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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In the spirit of bringing local cycling fans together, Renaissance Bicycles is helping to present the Tour de France Pot de Luck. For you acronimians, that is the TdFPdL.

For the next three Sundays, along with our friends at the Flat Rock Bakery, we will present an outdoor viewing of the 2010 Tour de France for everyone to enjoy. All you need to bring is a little food to share, your prefered beverage of choice, and your family and friends.

The festivities start at 7pm on the back deck of the Flat Rock Bakery. We will show Sunday’s (commerical free) stage and other selected highlights from the previous week of cycling.

And if all those words were too much, here is the quick summary:

• Pot de Luck featuring the Tour de France
• Next 3 Sundays —  July 11th, July 18th, July 25th
• Outside on the deck of the Flat Rock Bakery
• Festivities start at 7pm
• Bring some food and drink (the Bakery will not be open on July 11th)
• Family friendly event.

 Just send us an email at info@renaissancebicycles.com with any questions.

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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As you may or may not be aware, the always stylish ladies over at Let’s Go Ride a Bike are hosting their first annual Summer Games.  As you may or may not have guessed, we are happy to provide a Brooks B67S (in either of Black or Honey) to one of the lucky prize winners.

For this third round of the Games, there are a few simple “events” in which to partake:

• Ride a greenway (“nature” bike trail).
• Have a bicycle picnic.
• If you don’t normally ride to work, commute by bike, or by bike/train or bike/bus.
• If you do commute, take the long way home: add distance to your usual ride.
• Explore a new part of town by bike.

Easy enough right?  So … how do you take part and become eligible for one of the many swanky prizes?  From the Let’s Go Ride a Bike website…

Winners will be determined by random drawing on July 19. As always, email us your blog links or your stories and photos using the subject line “Summer Games Part III Entry” (and check out our Flickr group). Don’t forget that you must complete two events in each round to be eligible for the grand prize of a Batavus BUB. See our original post for complete details.

So basically, you do one of the events listed above and either (1) write blog post about it or (2) submit your story with a photo or two. And if you want a chance at the free Batavus BuB, do two of the events.

Obviously, the real purpose of the Summer Games is for you to go out and do something fun on your bike, to “process” the activity, and to share it with others. To us, this is what riding a bike is all about.

So why not give it a try?

Yes, there is some sense of “ego affirmation” when someone you respect independently comes to the same conclusions as yourself.

Alan Barnard, the prolific photographer, blogger, and all around nice guy behind EcoVelo, has put into words and pictures his admittedly biased long-term review of his personal Rivendell Sam Hillborne. And we couldn’t agree more.

So rather than rehash his words and “borrow” his photographs (like the one above), we’ll let you read them for yourself:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/06/27/long-term-road-test-rivendell-sam-hillborne/

Thanks Alan for the affirmation … we’re not crazy for loving these bikes after all.

Well … it was such a shame to get to get our vintage Stumpjumper dirty, that we had to just keep on riding it through the muck, the mud, and the rain. But now that we’ve gotten over the “new car smell”, we can get down to the real reason for this whole process … enjoying a unique mountain bike.

Renaissanced 1983 Stumpjumper

Our Vintage Stumpy hits the trails. Like we said, we build unique bikes that are meant to be enjoyed. No trailer queens here!

6 Photos

As promised, here is our biased review of the bike:

The Big Picture

From the get-go, we wanted to create something unique.  Certainly, there are better performing mid-level off-the-shelf mountain bikes … but that is like comparing a one-off hot-rod to a Honda Accord.  Anyone can own and drive the sensible car (and most people do), but it takes a little bit of personality to own something special.

And like a hot-rod, this bike took a little getting used to.  Remember, this frame predates a lot of the characteristics of the modern mountain bike … it was based the demands of early mountain bikers, far before Downhill was a verb.  But overall, the bike is responsive, easy to ride — and well — a good mountain bike.

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One of the most unsung benefits of cycling (whether it be for transportation, recreation, or general wellness) is the noticeable boost it provides to your mental well-being. This feeling is akin to a cleared-headed meditative state … the same state of mental flow that is often described as a pleasurable feeling of awareness.

Yoga and meditation are two of the more subtle and sublime forms of restructuring the mind for creativity and relaxation, but the low impact exertion of cycling (especially at an “aware” speed) can help break the ongoing internal commentary that often hinders mental processes.

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Since 1974, the Adventure Cycling Association has promoted the active pursuit of travel cycling we commonly refer to as bicycle touring.  Their mission includes three major tasks:

• Create bicycle routes for the Nation.
• Get more people traveling by bicycle.
• Support bicycling communities.

And for 2010, they are placing special emphasis on the first bullet point by embarking on a major fund-raising effort to benefit the United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS).    The USBRS is a proposed system of networked bicycle routes that will criss-cross the entire United States.  These routes will link urban, suburban, and rural areas using a variety of appropriate corridors and facilities.  Basically:
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Thankfully, the customer testimonial of old has morphed into a more helpful form online — the customer review. And while we repeatedly emphasize our commitment to our customers, it just rings a little more true when those words actually come from them.

In that vein, we’ve created a Customer Review section of the website. Here customers can leave their comments and reviews of their experience with Renaissance Bicycles. We find this form of feedback helpful to further evolve and upgrade our services … and we hope you will find the reviews valuable as well. In fact, each review can be graded with a “thumbs-up or down” to help validate their merit. And just for fun, the first reviewer to get 15 thumbs-ups will get $25 in Renaissance Bicycles bucks.

But enough reviewing the customer reviews already … here’s the link:
http://www.renaissancebicycles.com/customer-reviews/