Indiana Bike Race

Bicycle Garage Indy is proud to be a sponsor of the the 5th Annual Mayor's Bike Ride.

This year the ride will start at Butler University and highlight the new bike lanes on Illinois Street and Capitol Avenue. Participants will enjoy a casual 10 mile bike ride that will loop back to Butler University.

Bike safety information, children's bike helmets, door prizes, and snacks will be available for participants. FREE T-shirts will be provided to the first 200 participants that register! Shirts will also be available to purchase on the day of the ride.

What: Mayor's Bike Ride

Where: Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46208

When: Saturday, June 1, 2013

Time: Registration/Check-In 9 a.m. Ride Starts 10 a.m.

Complete details and registration at: http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DPW/SustainIndy/Bikeways/Pages/Mayor's-Bike-Ride-.aspx

I pretty much ride my bike everyday, doesn't matter if its raining or snowing out i will be out there, the big event i do is RAGBRAI (Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). I don't race I just ride for fun. It shouldn't matter how fast you are or how often you ride just get out there and have some fun!! Be safe out there, always wear you're helmet, share and follow rules of the road!!

Name: rj zeph
Bicycle: 2011 cannondale synapse
City: carmel
State: indiana

Hi RJ.  Glad the new wheel are working out, they should be a lot of fun riding in Iowa this summer!  Thanks from everyone at Bicycle Garage Indy for sharing Your Bicycle picture and story.

Celebrate National Bike Month with BGI!

Share Your Bicycle
Picture and Story
during May!

Your picture is a chance to win a Garmin Edge 800 GPS from BGI!
The first 20 entries will receive a $10 BGI Gift Card

No matter how you ride Your Bicycle during the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Month in Indianapolis, Bicycle Garage Indy  would like to hear your story, and share it with our customers, friends and fans.  

You can share a picture from your commute to work, your workout ride, your favorite outing with friends, or even your latest jaunt for coffee. 

And when Bicycle Garage Indy shares Your Bicycle picture and story, you will be entered in a prize drawing for a Garmin Edge 800 Touchscreen GPS for Your Bicycle.

The contest is easy.  Submit Your Bicycle picture and story using this form www.bgindy.com/for/yourbicycle. Eligible entries* must be submitted by Midnight, May 30, 2013. Once your entry has been processed, you will be entered in random drawing for the Garmin Edge 800.  The drawing will be held and the winner will be announced on Friday, May 31, 2013.

Bicycle Garage Indy has dozens of Your Bicycle pictures on our website, from our friends, fans and customers.  We also have 2 video albums (Vol. I, Vol. II) with pictures from the last year of Your Bicycle stories.

Find the latest information on National Bike Month events in Indianapolis on the BGI Website - www.bgindy.com/for/bikemonth.

*Indiana Residents only, full details on the entry form web page at www.bgindy.com/for/yourbicycle.

It goes without saying, Connie Szabo Schmucker, Bicycle Garage Indy's Advocacy Director, is an avid cyclist.  Along with her husband, Randy Schmucker, they help lead and promote the very popular Grand Touring Ride series for the Central Indiana Bicycling Association.  Along with their own bikes, they are frequently seen out on their tandem.  Leading rides all over Indiana (and the Midwest) they have developed strong preferences in tires, and their favorite is the Continental's Ultra Gator Skin (or GatorSkin).:

These tires last 2x as long as any other tire I've used and are very impervious to flats. We rarely get flats. Since we ride our tandem ~2000 miles a year, this tire usually gets us through the riding season for the rear tire and through 2 years for the front tire barring any punctures.

Mileage my husband and I generally get before needing to replace the tire from wear on this tire: 5000 miles on rear, 10,000 miles on front on single bikes vs. 2500 rear/ 5000 front with other tires 2000 miles on rear, 5000 miles on front on tandem vs. 1000 rear / 2500 front with other tires.

(How do we know this? My husband has a maintenance log for all of our bikes and tracks how long the tires last and when we need to think about replacing them.)

Bicycle Garage Indy carries a complete selection of Continental bicycle tires, along with tires from Kenda, Bontrager, Michelin, Mavic and Serfas.

- Jay S. Hardcastle, BGI Marketing Manager 
 

Join Bicycle Indiana for the 2013 National Bike Challenge (NBC). The lead sponsor for the Challenge is Kimberly Clark and it's presented by the League of American Bicyclists. Bicycle Indiana is an authorized organization (AO) and will once again be leading the charge for Indiana.

The National Bike Challenge officially begins on May 1st and will conclude on September 30th, 2013. The Challenge is no-charge to anyone who lives in the U.S. or works for an organization with U.S. employees.

