MADISON, WI (BRAIN)—When builders from the Midwest spoke up at last October’s Philly Bike Expo, Bina Bilenky listened.
“They kept saying: ‘We’d really like a show like this in the Midwest.’ I thought about it for a little bit and decided to do it,” said Bina Bilenky, whose father is Stephen Bilenky, owner of Bilenky Cycle Works in Philadelphia. Bina helps direct Bilenky Cycle Works marketing and event efforts.
The Heartland Velo Show will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, August 27 – 28. It will be held at the Alliant Energy Center.
Bina hopes to build on the success of the Philly Bike Expo, which was also a first year show. “We sold out all of our exhibit space, which is a pretty unusual for a first year,” Bina said of the Philly Bike Expo. “We had really good attendance.”
Artisans and manufacturers of bicycles and components, cycling accessories and apparel will display their wares at show.
Madison’s own Banjo Bicycles will host a framebuilders’ open house, and will share their unique vibe by way of a sponsored ride to the show.
Doug Fattic, of Niles, Michigan, has trained and educated several hundred new framebuilders since he began his framebuilding school. At the Heartland Velo Show, Fattic will braze a frameset in a live instructional presentation of the craft.
“Madison is a terrific location for a show like this. We aim to engage the thriving local cycling community in every way possible,” Bina said. “The fact that the Alliant Energy Center is only two miles from downtown via the bike paths is also a big plus.
“My goal is to create an event similar to the Philly Bike Expo but with a unique Midwest vibe and to promote framebuilders, cycling apparel accessories and components companies,” she said.
Click on above link to find out more about the Heartland Velo Show.
—Jason Norman
jnorman@bicycleretailer.com
