NEW YORK CITY, NY (BRAIN) Monday July 16 2012 5:56 AM MT—Bicycle Retailer & Industry News editors are on their way to New York City to embark on the 11th Dealer Tour, which starts Tuesday.
Representatives from sponsoring companies Advanced Sports International, Giro, Timex, Vittoria Cycling Shoes, White Lightning and Interbike will join the editorial staff over the next three days as they visit 13 shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn by bike.
New York City has undergone a bike transformation in recent years championed by its mayor and transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Since 2006, New York City has built more than 290 miles of bike lanes and shut down streets to cars. This summer, a new bike-sharing scheme is set to launch with 10,000 bikes across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, making it the largest program in North America.
During store visits this week, editors will learn how much these changes have impacted sales for the city’s bicycle shops.
The Dealer Tour kicks off Tuesday. Riders will visit four retailers in midtown Manhattan and head north and across the Hudson River. Tuesday’s dealer visits include SBR Multisports, NYCe Wheels, Strictly Bicycles and Mod Squad Cycles. To cap off the first day, Bikes Belong, Fuji Bikes and Bicycle Retailer will host an end-of-day reception at Mod Squad. Local retailers, advocates and suppliers are welcome to attend. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The receptions starts at 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday the group will head to Brooklyn and stop in at R&A Cycles, Roy’s Sheepshead Cycle, Bicycle Habitat and Bespoke Bicycles. And the final day, Thursday, will take the Dealer Tour riders back to Manhattan to Metro Midtown Bicycles, Sid’s Bicycles, Spokesman Cycles, Adeline Adeline and Gotham Bikes Downtown.
Editors will interview storeowners and take photos for a special section in the August 15 issue.
Be sure to check back here all week for daily online coverage and photo galleries. You can also follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.