Category: Lifestyle

Back to Nature – Camping in Wisconsin

Did you grow up spending every Memorial Day weekend out in the woods, or are you thinking you want to start that tradition now? It’s the beginning of spring, the weather is finally warm, the birds are out & we’re all itching to get out and enjoy nature. Get away and unplug, and while you’re enjoying the peace & quiet outside, pause to remember all those who gave their lives so we can have the freedom we love.

As with every outdoor activity, a stop at Shep’s first to get the supplies you’re missing and the expert opinion you’re needing, is the best idea. We’re a staff that loves to camp when we’re not at work and we’ll give you all the secrets we have. Until we see you in the shop, here’s some info to get yourself started. (Most of this post will be relative to car camping, but we have backpacking  experts on staff too. If that’s more your cup of tea, stop down.)

Where To Go: 

We are fortunate to live where we do; where within an hour or two hour drive, you have a plethora of great camping options. We take advantage of all the State Parks in the area, as well as local county parks. This link will give you a list of the campgrounds in the state (by region) – which can be useful to find a place you’ve never discovered before. Otherwise, our trusty Wisconsin State Park reservation listings can help you find a site too.

What to Pack:

Here is a checklist to reference when you’re packing your bags & your car for the weekend away. Keep in mind that everyone camps a little differently, so you may want to add some things to this list and may cross off some lines, too. Either way, it should be a great list to get you thinking & help you feel prepared. Feel free to print it off and use it again and again!

Food to Try:

It’s hard to go wrong with the old standby: pudgie pies. Pizza, hot ham & cheese, apple pie, and more. Besides that, tin foil dinners are big (and super easy to make on your evening campfire). Use cooking spray generously to coat the inside of tin foil, then add washed & sliced potatoes, carrots, onions, and any other veggies you like. (Some people love it with meat, too!) The kicker is adding butter squares & seasonings before you wrap the foil into a sealed package and let it cook & steam itself on the fire. If you bring a camp stove, you’ll have all the options in the world for food – do pancake and egg breakfasts, fry up burgers for dinner, or anything else your mind dreams up. A quick Pinterest search will give you way more ideas than you’ll know what to do with! Make a list, hit the grocery store & get going!

At Shep’s:

We have a full camping department stocked with tents, cots, sleeping bags, day packs and frame packs, insect repellant, quality sunscreens, first aid tools, cook sets, and so, so much more. At the shop, you’ll also find books of hiking trails in Wisconsin, the apparel you need to be comfortable in any weather, the best footwear for beaching, lounging, or hiking, outdoor games, treats, accessories, and more. Plus, we love to swap stories & show pictures. (Ask for Tony Z especially – he’s been hiking & camping all over Wisconsin and will entertain you with his experiences & pictures of the adventures!)

Hope to see you hitting the road and enjoying the woods this weekend. (There aren’t many better places to be!)

Bicycle Commuting 101 – The Benefits

All week, we’ve shared great information about commuting to work by bike.  Today, we thought we’d give you some reasons why it’s all worth it.  It’s no secret that commuting by bike saves money, is better for your health, and lowers your carbon footprint, but the numbers may surprise you:

According to an article published in Forbes Magazine, the average bike commuter reported they paid an initial $500 to $800 for a bike and commuting related accessories, and had an annual maintenance cost of around $100.  Compare that to the average cost of a vehicle today.  It’s very easy to spend upwards of $10,000 to $20,000 to purchase a car, and then factor in the cumulative costs of commuting by car: $2.41/mile as calculated by Commute Solutions, which takes into account everything from gas prices to insurance to road repair costs.  Say your average commute is five miles round trip and you work five days week.  Within a month, you’ve already spent more than the average yearly costs of riding your bike.  And with the uncertainty of gasoline prices, that number could easily increase.

Another benefit of riding a bike is better health.  Our mechanic lives two miles from the shop, and commutes the 20 minutes to work and back daily.  That’s 20 minutes of increased heart rate daily, which any doctor would tell you is beneficial.  Plus, exercise in the morning has been linked to increased awareness and productivity throughout the workday.

