http://www.sitecube.com/promo_bw.asp?pid=bw309_kw_us (Best Value IF you THINK you need a Flash Site)
In a previous post, I waxed philosophical about concerning a status quo website OR a Social Media profile was the best way to interact with your customers. It is true that customers prefer to sit on a bike before they buy it which makes the job of a 'Website Bike Hustler' that much more challenging. That is why it is necessary for you to build an environment of TRUST with your customers and website visitors.
There is also the challenge of the right bike size for your customers. A guy my size, 6'5 230 lbs. would tend to stay away from a regular 26" cruiser frame and nothing would drive a customer crazier than such a large expense and it isn't a GREAT FIT! Adding a Widget to your website-profile where a customer can plug in their height and weight and this script could spit out the right size bike for the customer would certainly make your customers better able to chose the bike that is right for them.
Undoubtedly a Social Media Profile is a mandatory part of business on the web these days.I do not want to suggest that a regular web page is not necessary. I do believe IF your business requires a Flash Site utilize it...However, IF possible, stay away from them!
Why? Flash websites are viewed (by my readers anyway) as 'Sizzle' with no 'Steak'.Arguably, Flash Sites were the place to be in the late 1990s to probably 2004.
However, as Social Media began it's long march to where it is now, with all of it's pop and sizzle, these sites DO NOT hold the attention if visitors like they once did.
Where am I leading with this? I would seriously re-evaluate this expense! However, if you are insistent on building such a site, there is NO REASON (even a novice should spend more than $50 FOR HOSTING, SET-UP AND BUILD) to launch such a site. Email me and I will send you a link that will allow you to have the SAME STUFF the pros build for PENNIES and YOU CAN DO IT YOUR SELF it is SOOOO SIMPLE!
YES you have to have a 'Store Front' of some kind....However, Social Media Profiles have become a HUGE way to drive traffic to your website.
Social Media Profiles on Twitter, Facebook and LINKEDIN, in my opinion, can be the difference between 150 site visits per day and 250 or more (dependent upon the viral nature of your campaign). Traffic generates interest, interest generate return visits, return visits build relationships and those relationships will build your online business.
Even IF you just have a Blog (not to minimize the impact of this median), traffic can make you a few buckets without selling product of your own! We will talk about this in the next post which will deal with some simple changes and additions to your website that can generate TONS of traffic.
That is a good question and I do believe that one of these is a better alternative than the other.
Scenario #1
You have a choice between, let's say, advertising your Bicycle Company in a major sports publication where even an 1/6 of a page advertisement with picture is, say, $2,000 or more depending on magazine circulation numbers.
OR
Utilizing Online CPM (Cost per impression) services from Google Ad words or Yahoo! Search Marketing
This particular magazine requires you commit to a 3 month run which means you are obligated to $6,000 before you ever know IF such a run will yield desired results even though you have top marketing data that says it will.
Magazine Ad Overview
-Upfront costs high
-Long term commitment required even IF results are poor
-Magazine buyer, no matter how well researched, will spend an average of 7.3 seconds glancing at your ad then move on
-Even if interested, they must take a few more steps for further action to be taken. Interest lost in the Interim.
-Services not directly linked to magazine ad for ease of using your product or service.
-No real time statistics available for tracking ad performance based on ad distribution.
-Even those not specifically looking for what you are selling will see your ad. This diminished any company's ROI.
Online Ad Serving
- LOW upfront costs
- Ads for products and services can be changed immediately depending on response.
-Highly targeted niche markets more easily penetrated based on keywords
-Real-Time ad statistics readily available for better decision making based on Ad Distribution (Service)
-Casual viewers weeded out as keywords serve ads to only those who are looking for what you are selling.
Of course much can be added to the above. I guess readers know which way I am leaning :) As someone who helped launch a Brand called Banneker Watches (bannekerwatches.com and banneker jewelry.com) 5 1/2 years ago, I only wish we had known then, and had the Online resources available that are available today!
My personal opinion having participated in a Brand Launch is spend as little as possible on Print Magazine spreads IF your target market is in the age range of 18-30. After all, ask one of them if they even have a magazine subscription.....You will be surprised by the results as was I!!!!!
The direction of this blog will now migrate to more of a discussion of HOW the ever evolving nature of the web will impact the Business Model of all bicycle companies.
Let's face it readers, where once business cards were seen as an essential tool to be taken seriously as a business person, the time came where this card was no longer enough and a business having a website became the new standard.
