22010 Westheimer Pkwy, Katy, TX T: 281 944 9164
Check out Cool Cat Cycles Facebook Page for Bikepacking trips planned for Sping 2023. Contact us here Contact Form or on our Social (FB, IG) for details and questions. Photo @Patrick Farsnworth.
We are very excited about bringing our Complete Beginner Road Ride Series! Our first ride is December 3, at 12:00 at our new location in 22010 Westheimer Pkwy. This ride is perfect for all who 1) just got into a road cycling and need guidance on where and how to ride, and how to get faster; 2) folks recovering from injuries who want easy miles; 3) folks new to the area who want to learn about local bike infrastructure suitable for road cycling training; 4) folks who just got gravel bikes and want to try them out on road. We will start assembling at the shop around 11:30 and leave at 12 to be back around 1pm. We will go on a mixture of quite roads and protected bike trails. We will aim to do this ride twice a month till it gets too hot (April - May). We hope that those of you who are planning to do MS150 will be able to join us on our faster morning ride in February to start training for MS150.
We are looking forward to riding with you!
For all the parents of kids in school bands. If your child has been biking to school, and now they are in a band and need to carry an instrument, there is no need to switch their mode of transportation. They can continue biking to school, but their bike will need to have a rack. If the instrument is large and heavy, you might have to consider getting a trailer. As you can see in the video, Myles is pulling his trombone in a trailer.
With our focus on gravel grinding and bike adventure, our 2021 calendar is full of fun rides and trips in the Houston/Hill Country area. We host regular gravel rides in Cinco Ranch on the levee, gravel training out in the country, and monthly bikepacking ventures to local state parks (Steven F Austin, Brazos Bend, Lake Sommerville, Sam Houston N
The Unofficial Bikepacking Club is pleasant to announce that its first expedition to Steven F Austin has been extremely successful, with a good amount of challenges, but also laughs, sharing, and overall memorable and fun experiences. Most of us rolled out from the shop, with a couple of experienced riders joining us at the campsite later, and a shop SAG arriving at night with extra supplies of food, drinks, and fellow campers :-). The pace of the ride was mostly relaxed, with a bit more struggle on the next day when the cold front arrived accompanied by strongest headwinds. The route to Steven F Austin is paved, allowing for any type of bike. There is a small section of less than a mile of an unpaved terrain, but there is no real need for a big tire on this route. While at the park, we first assembled our shelters and some of us cooked our first camp meals (of which there were plenty). Then some of us decided to ride some more (there is a fanstastic gravel 15-20 miler around the park, and many short offroad trails through the park; there is also an opportunity to ride to Belleville for lunch), while others chilled in hammocks. At night we rode to watch the sunset by the Brazos River and built a campfire where we enjoyed the stories and laughts.
Weather was very pleasant both during the rides and overnight, with some rain early morning and cooler temperatures after the night at the camp, which was expected and didn't catch anyone offguard. During the rides we made several snack stops and discovered a fantastic taqueria in Old Katy which now on will be a regular stop. Check out the photos of our trip below and contact us if you'd like to participate in a ride like that in the future.
This fall and winter we are planning to start our first annual Bikepacking Series which will include seminars and rides to various campgrounds in Houston Area.
We will start our Bikepacking Series with a Bikepacking Clinic. Join us to learn about all essentials needed for your first successful bikepacking trip.
Location: Cool Cat Cycles shop Date & Time: September 26 @5pm We will demonstrate a bike set up, discuss gear options, routes, safety, etc If you bring your bike, you will be able to test the bag fit and bike handling under load. Attending the Clinic is Must for those who are planning to go on their first Bikepacking trip with Cool Cat Cycles! For those attending the Clinic, we offer 10% OFF bikepacking gear to help you start!
So you have been considering to have your own very first bikepacking experience for a while now, but you need that little nudge? Let me be someone who will help you just do it! Here are some tips and sample routes.