The Bike Challenge records both your transportation/commuting and sport/recreation miles.  Regular commuters can preset their one way distance, and record both rides.  The challenge rewards extra points for transportation/commutting miles and trip; you don't have to ride mega miles to get a high ranking.

Riders are also organized by their place of employment and into self-selected clubs and teams, making the competition even more intersesting for groups and companies.

Join Today! http://www.endomondo.com/campaign/nbc2013

You can join the National Bike Challenge now; activity will be reset to zero on May 1st. If you would like more information about starting a team or registering your business, contact Bicycle Indiana.

- Jay S. Hardcastle

May is National Bike and if you are the BGI email list, you have just recieved lots of details on the exciting month ahead in our latest email newsletter.  

Here is a quick summary of the Indianapolis Bike Month Events covered in our latest newsletter:

• BGI's Bike Month Kick-Off Event
• Tour de Tires (on Mass Ave)
• Bike-In Movie @ Garfield Park (Indy Parks)
• Indianapolis Cultural Trail Ribbon Cutting & Get Down On It Grand Opening
• Indy Cog Two Wheels One City 
• Indianapolis Bike to Work Day 
• 2013 National Bike Challenge - Bicycle Indiana
• More Events On The Calendar (designed to make happier, better bike riders)

Bicycle Garage Indy has three locations to serve you; Bicycle Garage Indy North (Indianapolis, Dean Road at 82nd St.),  South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood), and BGI Downtown, in the Indy Bike Hub YMCA.

- Jay S. Hardcastle, BGI Marketing Manager 
 

Bicycle Garage Indy is pleased to announce it will be hosting  Bike Month Kick-Off - a brand new event, and evening of connections, contacts and info. Come to BGI North on Wednesday, May 1 (first day of National Bike Month) from 5:30-7:30 pm. You'll meet representatives of bicycle organizations, find out what going on in Indianapolis and Indiana for bicycling, find out about upcoming events and get ready to celebrate Bike Month and Bike to Work Day!

Organizations represented (as of 4/15/13):

• ActiveIndy Tours
• Bicycle Indiana
• BISSELL/ABG/Giant Racing Team
• Central Indiana Bicycling Association (CIBA)
• Greenways Foundation
• Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA)
• Indy Bike Hub YMCA
• Nine13Sports
• Shifting Gears

We look forward to seeing you here.

Jay Hardcastle
Marketing Manager - Bicycle Garage Indy
jhardcastle@bgindy.com

Bicycle Garage Indy is pleased to have Geoffrey Chandler join us and help our customers learn more about preparing for triathlons. His presentation will cover the following:

• Training
• Skills
• First Race Preparation
• Equipment
• Resources

If you have any specific question on one of the topics listed that you'd like addressed, please enter your question in the registration form at www.bgindy.com/for/trinight.

Geoffrey Chandler's bio: Based in Indianapolis, Geoffrey is a certified USAT level 1 coach bringing 28 years of multi-sport competition and passion for endurance sport.  Having competed in six World championship events of varying distances including Hawaii Ironman, ITU Wolrd Long-Distance Championship, ITU World Duathlon Championship, and ICU Masters World Cyclocross Championship, Geoff has a wide range of experience from which to draw. Geoff is also the 2012 Indiana State TT Champion in his age group and considers cycling his strongest suit.

Geoff's background as a teacher helps him appreciate the uniqueness of each athlete and find ways to turn challenges into strengths. He has a particular interest and knowledge relating to power-based cycling training.

Agenda

5:45 pm    Food/social time
6:15 pm    Welcome/Intros
6:30 pm    Presentation: How to Prepare for a Successful Triathlon - Geoffrey Chandler
7:15 pm    Shopping
7:45 pm    Door Prizes / Evening ends

Please fill out this form at to register for Bicycle Garage Indy's "Tri Night: How to Prepare for a Successful Triathlon" on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at Bicycle Garage Indy North, 4340 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, IN. 

Jay Hardcastle
Marketing Manager - Bicycle Garage Indy
jhardcastle@bgindy.com

BGI customers on our email list have recently received our latest email newsletter.  
Here some of the useful items from the latest edition:

• TREKfest Sale (April 11 - 15)
• Vote (on Facebook) for Indiana's trail (funded by Bell Helmets) www.hmba.org
• BGI TRI (athlon) NIGHT coming 4/25
• Ladies' Night Thursday 4/11: registration open
• Indianapolis' 'Complete Streets' policy commended
• BGI Weekly Ride Calendar

Bicycle Garage Indy has three locations to serve you; Bicycle Garage Indy North (Indianapolis, Dean Road at 82nd St.),  South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood), and BGI Downtown, in the Indy Bike Hub YMCA.

