FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Hey, what does "Double O" stand for, anyway?
A: It’s not for two bike wheels. It is not for "uh-oh!" It represents the first letter in the towns of Osoyoos and Oliver.

Q: Do you rent bikes?
A: Yes, we do!  We have comfort bikes suitable for touring the back roads and wine routes, or for a lovely ride along the Okanagan River on the Hike and Bike trail.

Q: Do you do tune-ups, and how much does it cost?
A: Yes, tune-ups are us! A tune-up includes assessment, adjustment of gearing and braking systems, lubrication of the drive-train and cleaning. The cost of a tune-up is $35, with replacement parts in addition to that price. As is standard in the industry, if you insist on jumping the queue and impatiently tapping your toes, checking your watch and rolling your eyes while the tune-up is conducted, the price will be doubled. Or tripled, depending.

Q: Do you fix bikes?
A: Yes, we fix bikes, and we do it all from repairing a flat to replacing a bottom bracket. Some of our favourite tools include hammer, chain vice grips and the blow torch. No kidding.

Q: Do you lend tools?
A: The above question is asked more frequently than any other question. It is code for, "I don't want to pay you - give me your tools while I block the aisles of your store with my upturned bike and command your undivided attention by requesting step by step instructions on how to do what I don't want to pay you to do." The short answer is, "No." The long answer is not permitted to be posted on this site.

Q: What is the difference between a Mountain Bike and a Comfort Bike?
A: A mountain bike format will lead your body into an aggressive posture pitched over the top tube of the bike. This is so that you are able to meet the challenge of your ride with full-on versatility in balance and counterbalance. A comfort bike will lead you into an upright body position so that you are sitting back on your "sitting bones." This position reduces compression points in your wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders back and rear-end. A "cushy-tushy" saddle is a MUST on a comfort bike, (unless you like to feel like you have been kicked every inch of the way).

Q: What the heck is a hybrid bike?
A: A hybrid bike is a bicycle that is designed to combine the attributes of a road bike and a mountain bike, so... It has the 27" or 700mm wheels of a road bike, and a tire that is narrower than a mountain bike, but fatter than a road bike. Frames tend to be lighter than a mountain bike, but heavier than a road bike. Hybrid bikes tend to be designed with more comfort in mind than a road bike, as well. Hybrid bikes are wonderful, fleet bicycles to commute on paved and compact surfaces, and have begun to appear more frequently way out here in the West, as they have done for many years back east.

Q: How do I know what size frame I should have?
A: There are a couple of easy ways to check a bike for correct frame size. First of all, if you have a minimum clearance between the top tube, or cross bar, of the bike and your nether regions, you should be good to go. If the bike has no cross bar, ie). is a lady's bike, or has a "gender neutral" geometry, try sitting on the saddle. You should be able to touch the ground with your toes when the saddle height is within a couple of inches of its lowest height. If you have to jack your saddle way up in order to get a reasonable extension on your leg when pedaling, the frame is probably too small. Conversely, if you are high-centering on the cross bar, your toes barely touch the ground if at all, then the frame size is just too big. Bigger is not always better.

Q: Disk brakes, what's the big deal?
A: Disk brakes, both mechanical and hydraulic, have become an industry standard for performance bikes, whether mountain, downhill, or comfort. They have more control than v-brakes, have a longer life-span, and perform A LOT better in varied conditions like rain, snow, or mud. Disk brakes allow you to go faster, safer.

Q: Is it mandatory to wear a helmet? Really?
A: Yes, it is the law that all cyclists wear a helmet in the province of British Columbia, and yes, the RCMP do hand out fines to offenders. How much? About $80 for a first offence. We carry standard bike, bmx/skateboard, and full-face helmets. Our helmet prices start at about $35, and make everyone who wears one look really, really cool.

Q: What types of payment can you receive?
A: Cash. Debit. Credit Cards including Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept personal cheques or second party cheques. We prefer not to accept counterfeit money, either.