Fitness. You don’t have to ride fast when you set on a bikepacking adventure. Actually, it is perfectly okay to go slow and stop at local shops for souvenirs or local cafes for lunch breaks. However, with your bike being loaded with pounds of gear (tent, cooking utensils, clothing, etc - see below), it does take some power to push it over a distance, specially if there are some hills involved or if you are going into the wind. To put it this way, if your trip to your camping location is 30 miles, you should be able to do the same distance easily on your bike unloaded. If your destination is 70 miles away, and you haven’t ridden 70 miles unloaded yet, you probably want to try it before attempting to ride it with all your extra pounds on.
Bike. Light touring and overnighters can be done on any bike. Most modern bikepacking gear does not require any special type of bike: the bags attach with Velcro straps and usually go on your handlebars, under the saddle, on top tube or inside the main frame triangle. However, if you are going for multi-day trips and carry more gear, you might consider using a bike that is made to carry heavy loads: steel or titanium frame, preferably, longer wheel base for stability, and preferably not aggressively set up with plenty of space upfront for all your handlebar load and for better handling under load. I prefer to use my gravel bike for my bikepacking trips: I like the width of the tires, which will hold over almost any terrain; the geometry of the bike keeps it steady under the load; all my gear fits well with nothing rubbing against the tires or the frame, and it’s light enough for going uphill with all added weight.
Gear. High quality bikepacking gear is quite amazing: it’s made of super light yet strong materials that hold great in any weather, are usually waterproof or water-resistant, and will fit on pretty much any type of bike.
Gear for bikepacking can be classified into 2 categories: what you carry and how you carry it.
How to carry stuff.
Here is what I use:
Large handlebar roll bag. Here I typically put all my food, cooking utensils, and miscellaneous items like a tent fan and lamp, towel, toiletries, tool kit, etc.
Handlebar bag pocket. It’s an attachment to the handlebar roll bag, where I carry things I might need during the ride like sunscreen, sunglasses, wallet, park passes, etc
Large cargo saddle bag. I typically put my shelter and clothing here. Small top tube bag where I keep my phone and external battery with charger cables in case I run out of lights or phone battery. I can connect my charger to my front light or to my phone and get it charged while I’m riding without removing anything.
There are other ways to carry your gear, like large frame bags that go inside your main triangle, panniers that go on front and rear racks, etc. For me personally, my list above is sufficient for hot weather packing. For winter, I am considering to use a rear rack with panniers to be able to carry more gear (sleeping bag and warm clothes for sleeping in colder temps).
What to carry.
Here is what I typically take:
Shelter: tent, footprint, hammock, tarp, inflatable pad, inflatable pillows, liner for summer, sleeping bag for winter.
Cooking: camp stove and pan, coffee maker, foldable spork.
Clothing: bare minimum that would last just enough days.
Miscellaneous: tent fan, tent lamp, headlamp, bluetooth speaker, folding camp stool, chargers, first aid kit, tent repair fabric.
The routes. Here are links to quite simple routes that will take you to Steven F Austin and to Brazos Bend State Parks. Both parks have off-road trails which are fun to explore once you are there, both of parks are within 30-40 miles from Houston, and both have good restrooms/showers.
To Steven F Austin: Click for Route to Steven F Austin
To Brazos Bend: Click for Route to Brazos Bend
The best recommendation on gear selection process is to visit us at the shop with your bike and try things on. It is important to check if the sizes and the way the bags clip on fit your bike frame in a way that makes it secure without rubbing. You might have to try different set ups before you get just the right one. We carry all the gear I use, and we have it available at the shop to check, test, and purchase.
Stay tuned for the next trip and watch out for announcement for the bikepacking events that will come with cooler months!
Do you remember the time when you were a kid and spent your summer days running outside chasing dragonflies, hiding treasures, playing ball, only to be back when the dinner was ready? The time when you could not care less about dirt on your t-shirt and a hole in your shorts that appeared when you fell and scraped your knee? The time when each summer day lasted forever?
I do remember that time, and in my desire to bring it back, I listen to my inner child who this time called out for a Bikepacking Trip which essentially is the most minimalistic, affordable way to be outside, travel, and see places.
