Ok, first, Ed, I just watched the video of you and Mary (http://www.bicyclespacedc.com/our-blog/2014/11/15/ed-and-mary) and, OMG!! THAT IS THE CUTEST, MOST ADORABLE damn thing I have ever seen!!! And there you are, on a Rivendell! In a Bicycle Space video!!! That is super sweet on all counts.
When I read local blogs here and peek at local shops, and now see the responses to this post from people who are clearly plugged-in to the scene here, I see DC as an already enlightened cycling community. There is a very wide continuum of riders here, from super-athletes to Frankenbike welders, and I think there is a more than concentrated number of Riv-minded riders, people who may not or may only remotely know of Rivendell bikes, but have independently embraced many of the philosophical values shared by ROB members. It's parallel evolution. People like Ed and Mary (Ed please correct me if i mis-state) seem to actively promote a bike-positive lifestyle in the DC area that appeals to a lot of different kinds of riders, but ultimately, when I read Mary's blog, she is sharing STORIES about her love of cycling as a "vehicle" for personal discovery, the experience of beauty, and social pleasure and enrichment. That, in my opinion, is RIVISH TO THE CORE. Riv's "request" for help is so feeble and unenthusiastic sounding, that I wonder if they mean it, and if Grant is just burned out or demoralized at the thought of having to "whore himself out" to sell bikes, and I worry that he may be mistaken. Look at the video above, and just try and tell me that a "Just Ride" revolution has yet to come to DC. Riv did a pop-up before they opened the retail shop, right? Keith's Bicycle Pro shop is on M St. in Georgetown, Washington DC, and he's interested? That's the frigging 5th Avenue of this town. Uppity people with serious bank promenade up and down that street all day and night. If you want to sell a few pretty looking bikes, I don't think you could ask for a better shot. Bicycle Space is a thriving business, opening up three shops in DC and using all of the groovy tools of modern technology to create a true community of local customers that feels a bit like a family, and they sell Grip Kings and bikes with Kickstands. No revolution needed, the eagle has already landed. The more I think about it, I like the idea of Riv doing a 5 - city pop-up tour. They already did a cool one in walnut creek. Local supporters and lover's of Riv could help out on the ground (I would think that some would even let a couple of Riv staff members crash on a floor, or shine up our own bikes for display or test rides to lower costs of trucking a ton of equipment) and local bike shops sound like they would gladly involve themselves, because they already "get it". They don't need conversion or a sales pitch, and they already have developed their own successful ways of communicating with their customers in a meaningful way. Maybe the details of something resembling a dealership relationship are just not workable, (and hell, maybe that's actually ok - Riv's individual success is more akin to "slow food" than a KFC franchise...). I am convinced that a 2 week pop-up in Union Market, Bicycle Pro, or Bicycle Space, done in Rivish fashion as a social experience would be first and foremost FUN. It would only add to the already thriving community of like minded riders, and could result in furthering the "Just Ride" revolution that is already well in play here. That's it. I think I'm done with this. If people like Keith and Ed are already in our community and our friends, and Riv is serious about this idea, then I don't what more can be done. If anything begins to "Pop-up", I would commit to being part of the pop-up-planning process! ps, Liz: I see you are right, I didn't know the Bicycle Space near Judiciary square was interim, and am also really glad to see them developing so wonderfully into the cycling community in dc. Ivy City? That's cool! Alan On Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 3:41:41 AM UTC-4, Elisabeth Sherwood wrote: > > Really -- a flashmob isn't necessary! BIcycleSpace folks are more than > familiar with Rivendells (and all things BoBish). Ed mentioning the topic > to Erik will be enough to put the possibility on his radar. > > (Feel free to join the shop on any of their weekend group rides on your > Riv, if you're so inclined.) > > Congratulations, Keith, on the upcoming new addition! (And, looking > forward to seeing what the Hunq looks like in person sometime in the > future.) Will be interesting to see how Riv responds to your query. > > Cheers, > > -- Liz S. > > > > On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:14:53 PM UTC-4, Kevin Lindsey wrote: >> >> Keith - >> Congrats on the new one. If this is your first, then brace yourself and >> get plenty of sleep while you can. >> I've had no problems with my Hunqapillar since you fixed the seat post a >> couple of weeks back - it continues to be a work of art. It was great >> meeting you and I remain grateful for the time you took to set it up. >> I've never been to BicycleSpace but, if folks want to do a Riv flashmob >> there and show off our bikes, let me know. >> Kevin >> >> On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 11:34:03 AM UTC-4, Keith Muller wrote: >>> >>> Tony, >>> >>> We are indeed right off the C&O Canal. The Bicycle Pro Shop is on 34th >>> & M St NW in Georgetown. Stop in sometime when you get a chance. I'll be >>> out for the next couple weeks cause my wife and I are expecting a little >>> one here in the next couple days. >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. 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