Though the forecast called for some showers, unrelenting rain drenched riders on the first day of the Dallas/Fort Worth Dealer Tour. Sponsors including Advanced Sports Inc.’s Pat Cunnane, Tom Roth and Joe Breeze and NuVinci’s Al Nordin, Rob Sherlock and Geoff Petrangelo joined BRAIN editors as we toured Dallas market heavyweights Richardson Bike Mart, Plano Cycling & Fitness and Performance Bicycle. We racked up some 22 miles from Richardson to Plano.
Here are some shots from the first day of visits.
We rally around 8:30 a.m. in the hotel parking lot where a fleet of Breezer Uptown Infinity bikes, equipped with NuVinci N360 CVP hubs, rear racks and front and rear lights await us. Little did we know we would be in for a good soak shortly after.
Richardson Bike Mart general manager Woody Smith, owners Rhonda and Jim Hoyt and nine-year-old Diggity, the shop's Jack Russell Terrier. You can find just about anything bike in their 36,000-square-foot Richardson store. The Hoyts also take pride in being the first bike shop Lance Armstrong stepped foot in at age 5.
Mountain Bike Hall of Famer and Breezer Bikes founder Joe Breeze slips on some water-shedding booties. We all stocked up on rain gear at RBM including jackets, gloves and rainproof pants, just about cleaning out their inventory.
Our crew braved winds, rain and chilly 50-degree temps throughout the first day. Some in our group got crafty like Marc Mumby, president of BikeDFW, who made a helmet cover out of a Richardson Bike Mart shopping bag. Our thanks go out to Mumby for leading the way and keeping us mostly together.
Plano Cycling & Fitness has undergone several remodels and owner Rick Gurney has focused closely on the store’s look and feel to make it inviting for customers…down to the service department, where it organizes its labor service into four packages. The first part of each name is derived from labor, the second refers to the specific service. “Bas” for basic tuning, “Pre” for preventative maintenance, “Ann” for annual performance and “Comp” for complete overhaul.
Our final stop was the Performance Bicycle Shop in Plano. Bill Heins, general merchandise manager, who rode with us, said it’s one of three stores in Dallas and eight in the state of Texas, where the North Carolina-based chain hopes to gain more ground.
Photos by Jake Orness