To make things simple, I chose Brazos Bend State Park as my destination. Located only 40 miles from the shop, the Park is easy to get to by bike, has great amenities like warm showers and cabins, an observatory, and beautiful nature and wildlife. While going in summer heat might sound counterintuitive, the advantage of higher temperatures is how light one needs to pack. For my shelter, I chose Nemo single person tent, an inflatable therma-rest sleeping pad, and a thin silky liner. All shelter items, including footprint and an inflatable pillow, easily fitted into a cargo saddle bag by Revelate Designs. Going in summer also means light clothing, as the temperatures never go lower than 70F. All of my clothing and personal items like battery operated camp fan, toiletries, and flipflops fitted in the same cargo saddle bag. Once I figured out how to pack my shelter, I made sure to have enough space to carry my cooking utensils and food, all of which fitted in a cargo handlebar bag by Timbuk2. Camp cooking is quite easy if you have the right gear. I love my MSR fuel canister and a PocketRocket© stove: the fire is strong enough to boil a cup of water in few minutes, and everything packs into a small pouch. Ability to boil water is probably the most important aspect in camp cooking. Plenty of companies make dry packaged camp food which can be cooked over the fire or just by adding boiled water. And camp stove means fresh coffee in the morning!
.jpg)
One key component of successful bikepacking trip is being self-sufficient: one needs to have some basic bike maintenance skills. Bike tool kit is essential. In addition to extra tubes, levers, and wrench set, I carried my tubeless repair tools which became useful when I experienced a puncture in my front tire. Riding tubeless, I was able to fix a flat under a pouring rain quite quickly, plugging it with “bacon”, without having to remove the wheel. So, what about the riding part? Well, that’s is the reason why bikepacking is so attractive – true adventure begins from the moment one leaves their house and hops on a bike. My bike and gear weighted 44 lbs in total. To be able to carry all the gear, I chose my All City Cycles gravel bike Cosmic Stallion. The bike is very stable and comfortable for long rides. It has enough clearance for cargo bags, and it is light enough. With Sram Rival 2 x 11, it has plenty of gears for any terrain and elevation. The route from the shop to Brazos Bend is very flat, but having all the gears does help when pedaling into the wind. While the purpose of bikepacking is not racing to a finish line, some fitness level is required to be able to go over a longer distance pushing a lot of weight in all conditions.
.jpg)
Riding my bike loaded with tent and pots, with flipflops and a mug attached to my saddle bag, passing corn fields and rural homes, arriving into sunset, setting up a tent and sitting down for a delicious dinner: it was such a wonderful way to get away and reconnect with myself and nature around me, enjoying the longest day in 2020. I saw all types of weather, including epic storms and scorching heat; I traversed 80 miles in two days, I saw rain drops on lily pads, and my need for adventure got satisfied. Only for now.
As we witnessed the world shut down in Feb 2020 due to pandemic, there have been few things that could bring us all joy. With restaurants being closed, movie theaters shut, concerts and games cancelled or postponed, work and school moved home, not many options remained to keep us healthy physically and mentally. One of the best options - which all of us bike people already knew about - of course, is biking, both for commute and for recreation; for staying fit and to entertain kids who are stuck at home. We as a business are considered Essential and we stayed open all these months supporting our loyal customers with service, gear, and positive attitudes. We would love to say huge Thank You to everyone who has been patient with us, as repairs now take a bit longer, and not all bikes/equipment is available. We have hired more staff to help us with sales and repairs and we CAN NOT wait to do our groups rides again with y'all! For those looking for new bikes, we get shipments all the time. Call us for more info on ETA and bike models being shipped in summer. Hope you have used the opportunity to discover your local trails, contact us to learn about new paths and infrastructure - the construction projects are progressing all over Cinco Ranch area! Also please remember that we regularly update our Facebook and Instagram Watch our stories and send us your likes :)
It's been 2 years since we opened our doors on Dec 16 in 2017, and we can't wait celebrating with you, our neighbors, friends, customers, fellow bike riders! We'll have two rides - a road ride with our brand partner Bianchi at 7:30am and a Social Ride with all of those who ride recreational bikes, including kids! On Sunday, we'll have our regular Bike Maintenance Clinic at 1:00pm. We are simply stoked to bring the bike passion daily to our community, we are so grateful to everyone who visited our shop in the past 2 years, please find a minute and stop by to say Hi, we'd love to have you over!
