How Businesses can Attract Bike Travelers

In our travels, we’ve run into lots of businesses and communities that want to accommodate cyclists but don’t know how. It might be a community on a popular Adventure Cycling route or on one of Oregon’s new Scenic Bikeways and they want to give cyclists a reason to stop. While bike friendliness really comes down to just plain old good customer service, here are a few simple items that you could carry and market to cyclists.

Floor Pump
Most cyclists will be carrying some sort of portable mini pump. While these work for quick on-the-road repairs, nothing beats a good floor pump to get tires back to pressure. The floor pump should accommodate both Schrader and Presta Valves (ideally without having to fiddle with the head) and a working and accurate gauge is a plus. Having a set of tire levers for the supremely unprepared would be an added bonus.
Business Type: Lodging, Visitor’s Center

Flat Tire Patch Kit
Again, most cyclists will be carrying a patch kit, but if they are on the road long enough they may run out. This has happened to us on occasions when we’ve hit a string of flats and used up all our patches AND spare tire. They are relatively inexpensive and you could either sell complete kits or individual patches. There are tons of patch kits out there but the best kind is the Rema TipTop. The scalloped edges hold on to a tube best.
Business Type: Lodging, Visitor’s Center

U-Lock
Many traveling cyclists, whether they are touring or are in town for an event ride, probably won’t carry a good lock, due to weight and bulk. Because of this, you’ll often see cyclists eating at establishments with outside seating or where they can constantly monitor their bike. Having a U-Lock to rent or borrow would provide piece of mind and would also encourage cyclists to explore more businesses in town, since they don’t have to constantly guard their bike. It’s important to have a lock with appropriate security for the area. Generally, a combination U-lock would be good to offer since they are more secure than cable locks and there are no keys to lose!

River City Bicycles offers an indoor bike rack with a series of cable locks for customers to temporarily lock up.

Some cyclists about to do some serious eating at this diner. Chosen primarily because we could monitor the bikes.

Business Type: Lodging, Visitor’s Center, Restaurant

Repair Stand:

Repair stand clamp arms cleverly bolted on to the outside of Halcyon, a bike shop in Nashville, TN, for customers to work on their bikes. They are unbolted and brought in every night.

A great Cadillac option to offer would be a repair stand. Having a bike off the ground makes it easier to clean and fix drivetrain issues. It could also be used by cyclists who fly in for an event ride and have to assemble or disassemble their bike. We’ve seen repair stands offered in many different ways, from off-the-shelf solutions like a collapsible Park stand, to some homemade DIY solutions like at Bike Camp at Twin Bridges, MT. This design merely has two prongs that stick out and support the top tube. This will work for most standard diamond frame bikes, but would be problematic for folding bikes (that is where a clamping system would come in handy).
Business Type: Lodging, Visitor’s Center, Airport, Train Station

Simple DIY bike stand in Twin Bridges, MT.

Maps
Cyclists rely heavily on maps. If you’re near an Adventure Cycling route, post a copy of the local maps on a board. If you’ve got a local cycling club or even just a handful of riders, have them create a few maps of local rides and display it near the counter.

More than Just Stuff
These are all small but additive cues that lets a cyclist know that you are a bike-friendly business. In the same vein, having a few inexpensive bicycle repair items can go a long way to reach cyclists. They are as much marketing materials in-and-of themselves as they are practical tools. Purchasing a $40 pump for cyclists and advertising it on your website, will provide more ROI than a $300 print ad. For us, if two hotels offered the same services and same prices, but one of them had a repair stand or a pump, we would choose the bike-friendly one even if we weren’t going to use the pump at all. Just the mere understanding that the business views cyclists as valuable to cater to would win us over. Being bicycle-friendly is actually fairly simple. It’s no more difficult than offering good customer service. If you would like to hear more about our experience with bike-friendly communities as bike travelers, email us here.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new Brompton Touring Book, or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing, or buying your gear through our Amazon store.)

