Tuesday, 10/17/06 at 5:20 PM
by Jenny Skorcz
by Jenny Skorcz
Women on a roll...
Despite a late night arrival to and a short night’s sleep in Columbus, Ohio, Tiffany Brown from Giant Bicycle and I found our sleepy selves revitalized by the enthusiasm and energy we found upon arriving at roll:. On a beautiful fall day in October, roll: hosted their first all-women’s bicycling event titled roll: for women.
Looking through the storefront window I could see that roll: is no ordinary bike shop. The window mannequin sported an adorable ensemble: brown Prana hoody, maroon long sleeved t-shirt underneath, and a great pair of Prana plaid knickers (which I tried on twice before I got hold of myself and remembered my budget!). Upon entering the store, one walks into a lovely apparel section for men and women. Fun, round, shag carpets underneath two steel legged, wood topped display tables, halogen lighting everywhere, clean wood shelving units with a few tiems folded neatly on each tier. Bordering the apparel department one finds what would one would expect to stumble into initially in a bike shop: bikes! What I found appealing was the arrangement of bikes. Single models were displayed, rather than multiple sizes of each model, which gave the display a clean and tidy appearance. The west wall hosts all the city and comfort bikes, the east wall is reserved for the mountain and road bikes. Providing equal floor space for the less expensive models that are typically purchased by new riders gives the customer the sense that roll: truly is interested in cultivating that aspect of the business. To support this claim, sales staff relies on conducting a laser fit for all their customers, not just the high end or regular customers. Roll: has also dedicated an area to children and the developmental stages of bike riding. All in all I was terribly impressed by the shop floor plan and display layout.
Tiffany and I arrived just before 8:00AM so we could join one of the group rides Allyson from roll: had planned to kick off the day. Three categories of riders were addressed. I rode a borrowed 2007 Trance and enjoyed a lovely fall ride through Alum State Park (Phase I) with Megan and Ben, both employees of roll:. Tiffany borrowed a comfort bike and went with Allyson’s group to explore the Westerville bike path and Laura, another employee at roll: took a dozen or so women around Alum Park on road bikes for an 18-mile spin. Each group appeared to thoroughly enjoy their ride, as evidenced by the commonly repeated phrase “I wish we could have doubled the mileage!” But everyone wanted to get back to the shop by 10:00 to attend Ben’s basic repair class. About 15 women spread out across the apparel area and were given wheels and tire levers. Ben did an excellent job talking each woman through successful removal and installation of a tire and tube. The flat fixers worked up an appetite and were rewarded with a healthy and tasty lunch complete with veggie wraps, turkey sandwiches, corn chips, and cookies.
At noon, Haley Ellis conducted a seminar packed full of all kinds of useful information regarding nutrition, training, using a heart rate monitor, appropriate clothing for fall and winter riding conditions, and the importance of core conditioning. I think we would all agree that Haley, a triathlete and coach, has some serious energy!
After a short break, I took a turn in front of the group and talked about my experiences as a cyclist and as a woman in the bike industry. I then opened the discussion to the group, who candidly shared many of their reasons for wanting to enter or re–enter the sport of bike riding. Women from 30 to 60 years of age attended and were able to connect, to relate to each other’s motivations and inspirations. I was once again reminded of the significant social aspect of cycling that exists for women. At the conclusion of my talk, I visited one on one with women who wanted to pick my brain in regards to issues they had with their bike, mechanically or biomechanical and fit concerns—women who were excited to have access to a female who could answer their questions.
We experienced a lull late in the afternoon, as many women had been at the shop over five hours. The group of women who attended Ben’s second mechanical clinic benefited from low attendance in the form of close supervision. Once the flat fix was completed, Ben gave those women an opportunity to pick his brain and they certainly went for it!
The climax of the day happened early evening when the wine bottles were uncorked and Tiffany unveiled the 2007 line-up. We rolled out the big guns, the OCR and TCR models, as well as the Anthem and Trance. We not only educated the nicely attired attendees in regards to the salient features of each model, but we also talked about materials and construction. After the last bike was rolled off the floor, we talked with individuals and small groups about the bikes. Despite their heels, skirts, and blouses many women test-rode bikes – must have been the Bicyclette Pinot Noir that was flowing into plastic cups!
Allyson and Stuart at roll: did an incredible job putting together this event. More importantly, however, they provided women in their area an opportunity to develop a women’s cycling community with long-term and far-reaching potential.
