Raleigh America, Inc. Recognizes its Top 25 Heron Council Dealers

Each year from among the 2,000 independent bicycle dealers carrying Raleigh and Diamondback products the top 25 dealers are recognized by Raleigh America as Heron Council Dealers. The Heron Council is a key component of Raleigh’s dealer relationship program; Raleigh counts on these top dealers for their feedback and believes it is important to recognize them for their enthusiastic support of both brands and bicycling as a whole.

“It is an honor and a privilege to recognize these dealers and we are very grateful for their support for our company and brands.” said Rickey Strawn, Raleigh America’s Director of Sales.

As part of Raleigh America’s tradition of recognizing and rewarding these top dealers, an annual Heron Council trip and Gala is held for the dealers. This year dealers will embark on a trip that will take them to China February 23rd through March 1st. The itinerary includes visits to the cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, along with tours of Raleigh America’s key manufacturing facilities. This year’s Gala event will be held in Hong Kong on February 29th and each dealer will receive an award presented by Raleigh America’s Chief Executive Officer Bill Austin, President Steve Meineke, and Director of Sales Rickey Strawn.

Heron Council Dealers were selected for their achievement of outstanding sales and increased purchase volume in 2007. Click on shop names bellow to go to their website.


1. ERIK'S BIKE SHOP INC Bloomington, MN
2. TAYLOR'S BIKE SHOP Provo, UT
3. METRO BICYCLE STORES /DENCO Bronx, NY
4. BRANDS CYCLE CENTER Wantagh, NY
5. SKI MARKET LTD Waltham, MA
6. AGEE'S BICYCLE Richmond, VA
7. BIKE CONNECTION Palo Alto, CA
8. BICYCLE WAREHOUSE San Diego, CA
9. BUCK'S BIKES & TRIKES INC Austin, TX
10. BICYCLE SOUTH Decatur, GA
11. CENTURY CYCLES INC Rocky River, OH
12. RECYCLED CYCLES INC Seattle, WA
13. OFF RAMP Santa Clara, CA
14. DANNY'S WORLD OF CYCLES Scarsdale, NY
15. WHIPPANY CYCLE Whippany, NJ
16. TALBOT'S CYCLERY San Mateo, CA
17. AMERICAN CYCLERY LLC San Francisco, CA
18. BUDGET BICYCLE CENTER Madison, WI
19. BILL'S BIKE SHOP Idaho Falls, ID
20. BICYCLE WORLD HARLINGEN Harlingen, TX
21. AL'S BICYCLES Oklahoma City, OK
22. SUN CITY BICYCLES San Diego, CA
23. SUNRISE CYCLERY Massapequa, NY
24. RECYCLED CYCLES Fort Collins, CO
25. SILVERDALE CYCLERY Silverdale, WA

Congratulations!

ERIK'S BIKE SHOP & BIKE TOWN, MINNEAPOLIS

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Erik’s Bike Shop a Minneapolis institution for over 30 years now, was recently Raleigh’s partner and host for Bicycling magazine’s Bike Town event on June 16th (more on Bike Town and the Minneapolis edition). The event was a great success and a lot of fun! Much of that success and fun was due to the “can due” approach, coordination and logistics planning of the entire staff of Erik’s - we would like to give a special call out to DaveO for his patient guide service and Libby for putting it all together.

The Erik’s Bike shop story is almost a perfect model of an “American Dream” success – Erik was only 13 when he started Erik’s Bike shop. His first bike, a hand-me-down from an older family member, sparked his interest in bikes. With entrepreneurial spirit and the money he saved from his job (the only other job he's ever had) as a paperboy - Erik began his business. He bought 150 used bikes, fixed them up, and sold them. Erik's original workshop was in his parent's backyard, inside one of the few remaining barns in the urban setting of Richfield, Minnesota. A homemade sign brought business to his doorstep.

Throughout high school, Erik worked out of the barn, as part of a school work for credit program. In fact, half of the grading system was for on-the-job performance. Being a "one-man operation" Erik had to grade himself... so he managed to earn a lot of A's!

By his senior year (1982), the business (now stocking NEW bikes and accessories) began to take over storage space from his parents' basement... to the dining room... to the family room. So at 18, Erik moved his business out of his parents' barn and opened a store on 72nd & Chicago Avenue South in Richfield, Minnesota.

Erik’s now employs up to 140 people and has 13 store locations, 11 in Minnesota and 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.

We had a great time in Minneapolis. The staff at Erik’s built 50 Raleigh Coasting bikes, found a great location, coordinated the event with the local parks and recreation commission, transported the bikes and helped staff the event. Thanks to all and again special thanks to Libby and DaveO! Oh, and one last thank you – thanks to all the staff at Erik’s Dinkytown location for helping Carey and me have two super rides around downtown Minneapolis, and a special thanks to Jon for being there late and letting us get the bicycles in the store after closing (super cool and much appreciated).

-Reed Pike

DEALERS - DEALERS - DEALERS

Our Raleigh dealers are the power link that gets our side of the chain linked up with yours, the customer. “Our dealers represent all that’s great in the world of bicycling,” says Steve Meineke, President of Raleigh America. “They ‘enjoy the ride’ every day they open their doors; through their efforts, they are helping grow not only their businesses but the sport of cycling. We are proud to be affiliated with each of them and greatly appreciate their support of our company and brands.” With that said, over the next several months we want to introduce you to some of our top dealers - first up is Century Cycles and owner Scott Cowan reflects on changes in the bike industry since 1992 as they celebrate their 15th year of selling bikes.

When Scott Cowan opened the first Century Cycles in Medina in 1992, George H. W. Bush was president and Jay Leno was just starting his stint as host of “The Tonight Show.” Back then, Century Cycles sold one road bike a month and didn’t have a carbon fiber bicycle in stock.

Fifteen years later, Bush the Younger is president and Jay Leno is a late-night institution. Today, Century Cycles sells almost one road bike a day and has three stores displaying dozens of bikes made of space-age carbon fiber.

As the award-winning local bike store chain marks its fifteenth anniversary this month, the occasion has Cowan reflecting on how much the bicycle industry has evolved and improved since 1992, in particular addressing key issues of comfort and quality.

“It’s much more enjoyable to ride a bicycle manufactured in 2007, because it’s designed from top to bottom to be a comfortable riding experience,” says Cowan. “The bicycles that are so popular right now – including comfort bikes and retro cruiser models – did not even exist in 1992. Those new styles, along with the always-popular hybrid bicycles, comprise about 60% of our sales today.”

Century Cycles opened its first store in Medina in March, 1992, with one employee and about 50 bikes on the showroom floor. Today, Century Cycles has three stores, 35 year-round employees, and several hundred bikes on display in each store. The Peninsula Century Cycles store, which opened in 1993, is located along the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and – in addition to bicycle sales and service – it rents bicycles, trailers, and tagalongs by the hour for use on the Towpath Trail.

Century Cycles opened the Rocky River store in 1998 in the historic former Rocky River post office building on Detroit Road, next to Herb’s Tavern. Century Cycles is proud to be selling Raleigh bicycles in Rocky River, a town that is one of the Washington-state bicycle manufacturer’s oldest retail outposts east of the Mississippi.

Century Cycles is an award-winning chain of independent bicycle stores that is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2007. It has locations in Medina, Peninsula, and Rocky River. In addition to catering to cyclists and their families with high-quality bicycles and exemplary service, Century Cycles is active locally and nationally in support of bicycling paths and other issues of vital importance to the cycling community.

Full version of text can be found here.