Fly on the Wall

How fun it is...
I'm in the beautiful but chilly Twin Cities region, attending Frostbike.
Thrown by QBP, or the "Q" as they are sometimes known, Frostbike is a dealer only event, filled with vendors, seminars and the opportunity to meet some pretty cool folks. A junkett if you will.

I will admit, that while the hardware end of things is always cool (I love new stuff), it's the people that really make the difference. I met my new inside person at the Q. I met a couple of other dealers and had cool conversations about 29ers and the like.
I spoke with the infamous Guitar Ted for the first time over the phone. After two years, we may actually get to meet. He'll be here sometime today.

I also overheard some shop guys ratcheting on about stuff at the bar. These were the the kind of guys that "know more than anyone else" about everything to do with bikes, and look down upon stuff or customers that fail to measure up. It's always amusing to me that guys like this are able to make a living.

Also amusing to me, was the mentality of some of the shop owners. There is no question that we are in for some tough times, and it is going to be a tough slog for some. Most of the seminars I've attended were geared for ways to prepare for this sort of thing, and boy oh boy, did I learn some stuff. I'm not calling out any shops in particular, but it's the small, more adaptable businesses that are going to come out shining from this crunch. It's the way of things. It's why there aren't any dinosaurs anymore.

Also very funny, is the impression I get from a large Burlington shop that seems irked by my presence at this event. Yeah, I'm here too! Suckers...

Tonight, I'll be having some cocktails with the Salsa crew, and then rolling out of the hotel to visit with Twin Six for a while.