To show you all the beautiful and practical gear we carry at the shop, we opened The Online Cool Cat Shop where you can browse and order some of the best accessories we carry in such categories as team apparel, bike bags, lights, locks, bottle cages, helmets, racks, fenders, and other cool things. Here is the link: ONLINE SHOP Use our Online Shop as a tool to learn about the gear we personally tested and recommend. We only display selected products . Visit us in real life to see all the other brands and styles of gear.Default option is Click-And-Collect (Pick up at the shop), but we can also ship if you contact us with your shipment request! The Online Shop is updated daily, check in to see more nice stuff!
If you live in Cinco Ranch area, you have a wonderful opportunity to get away from urban living and explore 20 miles of paved bike paths running trough George Bush Park and Terry Hershey (see map here Maps) . The trails are only accessible by bike or by foot, and while 5-10 mile walk or ride might seem intimidating, it's easy and fun on an e-bike! We at Cool Cat Cycles carry some of the best casual-style Civia E-Bikes available in the market! Give us a call to schedule a demo and discover our beautiful nature on an e-bike!
Join us for a Female-only Bike Ride through Cinco Ranch to celebrate freedom of transportation that bikes give to women all over the world! Celebrate gender-equality by riding strong like a girl! We will meet at Cool Cat Cycles at 10am on Saturday May 11th and ride on protected bike paths through Cinco Ranch area of Katy. Learn more about Cyclofemme International Female Ride at Cyclofemme
Epic adventure is how you can describe Dirty Kanza 200 training and ride, and Team Cool Cat Black is elated to win the lottery this year. What is DK200? To put simply, it's the biggest gravel race of the year. A self-supported ride across Flint Hills of Emproia, Kansas - 200 miles in one day, on gravel and possibly mud, through small river streams, up the hills, along the prairy. In the months coming to DK200 we will be introducing the team and will be covering their gear, training schedule, nutrition, and other aspects of prep. Meanwhile, wish them tail wind on this journey!
ANNOUNCEMENT: WE ARE SUPER EXCITED TO BRING A NEW BRAND INTO OUR SHOP - JAMIS BIKES! We have chosen to carry Jamis Bikes for their awesome range of kids and youth bikes, city commuter bikes, and a very well known and respected Renegade - a gravel/all-road bike. We are expecting first shipment from Jamis to arrive at the shop on Tuesday, Sept 25th. Feel free to come in to watch us assemble new bikes and try them out! Click Jamis Bikes to see the whole Jamis bikes range and prices.
If you live in Cinco Ranch and have a simple commuter bike, do consider using it to get to the two awesome events happening today and on weekend: Cinco Ranch Food Truck (see poster below) and La Centerra Fresh Market - click Farmer's Market
for details! Fun places to bike to in a casual way, a little work out for you, less CO2 for everyone else :-) 
If you have not heard it yet, let me tell you - Gravel is The Thing these days, and we have a fantastic gravel trail on the levee just half a mile from the shop. Come ride with us after work on Wednesdays, at 6:30pm. See how we roll!
As many of our customers and friends know, we have been paying close attention to trails development in Cinco Ranch. We attend the meetings with local authorities and encourage them to invest in bike and pedestrian friendly infrastructure for this simple reason: based on current trends and on urban design research, bike trails and paths improve life quality for all residents of the community, not only cyclists. And reversely, all types of cyclists, including dedicated roadies, benefit from large numbers of people on bikes, whether on trails or on roads. The examples include our own Downtown Houston with the Heights-UH Downtown -Allen Pkwy trails.
The genuinely bike friendly communities do not get build by vehicular cyclists - those riding in traffic - simply because general population does not identify with a small percentage of few brave souls, fast and strong enough to ride next to cars. Even in very bike-friendly countries like Netherlands and Belgium, this type of cycling is exclusive and not common among general public. What general public does identify with is regular folks, in regular clothes, on simple bikes, with kids, pets, baskets, riding for pleasure or errands in the proximity to their homes. And regular folks always prefer to be separated from traffic as much as possible, to avoid any risk associated with riding next to cars. Also, research shows that with more people riding bikes, drivers do pay more attention to cyclists whether they are on paths or on streets, and eventually, the increased ridership makes roads safer for everyone, including drivers.
