I was out on an extended ride to work on Wednesday in hopes of building a bit more confidence for tomorrow's Almanzo (too late for my legs, but not too late for my head) and I realized that as great as a "keep it simple" approach to Almanzo race management is, this is likely to cost Chris (and family) a 5 figure sum of money. For say... $12/rider, I can't imagine a better run event for a massive group of people, but at over 1,000 riders that's adding up to an amount that few families could swallow year after year.

Is it time (or even possible) to come up with an unofficial sponsor plan? I think it is.

Shops that are within 100 miles of Spring Valley are all hearing about customers prepping for Almanzo. Prepping means riding their bikes and doing stuff that keeps us in business. Cool. I'm thinking $250 is an amount that would reasonable. Is someone from the shop riding Almanzo? How about sending a check to "Skogen" with them so they can drop it in the bucket before the race.

Racers can help by tossing $10 in the bucket. If that hurts, how about a fiver? I'm quite certain that any amount would help.

Many manufacturers are grabbing at the awesomeness of Almanzo. This is smart of them. Like the bike shops and the riders, they too should add some $$ to the bucket. Not being a manufacturer, this is a difficult one for me to put a dollar amount on. Maybe $250 for those on the fringes and up to a sweet grand if you are developing high-end products specifically marketed to gravel grinders. I'm open to suggestion here.

Local businesses that gain from the Almanzo: In my view this group gets a pass on the money, but we all count on them heavily to strongly support Almanzo from a neighbor, city and county level.

Another point worth mentioning is that it takes a lot of effort setting up the event and then a large day-of team of volunteers. Reaching out to be a worker-bee for  the event would likely be very, very helpful.

This stream of consciousness-type plan may be worth less than the pixels you're staring at, but I think a discussion about the reality of this event is healthy and necessary. None of the numbers are real, but my own guesstimations. And BTW, no one loves riding Almanzo as much as myself. Look for me to be dropping my check in the bucket before the race tomorrow. I'm certain I will be smiling, though I should probably be nervous about the ride...

Stop in any time during the month of April and we'll take $5 off your in-store purchase of $30 or more when you show your 30 Days of Biking spoke card.* 

*No coupon required. Good for both service and any in-stock merchandise, including sale items. Spoke card must be shown at time of purchase. Offer applies 4/1/14 through 4/30/14. 

Get a Spoke Card

Don't have a spoke card? You can download and print your own 30DOB spoke card here. To be sure it lasts the month, you'll want to laminate it. Or, stop in and pick up a pre-printed, already-laminated spoke card here at Perennial Cycle. Starting next week, we'll have spoke cards available at the front counter. We'll be taking donations on behalf of #30DOB and Free Bikes 4 Kidz in exchange. The suggested donation per spoke card is $1.00.  You can also make a donation directly to Free Bikes 4 Kidz on their website.

Haven't made the pledge? No problem. We won't tell! Spoke cards will be available to anyone and everyone who asks while supplies last.

About #30DaysofBiking

Now in its fifth year, 30 Days of Biking began as a community of individuals right here in Minneapolis who'd made the pledge to ride a bike every day in April. The beauty of #30DOB is in its simplicity. Pledge to ride and share what comes of it. Share in person, share on Twitter (#30daysofbiking), share on Facebook... however works for you. Due to the hard work of local organizers here and elsewhere and to the core of inspiration that started it all, 30 Days of Biking has grown each year since this little movement began.

This year, for the first time, 30 Days of Biking has pledged to give back for each pledge made. In the name of bringing even more people to the joy that is biking, for every 30 people who pledged to bike every day in April, 30DOB will give 1 bike to a kid in need via Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

Like 30DOB, Free Bikes 4 Kidz is Minneapolis-based. They've donated 20,000 bicycles to kids in need since 2008. Those kids who receive a bike are kids who would not otherwise be able to afford one. Remember when you received your first bike and how happy you were? That’s what Free Bikes 4 Kidz does, and that’s what we —along with 30DOB, this year's sponsors, and YOU— can help them do more of.

The partnership with Free Bikes 4 Kidz makes for a very special 5th anniversary for 30DOB and we're thrilled to be sponsoring their efforts along with so many great local businesses. Pledging closed on April 7 at 6,974 (!), but you can still contribute by making a donation in exchange for a 30DOB spoke card. Hence, we wanted to offer all of you who've made the pledge (and those of you who didn't have a chance) a little incentive to share the 30DOB love.

Happy riding!

