Perennial Cycle

  1. Service Loaners -Tern Short Haul

    Tern Short Haul Cargo Bikes -Perennial Service Loaner

    When you make a service appointment, the last question is if you would like a loaner bike while your bike is in the shop for service. The fee is $25, which covers the time from you dropping off your bike to the day after we contact you to say that your bike is ready for pickup.
    The bikes in our Service Loaner program are Tern Short Hauls. These are very versatile mid-tail cargo bikes that we think you'll like a lot.

    The bike will come with:
    - dynamo lights (front & rear)
    - rear rack w/bungee chord
    - one large pannier
    - frame lock w/extension chain
    - fenders
    - kickstand

    The Short Haul is a very capable utility bike. The rear rack can accept either a Yepp Maxi Easy Fit child seat or a Yepp Nexxt Maxi child seat. The single pannier is a 37 liter Cargo Hold 37.

    If you are not able to return the bike the day of, or the day after we let you know your bike is ready, you will be charged $25/day until returned.
    Lost key fee is $10.

    Treat this bike like it is your own:
    YOU are responsible for this bike while it is in your possession. The bike has some anti-theft features like a seat leash, frame lock (to secure the front wheel) and a chain that integrates to the frame lock, but these items do not guarantee that the bike (or parts) will not be stolen. We do not have insurance that will cover theft from you, so understand that you will be responsible to pay for this bike if it's stolen or vandalized.
    If you get a flat tire, you will need to pay for the tube (& possibly the tire), though we will cover the labor...
    Dirty bikes will be assessed a $25 minimum cleaning fee.



  2. NEW: Souma Handlebar Bags for Brompton

    Anyone who has stopped into our shop on Hennepin Avenue (or browsed our website, for that matter) knows for a fact that we absolutely love bicycle bags. We have bags to fit just about any bike, and our selection of Brompton-specific bags is especially formidable. So we were thrilled to find out that Souma, a tiny company operating out of the Czech Republic, is making a handlebar bag that's unlike any the ones we were already stocking. We knew we had to get them in the store!

    There are many handlebar bags that could be used on a Brompton, but nearly all of them fit weirdly, or get in the way somehow, or simply flop awkwardly onto the concrete when you're folding the bike. These Souma bags, on the other hand, perfectly fill the unused space in the middle of your M- or H-type Brompton handlebars. They're easy to mount up with four leather straps and four heavy duty snaps. They don't flop around or interfere with the fold, and they keep your essentials within easy reach. A snap closure keeps your stuff inside when the bike is folded and the bag is upside down. It's a design that we've never seen before, and as soon as we saw it we wondered why the heck nobody had thought of it until now.

    Handmade in Brno, Czech Republic from full-grain leather, Souma bags are available in two versions to fit either your pre-2017 or current model M/H bar (for those who don't know, Brompton modified the shape of the M/H handlebar back in 2017 - see photos for clarification). The 2017 version is slightly smaller to fit the updated handlebar, and comes in three colors: Topaz (which matches Brooks "Honey" saddles), Brown, and Black. Folks with pre-2017 bikes can choose a brown or black bag.

    If you need color suggestions: Topaz looks especially nice with softer colors like grey and turkish green. Brown looks excellent on our nickel edition bikes. When in doubt, black looks good with everything (but we like it especially well with bright colors such as red or lime). Like any quality leather good, your Souma bag will acquire a unique and beautiful patina with time and use, so buy it, use it, and love it and know that you're only making it look cooler. Click here to check out Souma bags on our website.

  3. Thank You!

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    Wrapping up 2016 brings me to a thankful place. A year ago the shop was getting close to a name change that left a lot of unknowns and concerns about the upcoming season at Perennial Cycle. No matter how sure I was about the name change being the right thing to do, it's hard to whack nearly 25 years of branding off the shelf and not have some concerns about the transition.

    Well, the new sign went up last week and this nearly finalizes the transition away from Calhoun Cycle and onto our newer, better Perennial Cycle. All I can say is Thank You!! The transition has gone very well and the grumbling trolls moved on quickly while the supporters of the name change continue to show their support by joining our customer base. We all really appreciate the support. It's a fun place to work and thanks to our customers, we get to keep our jobs : )

    You have all shown me that hope is a reasonable feeling to have. I cannot thank you enough for that.

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  4. Calhoun Cycle is now Perennial Cycle

    PerennialBlogPost

    Calhoun Cycle is proud to announce that we are changing our name to Perennial Cycle.

    The name Calhoun Cycle was inherited decades ago when it originated as Calhoun Cycle Cellar, a modest bike rental shop with a cigar box for a cash register. Over the years the name Calhoun Cycle has served us well. To our cycling commuter customers we love so dearly, it has come to represent our goals for the bicycle as a pragmatic and sustainable means of alternative daily transportation. Given these goals, we have found the ethics of Calhoun Cycle at odds with the unethical history of the Calhoun name. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the history and heritage of Mr. John C. Calhoun, and feel an undeniable need to separate ourselves from that history.

    The name Calhoun represents a shameful past of institutional racism perceived as a “positive good”, and the misguided cultural colonialism of renaming a lake after an undeserving man. We cannot go back and change our past, but we can learn from it and from our mistakes, and attempt to right our wrongs.

    Therefore, we are consciously removing Calhoun from our company name and have chosen the new name Perennial Cycle to best represent our values. When something is perennial it is enduring, it is sustainable and it lives in an unending cycle. Perennial is the flora that surrounds us, which we depend on for our own sustainable existence. And like the tulips, crocus, and basque flowers pushing their way up through the snow, nothing gives us more pleasure in the Minnesota springtime than to also see our robust perennial cycling community bloom to life once again.

    We thank you all for your support over the years we’ve spent together, and for supporting us in our strategic decision to bury Calhoun.

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