Day One: What a start to my 6,200 mile tour. Drove 350 miles up to Chico, CA on Sunday the 31st. Got a great evening ride in up to the south rim overlooking the buttes. I only took a video which I’ll post up on You Tube as soon as I can.

Day Two: On Monday the 1st I was able to visit Sport LTD in Chico, CA. https://www.chicosportsltd.net/ Matt wasn’t in yet, so I spoke with Casey. He says the city required them to close for 3 weeks while other stores stayed open. By the time they reopened the other stores were out of inventory, so the silver lining is they are selling a lot of bikes! The service department is cranking! Matt also told me they have shops in Redding and Tahoe. It hit me that this is the same company where I buy my boots and skis in South Shore. If you need an excellent boot fitter see Jay. He is awesome! These are gorgeous stores with friendly customer service and we would be honored to have them as a R.I.D.E.S. dealer.

I then took off for a 700 mile drive into SLC, Utah. It was a surreal experience coming into the Bonneville Salt Flats as the sun was beginning to set. Windy with a low cloud cover. I’ll post the video on You Tube.

Day Three: After a long needed sleep I visited with Bicycle Center . https://bicyclecenter.com/ I had the pleasure of meeting the owner Phil and discussed R.I.D.E.S. He was nice enough to show me around their band new location. In asking him how Covid-19 affected their sales, he says they too have had record months. They have posted signage about spacing, and are very welcoming and warm. This store is beautiful in every way. Ample space. Well lit with natural light. Tons of windows. A big time Specialized house. I hope to see them again soon.

I also had the chance to stop into Contender Bikes. https://contenderbicycles.com/ I would call them a high-end bike shop and wow, they were busy. Everyone inside was wearing masks and they were super careful. They carry Pinarello and Santa Cruz which are two bikes I have with me on this road trip so it was fun to see all of the new models. I met with Zane. Super nice. Discussed R.I.D.E.S.
Can’t wait to get back to SLC and get these dealers signed, set up and rolling!

On my way out of town I got a ride in across from Park City. My friend David Lord lives there and this is his local ride. If you look closely you can see the trail I was riding down and Park City and Canyons across I-70. After this I grabbed some lunch and began my 450 mile drive to Ft. Collins, CO arriving just as the sun was setting.

Day Four: Ft Collins seemed to be a little more locked down. I had a chance to visit with 2 dealers there. First was Trek in the southern part of the city. They were allowing a limited amount of people in at a time, and were properly masked up. I did not get past the door, but was able to drop off our RIDES info. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/retail/fort_collins_south/ . The next store I visited was Drake Cycles. https://www.drakecycles.com/ they seemed to be open for service and by appointment only. However, they did let me in and we discussed the Crush Covid-19 tour while we talked about RIDES. They were wrenching, but I didn’t see any sales going on.

I left Ft Collins and took the picturesque 60 mile drive out to Boulder. Boulder is really nice. Between the CU campus and the backdrop of the snowy peaks and the Flat Irons, I can see why people come here and don’t leave. While here I visited Boulder Cycle Sport. Super nice store that carries Giant-Liv, Scott and Surly. https://www.bouldercyclesport.com/ Though they had curbside pickup and separated service and sales entrances, they were still welcoming and requiring that masks be worn. I had a chance to explain RIDES to a nice young lady, did a quick a tour of the store, and asked about a ride that my friend Mary Margaret suggested. Hall Ranch above Lyon. I then drove to Full Cycle Bikes. They also carry Giant and had one of my favorite line of bikes—Ibis. https://www.fullcyclebikes.com/ This place was poppin’ in both sales and service. Just buzzing. A young lady escorted me in. She showed me around and received the RIDES info to pass on to the owners. Another awesome and friendly woman discussed some local rides with me and confirmed that Hall Ranch would be my destination. This ride was awesome. Lot’s of shale and red dirt. Tough climbs, flowy coming down. Got pretty gassed going up but it was a gas coming down! Some young trial riders were riding up the rocks like they were from another planet! I had to dismount more than I want to admit.

All in all I can say I am impressed at the way the IBD’s have figured out how to serve their communities. They are excellent businesspeople that really enjoy the market they are in. Their devotion and service to their customers is apparent in every stop along the way. I am honored to be associated with the industry.

I’ll post up some more soon and will post up videos on You Tube soon. See you on the roads and the trails.

Crush Covid-19

You can reach me at 415 652 8056 or frank@ensureprotect.com