Photos by Martha Garcés

You don't have to read too far in the Perennial Cycle Shopcast to know how much we love Brompton folding bikes. As a staff, about half of us have a Brompton (or two...) at home. We each have our quirks when it comes to the fold, favorite colors, and preferred handlebars. But the enthusiasm for introducing YOU to Brompton? That's something we all share, even when we're not in the shop. Whether on a lunch break ride, on a weekend road trip, or during the daily commute — we're happy to chat with those of you who smile, introduce yourselves, and ask... just what is this small-wheeled bike all about? Does it fold? How small does it get? And my favorite... Does it fit inside the front basket?

This year, we've decided to bring Brompton to you in an entirely new way. Each month, we'll be sending a Brompton home with a new owner to find out what it's like to be a newly minted Brompton rider and see how it fits into each of their lives. To begin, we've loaned a Turkish Green S3L-X to Patrick Stephenson, also known as @patiomensch, a Minneapolis-based cyclist and co-founder of #30daysofbiking. When asked if he'd be interested in participating in our #meetbrompton project, Patrick leapt at the chance and suggested he borrow the bike during his favorite month of the year — April — just in time for 30DOB. So here we are: 30 Days of Biking, meet 30 Days of Brompton.

For those who are curious about the details... B-Spoked especially for #meetbrompton, this S3L-X has titanium extremities, a Shimano Dynamo front wheel and lights, a front carrier block, mudguards (critical for April riding!), a telescopic seat post, and a Brooks B17 Special that Patrick will be the first to break-in. When he's not toting his official 30DOB Banjo Brothers Canvas Backpack, Patrick will also be using a black Carradice Stockport City Folder (pictured below) and an Abus Bordo lock for those times when it's not possible to bring the Brompton in with him at a given destination.

Be sure to follow @PerennialCycle on Twitter and Instagram to see what Patrick is up to with his shiny new Brompton. And if you see him out and about, stop and say hello!

Meet Patrick

Originally from Rochester, Patrick moved to Minneapolis in 2002 to attend the University of Minnesota. In 2010, Patrick started 30 Days of Biking along with his good friend Zach Schaap. The two created a website and launched a campaign that encouraged over 1,000 people to pledge to ride every day in April that year. Patrick still loves to ride and makes friends wherever his bike takes him. He continues to be amazed at a how 30 Days of Biking has grown in just 5 years.

A copywriter by day, Patrick is a true perfectionist and hopes to abandon his folding cheat sheets within the week and is working to speed up his fold before the month is up.

Stay tuned for more from Patrick about his adventure with #meetbrompton and get on over to #30daysofbiking to make the pledge yourself. It's easy, it's free, and for every 30 pledges made, 30DOB will give one bike to a girl or boy in need via Minneapolis-based Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

 RAW is the company that designed and manufactures the Original Leather Brompton Handle. The owner/inventor at RAW is Karen Meissner. Karen is a clever, hard working entrepreneur who is passionate about cycling and has owned a Brompton folding bicycle for 15 years.
RAW is a young company (incorporated in November of 2013) based in Devon, England which is about 200 miles southwest of London. As a longtime entrepreneur, Karen has her hands in a variety of businesses, but her current focus is RAW which at this point has 2 products, a carbon 29’er frame and Perennial Cycle’s latest imported product, the Original Leather Brompton Handle.

Here’s the design brief for the Original Leather Brompton Handle:
-  handle that positions on the bike at the perfect balance point (folded or unfolded)
- aesthetically pleasing in a way that complements the Brompton
- offers frame protection
- end product must be of very high quality
- fits onto the bike easily and quickly
- ages well

Karen had her first prototype made in July of 2013. The prototype was a decent start, but it took several tries before she was comfortable with it as a finished product. The product as delivered to us nailed the design brief very, very well. Great work Karen!
When asked what’s in the skunkworks, she said RAW’s next item on the market will be a lovely downtube frame protector for carbon bikes (are the carbon gravel racers listening!), and then down the road the Brompton Leather Handle may see a shoulder strap option and beyond that she sees a variety of leather products specifically designed to work on Brompton Folding Bikes.

Check out our product video:

The Original Brompton Leather Handle is manufactured in England and we just got our first shipment on March 20, 2014. We look forward to watch RAW mature and bring new products to market in the coming years. I interviewed Karen on March 26, 2014.

Links:
RAW

the Original Brompton Leather Handle

If you're looking for a different style of Brompton Carry Handle, you can see the Vincita Handle here