Lastly, we all know it’s better for the environment to commute on bike.  How much you ask?  Shreya Dave, a graduate student at MIT, recently concluded that an ordinary sedan’s carbon footprint is more than 10 times greater than a conventional bicycle on a mile-for-mile basis, assuming each survives 15 years and you ride the bike 2,000 miles per year (or slightly less than eight miles per weekday).  That’s a lot of trees saved, a lot less gas used, and way cleaner air for us all to breathe.

Still not convinced?  Give it a go for a week.  See how you feel, experience the feel of the wind in your face on your way to work, and how much happier you are during your work day.  We’re pretty sure your stress will be lowered not having to deal with driving in the morning rush, and you’ll be way happier looking at your bank statement every month.  And if you find it’s not for you, we urge you to still get out on your bike a few times a week and reap the benefits they provide from a recreational standpoint.

Happy riding everyone!

Bicycle Commuting 101 – Bike Maintenance

This week, we’ve shared a little about what you’ll need to commute on your bike as well as how to do safely while obeying the rules of the road.  Today, we’re going to take a closer look at bike maintenance, covering everything you need to know to keep your ride in tip top shape!  Just follow the steps below, and you’ll enjoy miles and miles of hassle-free commuting.

Step 1: Safety Inspection

Visually inspecting your bike should be done before every ride and if time allows, upon your return home at the end of the day.  Look for any damage such as cracks, abnormal wear, or unwanted debris.  Spin the wheels – do they turn freely?  Are they true with no wobbles?  Next, check the tire pressure; even a loss of 5 psi results in decreased travel times and increased chances of flats!  Now, check your brakes.  Are they stopping your bike properly?  How do your brake pads look?  If they are getting thin, their stopping efficiency may be decreased.  Lastly, make sure all bolts and components are secure with no loose play.  While this may all sound like a lot, you’ll soon establish a routine and it only takes a minute or two to complete.

Step 2: Home Routine Maintenance

While it’s important to get regular shop tunes up on your bike, there are a few things that you should be doing at home to keep your bike running smoothly.  The two most important things you should be doing are inflating your tires to the proper pressure and cleaning & lubing your chain.  Investing in a floor pump is a great way to go for keeping your tires at their recommended psi rating, and will save you time and effort in the long run.  For most bikes, checking your tire pressure weekly will do the trick.

Done less frequently but equally important, lubing your bike chain should be done every 200 miles or after the chain is exposed to rain.  Cleaning of your chain should be done every 1,000 miles.  How does one lube a chain you ask?  Easy:

  • Pedal backwards and clean off the dirty lube and gunk with a rag.
  • Pedal backwards and spray or drip lube on each link.
  • Depending on the lube, wait a few minutes and with a clean rag wipe off the excess. Just make sure you check the directions on your lube bottle, and you can’t go wrong.  We swear by T-9 Boeshield as a chain lube and use it exclusively on all our bikes here at the shop.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give your bike a bath every now and then.  Commuter bikes take a lot of abuse day in and day out, so cleaning it every now and then is wise.  Plus, washing your bike takes all of ten minutes, so there’s really no excuse to not do it.  Grab yourself a bucket of hot, soapy water, a hose, a soft bristled brush, and a towel and you’re all set.  Wet the bike down first, scrub from top to bottom leaving the greasy parts until last, then rinse.  Be sure to use low pressure when spraying down the bike as high pressure hoses and sprayers can damage or remove grease in critical areas around the bike.  Finally, when you’ve rinsed and dried your bike, lube your chain and voila!

Step 3 – Shop Maintenance

While some bike maintenance can be easily done at home, sometimes it’s best to leave the more technical stuff to a highly experienced bike mechanic.  Just like cars, bikes need regular tunes and adjustments to keep them running day in and day out.  At a minimum, bikes should receive a yearly full tune which includes a full safety inspection, cleaning & greasing of all moving parts, inspection of all cables and shifting components, and adjustments as needed.  It’s a $45 service offered by our shop that really keeps your bike running at its best.