Now, a website that, no matter how elaborate (Flash!), is just the starting point and actually can hurt a business if not done well. A standard website is quickly becoming something that must morph into something that offers a customer or visitor something more than a view of company goods and services.
Why? It is my belief that this started with the advent of what has become known as Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, Linked and other such online communities have created an environment where people (also their consumers) have gotten use to immediate answers from those they are close to.
Why not the companies these same consumers buy from? There is no reason why NOT! Bicycle Companies who hope to grow and prosper in this age of Social Media must redirect a large portion of their resources to mastering this median of Web 2.0. You may say "Well I blog about what my company and consumers want to know about."
SO WHAT! There are those business leaders who talk and those who listen. Those who talk have to shift their business models to be less 'Mouth' and more 'Ears'. This will mean you learning to. Grow your company based on your customer's direction, not your competition's!
Your competition may lead you in a direction where only moderate success is experienced. Those who purchase your goods or services will lead you in a direction where, by meeting their purchasing desires, promise to put you far ahead of the moderate success your competition experiences.
I wrote all of that to write this in particular. Right now, before your competition catches wind that you are heading in a direction that, no matter what their money and resources allow, will put you in the drivers seat...Start small..lose the 'Contact Us' icon on your site into, say, a page that your visitors can build a profile complete with a picture and there comments!!!
Rocket Bike Girl! This is so cool....The little basket on the front, the rocket, this kid has her bicycle helmet on...IT JUST WORKS :)
I wonder what kind of ROCKET that is propelling the bike in this video. Does anyone know?
At just 29 pounds, the Elite is LandRider's top of the line. It delivers all of the excitement and comfort that the LandRider model has to offer in addition to several additional high-performance features that enhance its performance such as the all-alloy frame, pedals, handlebars and suspension forks.
This bike has something resembling an 'Automatic Transmission' which senses terrain, inclines and such! What is really cool is that that the bike does all the gear shifting FOR YOU! The rider just jumps on, does their thing and the rest is taken care of by the bicycle. However, I would thing that the company which sells and distributes this bicycle would put a 'Dealers' section on their website as to add a little more comfort with the buying decision people are making.
In their FAQ Section, if something breaks down or their are maintenance issues, the buyer has to call the company to get a reference for Bike Shops who can fix the issues with the auto-shift system.
No applause for this design but I LOVE THE AUTO-SHIFT System. Great job LAND RIDER!
WOW! Now this is a creative bicycle design. It kind of resembles the frame of the Veloribis I posted a few months back but BE SURE, this isn't a Veloribis. This type of creativity, while not flashy at all, blesses my heart and pleases my eyes folks. Why?
1. This whole design took some thought
2. It certainly wasn't made with the LOOK in mind, but only the material, which is BAMBOO!
3. That rear fender thing (or whatever it is is) shoots straight back over the tire and really completes this design well.
4. The handle bars sit HIGHER than the seat and and THANK GOODNESS, they aren't those APE HANGERS 9Hated them!)
I am ALWAYS a fan of those super small sprockets as I have one on my design (Iron RIDERZ S.E.) because it FORCES the viewer to look at other places other than that area of the bike. Truthfully, one of the first 3 things anyone notices on a bike is the sprocket and usually it is because they are SOOO big.
The straight across Bamboo handle bars are of the nature that they would look good with ANY BIKE and with most any color. This designer gets the APPLAUSE people, not so much for beauty, but for the creativity and simplicity of this design that says (unlike other bamboo bikes) no MASS PRODUCTION was involved. Just a simple builder building a very simple bike with the resources available to them :)
The Steve Allen Show-Frank Zapa playing a BICYCLE as a musical instrument!
Watch Frank Zappa on the Steve Allen Show in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I don't know WHAT THESE FOLKS are saying, but I love the SPIRIT that this video was done with!
Watch [H!M] A monocycle & tricycle race in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Your FEARLESS BLOGGER!
WOW! I had an interesting comment from a reader concerning my Gary-Fisher-Trek post... which I feel compelled to respond to... A reader seemed...well..Upset and basically said I post UNEDUCATED comments...The comment was (and the reader didn't post their web address or email)...The comment was;
"If you knew anything about the bicycle industry, you would know by now, that Trek and Gary Fisher are the same company. So many of your posts are nothing more than uneducated opinions. What does any of these uneducated opinions have to do with Marshall Taylor?
What would Marshall Taylor think about you trying to represent him?"
