Government Bicycle Program News

On 6/30/2020 1:00 PM, wrote:
On Monday, June 29, 2020 at 5:38:34 PM UTC-5, sms wrote:
On 6/29/2020 1:12 PM, wrote:

snip

I am in the middle of Iowa. I know the owner of the Trek bike shop in town but have never talked to him about where his shop earns its revenue. Expensive or cheap bikes, accessories, clothing, mechanical service, etc. That would probably be a fun talk. I ride with a group of adult bicyclists. Avid bicyclists I guess since we ride once or twice a week in the good weather months. They all have multiple bikes each. And NONE of them have $500 and under bikes. $1000 is the very cheapest bike anyone rides. Of course I realize the adult bicyclists I ride with may not represent adult bicyclists very well. We are all probably money hungry grubbing elitists with college degrees. The horror!!!!

You and your friends might be the typical customers at a Trek shop, but
you're not the typical customer at a bike shop not catering to pro
wannabees.

Maybe. But everyone I ride with is in his 50s, 60s, 70s. I doubt there are too many of them or me with professional bicycling dreams. None of them are poor. They all have sufficient money. And like to ride bikes. So maybe not representative of adult bicyclists across the country. Spending $1-2000 or more on a bicycle every few years is not a big deal.

I remember riding across Iowa and stopping in some little downtown cafe
for breakfast. I felt a little odd wearing riding clothes when everyone
else looked like farmers, wearing jeans or overalls and John Deere caps.

Then a couple farmers came over to chat. One of them said back in the
1970s he used to ride a Raleigh International. The other guy mentioned
some other high-end Raleigh that he had. Those were bikes I used to
drool over.

It was a pleasant conversation.

--
- Frank Krygowski