I was originally signed up to be an exhibitor at the South Florida Bike Expo, but when an email came from the promoter saying that they were juggling space to handle additional folks, I volunteered to give up my booth.
Wall to wall bicycles
After all, I don’t have anything to sell. I don’t lead tours, so what you read here is what you get. That decision worked out well, because it freed me up to wander around shooting the other booths and get a feel for the event.
South Florida Expo open Sunday, July 18
If you missed Saturday’s show, you’ll have another shot Sunday, July 18, between 9 A.M. and 6 P.M. Admission is free, but you will have to pay for parking at Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium. You can get directions and all the info at the South Florida Bike Expo website.
Charity Rides
There are lots of exhibitors who will sign you up for charity rides.
Bicycle Advocacy community represented
The South Florida Bike Coalition, League of American Cyclists, the Florida Bicycle Association and others who lobby for our right to be on the road were there.
Gallery of photos from the South Florida Bike Expo
Click on any image to make it larger.
Love the photo of the woman with the Specialized helmet on her head. The helmet is very striking to look at (has that shape of the creature that came out of the stomach in the movie, Alien…) but the expression on her face is what draws me back to the photo.
I am torn between thinking she is either self conscious about having that helmet on her head OR she is thinking about all the brew-ha-ha over bikes, racing and the politics involved these days.
Is it contempt for bike clubs, the disappointment of Lance and the Tour de France this year, or is she thinking how she will smoke everyone she rides with if she had that helmet on the next time she gets her bike on the pavement?
I suppose a photo is worth a thousand words after all, or a 149 words in this particular case.
Mark S,
That was my favorite shot of the day, too. I gave her a biz card and told her that she might be made world-famous, but I don’t know if she ever saw herself.
Ken,
I’m trying to get some info on Active Tunes. I can’t seem to confirm my order with them. Do you think you could help me in any way…?
Thanks,
Eric,
I replied to you after your original message on the i-Ride review page, but here it is again:
I’m going to have to, reluctantly, withdraw my endorsement of i-Ride products. I had shipping issues as well. When I followed up with two phone calls, I told the person who answered the phone about the complaints I had been receiving and that if I didn’t get a call back, I was going to have to advise folks NOT to place an order.
The next day, Sept. 2, I got this email from Mick Kless, president of Active Tunes:
“Got your message yesterday and wanted to reply. My wife has been undergoing cancer treatment over the past few months and had surgery as recently as yesterday morning. So business has slipped since I haven’t been in the office much. I’m putting someone in place to handle things in my absence and all shipments will be sent by end of day Friday. As for your threat to return your call or you’ll write in your blog not to do business with us, that’s the least of my worries and I don’t appreciate it. Write whatever the hell you want. You didn’t make my business, you won’t break it either.
Mick Kless
President
Active Tunes”
I responded that I recognized that his wife had to be his top, if not only, priority right now and that my comment to post a negative review wasn’t a threat, it was a statement.
I had been giving his products my unqualified endorsement, so my credibility was on the line.
I told him that readers had been understanding when shipments were delayed because of issues with his suppliers, and that they would certainly sympathize with a family medical emergency.
I asked for permission to post his message as an explanation. I didn’t receive the courtesy of a reply.
Since Eric has had a recent bad experience, I’m going to go ahead and publish Mick’s message.
I hope that things are going well for Mick’s wife and I hope that he gets his business back in order. I still haven’t found a portable speaker that works as well as the i-Ride Pro. I just can’t recommend ordering one right now.