- Jay S. Hardcastle, BGI Marketing Manager 
 

Big News for future of bicycling in Indianapolis!

From Indiana Complete Streets Campaign:

BIG NEWS! The National Complete Streets Coalition is recognizing Indianapolis's Complete Streets Ordinance as the #1 Complete Streets Policy of 2012, and the top piece of City Legislation ever adopted nationally!! We are so proud of the City of Indianapolis and everyone who helped make its Complete Streets policy a reality. Congratulations!!

To see the full report:(with Indianapolis on the cover)
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets-2012-analysis

From Inside Indiana with Gerry Dick:

Indianapolis Tops Complete Streets Policy List

The National Complete Streets Coalition has listed Indianapolis at the top of a list for the best policies of 2012. Coalition Deputy Director Stefanie Seskin says the city can serve as an example to other communities of what a streets access policy should look like. The Indianapolis ordinance was passed last August unanimously by the City-County Council and signed by Mayor Ballard. The policy applies to all construction and reconstruction.
 

For full article, click on this link: www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=58810

Some background:

In August 2012, the Indianapolis City-County Council unanimously pssed Indianapolis' Complete Streets Ordinance and it was signed by Mayor Ballard. 

Why is that so important?  In the realm of transportation and infrastructure planning and design, policies generally don't support planning for bicycles, pedestrians and mass transit on equal terms as other road users. So unless there was a specific special effort to get a bike lane or a sidewalk added as part of a road design, it generally wasn't done. What a Complete Streets Policy does is turn that around. Wth a Complete Street Policy,  it is now a normal part of the planning and design process to look at the needs of all road users and there needs to be a reason to not include their needs in the design. Once the policy is in place, the work is not done - it is just beginning. Now comes the hard work of making sure that steps are in place to ensure the policy is implemented. 

So it is exciting that Indianapolis not only passed a Complete Streets Policy with bi-partisan support, but that is is now getting national recognition as being the best Complete Streets Policy in the country!

 It's all a team effort. While there are many people who deserve credit for this including the Indianapolis City-County Council and Indianapolis Mayor Ballard, the Indiana Complete Streets Coalition and Health by Design deserve a bulk of the credit for spearheading this effort. Congratulations to all involved!

Connie

Connie Szabo Schmucker

Advocacy Director

Bicycle Garage Indy

Warm weather has finally arrived, and when you start riding more, it's time to take a look at your tires and decide when to replace or upgrade.  While it may be obvious that a tire is "toast", there are other things to consider.  A tire can still be usable with a considerable amount of tire wear, but may be more prone to flats. Also, if your tires are getting toward the end of their useful life, you may to upgrade before you next big event or training cycle, to make sure you spend time riding rather than on the side of the road.  

We have asked our staff to share some their favorites and a few their picks.

Toby Holsman, BGI's Operations Manager is big fan of the Michelin Pro4 Endurance ($64.99)  for a high mileage training tire - 

I love the Michelin Pro4 Endurance.  It handles, corners, and most importantly, lasts better than any other high-mileage tire.  You'll never go back to Gatorskins after owning these.

Toby picks the Continental GP 4000s ($74.99)  for his competitive riding and best all around performance -

The Continental GP4000 is one of the most expensive clincher tires.  It deserves to be.  No other tire strikes a better balance between high performance and durability.  It lasts nearly as well as training-only tires, and it performs on par with superlight race-only tires.  If I could only buy one tire for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Adam Haines, a Bicycle and Fitness Consultant at BGI North is also a fan of the GP 4000s - 

Light, grippy, low rolling resistance,  and durable.  Nuff said.

Jay Hardcastle, Marketing Manager at Bicycle Garage Indy, likes the Serfas Seca ($27.99) wire beaded tires for their value and durability for sport and distance riding - 

It is a great value tire, and we have used all three widths in our household of bikes - 23, 25 and 28, for every type of riding from sprint triathlons to centuries, and on our tandem.  

Bicycle Garage Indy stocks road tires from Continental, Michelin, and Serfas, with choices for every budget and use.   Bicycle Garage Indy has three locations to serve you; Bicycle Garage Indy North (Indianapolis, Dean Road at 82nd St.),  South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood), and BGI Downtown, in the Indy Bike Hub YMCA at City Market.

