Bike Shop Baby

Aaron and I are proud to announce the birth of our first baby! Our son, Panzer Martin Ruda, was born October 28, 2010 at 4:55 a.m. -- a beautiful time of day for a bike ride, or to be awake in general, and pushing a human being out of your hoo-ha. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches long. He's long and skinny and definitely inherited his daddy's legs.


Sultana Cycles is back on its regular schedule, despite our new sleep-deprived state. Feel free to stop by and welcome Panzer to the world -- we are frequent visitors. Also, I am working hard to fatten him up so he's big enough that Aaron can wear him to work :) He'll be changing tubes before we know it. But for now, we will just enjoy.


P.S. Big thanks to Allison for providing the Pashley for P's first ride and big photo shoot!

More Boom Less Zoom

Admittedly, our personal favorite rides are those off the beaten path -- over the rocks and washes and through the weeds, bumping and booming along. The BOOM BOOM is just more our style. Lucky for us, there is a fantastic bicycling opportunity only a few blocks away -- in Dead Horse Ranch State Park. The park covers more than 400 acres and is home to a variety of trails, suitable for riders of all ages and abilities. Most notable is the Thumper loop -- a 7 1/2 mile up, down and all around mish-mash of varying terrain: rolling singletrack, uphill grinds and quick (scary?) downhills. Plus, the park boasts a six-mile stretch of the Verde River and three fishing lagoons -- perfect scenery for a little rest or picnic. Aaron promised me a picture on his last ride, but no luck for now, so you'll just have to go and check it out yourself!

(I do use the term "us" liberally, as I was kaboshed from my bicycle in month 6 of pregnancy because I apparently was too top-heavy and imbalanced to perch precariously on the top of my 29er :( BUT I will be back in the saddle, literally, as soon as I recover from baby Ruda's debut -- and just in time for the best riding weather of the year here in Cottonwood!)

The road riding is also very attractive in the Verde Valley, with dedicated bike lanes, more courteous neighbors, and the lure of nearby Jerome and Sedona on opposites ends of 89A, and we look forward to exploring the open road a little more. Obviously, Aaron's top-notch service extends to all types of bicycles, but we look forward to any comments and suggestions regarding how we can better serve the Verde Valley roadies! ZOOM ZOOM.

And for those of you who still get your BOOM BOOM on the pavement, stop by and check out our BMX parts and accessories and big-kid BMX/dirt-jumping bikes. At Sultana Cycles, we believe riding should always be fun, and you're never too "adult" for a spin around the dirt track or manuevering through a few urban obstacles.

Welcome to Main Street, Cottonwood

Our biggest apologies to all our loyal customers who have wandered through the Whiskey Row Alley in the past two weeks and been devastated by the apparent loss of Sultana Cycles -- please rest assured we are alive and well! Although it's long overdue for an update, the shop celebrated its first anniversary on July 4th of this year, and we are now looking forward to our first bike shop baby with official due date of October 21st. In an attempt to get all three of us -- Aaron, Kelley and baby Ruda -- in the same city, Sultana Cycles relocated to Main Street, Cottonwood.

The shop is now located at 470 South Main Street, Suite B, in beautiful Cottonwood, Arizona and had its official opening on October 1st. Thank you to everyone who came out and cracked open a New Belgium brew to christen the new shop!

Although we'll miss our neighbors and regulars in Prescott, we are excited about our new spot! We have a little bit more space, a little bit more sunshine, and a much better view -- but still the same goal of providing quality parts and service to our customers. Aaron has given up his prejudice against tire liners in light of the thorny Verde Valley terrain. I have given up my lunch hour to put in bike shop duties (which for me is mostly smiling and looking pretty, albeit a little bit bigger than before).

Give us a call at (928) 649-3822 or stop by to see our new digs... and our new collection of Kona bicycles (with more to come in the 2011 line!) ... and in a few weeks to welcome baby Ruda!