Have questions?  Post them below and we’ll gladly get you an answer from Pete, our resident bike mechanic, who has been working on bikes for longer than a lot of our customers have been alive!  He’s also a pro at bike commuting – he rides in to work year round regardless of the weather conditions – so ask away!

Earn Bucks, Spend Bucks. Shep’s Bucks are Free Money!

Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Rubles, Pesos, $hep’s Buck$!

Money in your pocket, in any currency, is good. Well, we’d like to give you $hep’s Buck$ to celebrate the great outdoors this summer.  “How” you ask?  Just spend $50 in store on your favorite brand bikes, water sports, camping gear, shoes, outerwear and sportswear or even on clearance clothing and our entire selection of clearance ski and snowboard equipment and we’ll give you a $5 $hep’s Buck$ card.  The extra value multiplies quickly because your $hep’s Buck$ is free money to use on future purchases.

Here’s the scoop: you’ll get $5 for Every $50 spent at Shepherd & Schaller in downtown Wausau during our $hep’s Buck$ promotion June 26-July 9, 2017. You’ll then bring your Buck$ card back to use toward a future purchase through September 1, 2017.

The fine print:  $hep’s Buck$ is not legal tender. The card has no cash value and there is no cash back. Customer will receive $5 in $hep’s Buck$  for every $50 in purchases of in-stock merchandise. Purchases may not be combined to earn additional $hep’s Buck$ and they can not be earned retroactively on previous purchases. $hep’s Buck$ is earned on the amount of customer purchases after all applicable discounts are applied and before tax is imposed.
Eligible customer purchases which earn $hep’s Buck$ include in-stock regular price, sale price and clearance price clothing, footwear and equipment but exclude, Gift Cards, Shop Services and special orders.  Use your $hep’s Buck$ to buy anything from Shepherd & Schaller in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin prior to the expiration date. Return value of merchandise purchased with $hep’s Buck$ may be subject to adjustment. Offer is not transferable and is not redeemable on purchases made on www.shepssports.com. 

Bicycle Commuting 101 – Rules of the Road

Since you now know what gear you need to hit the road for your work commute by bike (found in yesterday’s blog), today we’re going to cover everything you need to know about safely and legally sharing the road with other cyclist, motorists, and pedestrians.

As found on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s webpage, the general rules of riding your bike on the road are as follows:

  • Ride at least three feet from the curb or parked vehicles or debris in curb area and in a straight line. Don’t swerve in and out around parked vehicles.
  • Always ride in the same direction as traffic.
  • Sidewalk riding for bicyclists past the learning stage and being closely supervised by adults can be more dangerous than on the road, obeying traffic laws. It is also illegal unless the community has passed an ordinance specifically permitting sidewalk riding. This can be age-restricted, location-restricted or based on the type of property abutting the sidewalk.
  • Obey all traffic laws.
  • Be predictable! Let other users know where you intend to go and maintain an understood course.
The key to riding safely on the roads is to be seen!  It’s a great idea to wear bright colors to make yourself more visible while on your bike, and clothing and accessories with reflective material are an added bonus!

Finally, a few reminder to motorists:

  • Bicycles are vehicles. They belong on the road.
  • Cyclists need room to get around potholes, sewer grates and other obstructions.
  • Leave at least three feet when passing bicycles, more room at higher speeds.
  • Change lanes to pass any bicycle traveling in a narrow lane.
  • Train yourself to scan for fast moving (it’s hard to tell speed) bicycles and motorcycles in the opposing lane to you when turning left, and scan sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists using the sidewalk and crosswalk as a pedestrian. Always scan to your right-side sidewalk before you leave a stop light or stop sign, and to the left- and right-side sidewalks when on a one-way street.