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Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Enamel Mugs

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Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Enamel Mugs

I love a good product with an even better back-story and you can tell the team at Ponderosa really loves Pine Ridge:

“What yer seeing here (the topo) is the Pine Ridge of Nebraska. Real special place. Two-track, big pine forests, grasslands, badlands… most of the good stuff. We like to ride bikes out here. In the grand scheme of things, this is the very northwest corner of the state. Sioux County (number 80 on the plates, 1 in your hearts). Wyomin’ just to the left, South Dakot’r to the north. Elevation is between 4800′ and 5000′. High plains. Lots of Ponderosa (“x” marks the Champion Ponderosa), lots of Yucca. It’s where the Munsons live. Go out there, ride a bike, camp in Gilbert Baker (WMA), sleep among the trees and under the stars. You won’t (can’t) regret it.”

Check out these enamel mugs and other products at the Ponderosa Shop!

A Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Capricorn ‘Cross Bike

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A Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Capricorn ‘Cross Bike

A Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Capricorn ‘Cross Bike
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by John Watson

If it’s a Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour bike, from the shop’s archives anyway, then it’s Vince’s. As Kyle mentioned in his Shop Visit galley, Vince is a collector of rarities, including this Capricorn ‘Cross bike. Bradley Wilson builds under the name Capricorn, out of my home state of North Carolina. His bikes have a constructeur feel, with a clean aesthetic, devoid of ostentation. Instead, Bradley’s bikes have a personality that beckons to be used, just not abused. This build is top notch, with the DA7400 shifters, XT rear mech and original Chris King headset.

Vince from Ponderosa Cyclery has clearly used this bike, with lots of beausage present and knowing bike shop owners, he relishes every pedal stroke.

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Follow Kyle on Instagram and Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour on Instagram.

Everyone’s Welcome at Ponderosa Cyclery

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Everyone’s Welcome at Ponderosa Cyclery

Ponderosa Cyclery was the first stop on my most recent Bike Shop Tour through middle America. Ponderosa is a relatively new shop compared to the two other shops I’d be stopping at on my way back to California, but it sure didn’t feel that way when I got there. Maybe that was because of Vince’s 14 years of experience in bike shops, or it could be Vince’s love of bicycle tourism and many of the amazing products once produced for the bicycle tourist around the time of the Bikecentennial. Or just maybe it has something to do with the build out of the shop. As I looked around I was astonished by many of the antique fixtures and reclaimed shelving in the store, when I asked about them, before Vince could even get a word in, Jessica, his partner, and co-worker at the shop told us all about Vince’s addiction to Craigslist.

A Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Eisentraut Road with Mavic Zap – Kyle Kelley

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A Ponderosa Cyclery + Tour Eisentraut Road with Mavic Zap – Kyle Kelley

A Ponderosa Cyclery Eisentraut Road with Mavic Zap
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by John Watson

If you think Shimano and SRAM were the first to the e-shifting market, you’re mistaken, my friend. Mavic blazed that trail over a decade before Shimano put its tires down on it. Back before they shifted focus to wheels and apparel, Mavic developed and manufactured component groups. Their “Starfish” cranks are as iconic as their unique headsets, but one group stood out from the rest of Mavic’s catalog. Zap was the name for Mavic’s electronic shifting system and while it was way before its time, it wasn’t underused, making several Tour appearances. Even Chris Boardman secured several victories in the Tour back in 1994 and 1997.