The Commuter's Dream

Sweat beaded down her forehead as Jaimie, the PULP girl, pedaled her way through the slight traffic on South Main Street.At every stagnant red light, the heat collected around her feet, encompassing her like an invisible flame. PULP was in need of coconut milk again and Short Mountain lovers everywhere were counting on her.

This marvelous place

Finally, the Co-op was in sight! She pulled her bike up to the nifty bike rack (thanks to SVBC), locked up her precious Allant, and went inside to the calming A/C.

Strolling down the aisles, she found the precious red cartons she was looking for. But...wait!

Did anyone say yum?

How can I hold all of these milk cartons on my bike!? Jaimie thought, panicking silently to herself. She didn't have nearly enough room, even with an expandable Bontrager bag on her back rack.

POW! 

But wait! Jaimie had forgotten. She had Arkel bags! Easily, she loaded seven coconut milk cartons in each, with plenty of room to spare. It was a commuter's shopping fantasy. It was so beautiful it brought tears to her gray-green eyes. There were even separate pockets for the receipts and her wallet.

Pockets and space galore

Her ride back was smooth and surprisingly light. When she got to the shop, Jaimie started to unload her cartons one by one.But before she could unload the second bag, her coworker gently told her to stop and showed her another tiny miracle. The bags could simply be lifted off the back rack! Marvelous! There were even comfortable gripped handles. She never needed to use another horrible plastic shopping bag again!

Awesome hooks that clip easily onto a
bike rack. Lovely gripped handles. 

Jaimie's life was forever altered that day, and yours can be too. Shopping no longer has to be a nightmare where you're left wondering if your groceries are going to fall out of your basket or if they'll all fit. Plus, these bag can take on the elements like nobody's business, so you no longer have to worry about your precious cargo getting wet.

Come on in to SBC, try an Arkel bag, and add a lot more space to all of your biking adventures, whether it be for groceries or something else entirely.

The heroes of the day

Cheers, and happy riding
- J

Gluten Free Harrisonburg

One of the things that really makes PULP stand out from other providers is our ability to serve all of our customers, including those who are gluten-free.

That's our store :)

What is gluten?

Gluten is the collection of proteins found in wheat, barely and rye (grains). It is not found in oats, wheat grass, barley grass, or rice.

Yeah... That looks like a lot of the things I eat....

Is eating gluten-free better for you?

It all depends. Gluten-free eating it a lot better for you if you have Celiac's disease or wheat allergy. Eating gluten-free can also help prevent stomach upsets if you have a wheat/gluten sensitivity.

If you are eating gluten-free just because, the health benefits all depend upon you. If you choose to replace the foods containing gluten with less processed options and a more diversified diet, the health benefits can be astounding. If you choose to simply replaced processed gluten-filled foods with processed gluten-free foods or simply ignore a crucial facet of a healthy diet, becoming gluten-free will not be as kind to your body.

You still have to stick to this even if you are gluten free

Is PULP the only place downtown that serves gluten-free?

Thankfully, no. We buy a lot of our products, including all of our milks, from the Friendly City Food Co-op. This store not only serves the surrounding community by providing high quality food, but also serves a lot of food that is gluten-free.

This place is awesome. 

According to Urbanspoon, some other places that offer gluten-free in Harrisonburg are...

Grilled Cheese Mania

The Local Chop House and Grill

Vito's Italian Kitchen - Did anyone say GF pizza?

Our neighbor, Clementine's

You can also check Urbanspoon for more:
http://www.urbanspoon.com/s/314?q=harrisonburg%2C+gluten+friendly

_________________________________________________________________________________

I personally never realized how big of a challenge it was to make the switch until I ate a meal with someone who was gluten-free by necessity. Once you commit though, it can be really fun exploring all of the new foods you never knew even existed. Below I've provided some websites with some cool gluten-free recipes. I can't wait to invite my gluten-free friend over and try a few!

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20501445_2,00.html

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/desserts/gluten-free-desserts-00000000058813/index.html

http://glutenfreemommy.com/30-snack-ideas/

Cheers and happy munching!
Jaimie (PULPgirl)

Skratch Labs

Woah! Is that a new display?

Why yes, yes it is. Say hello to our new Skratch Labs Display. It's chalk full of fun new items.

Let's start with the exercise hydration mixes. SBC is currently carrying all of the flavors that Skratch Labs offers - Lemon/Lime, Orange, Raspberry, and Pineapple.Yummy.

You may be asking what makes these mixes better than others. I have a challenge for you. Look at the ingredients of the current drink mix that you use. Can you pronounce all of them? 

Can you pronounce all of these? 
     cane sugar, dextrose, sodium citrate, real fruit, citric acid, magnesium citrate, calcium citrate, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

Point made. 

Hydration mixes aren't the only thing that Skratch Labs provides and excels in making. Cookbooks specifically made for athletes are the other items that make up our new Skratch Labs Display. We currently have two. The first is The Feed Zone. 

