1. Fast Times at NYCeWheels High

Do you remember back when a great summer could be so epic that it would become almost frozen in time in your mind? Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall know what we're talking about. Timeless. Of course, these days summers fly by... work, responsibilities, kids, family... the summer months are usually just like every other month, except hotter and with higher electricity bills. But back in the days of your youth summers would stand out. Sometimes summers would go so right that they'd be indescribable. All you could muster after the fact would be a "Whoa. That was some summer."

This is exactly how we feel here at NYCeWheels. This past summer was truly epic. Sales were booming. In all categories. Electric bikes, folding bikes, and scooters. The shop was constantly busy. We of course have to thank all of you, the customers. There were those of you that came back and bought a second or third additional bike (it's hard to stop once you get started), and then there were all of you new customers. All of you made this summer so great that the usual summer rush has extended right up until now, the onset of the holiday rush. You've kept us busy, profitable, and constantly expanding. As NYCeWheels continues to grow to new levels, its always because of your support.

And, to reiterate... "Whoa that was some summer." Now, in the interest of keeping the spirit of early 80's John Hughes films alive:

2. Enter the Bike Friday Tikit and Strida 5.0

The NYCeWheels folding bike lineup has two new members: the Bike Friday Tikit and the Strida 5.0. Each entry brings its own set of unique attributes to the table, making them very worthwhile additions to the family. The Bike Friday Tikit is a sturdy ride, comes in three sizes to fit any rider, and boasts the title of being the fastest-folding folding bike on the market. It takes a couple of quick motions and a matter of a few seconds to fold and unfold a Tikit. It's genuinely fun to fold. The Bike Friday Tikit is also manufactured right here in the U.S.A. It's pretty rare these days to find bicycles that sport a 'Made in the U.S.A.' label. Bike Friday was founded based on a deep love for bicycles. They believe that the bicycle was man's greatest invention. If you get your hands on a Tikit, you'll see that they crafted their product with reverence to this idea.

The Strida 5.0 is a very unique affair. With great acceleration and handling, The Strida starts, stops, and turns on a dime. It folds quickly and easily, and when folded it can be rolled like a cart, making transport simple. It uses a durable kevlar belt instead of a chain, which means that there will be no grease and no need to lubricate it. The Strida is simple and fun, great for riding around the park and the neighborhood. You'll take it out on both errands and leisurely rides.

We threw a party here at NYCeWheels to launch both of these bikes. We invited some of our customers, and some of the folks from Bike Friday made it over to represent the Tikit. It was quite a party. Bert may or may not have been wearing a lamp shade as a hat.

Come in today to test ride both of these great bikes!

3. The new eZee TorQ II. They built it better. Stronger...

The eZee bikes have quickly become the standard of electric bikes. Never content to just sit back and rest on their laurels, eZee is always fine-tuning and honing their models to make them as great as they possibly can. The eZee Torq is the most recent in their line-up to see a redesign. In this case, the bike wasn't just slightly modified, it got a complete makeover. Now called the eZee Torq II, it has maintained all of the elements that made it great and seen improvements in all other categories. It's still the lightest electric bike in our shop, and it fits and rides great. The Torq II is different from it predecessor in that it now has a more powerful 350W motor, a front disc brake, and suspension in the fork to guarantee a smooth ride. The original Torq was a favorite. The Torq II is even more popular. Now that the original design is nearly perfected, nothing can stop it. They built it better, stronger. This is the bike that the Six Million Dollar Man would ride.

4. Everything points to Brompton

There's never been a better time to buy a Brompton folding bike here at NYCeWheels. No, seriously. The planets could align, you could win the lotto, it doesn't matter. Your Brompton purchasing conditions could not be more ideal. Get your palms read, check your horoscope. They'll all say the same thing. If you get some General Tso's chicken later your fortune cookie will most likely read "A Brompton folding bike purchase is compulsatory."

Given how quickly Bromptons have sold during the holiday seasons in the past, we did everything we could to get our hands on as many Bromptons as humanly possible. And, our friends, we succeeded. Oh, how we succeeded. We now have an enormous inventory to last us through the holidays, in a huge variety of models and colors. And, to make things even more perfect, there has never been a better time to custom order a Brompton either. In the past, it took almost four months to get in a custom built Brompton. At the time, Brompton's market had been widely expanding and they just couldn't meet the demand in a timely fashion. Now, due to more streamlined production and some preferential treatment, we're happy to announce that the waiting time on a custom Brompton has been greatly reduced: you can expect to get your custom built bike in 4 to 6 weeks.

5. The Indispensable Holiday Gift Guide

As you and your credit card statements are well aware, the holiday season is upon us once again. It's imperative that we get our most cherished loved ones that perfect gift, something that shouts both thoughtfulness and practicality, the one gift that will stand above the others and that won't be forgotten for months and years to come. That timeless purchase that will bring a tear to their eye simply upon them recalling when they first received it.

Such attempts at gift-giving perfection can only lead to inordinate amounts of stress and suffering for the buyer. That is, unless some nice fellows were to provide you with a handy holiday gift guide Not to be immodest, but we're those nice fellows.

a) The Xootr Mg. Xootr makes top of the line kick scooters. Nothing holds a candle to them. Their popularity only increases exponentially. People from all walks of life get these scooters. Business men, soccer moms, discerning young adults, Uma Thurman. The Xootr Mg has continued to be one of the top selling items here in the shop, and it's the most popular of the Xootr scooters that we carry, due to its ease of use and affordable price tag. You can get it as is, or as part of a great-value discounted Xootr MG kit that includes an additional fender brake, carrying strap, and carrying bag. ($50 savings)

b) Next on our list is the Brompton M3L and M3R. The Brompton M3L has always been our best-selling model. We've now custom ordered the M3L so that it comes with Schwalbe Marathon titire for NYC's roads. We've stocked the M3L in a variety of colors, including black, blue, red, green, orange, ivory, cornflower blue, and raw lacquer. We also have the M3R, which is identical to the M3L except for the fact that it includes a rear rack with built in 'easy wheels' (which allow the bike to smoothly roll like a cart when in folded form.) We have the M3R stocked in black, green, and red. We stock many other Bromptons as well, please call for details.

c) The last item on our buying guide is the new Strida 5.0. As we mentioned earlier in the newsletter, it's a great deal of fun to ride, fold, and cart around. It's easy to use and requires virtually no maintenance. At only 19 lbs, carrying it and carting it when folded is a breeze. Simply put, there will be no point in which there will be an interruption in the fun that you'll be having with the Strida. You're guaranteeing this state of unbroken enjoyment for whatever lucky person you put this under the Christmas tree for.