Profile: Ocean Air Cycles

“This bike is not a touring bike,” Rob tells us. Designed in the garage workspace of his Ventura apartment and made by framemakers in Portland, OR the Rambler is the brainchild of Rob Perks of Ocean Air Cycles. With an engineering background, Rob has designed a bike that he always wanted for himself. Something utilitarian that would make mundane daily commuting tasks and errands fun as well as having the ability to take on mixed terrain and even go on bike overnights.

The Rambler is a low trail bike whose frame is built around Paul Racer brakes and 650b tires. The Paul Racers are more than just a bit of bike eye-candy for Rob, but are a key component to bicycle (so much so that he sells his frames with the Paul’s included). They have superb stopping power, good modulation and can accommodate wide tires with fenders. The fork has a low trail design so they are optimized to carry front loads without adverse affects.

While we were in Ventura, we got a chance to spend a few days with Rob and throw our legs over some Ramblers. For me, it was the first time I’ve actually ridden a low trail fork bike even though I’ve been reading their advantages on the pages of Bicycle Quarterly for years. I got to ride a Sunflower Yellow Rambler set up as a porteur bike with swept back bars and front rack. Although I couldn’t do a proper apples to apples comparison with my other bikes, since we didn’t really have a chance to dial in the fit, I could get a flavor for the bike.

I noticed immediately the difference in how the front end steered, especially with the weight of my handlebar bag. The wheel didn’t flop around as much even at slow speeds and I could ride no-handed with the bike and a load. The steering was predictable but not a snoozefest. We took the bikes out for about an hour ride up and down the coast and even did a little urban CX carrying bikes over tracks and riding on some railroad ballast. While not exactly a long mixed terrain ride, the bike steered nicely especially during slow speeds over rough stuff. Rob regularly takes his Rambler out on nearby dirt roads and even some mountain bike trails, usually getting strange looks from other riders.

With the bike designed and his first batches coming in, it is a matter of pounding the pavement to sell the Rambler. Its a bit of a chicken and an egg scenario where he feels more people would buy the bike if there were more testimonials of people riding the bike, but for that to happen he needs to sell more bikes, etc., Rob and his wife Allison are starting to do the bike show circuit, trying to get the bike out in the public. To help support the framebuilding and market the bikes, Rob also creates some soft goods; sewing frame bags, making leather wallets and designing shirts and musset bags trying to source materials and labor in the US. It was obvious to us that Rob was passionate about his products From the short time we rode The Rambler, we could see the niche they fill – a USA made, all-rounder, with low trail, and 650b wheels for long rides, light touring and everything in between.

Times are a bit lean as he tries to sell more frames to make more frames, but he believes that if he can get people to ride his bike that they’ll be converted. When we left Ventura he was contemplating which bicycle shows to attend in the coming year to maximize his efforts. He had a few painted frames in his garage awaiting decals and some finishing work. In the next few days they would be shipped out to the first owners of Ramblers in the world. Like the roads the Rambler was designed for, the summit is always barely within sight, but the route is twisty and uncertain at times and all that Rob can do is pedal on one measured stroke at a time.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new Brompton Touring Book, or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing, or buying your gear through our Amazon store.)

How to Box Your Bike at LA Union Station in 18 EASY Steps

(From the comments, this post needs some clarification. You only have to box the bike from Union Station if you are taking an interstate train. For example, The Coast Starlight. The Surfliner from San Diego to SLO has roll-on services. Also, if you have a folding bike you can take it on as carry-on.)

I admit, the title is a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. We’ve taken our bikes on Amtrak from LA Union Station several times for bike tours and take it for granted that we know how to navigate the Byzantine maze to do it. So as a public service, I took some photos to make it a little easier for other would be bike-train travelers.

After a brisk ride from Sunland to North Hollywood, we took the Redline to Union Station. From the platform we made our way to the elevator (which fits two loaded bikes pretty well).