As a shop, we stand behind all riders because while being vehicular cyclists, we also enjoy a casual ride to a local cafe with our kids, or a work commute on a trail, on bikes equipped with panniers, or a slow and easy bar ride. We were opening the shop with the Big Dream of increasing the number of people biking in Cinco Ranch on current trails, and we are very excited to see the interest in Cinco Ranch management organizations such as Willow Fork Drainage District, MUDs, and HOAs in building new trails and improving the connectivity of existing ones.
Here are the new improvements we have observed recently:
If you want to help us with trail and bike safety advocacy, contact us at katya@coolcatcycles.com We attend meetings at various management organizations, write petitions, and actually ride the trails to identify the problematic spots that require improvement.
If you have been shopping at local shopping centers like La Centerra or Villagio, part of your resale tax, as well as your property tax, if you are a resident of Cinco Ranch goes back directly to local roads and trails, so your voice can and will be heard!"
The new White Oak, Heights, and Buffalo Bayou Trails are great examples of bike infrastructure that is safe and fun for all, and has great connectivity. It can be a great way to discover Downtown and The Heights!
We'd like to remind you that our Bike Maintenance Clinic takes place every 3d Sunday of the month, unless otherwise posted.
Join us for the first in Katy CycloFemme Ride - a social female only ride celebrating gender equality, freedom of transportation, and women power all over the world. Ride takes place on second weekend of May around the globe, from Angola and India to Canada and France. We will be starting at the shop at 10:00 on Saturday, 12, and proceeding on trails of Cinco Ranch. Any bike and any gear will work fine! This is a great opportunity to introduce your female friend to social cycling. Looking forward to riding with girls and ladies on Cinco Ranch, Katy, and all the cities and communities around! See more at CycloFemme and Facebook Event Page
If you are looking for an opportunity to ride after a busy day at the office, why not come to our gravel ride on Tuesday nights! We start at the shop at 6:30pm (call us if you are running a bit late) and proceed to the levee on Peek. The ride takes you along the levee, away from traffic. We suggest taking an all road/ cyclocross/ gravel bike, but MTB will work, too, and make sure to bring your lights. Find below a video that captures the spirit of the ride very well! :)
Saturday @ 7:00am Bike Attack 20+ mph, 50 miles. Saturday @ 10:00am Beginner Road Ride, non-drop, 24 miles. Saturday @12:30 Family Bike Ride to Art Fest at Cinco Ranch Public Library. Saturday @ 4:00pm Book Signing! Come hang out with us, talk about books, bikes, Costa Rica, adnventures, and other wonderful things. Sunday @ 7:00am Hangover Road Ride, non-drop, 16-18 mph, 50 miles. Sunday @ 4:00pm Dad's Ride - kids and dads on bikes.
While we are writting up a report about Bike Summit and what we learned, check out the video of our awesome ride to the Brewery through Downtown Houston. We rode from Memorial Picnic Lane Loop parking exclusively on trails before we reached the neighborhood adjustent to the brewery where we rode on bike friendly small streets. You check those awesome trails out if you haven't yet!
Being bike commuters we are looking forward to National Bike To Work month, and have many projects coming up. One of them is invitation to everyone in Cinco Ranch vicinity to use their bikes to commute to school and work. We will come to your office for a Bike Commuting Clinic and Presentation, will do a Bike Safety Class, or will even ride with you and your co-workers to your workplace!
If you feel like you need extra milage, why not ride Gran Fondo on Sunday. Rabiab will be riding a century (100 miles) You can register here Gran Fondo Registration We have space in our Cool Cat Car for you and your bike, just let us know at katya@coolcatcycles.com Please note there will no usual Sunday ride this coming weekend
We are super proud to be hosting a book signing for an author Marshall Cobb who will be flying from Costa Rica at the end of the month for his book signing. Check out his kids and adults books here AMAZON and come meet Marshall in person and hang out with us at the shop!
Learn how to shop on a bike - ride with us to La Centerra for a special promotion with Eddie Bauer - a designer of technical clothing that is perfect for casual biking. What you need - any bike, preferrably, city commuter bike, a bike lock, a basket/pannier/messenger bag/trailer to carry your purchases.
