Mariposa Love Part 4 and The Toronto Bicycle Show

Why is it that the Toronto Bicycle Show sucks? Why is it that this annual event fails to inspire? Why is it that I, along with many others, don’t care that the show happened last weekend? What can the organizers do to make the show better?

Here are a few of my thoughts on the issue:

1.

Stop selling shit. There is a bike show at the end of the season that is organized for precisely that – selling off leftover stock. Don’t start the season with a show that feels like a bazaar. I don’t want to walk through an event that is intended to introduce this season’s newest products, showcase the latest bikes, and raise retailer profile only to see ‘Sale Racks’ and ‘50% off’ signs everywhere.

2.

Clean the place up, it looks like shit. There are bikes at the show that are worth more than my car - showcase them in an appropriate manner. The goal is to make people covet things – after all, bikes are objects of desire. I want to go home after visiting the Bike Show and dream about the bikes I saw there.

3.

City bikes. City bikes. City bikes. The majority of the population does not need a $3000 race bike, or a full suspension mountain bike. What they need are bicycles that are comfortable, have fenders, have lights, offer some type of cargo capacity, and maybe have a couple of gears for extra measure. A few manufacturers are starting to offer bikes that address these needs – show them.

4.

Hand out more catalogues. When I was a kid I used to play a game where I would riffle through the pages of skateboard catalogues and try to pick one thing from each page that I could have. By the time my birthday rolled around and I got to go to the store to pick what I wanted, I new exactly what I wanted.

5.

Separate sections according to dealers, manufacturers, clubs, etc. Maybe this is already being done, I didn’t notice.

6.

Try to stay on top of emerging trends. The fixed gear scene is blowing up. There are countless new companies that are focusing their attention on this market segment, as well as several retailers who are specializing in catering to customers with fixed specific demands. Invite some of these companies and stores. Why can’t Brooklyn Machine Works or Milwaukee Bicycle Co. have a booth? And I’m not even going to get into the whole ‘Hand Built Bike’ thing.

7.

It shouldn't be about short term gains. It really feels like the organizers of the event are on cruise control, repeating the same show each year and collecting the profits. Eventually the show’s quality will deteriorate to the point where someone younger and fresher will be able to step in and organize a competing show – a show that will blow the Toronto Bicycle Show out of the water. It wouldn’t be hard to do.

8.

If it has a motor, it's not a bike.

Look, I realize that it’s the Toronto Bicycle Show and not Interbike, but still, this event caters to a potential audience of 6 million plus people – it needs to do more than just satisfy the needs of fitness nuts and adrenalin junkies who are looking for a bargain. Bikes are fun, riding bikes is even more fun, the show should try to channel that energy and turn it into an event worth visiting - year after year after year.

Thanks to the Mariposa that was at the show (see bellow), my time at the event wasn't a complete bust.