Join us at Bicycle Garage Indy North on Thursday, April 11, starting at 5:30 PM, for the next BGI Ladies' Night.  We'll have Sam Bailey, owner of Koki Bike Bags of Hood River, Oregon here for this fun event.  This in-store event is free, but registration at  www.bgindy.com/for/ladiesnight is required.  Attendance is limited to 50, so please sign up early.

Sam will answer all your questions about the various options you have to carry items on your bike for longer rides, running errands, shopping - you name it, there's a way to carry it.   She will also talk more about  Decide 2 Ride, the riding philosphy that drives her company.

Bonus Event: If you can't come to Ladies' Night but still want to learn about Koki's line of bags and panniers, head to BGI South on Thursday April 11 between 12pm - 2pm. We're pleased to have Sam Bailey, owner of Koki Bike Bags, visit BGI South for a less structured event. Don't be shy. We just want to help you learn about bicycle bags so that you can enjoy your biking more. Let us know you're coming by using the registration at this link.

Please consider making a small donation (used bicycle parts, cash donation) to help support Shifting Gears. Shifting Gears is a program which takes in donated bikes, the bikes are refurbished by offenders and donated through community organizations to people who need bikes. Shifting Gears is a partnership between Bicycle Garage Indy, Volunteers of America of Indiana and Indiana Department of Correction. For more information: www.bgindy.com/for/shiftinggears

A few weeks ago we received this exceptional, inspirational story from a customer, and share it with her permission.

When I started my lifestyle change in 2008 I was definitely at the end of my
rope.

Diagnosed with several medical issues, Doctors told me I was a great candidate for knee surgery and I suffered from chronic pain due to several other problems.

They had prescribed 14 different medications I took daily.
Something had to change and I knew it was my lifestyle.
Many people suggested gastric bypass.  I chose going for a change in
nutrition/exercise, since surgery was not an option for me.

On a cold day in March, we entered a large tent and talked with some experts
about Giant bikes.

Biking didn't just change my life.  It truly SAVED my life!
From that day forward, I never looked back, determined to be healthy again,
off the medications, lose the weight and defy all the doctors who said I
could not/ would not do it!

I fell instantly "in love" with biking.
Biking takes me to all those places of freedom I have not experienced since
I was a kid and the health benefits are astounding.  The nature I have
witnessed has been incredible.  Each moment I spend on my bike is a drink in
the fountain of youth.

Life can pass you by or you can LIVE IT!

I now have 30 pounds to my goal.  We just purchased our second set of road
bikes from Bicycle Garage Indy and are looking forward to an incredibly active summer, full of bike races and adventure!

As for the meds, I now only take 2 daily.  My knees still have some pain, but no surgery needed in the future.

I ran in my first 8k trail run last weekend after hearing doctors tell me for years I would never run... I believed them for awhile.

When we are focused, positive and determined, it is amazing what we can
accomplish.

Looking forward to training for the RAIN Ride now.  That is my next goal.

Happy trails....

Name: Victoria Williams
Bike: Giant Hybrid
City: Indianapolis
State: IN

Victoria: Thanks from everyone at Bicycle Garage Indy for sharing Your Bicycle picture and story.


 

The Greenways Foundation has concerns that there should be a state funded trails maintenance fund. To aid with the growing demand to maintain our valued trail networks, the Greenways Foundation of Indiana proposes the establishment of a Greenways Maintenance Fund at the state level.  This fund would be available to trail management agencies, public and not-for-profit, to provide financial aid in maintaining off-road trails.

To highlight this concern and educate Indiana state legislators on the importance of establishing a trails maintenance fund, the Greenway Foundation has reserved the Atrium at the Statehouse on MONDAY, APRIL 8, FROM 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, to bring these concerns to the attention of the legislators. Refreshments will be served. YOUR PRESENCE IS VITAL. The more people we have the better.

For more information and to notify the Greenways Foundation by email of your availability to attend to lamerekaren@gmail.com.

Show your support for a Trails Maintenance Fund by attending an event at the Statehouse on Monday April 8 and/or by inviting your state legislators to attend.

Event Details:

What: Special Trails Gathering at the Statehouse North Atrium
When: Monday, April 8, 11 am - 2 pm
Where: Indiana Statehouse North Atrium

March 3-7, 2013 I had the opportunity to go to the Women's Bicycle Forum and the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, Here's a summary of what I did while in Washington DC:

SUNDAY March 3
I arrived Sunday evening and went to the Women Bike Launch party and met a woman who does similar work in a Chattanooga TN bike shop and some bicycle advocates from Minnesota who work for BikeMN.

