John Brunow delivers the inside scoop on bikes@vienna

by John Brunow, February 3, 2000

Hello again.

Bicycling Info Expo

I hope your new year is developing nicely. I am excited about the Bicycling Info Expo coming up on Sunday, February 13, 2000. Please mark that date on your calendar because it should be a fun event. This last week I received confirmation that many of the well known rides and bicycling organizations in this area will be participating.

What is the Bicycling Info Expo? It is an idea given to me by Ellen Jones of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). I called Ellen in October to test the idea of having a product exposition featuring biking equipment. My memory is that she suggested an event where cyclists could gather information about rides and organizations. And that is what I am working to establish, plus a little bit more. For example, you’ll be able to talk with exhibitors representing the Bicycle Education Association which organizes Bike Virginia, Tour de Chesapeake, and the Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival. In addition to planning your participation in rides or joining a bicycling organization, you will get to see some of the new products such as the BikeE tandem (E2). I am also working to have some food treats available. (If you’re like me then one of the reasons that you ride is so that you can eat.)

The site for the Expo is the Vienna Community Center’s multipurpose room, which looks out on the W&OD Trail. You will be able to ride your bike, take the Metro (Vienna Station), or, as a last resort, drive your car to get to the event. The Expo will be open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Come to Vienna and have brunch at Amphora, Anita’s, the Vienna Inn (yes, Phil serves a great breakfast) or one of the other fine establishments, visit the Expo, and then spend some money shopping on Church Street. You can have a relaxed day, and with Valentines Day on Monday you should consider bringing your Valentine.

bikes@vienna is bankrolling the event (so it will be modest in signage). There is no cost to the organizations exhibiting and no charge for you to attend. This is an opportunity for the store to become known to a wider circle of cyclists and to promote cycling.

Spring hours

My plan is to move back to longer hours in March. For March, April, and May the store will be open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The hours will be 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday and 11:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday. As has been the tradition, the store will be closed on Tuesday.

Please remember that I will open earlier or stay open later upon request.

Marin demo site

Since bikes@vienna opened it has featured bikes from Marin Mountain Bikes. Normally one finds a selection of city/hybrid models, entry level mountain models, and a road bike or two. This year the selection at bikes@vienna has diversified. Demo bikes are here and include the Alpine Trail (full suspension), Quake 7.0 (slalom), Eldridge Grade (hardtail), Sausalito (hybrid), and Verona (road).

Marin continues to receive amazing reviews for their road bikes. The most current Bicycling magazine had a delightful review of the Marin Argenta. Earlier articles have focused on the Verona, Vicenza, and San Marino. I typically begin to laugh as the reviewer comments on the bright colors Marin has chosen for these Italian imports. They are colorful.

One more Marin item: Marins are evidently highly regarded in the United Kingdom. The Marin Web site generates a nice number of calls for bikes@vienna. When I answer the phone and hear an English accent I tell myself it’s a call about a Marin model and most of the time it is.

BikeE E2

The Internet can provide all kinds of information. Last weekend a customer came in and during his visit noted that he’d seen on the Internet that the BikeE E2 (tandem) would be here for the Bicycling Info Expo. I acknowledged that BikeE was shipping me a prototype to display for the event. It was interesting to learn that the travel schedule for the E2 lists bikes@vienna as a destination for display.

Tandem recumbents and tandems are not inexpensive. This past year we sold several Santanas, several Double Visions and a Ryan/Longbike Duplex. The E2 is positioned in a lower price range than the other recumbent tandems and it will be interesting to see if it attracts a new group of people to tandem riding. Come see the E2 for yourself.

Trainers

The recent cold weather and now the snow makes a trainer look good. bikes@vienna carries the Minoura MagTurbo ERGO-10 which tested as the “Best Bang for Your Buck” in the December issue of Bicycling. The Minoura was the cheapest at $130. Tied for the Best Overall was the Blackburn Trakstand which we can also get.

The growing interest in recumbents has resulted in a new trainer setup for 20-inch wheels. BikeE is providing a rim resistance trainer which has seven resistance settings. The unit sells for $250 and bikes@vienna has them in stock and has a demo on the floor.

Seeking anecdotes

I am looking for interesting life experiences that cycling has helped you achieve. If you can send me a couple of paragraphs telling about a wonderful experience you’ve enjoyed then we’ll post it on this site. Send stories to john@bikesatvienna.com.

I look forward to seeing you on February 13 at the Vienna Community Center’s multipurpose room.

Happy trails