Happy Easter! We will be working on a half day schedule on Friday and Saturday, and will take Easter off. Our schedule for the end of the week will be as follows: Friday 10-4pm Saturday 10-2pm, Sunday off, Monday off (as usual) to be back on regular schedule on Tuesday. All the rides will take place as per our regular schedule.
A few weeks ago an editor from a local paper took pictures of our rides and interviewed us about traffic in Katy. Click Community Impact to see the whole article.
We have made several comments including 1) viability of using bikes as transport for short commute in Cinco Ranch area and beyond, provided there is bike infrastracture; 2) neccessity to build a protected trail to UofH at US99/I10 corner from both sough and north to allow for future students commute by bike; 3) environmental, public health, and economical advantages of bike commute. Unfortunately, our comments were not mentioned, and according to the statements from Commissioner Andy Meyers and Steve Radack, there are no plans for bike trails in future master plans. We think it's time to start active campaining for building more bike trails specially in new developments. Quote: “Unless somebody donates some land to me I’m probably not going to build any hike and bike trails,” Meyers said. End Quote.
We realize that we are very fortunate to have all the trails we have, but all the new developments in Katy must have the infrastructure that connects the communities, businesse, parks, and other recreational areas where the traffic tend to get heavy.
We will set up a date in the shop, will get envelopes, stamps, and sample letters and will invite everyone to come and participate in signing them. Lets tell the commissioners and everyone involved in decision making that we appreciate and use the trails regularly, lets show up in a big number so they realize how many people use the current trails regularly for commute, fitness, and recreation. Cinco Ranch can be a model of successful master plan where the trails and businesses connect allowing a portion of residents leave cars at home and use bicycles for commute which has a positive impact on congestion, pollution, parking, road usage, and other components of traffic. We see our mission as a bike shop for all to inspire everyone to bike commute locally, and we rely on our customer support in doing so. We encourage everyone who is our shop friend to consider bike commute for small errands in the neighborhood, otherwise we are risking to be an exeption rather than the norm. Also, please remember that safety is in our numbers. The more bikers there are, the safer the roads are for all including drivers.
ATTENTION ALL INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED BEGINNER RIDERS , The ride time for Sunday Ride has moved to 7:00am! Come to the shop by 6:55am to air tires, get water, use restrooms etc before the ride. DISTANCE: 30 miles PACE: 16-17 mph (non drop)
We are working on putting up a great easy route for Pub Hopping Ride, and should roll it out in the next few weeks, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, after visiting Cinco Ranch Food Truck Friday twice we have decided to make this ride our official Monthly Social Ride! The route from the shop goes through the trails along the bayou and neighborhoods, away from traffic, and only 6 miles each way, making it a perfect distance. The food at the event is awesome, ranging from Craft Burgers and Greek Gyroes to shaved ice and milkshakes. Also all sorts of beer and wine! So stay tuned and save the date for the 3d Friday of April!
A Friday Special - afternoon ride to Food Truck (and Movies!) at Cinco Ranch Newland Communities! We will meet at the shop at 5:00pm and ride along the Bayous to Cinco Ranch West to celebrate Katya's Birthday and to support local Food Truck event. See Detailes Below. Also, all weekend rides proceed per usual schedule. Saturday 7:30am - Fast Experienced Road Cyclists ride, 30-40 miles, 18mph Saturday 10:00am Beginners Road Ride, 20 miles, 14mph-16mph Saturday 12:30pm Family Ride - ride for anyone on any bike, kids in trailers and on bikes without training wheels are welcome! 4-8 miles, relaxed pace Sunday 8:00am Intermediate Road Cyclists ride, 30-40 miles, 16-17mph Sunday 3pm Dad's Ride - dads and kiddos on bikes and in trailers, 10-20 miles depending on the route, medium relaxed pace (kids friendly)
This Saturday we will deviate from our usual weekend ride schedule, and will host our family ride at 9:00am to attend a Bird Migration event at Willow Fork Park. The Audobon Society will actually bring some live birds! Event is kids friendly, and it's in a gazeeboo with a roof, so we'll head there even if it drizzles. Bring your rain gear if the rain is in the forecast. The park is only 2 miles from the shop, so the ride there and back will be very short. If you are interested in a beginner ride later (11-ish) I will be ready to ride. Just let us know by calling the shop.
