When you need a friend in the bike industry

Outerbike: When you need a friend in the bike industry

Most serious cyclists, and those who work in the bike industry know that moment when a friend from college or high school or work or wherever, contacts you to say—I am thinking about getting a new bike, what do you recommend? There is no short answer to this casual inquiry. In fact right this minute I have not one but two friends waiting for me to give them some kind of answer to this very question. To do it right you have to really reconnect with the person—where do you live these days? How often are getting out? What kind of riding do you want to do? And of course—what’s your budget?

When I was 27 I got hired as the CEO of Merlin Metalworks. There were 3 employees at the time and a decent pile of titanium tubing.  We grew fast. Carbon still faced challenges and titanium was crazy popular. Every fall we built up a demo fleet of our new models for both road and mountain. It was a major push to get the bikes ready for the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, and then after the show we brought the bikes back to Boston where they mostly sat around all winter.

When I joined Western Spirit, Mark and I would always attend the Vegas trade show and check out the outdoor demo event where all the companies made their demo bikes available for quick rides in Bootleg Canyon. Only bike industry folks were invited, but you would always run into a few consumers who were fairly desperate to see the new bikes and wiggled their way in to the show, through a friend in the bike business.

One fall on the way home after the show it occurred to me that if I could talk everyone into bringing their demos to Moab after the Vegas show, we could invite consumers to come check them out. No need to pretend you work at a bike shop, just come on over and take the bikes for real ride, for a few hours, on real trails. Ride different models back to back and see which one is best for you. Meet the companies, and learn directly from them about their bikes.

The first year there were way too many bikes and not enough riders. No one really knew what a consumer bike demo event was. The second year there were too many people and not enough bikes. People started lining up at 7 am to run to the demo trucks when the event opened at nine. These days we calibrate the tickets to the bikes and there is no need to run to the booths, but people still do it just because it is fun.

And that is the point, picking out your new bike should be fun. You should be confident in your choice and super excited. Sometimes the bike industry just takes itself too seriously. Consider for a moment skiing—if you ski one week a year, you call yourself a skier and the industry calls you a skier. On the bike side if we have been off our bike for two weeks, we are afraid to call ourselves a cyclist. Sure cycling is a lifestyle and embracing it is a religion, but people shouldn’t be hesitant and feel the need to seek out the advice of an ‘expert’  friend to pick a bike.

We should be welcoming every kind of rider, and we should be doing it in as many places as possible. These days I see Outerbike as the bike industry welcoming committee. Yes it is wonderful if you can visit a company’s headquarters, check out their facilities and ride their local trails. And whether you are buying direct or through a shop (you will still need the shop for the service, the accessories and the community!)—you need a way to make a confident decision about your next bike no matter what kind of rider you might be.

Especially in these challenging times, there is a real need for companies to connect directly with consumers where they live and ride. Over the next few years, we hope to introduce brands to new regions across the country by adding Outerbike events in markets that have strong growth potential. With cities and towns of all types building trails, there is more opportunity than ever to get more folks out riding on a new bike.

Ashley Korenblat