Chris King’s Chris DiStefano (left) and Jeff Menand are making the most of their time while in Europe for the Eurobike trade show. Arriving several days before the show started on Monday, the two set out on custom Cielo 29ers—dubbed “Hans and Franz”—and visited a handful of dealers in the region by bike. They pedaled to six shops in Zurich last Saturday, four in Munich on Monday and will hit another round of retailers in Milan when Eurobike ends this weekend.
A couple observations from the traveling duo:
—29ers are an anomaly in Germany and SS coupling is odd as well. DiStefano and Menand got plenty of second glances and questions about the big-wheeled bikes, which haven’t yet caught on as mainstream in Europe.
—Many owners of specialty bike shops are heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of their stores, not sitting behind desks or off on holiday.
“Their hands are greasy and they’re changing spokes,” Menand said.
—Nicole Formosa
