Bikes & Bytes

03/28/2022

Okay folks, Bikes & Bytes is looking into one of these Surrey bikes! Great for the family, great for advertising. Just curious if anyone has ridden one? If you have comment and tell us what you liked/didn't like!

03/02/2022

Is your computer running slow? 🐢 Sometimes we can remote in and check things out and that saves you a trip to see us or someone coming to your house!

Give us a call so we can help you out!

719-688-9366

**these techs not always helpful, but always cute! Not your actual computer tech!**

03/01/2022

First ride of the new year with all the Spano boys. Bike riding can come in all shapes, just get out there and do what you can!

The oldest, Dominic, is riding a Catrike recumbent and this will grow with him to adulthood. He struggled with balance so this was a great option! In the first trailer Christopher is riding in a specially made special needs trailer (out of Fort Collins, but unfortunately they closed in the last couple years). In the last trailer Benedict and Ambrose can fit together in the Burley Bumblebee. Jeanine is riding a Specialized with pedal assist (it is over 100 of trailer and boys!). Get out and ride!

02/28/2022

Computer problems? Network problems? There are several ways that our tech can help you out! The tech can remote into your computer; you can drop it off; we can pick it up; or the tech can come to your site!

Call 719-688-9366 to schedule!

**not a photo of the actual tech**

02/25/2022

As we're getting closer to Spring weather, don't forget it's a good time to get your bikes out and checked to be sure that they are ready to go for the season!

Need help? Give us a call at 719-966-7612 and our bike tech can help you!

12/14/2021

Business owners or employees! Bikes & Bytes' business side, Spano Computers, is hosting a class tonight at Prowers Economic Prosperity! This class will go over common Windows Office tasks and integrating Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Check it out! 5:30PM tonight! And if you have any questions please don't hesitate to call us! 719-966-7612

12/09/2021

Need to do some Office type work but don't have Microsoft Office? Did you know that if you have a Google account you can use drive.google.com to create/read/edit files similar to Microsoft Office but for free? They have Google Docs which is like Word; Google Sheets which is like Excel; and Google Slides which is like PowerPoint. All of these have a save/send option to send them in the Microsoft format so you don't have to worry about that! If someone sends you a Microsoft Office file, you can open those in your drive files.

Need more specific help? Let us know! Bikes & Bytes also does training!
719-966-7612

12/02/2021

Bikes & Bytes here with some tips to keep your bike riding in Lamar, CO smooth! 🚵‍♀️🚵

If your air pressure is too low, that can cause your tires to look smooshed down. This pushes the inner-tube against hard rim edge and the tire. It can cause a couple holes that look like a snake bite. So, checking tire pressure before each ride is recommended.

You can use an old inner tube as an extra layer of protection between the new inner-tube and the tire. Just cut the valve stem out, and cut the inner side of the tube to spread it out more.

Slime is good to catch some leaks, but sometimes that slime can gunk up the valve stem making it hard or impossible to get air in or out.

It's a good idea to keep a patch kit or extra tube with you. You should also keep an air pump with you (make sure the tip fits your tires) or a CO2 cartridge to fill up the new/patched tire.

Kevlar (like what bulletproof vests are made of) tires are a good investment in this area with goat head stickers everywhere. The Bikes & Bytes tech can go an entire season without a flat tire! That's definitely some peace of mind.

Bikes & Bytes can help you with flat tires for $5 (plus parts). Give us a call if you've got some flat tires that are stopping you from riding!

12/01/2021

Is your computer SO S L O W? 🐢

Slow computers are the bane of daily existence for many users. Unfortunately, there are many factors that can contribute to the slowness of your computer.
Unwanted programs like a virus or other malware may have been inadvertently installed. Statistics show that 1 in 3 homes have computers that are infected with malicious software.
Some legitimate software that you want, can remain running in the background when you think you have shut it down. Enough of these, and they can bring your RAM resources to its knees.
Sometimes it is a hardware issue like bad RAM, failing processor, or corrupt sectors on your hard drive.

Other times, there is nothing wrong with your hardware. You are virus free, you have your running programs under control, but the computer still slows down. What's going on? Microsoft and other software vendors will update their systems to maintain security compliance as well as offer more bells and whistles. Sometimes these updates come at a cost to performance. A shiny new system won't mind at all, but a system a few years old might not have the resources to run things smoothly after the update.

Bikes & Bytes is here to help! Our technician can diagnose what is going on with your system and figure out the best way to fix it. Give us a call at 719-966-7612 to set up an appointment.

11/30/2021

Have you checked out the Lamar Loop yet? It's a 6.2 mile loop that goes around the city of Lamar, giving you a place to ride your bike. Some bike safety tips while sharing the road:

When you're on the Loop, stay in the bike lane; but if you're not in an area with the bike lane, you need to follow the rules of the road for a car. That means you ride on the right side of the road, and not on the sidewalk. You also need to follow traffic laws regarding stop signs and lights.

Bikes yield the right of way to walkers and joggers. Announce yourself if you are coming up behind and go around, for example, "coming up on your left!" Communication keeps people safe!

The Maple street section has some areas of the road that are a bit bumpy, so keep your eyes on the road and adjust as you need to!

Enjoy those downhill parts, but remember to keep your eyes open and ahead always watching for other trail users!

Keep safe and have fun!

11/30/2021

October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but Cybersecurity is something you should think about every day!

Some quick stats:
600,000 accounts are hacked DAILY.
Around 160,000 of those are Facebook accounts.
47% of American Adults have had their personal information exposed by cyber criminals.
1 in 3 homes with computers are infected with malicious software. Most of the computer owners have no idea.
65% of Americans who went online received at least one online scam offer.
Worldwide, consumers lost $358 and 21 hours on average per year dealing with online crime.
The #1 Cyber Crime is the Imposter Scam with 1 in 5 people reporting a financial loss.

Here are a few steps to help keep you safe:

LOOK - confirm the address of the sender. This can be spoofed, so be sure to look at the e-mail header. 👀

READ - Is the language clear? Are there any typos? 🕵️

REVIEW: A threatening tone or sense of urgency is a red flag!🚩

DON'T CLICK: Never click a link in an email unless you are 100% sure what it is, and where it comes from. Hover over links to see the real URL. 🚫

If things still aren't sitting right with you, reach out to the sender via telephone (NOT e-mail!!!) and double-check that they sent that to you

Bikes & Bytes is here to help! We have experience with defending against cyber attacks in both the corporate and consumer environments!

We’re bringing you another free security awareness video! These videos are brought to you by Adobe, National Cyber Security Alliance, and Speechless Inc.Phis...