FREE BIKE CLINIC COMING UP!!! SEE FLYER BELOW FOR DETAILS. Also, join us for our weekly rides! Saturday 7:30am - Fast Experienced Road Cyclists ride, 30-40 miles, 18mph Saturday 10:00am Beginners Road Ride, 20 miles, 14mph-16mph Saturday 12:30pm Family Ride - ride for anyone on any bike, kids in trailers and on bikes without training wheels are welcome! 4-8 miles, relaxed pace Sunday 8:00am Fast Experienced Cyclists ride, 30-40 miles, 18mph Sunday 3pm Dad's Ride - dads and kiddos on bikes and in trailers, 10-20 miles depending on the route, medium relaxed pace (kids friendly) Looking Forward To Riding With You!
This is what your route would be on trails to Cinco West from the shop. All protected, separated trails, only short segment is unpaved. Sooo much fun, specially, if your destination is Local Food Truck party :)
We would like to let our customers know about Kate's Ride, and we will pay for the first three riders participation. Kate's Ride is an organized MS150 training ride and benefits individuals living with spinal cord injuries, their families, and organizations that help them. This cause is very close to our hearts as we know people who sustained such injuries; also one of us at Cool Cat Cycles had a severe back injury and just by sheer luck was saved from damaging their spinal cord. The date is Sunday, Feb 25 2018, Start is 8am, the distances are 22 miles, 33 miles, 45 miles, and 60 miles. The ride will start at Sealy. For more information call us at the shop or come take the flyer. To be sponsored by Cool Cat Cycles, RSVP to katya@coolcatcycles.com First three riders entrance fees will be paid by us.
So you have a bike, you love to ride regularly, but something on your bike doesn't seem to work right - may be, it gets harder to bring bike to stop, or your bike sounds strange when rolling, or your saddle seems to be misalligned. May be you just bought your first nice bike and you'd like to know how to take care of it. If you feel like this describes you, then you are welcome to our first Free Bike Maintanance Clinic for all. We will teach you basics of bike mechanics and give you the skills required for diagnosing main issues with your bike and doing basic repairs (including changing flats) at home. See the flyer for details.
We will repeat the routes from last week when the rides were cancelled due to incremental weather. Join us for upcoming weekend rides (see posters below) - an MS150 Training Ride and Family Ride For All. For a fast intermediate-advanced road ride contact us at katya@coolcatcycles.com for details.
In the past 5 years Cinco Ranch subdivisions have seen a lot of effort from local citizens and district management to improve the infrastructure by adding new trails and building connections to existing paths. Considering the proximity of many businesses to neighborhoods along major arteries like Mason Rd, Fry Rd, Wesheimer Pkwy, Peek Rd, and Cinco Ranch Blvd, bike commuting makes perfect sense - by choosing a bike vs car for commute in Cinco, we do not add to pollution, do not add to existing traffic or to already overflown parking. We simply run our errands while exercising at the same time, we improve community connections by seeing our neighbors faces and not windows of vehicles, and we even increase revenue for small businesses who operate along our routes. A major development to assist us in our daily commute and make it even safer and more enjoyable for all would be an addition of several paved bike-and-hike trails. We are very excited to learn that there is a huge interest in building a bike trail along US 99 connecting Cinco Ranch Blvd and Westheimer Pwky. Another project extends a Peek bayou trail southeast in the direction of Katy Mills. A very exciting opportunity is in connecting Cinco Ranch Highschool trail to a newly build Katy Boardwalk park, which is expected to be finished as soon as March of this year! All of the projects mentioned above are either approved and financed, or will be approved very soon. As a bike shop focusing on commuting and encouraging all people to ride bikes, we will be closely following these and other projects and advocate for increased mobility on two feet or two wheels rather than four! Look out for a notice of an organized shop ride along some of these new projects, we'd love you to see them with your own eyes and join us in spreading the word!