Keep on rolling,
Jenny
Looking through the storefront window I could see that roll: is no ordinary bike shop. The window mannequin sported an adorable ensemble: brown Prana hoody, maroon long sleeved t-shirt underneath, and a great pair of Prana plaid knickers (which I tried on twice before I got hold of myself and remembered my budget!). Upon entering the store, one walks into a lovely apparel section for men and women. Fun, round, shag carpets underneath two steel legged, wood topped display tables, halogen lighting everywhere, clean wood shelving units with a few tiems folded neatly on each tier. Bordering the apparel department one finds what would one would expect to stumble into initially in a bike shop: bikes! What I found appealing was the arrangement of bikes. Single models were displayed, rather than multiple sizes of each model, which gave the display a clean and tidy appearance. The west wall hosts all the city and comfort bikes, the east wall is reserved for the mountain and road bikes. Providing equal floor space for the less expensive models that are typically purchased by new riders gives the customer the sense that roll: truly is interested in cultivating that aspect of the business. To support this claim, sales staff relies on conducting a laser fit for all their customers, not just the high end or regular customers. Roll: has also dedicated an area to children and the developmental stages of bike riding. All in all I was terribly impressed by the shop floor plan and display layout.
Tiffany and I arrived just before 8:00AM so we could join one of the group rides Allyson from roll: had planned to kick off the day. Three categories of riders were addressed. I rode a borrowed 2007 Trance and enjoyed a lovely fall ride through Alum State Park (Phase I) with Megan and Ben, both employees of roll:. Tiffany borrowed a comfort bike and went with Allyson’s group to explore the Westerville bike path and Laura, another employee at roll: took a dozen or so women around Alum Park on road bikes for an 18-mile spin. Each group appeared to thoroughly enjoy their ride, as evidenced by the commonly repeated phrase “I wish we could have doubled the mileage!” But everyone wanted to get back to the shop by 10:00 to attend Ben’s basic repair class. About 15 women spread out across the apparel area and were given wheels and tire levers. Ben did an excellent job talking each woman through successful removal and installation of a tire and tube. The flat fixers worked up an appetite and were rewarded with a healthy and tasty lunch complete with veggie wraps, turkey sandwiches, corn chips, and cookies.
At noon, Haley Ellis conducted a seminar packed full of all kinds of useful information regarding nutrition, training, using a heart rate monitor, appropriate clothing for fall and winter riding conditions, and the importance of core conditioning. I think we would all agree that Haley, a triathlete and coach, has some serious energy!
After a short break, I took a turn in front of the group and talked about my experiences as a cyclist and as a woman in the bike industry. I then opened the discussion to the group, who candidly shared many of their reasons for wanting to enter or re–enter the sport of bike riding. Women from 30 to 60 years of age attended and were able to connect, to relate to each other’s motivations and inspirations. I was once again reminded of the significant social aspect of cycling that exists for women. At the conclusion of my talk, I visited one on one with women who wanted to pick my brain in regards to issues they had with their bike, mechanically or biomechanical and fit concerns—women who were excited to have access to a female who could answer their questions.
We experienced a lull late in the afternoon, as many women had been at the shop over five hours. The group of women who attended Ben’s second mechanical clinic benefited from low attendance in the form of close supervision. Once the flat fix was completed, Ben gave those women an opportunity to pick his brain and they certainly went for it!
The climax of the day happened early evening when the wine bottles were uncorked and Tiffany unveiled the 2007 line-up. We rolled out the big guns, the OCR and TCR models, as well as the Anthem and Trance. We not only educated the nicely attired attendees in regards to the salient features of each model, but we also talked about materials and construction. After the last bike was rolled off the floor, we talked with individuals and small groups about the bikes. Despite their heels, skirts, and blouses many women test-rode bikes – must have been the Bicyclette Pinot Noir that was flowing into plastic cups!
Allyson and Stuart at roll: did an incredible job putting together this event. More importantly, however, they provided women in their area an opportunity to develop a women’s cycling community with long-term and far-reaching potential.
Keep on rolling,
Jenny
Comments
I think you may have accidently posted your comments on the wrong blog and website. The event activities, as previously described, included group bicycle riding, bicycle technical clinics, and an overview of the 2007 Giant Bicycle's product line for female cyclists. Needless to say, sex was not covered as a topic at the roll: event.
It's great that you feel so comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings publicly, although I might suggest you consider accessing a website that focuses specifically on your personal interest.
Take care,
Jenny Skorcz
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