The Dealer Tour crew slogged through a steady New England rain on Tuesday morning during our 12-mile trek into Cambridge, although we had brief periods of respite at ATA, Open Bike Shop, Broadway Bicycle School and Cambridge Bicycle Shop. Thanks to well-timed hot chocolate and coffee stops and a few last minute glove purchases at ATA, we all managed to keep our appendages in tact, and stay in good spirits! Here are some pictures from day 2:
"This is nothing!" thought BRAIN's Marc Sani as he pedaled through the puddles. Sani, a lover of all things weather related, was looking forward to experiencing the New England elements on the Dealer Tour.
Panaracer's Jeff Zell pulls out the plastic for a new pair of gloves at ATA. His fingers say thank you.
When the lights started flashing outside Open in Somerville, we assumed we were getting a talking to. Instead the police officer asked if we wanted an escort. Not too suprising, said Josh Kampa, owner of Open Bike Shop, explaining that the town's police department seems to have adopted a cycle-friendly attitude, something he's appreciated during a few late night "gatherings" at the shop.
Pedro's Porkers (We mean that in the nicest way possible. Really.) Matt Simpson and Matt Bracken feast on massive piles of meat at Red Bones in Somerville. Those boys can put down some BBQ!
"Are you rolling with the Swedish National Cross-Country Team?"—a text sent to Matt Simpson after he tweeted a picture of Megan and I in matching Craft beanies. Yes, we are also wearing matching wool sweaters. The few females in the bike industry tend to end up with a lot of the same swag!
ATA shows BRAIN some love by posting a story about Museeuw Bikes' entry in the U.S. market, a brand carried by the Cambridge shop. Nevermind that it was hanging next to a Lapierre bike!
Matt "Kings of Maps" Bracken uses a salt shaker and a bottle of Tabasco to explain the proximity of Merlin and Fat Cycles on Washington Street in Somerville back in the day. The former Merlin building now houses Open Bike Shop. Bracken, a wealth of knowledge on the Boston cycling industry, worked at Merlin for almost a decade in the 1980s and early 1990s before moving on to Independent Fabrication. He's now with Pedro's.
Photos by Jake Orness and Nicole Formosa