The reader obviously didn't read the post in total because I DID SAY these are the same companies. Trek acquired Gary Fisher! The point of THAT POST was to pose the question, WHY would a company who owns both brands, make competing products that look almost the same and one (Gary Fisher), obviously superior to the other (Trek).
I have read too many other blogs and blog comments over the years to count and the one thing I noticed is that there are some folks (like me) who have some very strong opinions. The strange thing is (while reading comments), I only remember reading a few blogs containing comments of disagreement. This means either the Blog Owner shares the opinions (without any variations within those opinions) with all of their readers, OR the blog owners don't approve those comments for posting or delete the comments that don't agree with the opinion of the Blog Owner.
I, your fearless blogger will do no such thing (not approve or delete dissenting opinions)because what makes MY COUNTRY and the country we live in so great is we are free to express our opinions without fear of syndication or arrest.
Also...the commenter said "If you knew anything about the bicycle industry", Well, this is true, I don't know JACK about the industry! Why should I know anything about the industry? My friend, that is THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS BLOG! To give an IGNORANT OUTSIDERS view of an industry that has so thoroughly uninspired the Urban Areas in this country, that bicycle industry products mean NOTHING to youth anymore.
What would Marshall Taylor think of how I am representing him? From being one of the foremost expert in the world on Marshall Major Taylor, My company is set to REPRESENT HIM in a way that no one in the 133 years since his birth has. How will we do that? Just stay tuned!
Anonymous Commenter, I will go even further than your comments concerning my opinions being 'Uneducated'. As the bicycle industry is concerned, I am "Unlearned AND Ignorant" and if being uneducated, unlearned and ignorant means my mind is free too, very shortly, bring the world the HOOTTTESST Rec Bikes on the planet, I accept your judgment and statement that I am uneducated.
It is my hope that you return to read this blog because soon, my company will roll out something that I guarantee you will love. Until that time though Anonymous, I will continue to post MY OPINIONS. Men of vision, like myself, are often ridiculed by those who have accepted the OPINIONS of others as EDUCATION that somehow (they believe) give them an edge over others. It is ALWAYS such people who end up drawing their paychecks from the very people whom they are more educated than :)
As I have in the past told others, I now tell you...Listen to the video and please accept "It's my party (blog) and I will cry if I want to."
Now either this guy is a DWARF or this bike is a MONSTER! This guys name is josh bender and I ran across this picture after using a search term I have never used before. It yielded a MASSIVE AMOUNT of FUNK which I will be posting in the next week.
Josh Bender doing a 60 foot drop!
Josh Bender - 60 Ft Drop - Massive Crash - Click here for another funny movie.
This guy said it best in the above video when he said "Life is to short...you have to GO HARD!" Insanely eloquent and I say to Mr. Bender what my Marine Corps. Drill Instructors said to me years ago "Boy you are stupid and IGNORANT...but ya got GUTS and that IS ENOUGH!" Josh keep doing big things in the name of extreme Mountain Biking..I tip my hat to you friend :)
The Moulton Bicycle is the original full suspension, separable, small wheeled, high performance bicycle. World renowned for speed, efficiency, durability and comfort.
Expertly engineered for over 50 years and handcrafted in England, these bicycles are the world's most efficient form of transport - designed for universal use, real performance and comfort.
That copy is straight off of their website, now let's get down to some REAL DESIGN DISCUSSION! Umm..hmmm...I really do not have a whole lot to say about these bikes. As the famous (to some infamous) Rush Limbaugh would say, "I mean, this is what it is!" Or an old street hustler from the 1970s would put it like this "Hey young blood, it TIZ what it T...I...Z...!" I am 6'5, 230lbs. so I would look like a Circus Clown on one of their miniature bicycles during the circus acts in the middle ring! 
You will not see me riding one of these, but I have to give BIG PROPS to the Moulton Bicycle Company on their vision and direction to stick to making the bikes that make them stand out from any other company on this planet. This company has been around for more than 50 years and they must be disciplined to stay within this niche market for so long.
In conclusion, I like their vision and I love that they just focus on being the best in the world at building these types of bikes. Yes...Moulton stuck to their dream and refused to sell out like most others in the name of a QUICK BUCK! That is called INTEGRITY,
The winner has been chosen...
From the 2500 or so entries the winner is Dallas Pynchon He’s 14 and lives in Boise, Idaho. Congrats Dallas! Enjoy your new Blindside!
