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[email protected]> wrote in message
news:b7c5223a-76d6-48f0-94fe-ae4f27bdad5a@s37g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> If Lance is smart he won't run the shop or hire a consultant. Racing
> and running a bike shop are different realms. One big advantage that
> Lance has is that he actually rides a bike. I was always amazed at how
> few people in the bike industry ride a bike. Most people in the bike
> business don't ride at all. Another problem is that there is far to
> little interaction between bicycle racing and bike business.
>
>
Most of the older folks in the bike business, who are the real players, are
a bit older than the racing crowd. The same phenomenon is true for a large
percentage of the people with the disposable income to buy the top end race
bikes. I believe your comment about most people in the bike business don't
ride is valid, to a degree. Most of us ride as much as they can. This exact
observation was very much on my mind during the last Interbike. I would
leave our booth to cruise the show and did observe how many wide-body
participants were in the aisles and behind the tables.
I read a book called "The New Wellness Revolution" which had a strong effect
on me. I now believe that in order for the bike business to really take off
in this country, it has to be bound up with adult wellness somehow. Bike
shops are not projecting or reinforcing that image very well and neither are
the bike manufacturers. How many bike company websites have a weight
loss/control program on their websites, or in the info packet? I wonder if
it is even practical in terms of liability, economics, etc.? Wouldn't it be
interesting if cycling based weight-loss programs started showing up in bike
shops. Race training information abounds in the bike world. Weight-loss and
wellness would be broader based and have a more universal appeal. There are
enough experts and good writers in this newsgroup alone, for a few folks to
put their minds together in order to form an effective company. Anyone
interested? If nothing else it would make a great marketing story...
I did recently see that the LAB has formed some sort of relationship with
AARP. Also, I have heard that there is a bike tour company somewhere that
does bus tours for retirees. They seem to hit a lot of the organized rides
around the country. That could be the start of low-cost wellness-oriented
vacationing. Interesting idea...
Bruce