MONDAY March 4
I went to the Women's Bicycle Forum Monday. There were 325 women (and about 50 men) signed up. Great presentations and keynote addresses. I met up with Elysa Walk (head of Giant Bicycles USA) and got my picture taken with her. She was on a panel about bicycle manufacturers and efforts to make products for women. 

At Women's Bicycle Forum, I was inspired by Georgena Terry (keynote speaker), Rep. Tammy Duckworth (IL), Black Women Bike organization.The only presentation I was somewhat disappointed with (and was the main reason I wanted to attend this pre-summit event) was the presentation about what bicycle retailers can do to attract more women customers. First of all, the original proposal I sent in to present was about what BGI does to attract and keep women customers. So I was hoping to hear something that we aren't already doing and hear what other creative folks were doing. There were 4 panelists including 1 company that has been featured in many publications - Pedal Chic (started 3 years ago) and 1 retailer who just started 1.5 years ago.  Their criteria for choosing the panel was shops that had 40% or more business from women.

The top 9 ways the shops gave to attract women: location of store, clean bathrooms, comfortable dressing rooms, friendly staff, women staff, wide selection of products, positive retail experience, layout of store, communication and didn't go into much detail of any of them. Although I could say that might mean we're doing as much or more than everyone else, I think there are things out there we could be doing or doing better.  So I was disappointed that I didn't learn anything new and they didn't have a retailer on the panel who had been in the business for a long time, had made changes and saw those changes pay off. I got more insight in one-on-one discussions with other women who work for retail shops and are doing similar things to what I do.

Monday evening I met up with the Indiana/Indy delegation and spoke with Mayor Ballard and Chad. I also made a point to introduce myself to John Burke, president of Trek Bicycles. He spoke at the evening's session and mentioned that only 300 of the 4500-5000 bicycle retailers are involved with advocacy. So I told him I was a full-time bicycle advocacy director for Bicycle Garage Indy and that I was on a panel tomorrow talking about the role BGI has played in helping make Indianapolis more bicycle friendly.  I asked him if he knew how many bike shops had a full-time bicycle advocacy director, because I didn't think there were many of us, and I'd like to be able to network with them and share ideas. He thought there were about 20 and gave me his card so I could email him and he would forward it to someone at Trek who could find out.

 

TUESDAY March 5
Mayor Ballard was a hit in this morning's session and got interviewed by Bicycling Magazine; also got interviewed or will be featured in a PBS show (I think). Maybe Indy will make it into the Bicycling's Top 50 Cities for Bicycling this year. Several folks wanted to ask questions of him after our presentation.

Mayor Ballard at Summit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcqfWdkF-e8

SLO bike blog - mentions Mayor Ballard
http://slobikelane.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/nbs12-day-2-recap/

Our Indy presentation went well - we had a lot of people attend because the Mayor had spoken at the plenary session and they wanted to hear more. John Burke was in the audience of Indy's presentation. Our presentation was about how the various entities have combined efforts to create a more bicycle friendly Indianapolis: public/government - Jamison Hutchins and Mayor Ballard; public/private partnerships - Cultural Trail / Karen Haley; business/retail - I covered Indy's timeline, Bicycle Garage Indy's advocacy efforts and Indy Bike Hub; and advocacy organizations - IndyCOG / Kevin Whited. Our presentations along with other summit presentations are now posted online at http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit13/

I also went to the presentation called "the business benefits of advocacy for bicycle retailers". Most of the discussion from the panel was how they got started in advocacy and then they had Q&A. Jerry Hiniker, Claudia Nix, Jeff Selzer and Dan Thornton were the panel. They each had a unique perspective in how they supported advocacy within their store. Most of the questions were how can an already busy business owner make the time or devote the resources to advocacy.  The panel was fairly unanimous is saying you have to make the time - advocacy is what develops the opportunities for new customers. Liberty Bicycles has "Pedal Link" a fundraising effort - customers record mileage on website. Shop donates $0.01/mile as well as any additional donations people give - they raised $27K for advocacy efforts - enough to support development of a trail. I thought that was a unique way to engage customers and provide a source of revenue for advocacy projects.

The last session I went to had 3 short segments about getting businesses involved with bicycling (outside of the bike business) - most interesting was about the National Bike Challenge.

