We came back to the office with a van full of stuff to unload, a warehouse full of Velo Orange wheels and an overwhelmed shipping table full of orders to ship.
I guess you can say NAHBS was a success for VO Imports!
Despite Chris' (and plenty of others from the bike industry) skepticism, the
Indianapolis location exceeded all our expectations in attendance,
enthusiasm, and that certain local flavor of the underground buzz. Well done
Don! There were plenty of others planning stuff too: Laura at
ArtBike!<http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com/artbike.htm>;
the Momentum Mag party at The big Car
Gallery<http://www.momentumplanet.com/blog/davidniddrie/artbike-photobooth-nahbs>;
Joe's Bike Shop http://www.yelp.com/
I was overwhelmed with all the lugwork, amazing paint, and the community involvement. I think this was the first time a bike show of this caliber reached out to the local artist scene, the underground bike culture, and the activist community to tie them all together. Interbike- and EuroBike or the Taipei Cycle Show for that matter- should be taking notes.
What I like most about NAHBS are the shop owners I meet. They are the ones that get it. None are SpecialiGianTrek Retail Experiences. They are the hole in the wall shops with wood floors in a beat down building on the wrong side of town, with cold pizza sitting on top of the crust-o-lator they are afraid to open because no-one knows when the last time it was cleaned. These stores are where The Kids go for their fixxies and the grumpy old guys get their Raleigh International repaired with appropriate parts by someone knowledgeable. It's also where VO Imports finds an audience for Velo Orange parts and accessories. They understand the Porteur bike, the multi day Randonee, the Construtor level bicycle-as-art.