Uh...DAAAANNNNGGG! I certainly am not into extreme mountain biking by any stretch of the imagination. After having looked at MANY of these types of bikes, I have remained just flat out...UNIMPRESSED..Until just a few minutes ago. I came across this while partaking in my never ending search for that thing which I call FUNK..What caught my eye in particular about this is the way the fork wraps so close to the front tire as to create the impression of a closeness that is uncommon in builds of these types...or any other for that fact. I love the frame color, fork color but do not care much for the other colors and especially those UGLY black tires.
I know some of you will email me and say "Well that is the color that is used"...says who? I can think of at least 10 colors that are dark and would look better on this design than those black THANGS! Anyhow, When I saw the fork on this and the closeness to the tire..I thought about this song, because that piece of this design definitely sent me SWINGIN!
WOW! Oh boy!Oh Boy!Oh Boy! I really like this Rocket Powered Trike people. It blings, but not in a diamond type, tacky..street way...but in a way that will make even the most ardent trike hater stand up, take notice, and say "You gotta be kidding me people! This monster moves and is powered by 2 rockets and I love MOST everything about it. What I think is straight tacky is the builder took the time to think through every component and parts in this design, but they seem to have lost the steam as it concerns the front tire and front rim.
I would also like to know a bit more about the braking system on this bike because as I look at the front brake, I am wondering how this seemingly ordinary brake is going to give this trike the stopping power it needs and even if it can stop the trike, wouldn't the brake pads be worn down per each stop?
However, this Trike is HOOOTTTT and I want to give a small applause to the builders of this thing of beauty. It stands out in an era where there doesn't seem to be much though put into...well...anything that is sold in ordinary retail outlets. Great going guys!
The line is being blurred between bike design and artwork at a really rapid rate these days. The above pictured...ummm...bike..I guess is probably the most unusual design I have seen that that hovers in the gray area that is bike design and artwork. Gismo Rocket Powered Bicycle It is powered by two 75lb. Thrust Hybrid Rocket Motors. The frame is made of lightweight T6-6061 aircraft aluminum. “Gismo” features a unique front suspension system designed by Michaelson.
Your fearless blogger must give the big ups to the creator of this particular design in that as I look at it, alot of thought went into designing and creating this...ummm...bike! Truthfully, I love the color, the rims, the back..ummm...fender and the handle bar and steering column overall are kind of..umm...NASTY..This bicycle is rocket powered and 150 lbs. of thrust will 'Push your wig back'. In conclusion..I have used the word UMM in this post because I am struggling to understand IF this is..ummm..bike design or artwork!
I ran across these wheel covers while looking at an event known as Bike Polo. Very interesting activity if I do say so myself and truthfully, I do not care to know the ins and the outs of Bike Polo, but what I do care to know is the ins and the outs of these funky wheel covers. I have a friend who does Spinner Rims for bicycles and I have always believed that these were just a tad to much. It feels like what we call in the neighborhood as 'Frontin'. That is the same thing as someone who can't afford a Gucci Purse to buy a Knock Off!
However, These wheel covers are just flat out NASTY. They could be the high of NASTINESS if they came in other colors than the present black...Remember I told you a few years back on this very blog that I designed something similar to these called Doogies? Well my friends, as they use to tell us in the Marine Corps..."Stand-by to Stand by!" The King of these types of wheel covers is still my man Da Champ of scraper bikes out in the Bay area...STILL Cruisin in HIS SCRAPER BIKE..
This dude got mad skillz with bike tricks. And I just love the music in the background! This is what I mean when I say the NEXUS! Fashion. meets bikes and throw in a little Urban Music and what you come up with a a wholly spelled FUNK BALL...What do I think about such dangerous trick bike riding? I think this guy is stupid and ignorant...BUT HE HAS GUTS and that my friends is enough. As simple as this seems, these are the types of cats that have brought about the sports event called The X-Games..X standing for extreme games.
When you watch the X-Games, it is a thrill unto itself because these are regular, ordinary and everyday youngsters who all started with a love of stunts, paralayed it into a sport (collectively) and now are getting that PAPER (money) to do what they love to do...Trick Riders, keep breaking them bones and loosing teeth for what you love.
Marshall Major Taylor has begun to creep into the public eye with the unveiling of a Statue made in his likeness that now stands outside of the Worcester, MA. library. Nicknamed the Worcester Whirlwind, Taylor was much loved by his adopted hometown where he moved to with Louis 'Birdie' Munger, his mentor, in the late 1800s. To think that he did this in the late 1800s when African-Americans couldn't even drink out of the same fountain as whites makes this athlete's story even more incredible!
