Five Hills Bikes

Gravel Grinder Registration is Open

Register here!

We’re pleased to announce that the Gravel Grinder is back for 2010 in a big way. We’ll be adding some fun adventure sections to the course but still keeping the beautiful scenery, dirt road riding, and easy-going atmosphere that kept this event so fun and approachable.

The 1st and 2nd Gravel Grinders in 2008 and 2009 were so popular that we had to turn riders away.. This year we’ll be ready for more, but we encourage folks to register early to ensure their place on the start list. At the least, it’s a great incentive to get out and get in shape for biking this spring and summer.

April 18, 2009  in Waterbury, VT. Register here and see event details and course description on the Gravel Grinder page.

Five Hills Bikes for the Holidays

Five Hills Bikes is open all winter. We’ve got bikes and gear for serious cyclists as well as for folks that just like riding along. Here are some ideas that might be great for someone on your list:

• Nutritional products
• A Hydration pack from Camelback - even if she’s already got one, they get nasty after being used and a new pack is always welcome
• Bike29 t-shirt or jersey - support your local shop
• Pedals - upgrade them to clipless or get them a second set for the second bike
• Bike blinkies and lights for safe travel after dark
• Oakley sunglasses - we have a nice selection of styles and prices
• Mountain bike clothing from Oakley - stylish and functional, our favorite
• Tubes! Great stocking stuffers, and always needed.

Kids bikes are in stock. 2010 bikes from Gary Fisher are in stock and all leftover 2009 bikes are on sale.

Through the holidays we’re open 10-6 on Thursdays and Fridays, 10-4 Saturday, and 10-4 Monday through Wed. Call us for more info or to check on stock. 802-244-7330.

Cycle des Spectres: October 30

Gary Fisher Demo - Saturday October 3

This saturday, October 3 come to Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, VT to test out the lastest demo bikes from Gary Fisher. The crew from Five Hills Bikes and Bike29 will be on hand as well as the Fisher demo crew. We’ll talk you through the different 26″ and 29″ wheel and suspension options and you can try them out on the trails at Catamount.

The demo starts at 10 and goes through the day. If you have any questions at all, give us a call at 802-244-7330 and we’ll fill in the details. Enjoy what will hopefully be a lovely fall day with plenty of beautiful foliage.

Singlespeed World Championships

Five Hills Bikes was well represented at this years SSWC09 in Durango, Colorado. George, Mandy and Mike headed out for a long weekend of riding, racing, and partying with singlespeeders from across the globe.

The terrain in Colorado was a lot of fun and a nice change of pace. We rode high in lush mountains and on dry, desert-like trails right from town. From technical rock sections to buff downhill singletrack, Durango seemed to have it all. And riding around town seeing singlespeeds and 29ers everywhere was a blast.

Costumes were the rule not the exception for the big race, from Elvis to Flash to prom - we saw it all. The entire town seemed to come out and support the 100+ racers that took to the hills. The finish line was a big party, followed by an even bigger party that night at the local brewery.

We got to meet a lot of folks that had been to the shop or knew about the shop or bike29.com and it was awesome to build new connections. Next year worlds will be in New Zealand - will we be there? Hard to say right now, but you can bet we’ll try.

“Boss is Away” Sale

The big Boss is headed out to Durango, CO for this weekend’s SSWC09 (singlespeed world championships) - while he’s gone we’re having a big sale.

All in-stock bikes from Gary Fisher are marked down. Prices too good to advertise on the web.

All Oakley apparel is 30% off - all riding shorts, all jerseys - all on sale.

Get yourself a new bike and some new duds and enjoy the biking before winter returns.

Tuesday Night Ladies Rides

Thanks for a great season! The Tuesday Night Ladies Rides have concluded for the summer season.

Our last ride was the largest. 10 women and 2 token men came out on what was probably the most beautiful evening of the summer. We headed out from the shop to the Perry Hill Trails. With the fine weather, the trails were dry and super fun. Everyone rode strong and had a great time trying some obstacles and stunts.

After the ride, we returned to the shop where Aaron led a basic bike maintenance clinic and we enjoyed some post ride snacks and beverages.

Rides will begin again next May, I hope to see many more women join us next year. These rides were a ton of fun, it was wonderful to see everyone progress in so many ways and to have a lot of laughs out on the trail. Thanks SMBC for making it happen.

Wednesday Worlds @ Catamount Tonight 8.5.09

Getting in the Zone

Time to put on your race face! It’s Wednesday Night Worlds tonight at Catamount in Williston. Five Hills Bikes and Bike29 will be there providing neutral support to all comers. Weather looks promising, so dust the cobwebs out of your legs and bring it.

If you don’t feel up to a few laps on the race course, come out and say hi, fondle the new bike29 bikes and ring the cowbell with us.

Tuesday Night Ladies Ride - August 4

summer is passing in a blur

This Tuesday the ladies ride returns to Stowe. We’ll be meeting in the parking lot behind iRide and heading out to do The Wall. This isn’t an easy ride, but it’s not too difficult. Due to the shortening days and length of the ride, we’ll need to leave as close to 6pm as possible. If you plan on joining us, please try to arrive a few minutes early to be ready to ride.

Email me at mandywisell (at) gmail.com for any questions or to let me know that you’ll be joining us.

29ers - Fast Enough For You?

We sell a lot of 29ers at Five Hills Bikes, between the retail location and our specialist online store, Bike29, 29ers are a very important part of our business.

Sometimes we get questions about whether or not 29ers are as fast as 26″ wheel bikes. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions when you’re out test riding or demo-ing one of our bikes, but we do think that racing results from the Niner team this year will answer your question as to whether they’re fast or not.

Rebecca Tomaszewski, Skyler Trujillo, John Milyne and Deejay Birtch (you may remember these last two guys from the VT MTB Festival of 2008) have been having a tremendous year of racing. They’ve just walked away with two national titles, a couple of 2nd place finishes and a 3rd and a 5th. Read their story here. We’re happy to see this gal and these guys out showing the world how it’s done.

We can show you the Niner singlespeeds that these guys are racing on, as well as the geared and full-suspension bikes that will make you go fast.