Several friends of the shop have expressed their availability to ride on week days, so we will be starting weekday morning training beginner rides as soon as it warms up. We will leave the shop between 8:00-10:00 for an hour ride to GBP and back. Send us a message at katya@coolcatcycles.com to let us know what works best. Looking forward to riding with you all!
We are happy to announce we will be hosting MS150 Training Rides for absolute beginners or those who have been out of commission for some time and would like to get back in shape for longer and faster road rides. To make rides very safe for everyone, we will be riding of long flat paved stretches of George Bush Park for initial conditioning. We are happy to organize rides on any days of the week, most definitely on weekends, and would love adding a weekday ride for those with flexible schedules. Before we make a decision on time of the rides, please send us a message at katya@coolcatcycles.com to let us know the most convenient times for you, and we'll choose something that works well for everyone.
We can proudly say that we have never driven a car to our public library, and have only been using our bikes to get there and back! Today we didn't have to carry many heavy books so our backpacks and bags were sufficient. On days when we have many books to carry, we might take a trailer or a bike with a rear rack and and rack bags. Next time you go to a public library in Cinco Ranch, consider riding your bike there instead, there are many trails that lead there, and the Library has a bike rack.
This weekend we will host two rides - a family library ride with kids (all ages, 3 miles total) and a longer ride (16-18 miles) to Scate Park in George Bush Park (older children, adults). Join the ride that fits you best or do both :) !
Check out this video of our New Year Family Ride! It has been our pleasure to meet you all and to share our passion for cycling and our love for this community! Happy and Safe Riding, and looking forward to riding with you in 2018!
This coming Saturday, Dec 16, we will celebrate our Grand Opening with a Ride to George Bush Park for a Bike Houston Road Safety Awareness Event! Click Bike Houston Event for more! We will leave the Shop at 8:45am, ride to George Bush Park and participate in testing the visibility of cyclists from the point of view of truck drivers! Cemex is providing two trucks for this experiment, and the first 150 participants will get a LED light and water bottles as gifts! Looking forward to seeing you all at the shop and at the ride!
How do you usually get to your public library? We at Cool Cat Cycles do it on bikes! Come this Saturday, Dec 9 at 12pm to our shop, we will show you how to safely and easily get to Cinco Ranch Library on a bike. You will excercise while getting your intellectual needs met - how awesome! We'll get there on trails, check out fun books, let the kids rest, and ride back to the shop to have hot chocolate.
Sunday Streets Campaign started in Houston 4 years ago, and since then every month on Sunday one of the neighborhoods closes down its major street for vehicular traffic and invites all other types of wheels - bikes, roller blades, skateboards, and walkers to walk the road. On Dec 3, Sunday Streets came to Eldridge Pkwy, and Cool Cat Cycles just had to visit! We were represented by the youngest member of our team who enjoyed riding on temporary bike lane and meeting Santa!
Being the only official Bianchi dealer in Katy, West Houston, and beyond, we are super proud to have this beautiful original Bianchi folding bike from 1960s! The bike was found, purchased, and restored by our Bike Technician Mike who has a passion for custom builds and bike estoration. Come to our shop to check this Bianchi out and see the rest of Bianchi bikes on our floor.
Things are moving fast - we have our Service Station equipped and stocked up! In a few days we'll have our last shipment with spares and tools, and by weekend we will be ready to service most of the bikes brought to the shop. Our full-time Service Technician Mike will be able to do a same day service on most small and basic repairs. We are not officially open yet, but if you are nearby with a bike that needs service - stop by, we might be able to take care of you!
Our sign has been installed!
So now, when you are riding, running, walking, or, in the worst case scenario, driving :-) along Peek Rd near Westheimer intersection, you will see a white cat riding a bike on the rooftop of Villagio Town Center. Even though we are not open yet, make sure to stop by and say hi, we are in the shop every day getting things ready to bring some awesome bikes, gear, and attitude to Cinco Ranch!
We are looking forward to seeing you at our Soft Opening! Come back to check date and time!
The work on our interior is almost completed, and while we are focusing on finishing touches, we are also busy stocking the shop with our best commuter and sportif gear. We have started stocking the Service Station, so our Technician is fully equipped to service any bike brought to the shop. The Opening Date is near, stay tuned for more updates!
