Archive for the 'Blatant Marketing' Category

The New Bike Loan Program from Unitus

A good bike can be many things - transportation, recreation, total elation.  And also a big chunk of change. But if you live in the Portland area, getting a Sweetpea just got a little easier with the new Bike Loan program from Unitus Community Credit Union.

Bike Loan

Much like getting a loan for a car, you can now get a loan for up to $2500 towards a custom Sweetpea Bicycle. The details are here, but instead of a couple big payments, you get to spread it out over the course of a year. Our hope is that by participating in this program, it will be easier for you to get your dream bike.  (To see a little press about the Bike Loan Program, click here.)

Sweetpea Bicycles featured on Alltop

Calling themselves “highly subjective and judgemental”, Alltop has chosen the Sweetpea Bicycles blog as one of their top cycling sites on the web.  Alltop calls themselves a “digital magazine rack” for the internet and tracks all-the-top sites in a multitude of different categories.

Alltop, all the top stories

This is really exciting news for us.  One of the folks behind Alltop is Guy Kawasaki, who is certifiably one of our Business Heroes.  Besides working at Apple when the Mac came out, Guy also wrote the Art of the Start and whose line “the best reason to start a business is to make meaning” has helped guide us through a lot of tough decisions.  I can’t remember where we first ran into his work, but I have handed out this link more times than I can remember (it really gets going around 4 minutes).

If you get a chance, check out Alltop.  I found some great new stuff in there, and if you think some great cycling blogs are missing, drop them a line.

Introducing: Two Bite Curry

Like all good curries, this one was stewing for a while.

Two Bite Curry

I was chatting with a fantastic lady at the Sprokettes Mobile Dance Party, confessing that I was woefully lacking in the sass department.  This is something I have come to terms with, but every year Pedalpolooza shows me just how high the bar is set.  This lady explained that it was all about the outfit -  she was wearing a dayglo unitard beneath some baggy mountain bike shorts that she credited for her rockin’ groove.  Before, the unitard - pretty tame.  After the unitard - a different story.  The lesson: You have to trust that its in you, and just walk out the door loaded for bear.  Which brings me to the bike.

Based off of the 26″er, this geared cross rig is designed for a couple of different uses.  With room for fenders, brazeons for racks, and a triple chainring up front, it behaves as an trusty upstanding commuter.  For most of the year it will diligently carry groceries, haul the puppy trailer, and pretty much stay out of trouble.  Come the fall, it will lose its racks, fenders and mild mannered ways for  Cross Crusade.

But its true purpose is to help me show up with a little somtin extra, because I’m fresh out of unitards.


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Sweetpea Bicycles featured in Bicycling Magazine

Bicycling Magazine: Beat Stress and Custom Bikes

So if you happen to find yourself in a supermarket in Billings, Montana or a bookstore in Boulder, Colorado, or the millions of other places where Bicycling Magazine is sold, pick it up and take a slow easy walk to page 86.  There’s Natalie hard at work with a quote about why its so rad to build bikes for women.  The whole issue was oozing Portland, but it sure feels nice to be recognized.

On the digital front, we got some sweet lovin from Etsy and Cool Hunting.  Check it out!

Preview: Two Bite Curry

Preview: Two Bite Curry

Here is a preview of a rig that just came back from paint.  We are calling it Two Bite Curry: the first bite is hot, the second bite sweet.

(Update) Tangerine Road: This Beauty is Sold

(Art History coming in handy.)

Some of you may recognize this road bike bike from North American Handmade Bike Show where it was on display at the Spectrum Powderworks booth. I can’t really overstate this - this paint job is incredible. These guys went all out. It has a 51.5 cm seat tube and a 52.5 cm top tube and a carbon fork that takes 650c wheels. Available frame/fork for $1500, or we can help you put it together. If you are around 5′5″ and have a 31″ inseam, this could be the bike for you.

Call or contact us for details.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Sweetpea Bicycles: A Primer

With all the news, activity, and general awesomeness going on, we felt it right to give a little primer to those of you who might be hearing about us for the first time. First off, welcome to Sweetpea Bicycles.

We specialize in building bikes for the ladies, bikes that fit.
While most folks take measurements and plug numbers into a formula, we try as often as possible to do a real fitting - to see the rider in motion. There is a lot of experience, miles, and muscle memory that you need to work into the mix, and we think this is the best way of dialing things in. We have strong feelings about this. And we have one of the best fitters in the country.

We have one incredible bike builder.
Her name is Natalie, and she is one of only a handful of women bike builders in North America. With a background in architectural design and six years as a professional rider (cough, bike messenger), Natalie has been designing and building bikes for the last two years.

Our bikes start at around $3000 complete.
You are probably thinking one of two things: OMG, that is so expensive, or, OMG that is so cheap. We know. These beauties are built by hand, one at a time, and come out looking hot. They are made out of steel, and are designed to last a very long time. You get to pick your color. Prices vary based on parts and accessories.

We do not believe that you need credentials to buy a custom bike.
If you love to ride, that is all you need.

Our wait list is hovering around a year.
And we expect it to continue to grow. For those of you who are on the fence, now is probably the time. To get in line, we require a $500 deposit. Note: If we do not have your deposit, then you are not in line.

We donate 1% of our sales to environmental causes.
Our bikes are built in Portland, Oregon, but they are sourced from all over the world. Even though we are still small, we feel that there is no time like now for making a difference.

We keep some eye candy on the internets.
And pictures of our dog. To all of our Flickr buddies: Peace.

This is our most stolen picture.

The Farmers Market

You can see it here online 24 hours a day.

And yes. We know. The website needs work.

Sweetpea T-Shirts: Now on sale, super cute.

Sweetpea T-Shirt - Brown

Hey Folks!

Sweetpea Bicycles t-shirts are now in stock and available for sale. Two fantastic colors: Pink and Chocolate. It occurs to us that if you love a shirt and wear it all the time, you might consider getting two! American Apparel sizing! (If you don’t know what that means for you - Natalie is a S or XS in just about everything but a M in American Apparel.)

Sweetpea T-Shirt - Pink

Supplies kind of limited, so get yours today!

Bike Show and Craft Fair Recap

It seems as though these last weeks have gone by in a blur of coffee, logistics, gettin’ there, settin’ up, tearin’ down, and goin’ home dog tired.  Thank goodness for the Flexcar.

First up to bat was the Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show.  We had been involved with organizing this event for the last five months or so, and if you thought going to an event was hard - putting on the event and going to it is way harder.  But when you are involved with the planning, you get to do some neat things.  Like invite all the bike builders in the state to show their craft . . . all of them.  The response was incredible, and we were so busy the entire time, I only got to take one picture:

Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show

Next up was the third annual Bike Craft Fair put on by Jonathan from Bike Portland.  We had our “Wool for Steel” program in effect for a second year in a row an added a new Quick Release Mitten as well as recycled sweater arm warmers to the S’mitten line up.

photo

We have a few pair left over, so if you are interested, drop us a line.  And the t-shirts will be up for sale in the next day or two.

Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show

Oregon Handmade Bike Show Poster

Dearest Readers,

Taking place this Sunday is the first ever Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show.  Twenty five builders from all over the great state of Oregon will be showing their bikes.  We will be there showing a handful of bikes, selling caps and socks, and will be releasing our freshly minted Sweetpea Bicycles t-shirts into the wild.  (Check or cash only.  Available on the web come Monday.)

Its going to be an incredible show and we hope to see you there.

Details:

Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show

World Forestry Center

11 to 7

$5 at the door/kids under 12 free.