Blue Ribbon Bicycle Service

Had the pleasure of helping out at Gravel Nationals, providing some pre-race support and last minute adjustments to the athletes from near and far.

Thank you BC Gravel Series / Jonathan M Watkin for inviting me out to the event, and a big thank you to Halldór for taking time out of his weekend to lend a hand.

Hal was a tremendous mentor in my 6 years working with Pro City Service Course, and I owe a lot of my knowledge to him. It was a pleasure working beside him once again!

I'll be back at the start line at 7:00 am tomorrow morning, tools at the ready, to make sure everyone gets off the line and into the woods! Best of luck to all my clients and all the athletes participating!

After three years of business, my Morizumi spoke cutter has hit 2000 spokes cut and threaded.
This was one of the first tools I bought when I started this business, and cost me nearly $9000 after currency conversion, shipping, and taxes. It was pretty much all of the savings I had at the time, and I supposed it really signifies my head-long dive into starting this company.

Once again I am thankful of my customers who have entrusted me to work on their prized bikes. Thank you to everyone for your support, your patience, and your kind words. 💙

BLUE RIBBON IS GOING ON TOUR [de Bloom]!

I'm loading up my toolbox and venturing across the border to support six BC athletes at next week! Unfortunately for my loyal Victoria customers, service availability this month is looking a little slim, so please consider reaching out ASAP. Thank you for inviting me to help out for the race series, I'm looking forward to it!

Smart Trainer Repair! This Tacx Flux 2 was making some pretty awful belt noise. After a full teardown (holy cow there's a lot of screws), it was pretty to disengage the belt tension sprint and swap out the belt.

Yes, you can apply some belt dressing compound to probably quiet the noise temporarily, but with disassembly/reassembly time taking over 45 minutes, it's best to replace the belt and have the job done properly.

Sure would be NICE if , would actually regularly stock the replacement parts for this...but in the end I had to order the belt from a specialist shop in the UK.

All buttoned back up, this trainer should be running nice and quietly for another handful of years to come!

A bike build can come together quickly, or it can come together methodically but with care and precision. Blue Ribbon Bicycle Service doesn't do rushed service - the job takes as long as it takes to be perfect. I

t's the little things: facing a bottom bracket, chasing threads, applying Loctite, that are so often overlooked by most mechanics due to time constraints in a busy bike shop. I don't do things for cheap, and I don't do them fast, but I'll make damn sure your bike is built and performing the best it can before it leaves my workshop.

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Just completed some 'Product Testing' [AKA riding my bike], of the newest Mini-Velo in the family fleet. A quick run down:
Frameset: Crust Stupid Tourist [
Headset: Chris King NoThreadSet [ ]
Seatpost: Moots Ti Cinch Post [ ]
Wheels: Factory Kyoot 36h 20" [ ]
Tires: Maxxis Grifter 2.40" - Tubed. 19/24 PSI Front/Rear
Brakes Paul Klampers/Compact Love Levers [ ]
Drivetrain: Shimano Saint 10s. 11-36t XT Cassette.
Cranks: Paul 100% Pure Square Taper Cranks. Garbaruk 42t Chainring [ ]
Saddle: Reform Tantalus [ ]
Random other stuff: Nissen Cable Housing, King Cage and Hulsroy Nalgene Cage, Random mix of Pro-Discovery, RockBros, and bags to carry snacks/binoculars/warm clothes.

Ride overview: 57km, 780m Elevation Gain. 59% Unpaved. 3 Degrees Celsius.

Ride Location: Port Renfrew

Product review notes: 20" wheels have proven to once again that they are definitely not the faster or efficient wheel size but the bike handling and sheer under-biking fun factor is unparalleled. Maxxis Grifter's performed admirably given the loose over hard Type 2 Gravel. Really really wish would come out with at least one line of 20" tires. Paul Klampers will always be my favourite brake - Hands down. Saint 10s Drivetrain proved its worthiness as being be best 1x drivetrain IMO. Camelback Podium Ti bottle doesn't score highly (sandblasted metal, doesn't sound or feel good putting the bottle in the cage). Reform saddle performed quite nicely - though further resting is required. Crust Stupid Tourist is performing well, a very smooth and fun ride, though I do with the bike did come with or have the option for true " Ritchey break-away" cable housing runs with a under BB cable guide. I have a rather hacked-together janky setup currently.

Yes, we can service trainers! These Kickr Core's are especially service-friendly, and certainly get the mechanic's thumbs up from me!

If you've been grinding away on your trainer for a few years, it very well might be due for a bearing overhaul. Book a service and get your trainer running beautifully smoothly and quietly again ✌🏼

Another year in the books! A quick bit of housekeeping before we all enjoy the festivities: 2026 will see an updated pricing model for minimum appointments, service packages and some À La Carte services. Minimum service for 2026 will be $80, and Level 1 and Level 2 service packages will be $185 and $275 respectively.

While increasing my prices is not easy, I have to respect my time commitment and attention to detail I put into ever one of my services - Good enough is not good enough.

Now that's done with, I want to extend a big thank you to all my frequent customers and the newcomers who tried out my services this year! I greatly appreciate your patronage, and I hope your bike took you to some amazing places ( and performed flawlessly along the way).

Happy Holidays everyone!

Shop opens back up for booking January 5th, and you'll probably get to meet the shop dog, Fig, during your next pickup 🦮

Running a small business is filled with blood, a lot of sweat, and a lot of tears. It seems corporations are always the ones winning, and the little guy always has a hard time.

Please consider supporting your favourite local businesses by purchasing a gift card this holiday season.

God knows they probably need the help.