Plenary sessions included AAA unveiling their new "Share the Road" public service announcement (http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2013/03/bike-summit-aaa-debuts-new-share-the-road-psa/) - and the background on the inspiration for the video by the ad firm was very interesting. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4629Ic25-Ko)

The League of American Bicyclists has posted most of the videos online - the easiest way to access them is here (scroll down to see Summit videos): http://www.youtube.com/user/bikeleaguevideo/videos?view=0 or links to specific videos from their blogs about the event: http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/

WEDNESDAY March 6
Snow was predicted for Wednesday when we all were to descend upon Capitol Hill (4-6" predicted). What we got was mostly rain. I went to three appointments - Sen. Dan Coats, Rep.  Susan Brooks and Sen. Joe Donnelly. As we were leaving Sen. Donnelly's office he made a point of coming out and greeting us and we got our picture taken with him. We were scheduled to go to Rep. Carson's office, but they didn't have the office opened. The federal government offices were all closed due to the prediction of snow. The senate and representative offices were all trying to get out early so we had a few meetings rescheduled to earlier.

The meetings I went to and the other meetings that were covered by others from Indiana went very well - even those we didn't have any expectations for - Rep. Larry Bucshon being a big surprise (he didn't even want to meet with bicyclists at last year's summit). The Indiana delegation was mostly from Indianapolis area, but we covered all but 3 of the 11 senators/districts. Nancy Tibbett, Executive Director of Bicycle Indiana, arranged the congressional appointments and who would be the lead in each meeting. It was stressed that the meetings were the start of a long-term relationship building. The leads for each meeting will be continuing to contact them and invite them to special events in their districts.
 

  After lunch with the Indiana delegation I had a bit of time before going to the reception, so I took some pictures of the Bikestation at Union Station. Since it was locked/closed to non-members, I had to take photos from the outside. Better photos and more info are here: http://home.bikestation.com/washingtondc

Wednesday night everyone got back together for the congressional reception and heard of the successes on capitol hill. I got reacquainted with several advocacy folks I met at previous National Bike Summits and Thunderhead Alliance (now Alliance for Bicycling and Walking) retreats. When I came to the National Bike Summit as executive director of Indiana Bicycle Coalition (now Bicycle Indiana) I stayed at the home of Ellen Jones, then ED of Washington Area Bicyclists Association. It was great to catch up with her.

Then there was a party at a normally hip-hop place filled with bike advocates instead for the night. At the party, I was able to talk with Andy Clarke, president of League of American Bicyclists, and thank him for having Mayor Ballard and Indianapolis featured at the Summit. He is going to be in town for the grand opening of the Cultural Trail May 10-11 and again at the end of May for the American College of Sports Medicine conference so he'll get to see the Hub and the progress we've made first hand (the last time he was in Indy was April 2010). I hope to get him to BGI's North store while he's here as well, but his time will most likely be filled. I also spoke with Ginny Sullivan (Adventure Cycling Association) and Jeff Miller (Alliance for Bicycling and Walking) - they were interested in BGI's advocacy efforts and would like to see other retailers be as involved in bicycling.

THURSDAY March 7

Thursday morning was sunny and I had a bit of time before my flight so I went sightseeing at the Mall. I had hoped to find a bikeshare bike and ride around for a short ride, but was not able to locate any (and had forgotten to look online for a location before I left my hotel). I did see people on the capitol bikeshare bikes but only saw one corral the entire time I was in DC. Besides photos of the Washington Monument and the Capitol, the other photos are of  a unique bicycle shaped bike rack right by my hotel in Arlington, VA and the bikes lanes that are on Pennsylvania Ave. 

On Thursday, Rep. Brooks was on my flight and as we were waiting in baggage claim, I introduced myself to her (we had met with her legislative assistant for transportation issues). She seemed genuinely interested in going to a Safe Routes to School award school in her district (to be determined).

I had 4 very long days (up 'til midnight, rising at 6 am). I returned Thursday evening (flight was delayed due to snow in other areas of the country) just in time to get ready for BGI's Spring Bicycle Expo which started the following week (March 15-17).

Overall the Summit was good. I still have about 12 pages of cryptic notes yet to go through. (may translate into 3-4 pages of typewritten).

Connie

Flow.  That's the concept behind many of the trails in Brown County State Park.  Now plans are in place for a new "Flow" trail.  Imagine a one-way, downhill-optimized dirt rollercoaster of a trail starting at the top of Hesitation Point and linking up with the Green Valley trail.  But we need your vote to make this happen sooner rather than later!

Your vote can help Brown County win a $100,000 grant from Bell Helmet for work on the Hobbs Hollow trail.  This brand new 3-mile segment of trail will be jam-packed with bermed turns, step-ups, rock drops, and tabletop jumps along its a 2-mile descent with 360 feet of vertical drop, more than any other trail in the state.

Bell Bike Helmets is partnering with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) to give away $100,000 in trail grants in its Bell Built Facebook contest. With more than 100 applications submitted, twelve trail projects have been selected as finalists in three different categories – Pump Track, Flow Trail and a Downhill.  One winner will be chosen in each category.