You enter the grand and historic LA Union Station, where you can now get some coffee from Starbucks, a sandwich at Subway and other sundries at Famima! A Market.

After getting your tickets either from the blue ticket machines or an Amtrak employee behind the glass, it’s time to find the hidden passage way to the luggage area to box your bike.

If you are facing the Amtrak counter, go stage right. You’ll see the Hertz and Budget car rental stations. Walk towards them….

Then make an immediate left. You’ll see a little yellow hallway and there will be elevators to your left which again accommodate two loaded bikes. Go to the second floor.

When the elevators open you’ll be in a funny white room. Take the unmarked door to the left with the glass window. It should be open.

Now, proceed down the narrow hallway until you see a door with the magic brass button.

Push it. A voice should tell you that the door is open. Enter.

You will enter an open warehouse type space. Walk towards the office type room by the bay doors. An Amtrak employee will give you a box to pack your bike. It will cost you $25 for the box and handling, which is a good deal when compared to flying with a full-sized bike. (To disassemble your bike for the bike box, check out our boxing video.)

If you have cash on hand, then you’re done. If you have to pay for the bike box via credit card, the fun is not over yet. The baggage area doesn’t have a credit card machine, so you have to go back down to the Amtrak ticket counter and pay there….THEN, you have to back to the luggage area and show proof of payment.

Congratulations, you’ve now successfully discovered the secrets of boxing your bike at LA Union Station. Now take all your bags back down through the maze and wait for your train. To be fair, the woman in the baggage area was very helpful and even taped our bike boxes together. This is a big improvement over several years ago when some people just stared at us with wonder. She told us that a lot of people were taking their bikes on Amtrak these days. It seems like others have caught on to the joys of multi-modal travel, now if only bike facilities on trains would catch up!

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new Brompton Touring Book, or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing, or buying your gear through our Amazon store.)

California Dreaming: Photo Recap

It seems like just last week when we were boarding the train from Portland to San Luis Obispo, CA to start our escape to some California sunshine! But alas, time flies. We’re on Amtrak again headed north back to Portland. We are working on a few more posts about the places we visited and the people we met, but for now some photo highlights!

We started our trip doing some epicurean wine tasting in the hills of Paso Robles.

 

Exploring some back roads around San Luis Obispo.

 

See Canyon road with Morro Bay in the distance. A beautiful ride!

 

We turned inland and rode through vineyards around Solvang, CA.

 

We met up with our friends and took on Refugio Road.

 

The first time we road Refugio we were wrecked, this time victorious.

 

The payoff (if you’re lucky and get a clear day!) for the big gravel climb are some amazing views of the Channel Islands in the distance.

 

We were almost the only tent campers at Lake Casitas.

 

We met Robert Perks from Ocean Air Cycles and road some Ramblers.

 

Only open a few months and The Mob Shop in Ojai is drawing a lot of attention.

 

Russ discovers some amazing riding literally in his parent’s backyard in Sunland, CA.

 

Lunch on top of the Verdugo Mountains overlooking the Tujunga and San Fernando Valley.

 

Our last riding day in California was a tough one to beat, but we’re looking forward to getting back to Portland.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new Brompton Touring Book, or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing, or buying your gear through our Amazon store.)

California Dreaming: Revenge on Refugio Road

You know it will be an interesting ride when the guy at the local bike shop tells you that you probably shouldn’t try riding up the road with anything less than a mountain bike. When you tell him that you’re planning to ride it with some touring bikes, he shakes his head as if to say, “it’s your funeral” and goes back to changing the brake cable on the bike in the stand.

Our first encounter with Refugio at 2008. Albatross bars, CETMA rack and no idea what we were in for.

For almost as long as we’ve been touring, Refugio has stood out in our minds as one of the toughest rides we ever did. We first “rode” it almost five years ago early in our touring careers. It was recommended to us by a friend as a scenic way to get from Solvang to the coast. There is of course a little matter of a mountain range in the way.

