Just a friendly reminder …

Renaissance Bicycles will officially end its reign on December 31st, 2010.  Hence, all of the items listed in the Closeout Inventory will magically disappear, only to repair appear at some later date on eBay.  In other words, now is the last chance to take advantage of getting some of these probably-not-stocked-at-your-LBS items.

And again thanks for the dozens of emails, comments, and phone calls over the last couple of weeks.  It is a nice pat-on-the-back that (in some small way) we’ve helped turn the tide towards versatile, practical, and elegant bicycles.

Happy Holidays!

Of the countless blog posts we’ve written over the last three years, this is the one we never wanted to write:

If you ask any small business owner, they will tell you that times are tough – we are amid The Great Recession.  We, as a nation, experienced a long and unparalleled period of growth and prosperity, but we never considered that our “success” was due more to a long sequence of short-termed achievements rather than a solid foundation of cultivated hard work.  Now, mired in a stagnant economy, we don’t have the ability to bootstrap ourselves back to our “comfortable” levels of spending and consumption.  And it is this nebulous economy that has most small businesses in a bind.

Unfortunately, Renaissance Bicycles is no exception.

To make our situation that much more difficult, we now have the added responsibility of a (literally) growing family.  Moreover, while the business is an integral part our daily lives, childcare is much more than just an aside to our daily activities.  To put it plainly, we have to make an uncomfortable choice; either soldier-on with the hope of the business becoming more profitable very soon, or devote our attention to the best interest of our little clan.  For us, this decision is a no-brainer.  The Renaissance is over.

We have certainly made many sacrifices to create Renaissance Bicycles.  The personal and professional demands on the small business owner are too easily overlooked; the amount of personal investment (both in time and dollars), the single-minded dedication, and the myriad tasks needed to operate any small business are sometimes overwhelming.  Plus, to do this in a notoriously unprofitable industry make the challenge all the more daunting.

The upside to our current situation is that we’ve been able to remain (slightly) profitable since inception.  Unlike many huge corporations, our closing will not be a catastrophic tumble that involved bankruptcy, foreclosure, or financial ruin.  More likely is a slow fizzle into a footnote in the annals of cycling.

In the practical sense, for Renaissance Bicycles and its customers this means:

• We will no longer take on any new projects.
• We will complete our current projects.
• We will no longer source parts for customers.
• We will continue to be a small part of the cycling niche that we helped to promote.

Our website will soon be revised to reflect these changes.  We will sell off our current inventory of bikes, frames, and components.  We will also use our eBay store to purge many of the random little cycling bits that we’ve acquired over the last three years.  If there is something of interest that you might like to purchase from our inventory, please contact us with the specifics.

Of course, we would like to take a moment to thank all of the individuals that have made this venture possible.  We consider ourselves fortunate to have worked with so many pleasant and thoughtful people over the last few years.  Without the support of these customers, our little venture never would have lasted this long.

Likewise, we would like to appreciate our partners in the cycling industry.  Along with a long list of distributors and parts suppliers like Cane Creek, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the support we’ve received from Soma Fabrications, Velo Orange, and especially Rivendell Bicycle Works.  Thanks for believing in us.

And on some small scale, we hope that we have inspired cyclists to consider the possibilities of what the larger industry considers “outdated” bikes; techniques and processes that were once considered obsolete are slowly regaining their due respect.  Moreover, there is a groundswell of cyclists who value the uniqueness and craftsmanship of classically styled bikes, and their voices and buying power are slowly changing the industry.

So, it is with heartfelt gratitude to our supporters that we say goodbye and close our virtual doors.  And if we can leave you with one final sentiment, it is to support your local bike shop; they are your friends, neighbors, and fellow cyclists who embody the community and comradery that is cycling.

Thanks again,

– Bryan, Kyndra, Grayson, and Carina

One recurring theme in our frequent review of the cycling blogosphere is the amount of artwork created of, with, and about the bicycle. So about a year ago, we started a little online side project called The Bicycle is Art. Sadly, the project didn’t get much traction simply because it became too much of a task to search, write, and update the blog. In the daily triage that is small business, it fell by the wayside.

However, we didn’t give up.

Lately we’ve been playing with Tumblr, a simple online blogging platform perfect for re-blogging online photos, videos, and articles. Tumblr is easy to use and oriented towards simple aesthetics – exactly what we were looking for.

Hence, we are pleased to announce the rebirth of The Bicycle is Art:

The new format is simple, elegant, and easy to quickly peruse. And on the backend, we have created some clever (if we do say so ourselves) search tools to scour the Web for the latest bicycle related photography, film, sculpture, and events. Better yet, the new site has a user friendly Submit function that allows anyone to suggest links, videos, or happenings; just select a format (photo, video, link, etc.), type a title, and maybe add a few words.

As you might guess, The Bicycle is Art takes advantage of social media. Along with the website, there is a Twitter component and an RSS feed. Any questions or comments can be directed to thebicycleisart@gmail.com

All-in-all, we are pretty pleased. We hope you like it too.
http://theBicycleisArt.com →

When thinking in terms of long-term business aspirations, we took it to the logical conclusion: Who will be our customer 50+ years from now?

Initially, we assumed that the retired racer-come-recreational cyclist would be our target market; after all, this makes up a decent amount of our current customers.  They have graduated (or maybe retired) from the racing scene, but still enjoy long memorable rides. They remain passionate and knowledgeable, but speed, performance, and wattage have been supplanted with comfort, exercise, and scenery.