You can find additional informatiion on the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA.org) website.

Cast your vote and tell your friends and help bring more sweet singletrack to Brown County Moutain Biking. Vote Midwest and give some love to Elm Creek, MN (pump track) and Copper Harbor, MI (downhill)!

VOTE BROWN COUNTY HOBBS HOLLOW FLOW TRAIL - NOW THRU APRIL 1

https://www.facebook.com/BellBikeHelmets?sk=app_469747409753569&app_data

Bicycle Garage Indy is proud to be sponsor of many HMBA events every year!

Bicycle Garage Indy North and Bicycle Garage Indy South will be the site of the Indiana unveiling of the most aerodynamic road bike in the world, Giant Bicycle’s Propel Advanced SL. The Propel Advanced SL is wind-tunnel proven to be faster from every angle.  This will be just one of the special events during BGI's 30th Annual Spring Bicycle Expo, March 15-17.

Years of research, development and testing—in the wind tunnel and on the roads by Team Blanco pros including sprinter Theo Bos—led to the all-new Propel Advanced SL, the world’s fastest aero road bike. Its wind-slicing new innovations include AeroSystem Shaping technology, the SpeedControl SLR brake system and Contact Aero handlebar. The Advanced SL-grade composite frame—with an OverDrive 2 steerer tube for stiff, precise steering and handling, and integrated seatpost for added aerodynamics and compliance—forms the backbone of a bike that has best-in-class light weight and unrivaled aero innovation.

Be the first to see the fastest aero bike ever built at Bicycle Garage Indy at the following times and locations:

Friday, March 15 at 5:00 PM
Bicycle Garage Indy North, 4340 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis

Friday, March 15 at 7:00 PM
Bicycle Garage Indy South, 997 E. County Line Rd., Greenwood

Other Activities at Bicycle Garge Indy North during the 3 day Spring Bicycle Expo include:

Jeff Lenosky Bicycle Stunt Show Times:
Friday, March 15: 6 pm;
Saturday, March 16: 11 am, 2 pm, 6 pm; 
Sunday, March 17: 1 pm, 3 pm

Bicycle Seminars (presented by various Bicycle Industry Experts and Advocacy groups):
Friday, March 15: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm 7 pm
Saturday, March 16: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm 7 pm
Sunday, March 17: 2 pm, 4 pm

The Jeff Lenosky stunt shows and Bicycle Seminars are all free to the public.

Bicycle stunt man Jeff Lenosky will perform again at BGI North during the Spring Expo.  Jeff is a periennial favorite in Indianapolis,  demonstrating his riding skill in jumps on,  over and off obstacles over 8 feet high.  Jeff, sponsored by Giant Bicycle will perform all three days of the Expo, March 15, 16, and 17.

A legend of mountain bike freeriding and trials riding, Lenosky is a veteran Giant rider who travels the country competing and performing demos. A native of New Jersey, he is a pioneer of MTB street and urban riding and he holds the world record for the highest bunny hop on a mountain bike (45.5 inches).

Today Lenosky spends most of his time showing off his skills at group events and also competing in trials, dual stunt and other events such as the Odd Couple MTB/BMX contest at Ray’s MTB Park in Cleveland. In a typical year, he performs more than 150 shows all around the country. In addition to competing and riding, Lenosky helps created, design and construct competitions and courses. 

Jeff Lenosky show tims at BGI North:

• Friday: 6pm
• Saturday: 11am, 2pm, 6pm
• Sunday: 1pm, 3pm

Visit YouTube to see Jeff doing his thing. Kids love it!

	Jeff Lenosky Video #1 (3:30 runtime) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IKuRdgcUVI
	Jeff Lenosky Video #2 (2:04 runtime) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-CB1fb8RbM

Working in a bike shop is more than just getting to handle all the "cool" gear.  You also get to meet, talk and share with industry experts with decades fo experience in their fields and products.  During the Bicycle Garage Indy Spring Bicycle Expo,(March 15-7, 2013) we will have dozens of these experts from our suppliers on site, who come to help us staff the event.  They are stationed throught the store, helping customers with their specialties all during the weekend.

This year, we are offering a number these industry experts a chance to offer short semiars, 30 to 45 minutes in length, to talk to directly to you, our customers.  Many of these seminars will be the short version of the same product training they offer BGI staff each year.  And we have also given local bicycle advocacy groups, IndyCOG, Bicycle Indiana, and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA.org) a chanc tell you about their organizations too!

