When Wyatt of Velo Media asked: "Is Cycling Marketing Broken?" I replied with a wordy repost that it's not broken; it just looks like it. 🥴
Just like your old whip on the wall that isn’t broken. Sure, it doesn’t boast the vanity metrics, hashtags & sparkly accolades like your most recently launched addition to the stable, but it’s more than able!
Stop buying social media ads, organize a group ride & buy pizza instead.
Stop lurking the same accounts on your phone & follow those that aren’t just a clone. Invite outliers, outsiders & newcomers. Hell, go somewhere & see something new yourself… on your bike! (Shoutout wander.earth)
Jealous of a competitor’s campaign? Complement them, join their events, and they’ll join yours. Or not, then THEY’RE missing out. Ever heard of the rising tide lifting all boats? That works for bikes too!
Critical of what you see? Don’t tell me, show me: share your strategies, successes & insights. Imagine being the only person who could change a flat on the group ride but didn’t tell anyone cuz they wanted the KOM. Don’t be that guy.
In many ways, bikes & the cycling scene are cooler, more inclusive & exciting than ever. It’s just male, pale & stale bland branding sucking our wheels.
People want to ride. People need to ride. Bikes will save the world.
Now that’s a goal towards which we all can roll! ♥️
2024 will be the best year yet for commuting, racing, exploring & just riding around with your (new) friends.
Lead from the front! : )
As always, thank you for reading,
Jon
p.s. if you haven’t checked out Wyatt’s podcast, The Business of Cycling, you should!
Cycling
Is Cycling Marketing Broken?
Wyatt Wees
The post that inspired this issue's title & intro. Kudos to Wyatt for getting people to not only chime in but hopefully flout cycling's played-out approach to marketing.
FURTHER LE CHEMIN ( DE LA LIBERTE ) | 24-31 August
‘One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things’ – Henry Miller
Gain Confidence as a Solo Bikepacker
Claire Pomykala
A very informative & inspiring write-up with great advice, examples and stories. Read here.
Ideas
Electric cars are not the future
Amsterdam-Based Cycling App JOIN Gets €1.5 Million to Further Product Development and UK/US Expansion
Stefano De Marzo
Love to see cycling startups in the news. Especially local ones! JOIN is available in five languages for Android and iOS. Since its launch in 2020, the app has been downloaded and used by more than 100,000 cyclists worldwide. Read the article here.
Should You Advise Your Client to Allow a Journalist Unfettered Access for a Long-Form Profile Piece?
Jeremy Wagstaff
We got a little burned by this recently by a title that was allowed in only to pen a corny clickbait article thereafter. This one is long, but I recommend you read it if you're in the industry. : )
Friends
Spoke and Word With Matt Coplon – Episode One
This initial episode of a new series from Matt Coplon at Profile BMX is very cool. I'm looking forward to the episode with Dr. Luis Pinzon, who has a rad backyard ramp that I've skated with my kids in Tampa.
James LaLonde Joins BuyCycle (and they're hiring!)
Cory Benson Tests The Old Man Mountain Axle Pack
Cory Benson
The Old Man Mountain Axle Pack makes any bike a bikepacking bike. Whether it has a carbon, aluminum, steel, or suspension fork. This review, like all of Cory's, is funny, and thorough and the fact he used a fat bike to ride in the snow is awesome!
Radness
SOULCYCLE - DIVE DEEP
Two BMX links this week! Amsterdam's local squad of Emile Bouwman, Kimo van Hulst, Oran Farag, Denz van Lare, Rodrigue Timellini, and Rinke Diependaal show what BMX is all about in this just released edit. To them diving deep means: chasing a unique style of riding, helping your friends to land that single trick and at the end of the day, just having a good time enjoying a broodje kroket together!
Thank you for reading!