...and now, introducing...

So... You might be thinking "what is this yojimbosgarage.com?"

Maybe you haven't been to my bicycle shop- which I opened at this original location in 1997.

That's right- A "brick and morter" shop for the last eight years, housed in a building over 100 years old. Which leads to the construction taking place out in front of the building at this time. In case you haven't been around lately, the city has been replacing the old vaulted sidewalks on the shop's street. There's the usual dust and barricades of an active construction site. Lots of changes in the neighborhood and at the shop. In order to open new lines of communication with my customers, and the world at large, I jumped to launch this new web site.

OK- so it's just a baby thing at this time... But make sure to check back for periodic updates... On the shop, local racing scene, historic velodrome information and photos, as well as current works in progress.

One more thing about this site- Communication is the key! If you see something you feel compelled to comment on or have any questions concerning the content, shop, etc. feel free to direct such words to the appropriate party... Which would either be me (Marcus), the Corporal (Gary), the Little Demon (Gracie) or the Guy Standing in the Corner (new employee). Emails may be displayed on a FAQ page for everyone's benefit.

What else? Well, Yojimbo's Garage is a full service shop specializing in high performance bicycles- bikes for road and velodrome racing, fast bikes for the city, road fixed gear and conversions. The shop is known throughout the racing, messenger and advocacy communities as being a staunch supporter of our local culture.

I put a lot of focus on the mechanical side of the shop, but we do a lot of sales as well. This isn't an internet sales site and we can't match the prices of some huge mail order companies... But we believe that to support your community, you need to support the businesses in your community. In our case- much of our proceeds are put back into the community, so we're all better off because of your support. I'm here for the walk in customers and the local community, but many travellers find their way to my shop and for those who can't make it in person- we're happy to ship items world wide, which we do from time to time. With customers around the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, UK, Spain, Germany, France and Italy... I love having contact with our brotherhood around the globe.

At the heart of all of this is my passion for the velodrome- banked "oval" bicycle racing tracks. I'm interested in velodrome racing today- being active racing at the local velodromes and sponsoring a local team, events and programs... As well as the tracks that are now gone- evidence of which you'll be able to find here. I didn't get addicted to the 'drome until my friend Bobcat pulled me out onto the asphalt at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook in 1998. I had been riding track bikes on the street since a neighbor (A.J.) introduced me to his Atala in '93, which is an interesting story in it's self... But when Bobcat took me to The Human Powered Rollercoaster in Toronto later in '98 the nails were driven deep... The XXX Racing Team evolved out of discussions in Canada as well as dreams of building a track of our own. I started a little alley cat series called Tour da Chicago a few months prior to the trip and realized how receptive and eager Chicago was for more fun outlets for cycling fun.

So what does all of this mean? Hmmm, I'm not sure honestly... But keep your eyes on these pages for regular updates and interesting information.