Back to school sale and swap meet Aug. 25-28

Stop by the shop between August 25 and 28 to check out our back to school sale! All cycling, outdoor, and fitness accessories will be marked down all weekend. We'll have closeout models from Trek, Felt, Salsa, and more. Receive a gift card with the purchase of select current model year bikes.

Saturday Aug. 27 we'll have our annual Fall swap meet from 10am to 4pm! Bring in your old outdoor, cycling, and fitness gear with a price tag on it and we'll set it up outside. If your item sells you can take 100% store credit or cash with a 10% consignment fee.

Closeout Road Bikes

Pile on the miles this Summer. Whether you're hammering off the front on Tuesday night, going out for an early morning Big Tree Loop, or just enjoying the new Grindstone Creek Trail, Trek has the road bike for you. From now until July 18 Walt's and Trek will be offering huge savings on select road bikes. Here's just a few of the deals available:

Trek Emonda ALR 5 - $1679 $1379

Trek Emonda S4 - $1569 $1299

Trek Emonda SL5 - $2599 $1999

Trek Silque C - $2099 $1699

Trek Silque S - $2469 $1849

2016 Spring Collection

Walt’s Bike Shop is excited to bring you the 2016 Walt’s Spring Collection.  The Spring Collection features cycling clothing, casual apparel, and other miscellany carefully curated by a dedicated group of hardened bike racers, sleep-deprived adventure cyclists, and mysterious mechanics.  The Spring Collection is rooted in Midwestern cycling culture, but the collection’s themes of exploration, the great outdoors, and love of the bike are universal.

Check out the entire 2016 Walt's Spring Collection at store.waltsbikeshop.com

Introducing the Walt's Adventure Kit

The Mark Twain National Forest, a staple of adventure riding in Missouri.  Its swatches of green mottle maps of Missouri topography like spots on a cow.  In those spots, the savvy adventure cyclist finds tumbling miles of gravel roads connected by sketchy stretches of single track.  Burbling brooks and sheer bluffs cut throughout the national forest land, slicing through engineer's attempts to conquer these landscapes with asphalt.

The Adventure Kit.  Designed by your very own Walt's cycling and outdoor outfitters and manufactured to the most diligent of standards by Castelli Cycling Apparel.  The Adventure Jersey is slathered with a map of the Mark Twain National Forest, presented in a pleasing green and orange colorway.  The Adventure Bib Short is a subdued and classy black, with subtle branding, elegant construction, and the softest of chamois.

Show your Missouri pride and Mark Twain spirit.  Get lost in the national forest and turn to the Adventure Jersey for a map.  Realize that the section of forest you are in is NOT the same section depicted on the jersey.  Drink from a stream, trip on a rock and tumble down a rocky trail, and fall into a sweet, painful sleep at the back of a cave, where the light, soft material of this kit will do nothing to protect you from the slavering jaws of a pack of coyotes.

The Adventure Kit is available for pre-order at store.waltsbikeshop.com!

Trek Fest - March 1 through April 11

Now through April 11, take advantage of great deals on bikes and accessories. Stop by the shop soon before it's too late!

Roads to ride: County Rd. 397

In our "Roads to ride" series we share exactly that, some of our favorite roads in the region. Here's one of Cooper's, County Rd. 397. Words and photos by Cooper

I am pedaling steadily down the long, straight pavement of Old Highway 63.  I’m on my way out of Ashland, MO, on an unseasonably warm winter day, and feel eager to touch tires to the tamped down “gravel highways” that come with the winter season.  The highway service hasn’t yet coated the roads with fresh gravel and, without a dearth of snowfall this winter, country roads are smooth as a banana peel.  This is the “transport stage” of my ride—in which I hurry my pace to reach more desirable pathways—and a brief handful of miles later Christian School Road transitions from asphalt to a gentle downward gravel grade—the best part of the ride has begun.

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Passing Jemerson Creek, I curse the shorter daylight hours.  It would be a joy to extend the ride a bit and climb up to Cedar Tree Lane—which, headed west, boasts one of the most exhilarating descents south of Columbia and north of the Missouri River.  Entering Hartsburg, I soft pedal and enjoy the warmth of the bright winter sun.  The Katy Trail is soft like warm butter, but smooth, and is a joy despite its sogginess.  My anticipation continues to build as I turn off the trail to Soft Pit Hill, and at the top of its granny-gear justifying climb I enjoy a banana in the sun while a local dog barks from the edge of its property.

