Great Halloween Parade!

For a while today it looked like we might have rain for this evening's parade, but it passed through and cleared up in plenty of time to give us clear skies and stars. Add to that comfortable temperatures, a great group of riders, and enthusiastic crowds, and this year's Vienna Halloween Parade was a wonderful time.



Here's a shot of a few of the riders getting ready to start the ride. Basically we make our way to a staging area on a side street, where we wait our turn to head out on the main route down Maple Avenue in front of many, many people. The most fun are the kids, waving and shouting out things like "nice helmet" and wanting to "high five" all the riders.

Watch for more photos as other people send me theirs.




And here's our mechanic Daniel in costume.  He unfortunately didn't ride...  he ended up having to drive his car as our support vehicle, as the shop van suffered a mysterious breakdown right before the start of the parade. The only real glitch in the whole evening.



Oh, and the ride coincided with a customer's birthday, and she chose to ride with us! Happy Birthday Barbara, and thanks for coming on the parade ride and sharing your cake with us!

Halloween Parade Tomorrow!

That's right folks! The 65th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade is tomorrow, Wednesday, October 26th! The parade starts at 7:00 pm, but we are gathering at the shop from 6:00 to 7:00 to get organized and ready to ride. Come join us to ride in the parade! Food and drinks will be provided afterwards at the shop.

The town is getting ready... from the banner across Maple Avenue to the blankets, chairs and other "placeholders" folks had already laid out along the route as of noon Tuesday! It's a big event here in Vienna, so come and be a part of it!

Halloween Parade!

We're one week away from the Vienna Halloween Parade! Make your plans now. We're gathering at the shop at 6pm on the 26th. We're hoping to have a bunch of folks riding and folding folding bikes along the route, a trike train, and any other interesting wheeled things we can put out there! Food and beverages will be served back at the shop after!

Tour du Port 2011 Is Over

And it was a great success! Lots of happy people had a great ride in spectacular weather, and we had a lot of interest in our folding bikes. I think I probably folded and unfolded bikes more times today than I ever have before in a single day.

We also provided a Dahon Speed P8 that was raffled off as a fundraiser, and the woman who won it was very pleased.

Part of our sponsorship "package" was the opportunity to offer four people free entry to the ride. Tom (who works for us) and his wife Beryl, and Roy and Noreen (customers, and the parents of Daniel, our head mechanic) took us up on the offer and had a great time. I suspect Roy got a lot of attention on his new ICE Sprint RS trike!

More photos can be seen here:

Tour du Port, Oct 9, 2011

A Variety of Bikes

All manner of bikes and riders here today. From carbon fiber roadies to bakfietsen!

Folks starting out

The "start" of the ride is very informal - sign in, start whenever you're ready. Not a massed start like the 5 Boro Ride...much more casual.

Ride officials?

They seem younger every year!

These two little girls are shouting out to everyone to ride safe and have a good ride. They look very official with the vest and flag.

Good turnout so far and a gorgeous morning!

Tour du Port

7:00 am and registration begins! We brought a Dahon Speed P8 to be raffled off for Bike Maryland. Should be a good fundraiser.

A full and fulfilling day of events!

Well, today was a full and fun day for bikes@vienna, although it was a bit hectic. The morning started early with our attendance at the National Alliance for Mental Illness walk at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Despite steady rain and the abrupt drop in temperature, many people came out to walk in support of this good cause, and we were there with a table to show our support. NAMI is dedicated to providing support, education and advocacy for people with mental illness as well as their families. I urge you to check out their web site to learn more. It's a very good cause and worthy of support.

Later in the day, Tim went down to Prince William Forest Park to teach a session of our Basic Maintenance and Repair class for the Annual Gathering of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Longtime customer Susan S. suggested the event, and we're glad we were a part of it. Tim met some great folks, and reconnected with a few customers, and people seemed really engaged with the class. It's always a pleasure to see "ah ha" moments when teaching a class like this,  as people discover how brakes and derailleurs do what they do, and learn how to fix the dreaded flat tire. And unlike Vienna today, the park was having a glorious, sunny fall day, which made the outdoor class a delight.

A few more photos here