Refugio before the unpaved climb is actually quite pleasant with rolling hills.

You connect to Refugio a few miles out of Solvang off the 246. When you first encounter it, the road is downright pleasant. You pass a pastoral landscape of vineyards, farmland and undulating green hills. You even cross a small creek at one point at a peaceful and shaded bridge. Its not unlike riding through a Wordsworth poem. But you can never get too comfortable, because you know in the back of your mind the idyllic landscape will transform into a rocky grueling ascent. So, enjoy it while it lasts. The moment of truth is unmistakable. A foreboding concrete barricade and a bent Road Closed sign riddled with bullet holes is the demarcation between a pleasant Sunday road ride to the start of something completely different – dirt, gravel and ruts. 23mm tires need not apply, nor those that are afraid of having to push their bike for stretches.

The bullet riddled Road Closed sign in 2008.

The same Road Closed sign 5 years later. This time we brought some friends with us.

Five years ago, this road owned us. It was the middle of summer, highs were in the 90s, the dirt and rock surface hadn’t seen a drop of rain in weeks. Loose mini boulders the size of a baby’s head were all over the place. I gave it my best effort that first mile but after I kept slipping and bouncing off my line I resorted to pushing, which with the steep grade and uneven surfaces wasn’t any easier. This is the road that made me quit clipless pedals becauuse I couldn’t clip in fast enough on the rough and steep terrain. I remember hiking the bike about 70% of the time and Laura remembers distinctly the buzzards circling overhead and wondering how curious it was to spend her birthday pushing a bike up a mountain in sweltering heat. The only consolation was that the actual climbing was only 3 miles long and it had to end at some point. I can remember the feeling of being absolutely wrecked by the time we reached the top, cursing our friend who had recommended the road and vowing never to take his navigational advice ever again.

Laura pushing her bike on her birthday, wondering how she got talked into this : )

Our friend Cynthia and her fully loaded Big Dummy, wondering the same.

Flash forward a few years and a few thousand miles and we find ourselves once again at the bottom of Refugio. This time, conditions are in our favor. The weather is hovering at about 70 degrees and by the looks of the first half mile, the winter rains have helped to fill in the loose rocks with dirt.

Still a tough climb, but we did more riding this time around and actually enjoyed it.

That’s not to say its a walk in the park. Refugio averages 11%, meaning several pitches are easily 15% or higher. We shift down into our lowest gear, try to find our Zen centers and pedal upwards. And yet something remarkable happens during the ride, it doesn’t feel quite as impossibly hard as we had remembered it. Yes, we are moving slow, but we are moving without having to get off the bike and push. Our optimism is cautious because every turn reveals some other nasty steep gravel challenge, but each time we are able to pedal through. At about 2.5 miles into the climb, we know we are going to make it. The road keeps going upward, but it is just a formality. We’ve become stronger riders not just physically but mentally. We’ve climbed longer and higher roads with heavier bikes and those experiences have given us perspective. When we reach the top we celebrate with some fresh oranges.

Demonstrating the width of this so-called road.

Tough but rideable this time around.

When our friends who we were touring with reach the summit, we descend together. The sun is setting and Refugio, a road that has haunted us for years has never looked more beautiful than it does now. The air is startlingly crisp and we can see far out towards the Channel Islands which are bathed in warm light. That first memory of us dragging our bikes up the dirt hill years ago is overtaken with a new one of us soaring down a golden valley in the cool evening, laughing at the joy of it all and in the knowledge that some things are better the second time around.

All smiles at the summit.

A rare clear day on the coast.

Savoring the hard earned descent to the water.

Although the coastal side is paved it is a screamer of a downhill. We all had to stop a few times to let our disc brakes cool!

Happy we survived the first time.

Just plain happy this time.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new Brompton Touring Book, or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing, or buying your gear through our Amazon store.)