I am on some of my favorite roads, en route to my “favorite road”, and it’s a wonderful day to be on the bike, especially in early February.  Soft Pit rewards with a gentle stretch of blufftop pavement, and an ensuing descent that flattens on its way northward to Claysville.  In season, the Claysville Store caters an impressive plate of fried chicken, and I can’t wait to ride out as soon as it opens.  I’m not yet to my favorite road, but the ride is fantastic this close to the river.  Small homes with gardens and goats emit smoke from leaning chimneys, and a group of younger men gathered around a four wheeler wave with characteristic midwestern warmth.

Just past Claysville, I access the trail, and via a short, private stretch of dirt, I find myself nearing Highway 63.  The highway is easily crossed, and I’m at my favorite gravel road, County Road 397.

This past spring, after meeting some buddies for brunch at Dotty’s in Hartsburg, I broke a spoke on the elicit double track I took from the Katy Trail to County Road 397.  Even with the nagging mechanical my enjoyment of this choice gravel road was not diminished.  County Road 397 incorporates two large climbs, both of which reward the rider with long descents, descents with long lines of sight that allow the experienced gravel cyclist to rip down them without thinking about touching the brakes.

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Today, without a thought of “training” in my head, I climb in an easy gear and rest at the top of the first climb to hydrate and enjoy the view towards Jefferson City.  Mindful of the shorter daylight hours, I cap my bottle and spin along the hilltop, past a gaggle of white cows that slowly stare at my lyrca-clad visage.  Before long I’m blazing down the hill, pressing my back flat to gain speed and gleefully unweighting the bike over potholes and washboard sections.  I’m headed north, and as I bomb the hill I make a mental note to reverse this route come Spring.  Headed northward on 397, this descent becomes a set of stairsteps, with three short climbs interspersed with flat sections.

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A long, flat straight rewards my brakeless descent with a half mile of twenty mile-per-hour plus coasting, and the road curves gently between hewn rock and Cedar Creek.

Before I know it I’m climbing again, a long slow grade with a pack of dogs at the top.  On past rides, I’ve sped northward past these german shepherds in anticipation of the coming descent and wary of their potentially unfavorable canine nature.  Today, I’m in the gambling mood and come to a stop.  The dogs prove friendly, and their timid approach is rewarded with some head-scratches and kind words on my part.  A small terrier with a lame hind leg and one eye stands to the side and barks resolutely, stubbornly refusing to sniff my outstretched hand.  The daylight is failing, but it’s still warm, and I take a break to straddle my top tube and enjoy the dog’s company.

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At this point, County Road 397 is done.  It’s maybe a handful of miles long, but its topography makes it a local gem.  I’m glad to have made it my destination today.  The road is still bathed in sunlight, but I leave the dogs so I can make it back before the failing daylight brings uncomfortable temperatures.

The rest of the ride is immensely enjoyable.  County Road 397 runs into 389, which, headed northward, begins with a fun descent and, in the spring, meanders through beautiful green fields traced with thin cow trails and wide creek-bottoms.  I will follow 389, which turns into Burnett School Road, all the way to Route Y, which will lead me back to the car at Ashland.  This stretch of gravel is beautiful, and worth its own post, but this section of my ride is spent with an eye on the clock, and it passes quickly.  Burnett School is a road Cedar Cross riders will know from its somewhat-sketchy wooden bridge and triplicate creek crossings.  Today, I focus on getting home to food.  I pedal over the bridge, through the winter-dry creek beds, and up a short hill to Route Y, which is a truck-harried blur into Ashland.

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On the drive back to Columbia I devour a tall order of french fries.  I spent the day anticipating Country Road 397, and loved the opportunity to ride it in late winter with comfortable temperatures, but primarily the experience has whet my appetite for the coming Spring.  The regional gravel scene has exploded, with a plethora of choice gravel rides and races scattered throughout the state.  I’ve already registered for several, and after my ride I plan to register for more.  I’m chomping at the bit for a beautiful Spring spent grinding Midwestern macadam roads.  Gravel season is just around the corner, and it’s gonna be a good’n.

We're Hiring!

We’re currently looking for full and part-time employees. Previous retail experience is preferred and interest in cycling and outdoor activities is a MUST. Please email sarah@waltsbikeshop.com or stop by with a resumé and we’ll be in contact!

BOCOMO Fondo - May 14, 2016

The 2016 edition of the BOCOMO Fondo will be May 14! More information soon. Better start getting ready, gravel season is right around the corner.

Customer Appreciation Night 2015

It's that time of year again! Join us on December 2 for food, drinks, and general debauchery. We'll have Logboat on tap, music by Zorya, and a few other surprises. Then join us afterwards at Günter Hans for the after party! RSVP here.

Jesse's photos from an endless Summer that is ending

Continuing our series of photos from an endless Summer that is ending...

Click below for more!