Q: Do you have a Lay Away Plan?
A: We do have a Lay Away Plan. With an initial payment of 20%, we will gladly place a sold tag on your purchase and keep it under lock and key until you pay the balance off. Lay Away does not mean that you are able to make an initial payment of 20% and take your purchase with you. Just not good business sense. We also don’t make orders on lay-away.

Q: Can you bring in special orders?
A: We sure can! Again, with an initial payment of 20%, we will bring in anything that our distributors carry. The cost of the item will include a shipping charge if the order can not be "piggybacked" with our standard shop orders. The initial payment may not be refundable as suppliers commonly charge a re-stocking fee of 20% for returned items. Ordered items aren’t lay-away purchases, we don’t have the space to store them!

Q: What is your return policy?
A: Items returned for refund must be in original packaging, in pristine condition, with an original receipt within five working days of purchase. If it has been installed, used, dragged around the block, slept in, slammed into a wall, or otherwise utilized, don't bring it back. For items in excess of $50 value, a cheque will be issued and mailed to the customer.

Q: What is your warranty policy?
A: Bikes and many other products are warranted against manufacturer's flaws or defects for a period of one year after purchase by the original owner. For example, if a weld cracks on a frame, it constitutes a manufacturer's flaw or defect. If, on the other hand, you huck a bike sixty feet into a concrete meridian and bend the frame? well, you get the picture. By the way, tubes and other inflatables are not warranteed against puncture, but thanks for asking.

Q: What else?
A: As you first begin to use a bike, the steel cables used to brake and to change gears will "seat" or stretch in length. When you buy a bike from Double O Bikes and Sports, all of your adjustments to gearing and braking cables and systems are free for the first year. We also keep a record of your serial number, bike description, and price paid in the event that your bike is ever stolen.

By the way, we commonly run serial numbers through the RCMP data bank, and are also visited on a random basis by our local constabulary to check if bikes brought in for service have been stolen. We have been able to return quite a few bikes to their rightful owners that way.

Q: Pssssst, do you guys buy used bikes?
A: Nope.

Q: Do you sell used bikes?
A: Nope.

Q: What about consignments? Do you consign bikes?
A: Nope. Having said "nope" however, we might add that folks are always going to do better for themselves selling their own bike, anyway. Take out an ad in the classifieds, or peg a community bulletin board. It'll go.

Q: What if I want to donate a bike to you?
A: Allright, allright! While we do not buy or sell used bikes, we will accept donations of used bikes and turn them over to the SOAICL Auxiliary. They sell used bikes when they have them in their awesome Saturday morning flea market in Osoyoos.

Q: Who owns Double O Bikes?
A: Double O Bikes and Sports is owned by Southern Okanagan Association for Integrated Community Living, (SOAICL). It is the non-profit organization that supports the developmentally challenged community members of Oliver and Osoyoos.

• That does not mean that Double O is a not-for-profit business.
• It does not mean Double O receives government grants or subsidies of any kind.
• It does not mean that the staff are volunteers, or that the shop is a sheltered workshop.

SOAICL is a firm believer in the advantages of "social enterprise." There are many reciprocal benefits for the community and the society under the social enterprise umbrella.
Social enterprise is defined as:

Any earned-income business or strategy undertaken by a nonprofit to generate revenue in support of its charitable mission. "Earned income" consists of payments received in direct exchange for a product, service or privilege.

Social economy enterprises are organizations that are run like businesses, producing goods and services, but which manage their operations on a non-for-profit basis. Instead, they direct any surpluses to the pursuit of social and community goals.
SOAICL owns and operates a number of enterprises with a mandate to bring in additional resources for use by the society while being a strong community corporate citizen. The society will continue to look at solid business ideas that will assist SOAICL to reach its current goals, mission and mandate.

"Imagine a business venture that has all the money-making savvy of a for-profit enterprise, the social service goals of the public sector, and the mission-driven zeal of a non-profit organization. Harnessed together, those qualities ought to put the previously unreachable within grasp:

innovative, market-based solutions to social problems that generate both financial resources and social value." Seedco. When Good Work Makes Good Sense: Social Purpose Business Case Studies (November, 2002).

Want to know more about "Social Enterprise?" Google it!