Civia is packing up and heading to Seattle for our second Seattle Bike Expo March 13th and 14th.  This is our 3rd year of doing the show and I am always excited for it. We do a number of shows but this is the only consumer expo and that makes it special. It is great to hear the direct feedback and see the excitement from consumers.

This year we will have all 5 of our bike models on display including: Hyland Alfine, Loring 9 speed, Bryant Alfine Belt, Midtown, and Linden. Please come by the booth to check the bikes out and let us know what you think.

Scott is busy this year taking care of his newborn twins! Josh will be back home holding down the fort so what that means is that I will be flying solo in the booth. With the amount of interest we have had in the past I am guessing this will keep me busy.

Well that is about it for now, hope to see you at the show!

PJ Ramstack

Taking a look at the last post, I'm trying to figure out where the last two months went...  A lot has taken place and we've got some exciting things in the works.

Of interest, the Midtowns and Lindens are just wrapping up final production and assembly and will shortly be on their way.  We're expecting them to be available at the end of March.

Bryant Tiagra builds and framesets are looking like availability starting the first week of April.  The three builds that will be done here in Minnesota are going to be available a couple weeks later.  We're expecting end of April as a general availability date.

Another thing of interest is we've heard quite a bit of feedback on the brake spec of the Alfine build.  For a good mix of price and function, we specified Tektro's high end disc brake, the Lyra.  Immediately, there were some grumblings about this with a strong desire expressed towards going with the Avid BB5 or BB7s.  We discussed this with our dealers and presented them with the option of the bike as spec'd at it's current price, or Avid BB7s with a bump in the MSRP.  Each shop wanted the BB7s.  So, to that end, we've modified spec and will be going with BB7s on the Alfine and Rival builds with the Tektro Lyras on the single speed belt.  Because of the brake up-spec on the Alfine, its price has adjusted from $1,650 to $1,680.

We've also received a number of questions about the photo of the Bryant Alfine build and whether or not it comes with the rack and fenders shown in the image.  The short answer is no, for the $1,680 price, it does not include the rack and fenders.  That said, we are offering that rack and fender package for $75 that can be ordered through the shop where you're buying the bike.

On a different note, we've got a few bike projects and some parts and accessories we're working.  Some of the P&A will be debuted later in the spring with general availability this summer.  The bike models we're working on will be shown at Interbike in September and availability to be announced at that time.

Hope your late winter is going well.  Spring is on the way!

We've just finalized the designs on two new t-shirts.  They should be available for sale right around the first of January.  Suggested retail on each style is $24.  If your local bike shop doesn't stock them, just have them log onto our distributor's website (qbp.com) and order some for the floor.

Unrelated, but also fun is that we've photographed the first pre-production Midtown.  It's photo is being updated to the Bicycles section.  Look for it in the next day.