This particular cookbook is aimed towards meal that will satisfy endurance athletes. The pictures are tantalizing and the recipes are busting with flavor. 

They look delicious, right?











The second cookbook we have in stock is Feed Zone Portables. Replace your boring, dehydrated, expensive energy bars with ones you can make at home.

Again, the pictures are as tantalizing as the recipes themselves. 

Hope you're hungry. I know I am. 

Cheers,
Jaimie

Everyday Bicycling by Elly Blue

Hey there readers! We just got this new book in the shop, so I (Jaimie, the new PULP girl) decided to check it out.  

Wow. For a person with a very limited knowledge of biking, this is a great read. I wish I had had this book when I first started commuting to work by bike through downtown. It definitely would have eased my fear of sharing the road with cars.

In any case, this book is extremely well written and would be a fantastic gift/stocking stuffer for bikers of all skill levels, including those who haven't yet but their wheels to the pavement. 

In three words: 

Informative, Concise, and Broad

$10 for 125 pages of knowledge new and old will utilize for the rest of their biking days. Let's just say I know what my tip money is going towards this week. 

Cheers! 
- Jaimie

New Merch

We just got some new merchandise in the store. It's called a Clean Bottle.

Cute, right? But what's so special about a water bottle? Well, this water bottle offers up some pretty cool features. 

For one, It comes totally apart. This bottle can actually be cleaned in all of its tiny little crevasses. No longer must your water bottle smell like personified grossness. This water bottle is also 100% nontoxic, BPA free, and guaranteed for life and 10% of the profits go to eco and cycling friendly charities. 

As if that info wasn't cool enough, the story behind the marketing of the bottle is even cooler. 

Why yes, that is a water bottle running in the Tour de France... Best. Marketing. Campaign. Ever.


So come on and check them out! We have them in black, blue and insulated versions. 

Follow Kurt & Meghan at Tandemtours.Tumblr.com!

Do you ever wonder what a tandem bike looks like after flying across the country?  This is what Kurt & Meghan look like at the San Francisco airport after doing so.  Those two rascals are riding Kurt's infamous tandem around all of the North West and blogging their way into glory!  Follow them here!

We're stoked to follow them on their adventures!

Friday Fatty Rides...More then just a ride!

A lot of Friday Fatty Rides have been rain outs this spring. The rains can dampen some rides but the moisture can also bring amazing beauty to others.  The Kennedy Peak/Stephens Trail loop provided great views of the full Shenandoah River as it snaked through Page Valley. The Trail towards Kennedy Peak is a great piece of work with green moss filling in the gaps between the perfectly laid rocks.



Sam, Chris, Abe, Matt and Mark soaking it all in!

Friday was also a birthday celebration of one of the regular Friday Fat Friday riders, Mark Veerman. Happy Birthday Mark, thanks for all you do for the bike community!

The Ibis Ripley Demo is HERE!

We're in the process of building up Ibis' new 29'er full susupension carbon rig, THE RIPLEY!  It'll make a much better suited bike than a helmet with the DW Link suspension system providing a plush 120mm of travel in the front & rear.  Our demo build will have Fox CTD and full XT drivetrain components.  This light weight carbon rig has a through axle in the front & rear for maximum lateral stiffness.  Be sure to hop on it for a demo ride next week once we have it built up!

Tour De Fat DC 2013

On Saturday, June 1, Wootten rallied a posse of friends to join him on an inspirational journey to DC. Master Naters somehow recognized the costume laden beer drinking bicycle warriors.

The New Belgium Brewing Tour De Fat has been traveling around each summer to various locations with the sole purpose of promoting cycling, supporting bike coalitions & having fun.  The key feature for the TDF is a costume bike parade that is open to anyone on a bike.  This year, hundreds and hundreds of riders flooded the streets of DC for a ultra slow paced 5 mile tour.  This mass of slow riders passed by the US Department of Transportation building, a statement not to be taken lightly.  Ride marshals blocked traffic and surprisingly, the general DC driving population didn't have too many smiles to share. 

Following the parade, the beer began flowing and things just started getting weird.  There were married couples on stage, juggling bananas with their mouths, puppet shows, slow bike races, a crazy bike pit, live music, talent shows, magic shows.  Just about everything you could ask for on a day in DC.     

A staple to the TDF is a revivalization, where one person donates their car and promises to live life car-free for a year.  In exchange, they are given a free bike with commuter gear.  Last year's winner, one of the founders of the Black Women Bike club in DC sent the lucky guy off on a year of lifestyle riding, through a tunnel of supporters just below the stage.

After a killer finale by Beats Antique, the TDF leader informed the sweaty crowd that we'd raised $27,000 for WABA in a single day just from the beer donations.  That's pretty good for just one afternoon of lots of fun.

SBC's First Ibis Demo Day