to serve them time and again at Urbanistic Tea and Bike Shop.

Bicycle brands represented:                                    Specializing in:

Civia                                                                          Tea leaf and accessories

Breezer                                                                       new bicycle sales

Bobbin                                                                        custom touring bike builds

Biomega                                                                     full service repair

Surly                                                                           custom wheel build

Soma Framesets                                                         city and commuter bikes and accessories

in the name

A kind customer is intrigued by our store front,  he keeps asking me about our business model, how we became so knowledgeable in our field,...  I give him the short answer every time, you know, we are what we love and all of that. But he is persistent and he last asked "tell me about your name, Urbanistic Tea and Bike Shop."
Ahh the name,
for years we operated a retail store in Northwest Denver called Lily's. Lily was our kind mother who we miss greatly and we kept her store operating six years after her untimely death. Lily's shop started as a tea and garden shop then it expanded but we decided it was time to venture into a new retail realm.


which leads to our "model,"
Ethan, my brother, has worked in bike shops since high school and he is quite fluent in bicycle repair.  Neither one of us ever stopped riding bicycle as quasi-adults, if there is time off to be had we are on our bicycles and thoroughly encourage our friends and neighbors to do the same. This leads to the  ultimate decision of combining a bike business with our tea business- it's all for good health!

But we needed a new name.
Our surname wouldn't do as the Trek/Bontrager empire would sue our pants off and other family names just didn't hit the right chord; Sheets, Vigil, Levine, Montoya, Yoder none of these options were right.
The name quest went cerebral, we asked ourselves what are we doing? We are opening a neighborhood bicycle repair shop inside a thriving 10-year old neighborhood tea shop and we are selling new bicycles that are city appropriate. Who will shop in such a store, well people who like to drink tea and/or ride bicycle in the City or an Urbanistic type of person.
Isn't this entirely rational?
Keep on Riding.

Not According to Plan

Days don't always go according to plan. Monday is my day off which translates to the day I tabulate year-end paperwork for our accountant. After consuming plate after plate of warm buttered toast I discovered that the task at hand is taking me 50% longer than I had scheduled.

Fine, I decided to take a quick break to photograph a custom bike build Ethan was to have finished. I walk into the store and the new bike is still in the work stand, instead of building new bicycles for the sales floor Ethan was wrapping the Soma's handlebars in this beautiful harlequin pattern.

I adore the look and do hope the new owner of this San Marcos does as well since this handlebar wrap involved Ethan braiding cotton barwrap with his permanently-numb fingers, running out to purchase brushes and shellac, shellacking the cotton and then re-shellacking after each coat dries. We have been fans of Newbaum's Cotton Barwrap for years, it's an affordable product featuring all natural dyes, it's grippy even when wet, and it's American made. Details like this do give a bicycle a rather custom look but I wasn't able to finish my planned photo shoot and Ethan's scheduled tasks are postponed to another snowy day.

Gads, already 3:30 I decide to jump on my Soma Buena Vista for a ride to clear the grey matter. I often ride alone on Mondays since most people are at work, it's my time to think and be quiet for a few hours. A hour later after not riding anywhere in particular I suddenly looked up to see ominous grey clouds gathering over the city. Time to head home and re-start that paperwork project.

Holdin' It's Value

There are some things on the market that do not hold their value from year to year such as any i product, last year's parachute skirt, or even last season's blockbuster movie.
But then I have always been drawn to the classics and they do hold on to value such as an English-made tweed skirt, an author-signed book, or the Civia Loring.

2011 Civia Loring-3 or 8speed - Small

This particular Civa model is being reinvented in 2012 without many of the stylish accessories one receives with the 2011 model such as; the bamboo fender set, the rear rack with bamboo inset, leather grips, and a Brook's leather saddle.  Given these upcoming deletions to the Loring the 2011 model is definitely worth it's price and it is available at Urbanistic Tea & Bike Shop in size Small with a 3-speed or 8-speed internally geared hub.

Breeze, Clouds, Steel

Picture a warm sunny day. There is a slight breeze. The temperature is a mellow 

70 degrees. 

Up in the sky a few puffy clouds are blowing around. I don't usually visualize shapes or objects in clouds. But they do whisk me away and make me dreamy. I imagine the speed with which I could get to other places if only I could ride that cloud. Soma Fabrications has created my cloud. 

They also gave it a name; Stanyan. 

A classic steel road bike. Chrome lugs, downtube shifter bosses, curvy fork. the handling is nimble, the ride is smooth, like a cloud this bicycle goes fast without you even knowing. Wherever the pavement goes so does the Stanyan. What's on your list? Style, light weight, fast, comfort, and nimble. Look Up. There's a Stanyon waiting for you, on a cloud.

addendum to season of lights

classic light system for this sleek Italian number

Ethan has been busy designing custom light systems this month and I just adore the way the pictured system works.

Abici 3-speed with a generator light system

Our clever neighbor brought in her Abici for a new light system and together we decided to find a lighting system that is convenient and matches the sleek and classic Abici frame.
 The choices she made are:
-  a front Dynamo Shimano hub to generate both the rear and front light in a matte silver finish
-  the front head lamp is halogen instead of LED because of the styling of the lamp. The yellowish glow of the halogen bulbs are easier on the eyes and surely plenty bright for city cycling.
- the rear lamp attaches to the fender for another classic look with a little protective bracket around it.
A nice feature when you lock your bicycle in city bicycle racks.
This particular lighting system works in all weather conditions, matches the bicycle, is theft-proof, and super bright.

the front head lamp was installed to accommodate the height of the Italian front basket

I can't wait to see her ride off in the sunset.

Generator light systems start at $66 for the standard set up with a side-wall generator.
A custom system, as pictured on the Abici, entail building a new front wheel, purchasing a new hub as well as the light system itself and can cost about $300 or more.  And there are a lot of systems available in-between these price points too. Just stop in to take a look, we are sure to find the perfect set-up for your bicycle.