But more to the point, what about the young urban hipster on his/her fixie? Is their involvement in cycling more of a flimsy social statement or fad? Or will they continue to appreciate the individuality and freedom afforded by the bicycle — regardless of the fashionable trends? Importantly, rather than ridicule from veteran cyclists, should they be groomed as the next wave of cycling enthusiasts?

Of course, only time will reveal the results; but we can’t help wondering aloud, “Will the fixie hipster be the future retrogrouch?”

Sure we think our opinions are always spot on, but it’s good to hear the thoughts of others as well.  Tom Wyland, the curator of Bikes For The Rest Of Us, takes a moment to reflect on the current state of cycling for transportation in the following Guest Post:

You’re a typical American Bicyclist.  On your car is the latest Swedish roof rack to cradle your road bike as you drive it to your rail-trail or group ride.  Your carbon fiber rims with the skinniest of tires to carry you with a rumble to your maximum speed.  Brightly-colored spandex shows off your sponsors as you speed by dog walkers and runners.  Let’s not forget about the shoes that you selected from the wall-of-shoes at your local bike shop.  How else would you make those lollipop pedals go around?

Is this really as good as cycling gets in the US?  Why isn’t bicycling something I can do every day with my children or their grandmother?  Where are my dedicated bike facilities for pedaling to the store or to work or to dinner?  What about high-quality bikes with platform pedals, chain guards and fenders?   I want a shop in my town that sells Bikes For The Rest Of Us.  Putting together a transportation bike shouldn’t involve a Trans-Atlantic flight or bike-hacking or dredging bike tips from eccentric bike shops halfway across the country.   I just want to be able to walk into my LBS and buy a bell – a brass one – not one with Spiderman on the top that’s hanging next to the multi-colored bar-end streamers.

So will ranting in a blog bring alive my vision of transportation bicycles taking over the US?  No, but there are things everyone can do to make a difference:
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As we mentioned in our previous blog post, The Bike Commuting Green Dot, the real key to more acceptance of transport cycling in the U.S. is inclusion.  The basic premise, based on Seth Godin’s model is:

• New participants (or new cyclists in this case) get caught in the Red Zone of the new activity, where the initial Hassle of activity outweighs the Joy.
• While this Red Zone time period is generally pretty short, a lot of people drop the activity before ever making it to intended result: Joy far outweighs Hassle.
• Success in making out of the Red Zone is highly dependent on others — in this case called Green Dots — helping to support the new participant along the way.
• And as it specifically applies here, people interested in trying the bicycle for transportation simply need more Green Dots.

So … here are 8.5 Things That You Can do to Encourage Others to Try Cycling for Their Transportation (8.5TTYCDTEOTTCFTT for short).  Keep in mind that cycling for transport will never be for everybody, but there are enough on-the-fence riders that you can definitely make a difference.
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We spend our fair share of time reading and reviewing bicycle related articles, blogs, and photo galleries. But we also look around the web to other people and places of interest.

Seth Godin, the author and social media marketing maven, is one of the most interesting and relevant people on the Web. He recently wrote a short article entitled How Big is Your Red Zone? that illustrates the balance between the time and effort needed to engage in a new activity as contrasted with the long-term benefits.  This idea is not new, but Seth’s take on the one key element that determines long-term success is insightful.
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There has been a lot written and blogged and podcasted and vlogged about social media marketing.  Certainly any business with a heartbeat is at least aware of the trend towards using more internet based promotions.  And it is probably pretty obvious to you, dear electronic reader, that Renaissance Bicycles has gone “all in” with our online based marketing.  Besides our blog, Flickr group, Twittering, and Facebook page, you have probably seen some of our Ads online:

• Ecovelo
• Bicycle Design
• Lovely Bicycle!
• Adventure Cycling Association (and especially their blog)

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Customer service. Two fundamental words that, dare I say, no longer have much meaning.

Sadly, we Americans have voted for low cost over a relationship with our retailers.  This is painfully apparent when you walk into any large home specialty store (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.) and need to ring a hidden bell in order to get the attention of a store representative.  Personally, I find this aggravating; I am not annoyed with the people that work at these establishments, but rather that we (as a society) continue to help this propagate.  Instead, I frequent the locally owned Ace Hardware which is within walking distance of my house.  Certainly I pay more for my goods, but there is value in knowing my name and welcoming my dog into the store.  Our familiar relationship (and actual customer service) is certainly worth the small increase in price.

Likewise, automated phone systems provide the absolute least amount of Customer Service possible.  Really, the term should be changed to Customer Suffice since they are trying to placate the customer rather than give any amount of “service”.  Does my credit card company really think that I want to spend five minutes punching keys on my phone (because the “voice recognition system” certainly doesn’t work) in order to provide them basic information?  Do they think I am fooled by the fake America names of their overseas agents?  Did they forget that they whole purpose of a telephone is to directly communicate with another human being?  Obviously they know all of these annoyances, but they would rather cut costs rather than provide any real customer service.

[whew ... okay, enough with the rant.]
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Renaissance Bicycles is a big fan of using the bicycle for basic transport. Utility cycling, bike commuting, city biking, cycling for transportation — whatever you want to call it — really brings out the essence of the bicycle.  Sure, we Americans think bikes are for sports or recreation (or for children), but what we often overlook is that the bicycle is simply the most efficient machine to move us short distances.

Over and over there are “insightful” studies that basically read Bikes = Good, Cars = Bad.  From this myopic view, it seems silly — nay foolish — not to use a bicycle for it’s original purpose.  But what we don’t often recognize is the legitimate fear that cycling entails for many.  In other words, all of our proclamations (and sometimes smugness) about how bikes will save the World fall on the deaf ears of those too scared to ride.
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