On another video interview, his Great-Great grand-daughter and Grandson said something that was almost Prophetic; "No one really knows him now but I hope Major Taylor is a household name in my life-time!" Fear not young ones, soon, your relative will get HIS DUE and in a way that every household in this country will scream the name "Major Taylor!"
I came across this picture and I just wanted to tell all of you readers something that has been HEAVY on my heart as it concerns bike design. My search for the FUNK that is bicycle design that will appeal to an Urban audience has taken me to all corners of the Internet, to junk yards here in Denver, driving by and inspecting bike racks all over this city. And therein lies the one place that NONE of us look, like could be a KEY to producing a design never before seen in the History of bike design....THE JUNK YARD!
I can't say for sure if the fabricator of the above pictured design found this bike in the junk yard, but from what I can tell, it takes the creativity of someone who is willing to follow wherever their design inspirations leads them to produce something truly unique and that, for all intent and purposes, gets me, your fearless blogger, FIRED UP!
The only thing I can really tell about this bike is it seems to be made of iron from a gate. The good thing is that this frame is clean, thin and because it is long, the weight of this thing is spread out. The color isn't great but the creativity here blows me away! The handle bars are turned backwards which isn't a new thing when building a bike that is unusual, but this is the first design I have seen with the handle bars turned backwards where this tactic REALLY WORKS with the design...Hey, I love this design, not because it is flashy, but at the end of the day, what GREATNESS has ever come from a fresh coat of paint? There are bikes that cost $1000s of dollars that have nice paint, but not the FLAIR of this FUNK BALL...GREAT JOB DESIGNER!
I saw a movie about the 1st black race car champion driver a few years back that starred Richard Pryor called 'Greased Lightning'. It is the story of America's 1st black race car champion Wendell Scott. This was recently brought back to my attention by an advertisement for this same movie that is to come on TV-One this Saturday. I brushed up up my history of this great sports hero by doing a little research and again, this man and his story fits neatly into what I am doing with the Marshall Taylor Project.
Scott was the 1st, and only African-American then and only, to date to accomplish this great feat! He won dozens of races during long and storied career and one NASCAR Event and finished in the top ten an amazing 147 times. This feat was so admirable because he was always working on a very tight budget, didn't have the best pit crews and numerous other challenges because no one really wanted to sponsor a black Race Car driver.
Like Marshall 'Major' Taylor, he had to contend with racism but he overcame the odds. Like Taylor, one of his wins was snatched from him by the judges awarding the win to one of his well known white rivals during an event. NASCAR did do the right thing a few days later by reversing the decision of the judges after irrefutable evidence of Scott's win. Scott, like Taylor many years before him had to overcome the many obstacles that went along with being the 1st and only black in a major sport to compete. There were racers who wanted him to fail at every turn and even conspired to bring about his failure but he kept on pushing and experienced great success as a stock car driver!
Pioneering blacks in American sports were men of vision and one thing they all shared in common was a love for their chosen sport and the will to succeed despite incredible odds. I marvel at the likes of Tiger Woods, Major Taylor, Wendell Scott, Jack Johnson, Arthur Ashe and others were true visionaries within the black community. After you read this, I want all of you to take a moment to reflect and research the careers of some of the African-American community's greatest and least talked about sports heroes. Without them, the groundwork for the mega sports stars of today would never have been laid and more importantly, the can do attitude of an entire community may never have existed! PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE OF SCOTT'S STORY.
I have little to say about this idiocy...There are productive bicycles that are built to go nowhere...they are called EXERCISE BIKES! This is about the dumbest crap I have ever seen...Whoever built this...Play the Video because you should really say this to yourself...Because I certainly think "You are Dumb!"
This design resembles a freshly shaved bald head my friends....CLEAN!
This Columbia is unrestored and has its original head badge and stove enamel paint. When I obtained the bike, the front rim, which is made of wood clad with steel, was broken. I suspect it had not been ridden for over 50 years. A new old stock rim one was obtained and the front hub reconstructed by Keith Hellon. Except for the seat, the new single-tube original style tires from West Virginia, and one of the cork handlebar grips, all of the components are original. The hubs have straight pull spokes, proving that concept was not a recent innovation in the cycling world. The original owner did not order the optional spoon brake which pressed on the surface of the front tire. Many of these Columbia chainless bicycles are in museums, but this one is now ready to ride.
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