With one exception, the seminars will take place at Bicycle Garage Indy North (Dean Rd. at 82nd).    Their will be one seminar at BGI South and North, as Giant introduces the Propel Advance SL, their newest road bike, the most aerodynamic road in the world.  This is the Indiana introduction of this bike from Giant.

The seminars are occur throughout the day, all weekend.  The schedule, with a short description is listed below.  The seminars are free, with no registration required.

Seminar at BGI South
	Friday - 7pm BGI South	Eric Pirtle of Giant Bicycles will be unveiling Giant Bicycle's Propel Advanced SL, the world's most aerodynamic road bike. The Propel Advanced SL is wind-tunnel proven to be faster from every angle. You'll be the first people in Indiana to see the fastest aero bike ever built!
Seminars at BGI North
	Friday 1pm BGI North	Gary Thomas from Electra Bicycle Company will be discussing why Electra bikes (especially Townies) work so well for the casual cyclist that wants fun and comfort to be the major part of their cycling experience.  "Come see why a Townie can be a 30 minute vacation every day" with it's upright riding position, flat foot technology and how the customer can personalize their bike with all the fun accessories.
	Friday 3pm BGI North	Learn about Shimano's newest Dura-Ace groups from Dave Riggs from Shimano. A short movie will be shown about the development of the new mechanical and electronic groups and after the movie Dave Riggs will do a question and answer session.
	Friday 5pm BGI North	Eric Pirtle of Giant Bicycles will be unveiling Giant Bicycle's Propel Advanced SL, the world's most aerodynamic road bike. The Propel Advanced SL is wind-tunnel proven to be faster from every angle. Be the first to see he fastest aero bike ever built!
	Friday 7pm BGI North	Joshua Ruddy from Cannondale will discuss Cannondale's brand history/proprietary technology.
	Saturday 1pm BGI North	Presenter Kevin Gamper will highlight the company history, brand identity, distinctive product offerings and contributions to the sport and pastime of cycling of both Sugoi Performance Apparel and Sidi Cycling Shoes. Sugoi is a multisport apparel vendor out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Sidi is an Italian manufacturer of what many regard as the best-fitting cycling footwear on the planet. Come learn more about both of them! The discussion will be enhanced with samples of each vendor's coolest designs.
	Saturday 3pm BGI North	Find out about the new line of Zipp aero wheels from Jeff Gold from Zipp.
	Saturday 5pm BGI North	Luke Lindgren from Trek Bicycles will be on hand to discuss Trek's involvement with Bikes Belong and IMBA. He'll also give an overview of Trek's road bike line-up, Bontrager accessories, including road wheels.
	Saturday 7pm BGI North	Learn from Kevin Whited of IndyCOG about the latest activities and initiatives Indianapolis' bicycle advocacy organization, IndyCOG, has planned and how you can get involved: Bike to Work Day, Two Wheels One City, Indy Ride Guide and more.
	Sunday 2pm BGI North	Nancy Tibbett, Executive Director of Bicycle Indiana, will be fresh from the National Bike Summit and SPIN 2013 (indiana Bike Summit) armed with news about local and statewide bicycle news and initiatives of Bicycle Indiana. Bicycle Indiana works to create a more bicycle friendly Indiana through promoting and encouraging bicycling in Indiana, educating  bicyclists, motorists and policymakers on the benefits and importance of safe bicycling and advocating bicycle-friendly laws, policies and infrastructure in Indiana.  find out how you can help.
	Sunday 4pm BGI North	HMBA-IMBA has built and currently maintains over 125 miles of high quality mountain bike trails statewide.  With over 200 more miles of trail in the development of planning stages, Indiana is positioned to be a midwest destination for mountain biking.  Learn from Paul Arlinghaus, President of HMBA-IMBA, about HMBA-IMBA trails and how you can help build more trails.

We hope these seminars give you one more reason to stop by yourself, or tell a friend about Bicycle Garage Indy and BGI Fitness.

BGI customers on our email list have recently received our latest email newsletter.  And the highlight of this issue is our 30th annual Spring Bicycle Expo.
Here some of the useful items from the latest edition:

• Bicycle Garage Indy Spring Bicycle Expo
• Jeff Lenosky Returns to BGI for Expo
• spIN 2013 - The Indiana Bicycle Summit March 14-16 

Bicycle Garage Indy has three locations to serve you; Bicycle Garage Indy North (Indianapolis, Dean Road at 82nd St.),  South (just west of I-65 on County Line Rd, Greenwood), and BGI Downtown, in the Indy Bike Hub YMCA.

- Jay S. Hardcastle, BGI Marketing Manager