Mixing Fun, Fitness, Fundraising, and a Fantastic Retail Experience at Rock N' Road Cyclery in OC

Feb. 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Community events, destination bike rides, classes, clinics, fund raisers, community activism, cooperation with Boy Scouts, police departments, and forest service, and sponsorship of clubs, athletes, and teams.  Where would you go to find a city agency or non-profit organization doing all of these outreach efforts and more.  Believe it or not, you'd head to your local bike shop.  In Orange County the bike shop that would be doing everything on this list and a few more for good measure would be Rock N' Road Cyclery.

"It is rare for anyone to open a bicycle retail location with the hope of becoming rich," says owner Matt Ford.  "Almost all bicycle shop owners are so sold out to the sport and the lifestyle that the financial motives are secondary.  We are here to put folks in the saddle and keep them there.  Bicycles are such a magnificent way to get away from the daily hustle and bustle that it is hard to imagine why everyone isn't participating."

As a result, each of the four locations of Rock N' Road Cyclery has rides that are organized by the individual stores.  Some of these rides are pretty traditional road rides for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning.  Others are on mountain trails or under the moonlight.  Ford continues:  "We encourage our store managers, some of whom are also part of the ownership, to create as many rides as there is interest.  Some of our most popular rides are our Diva Rides for the ladies.  We are excited about the increased involvement of women in cycling, and it is no surprise that they prefer to ride with a friend or groups of friends."

Rock N' Road has created a Diva Yahoo Group that can be accessed by going to their website, http://www.RockNRoadCyclery.net and clicking on the "RNR Divas" tab.  The Diva club also organizes clinics to teach easy bike maintenance, how to fix a flat, and other useful cycling skills.  

Clinics and seminars are not for ladies only.  The stores invite professional cyclists and other experts in the bicycle world to come to the stores to provide free instruction in issues such as nutrition, training, and improved racing skills.

The community outreach goes far beyond rides and free flat tire clinics.  Schools, police agencies, and service clubs put on bike safety programs, and Rock N' Road is always prepared to help out.  Ford explains:  "We do bicycle inspections, help teach the kids about rules of the road, and give the students and their parents information about helmets and other safety practices.  One of the major reasons that 21st Century students are not riding their bikes to school like they did 30 or 40 years ago, is their parents' concerns for road safety.  If we can improve on the safety habits of the students and get them riding to class, we can dramatically effect their health and lower the number of automobiles making trips to schools."

At the Irvine Store, located in the Woodbury shopping center, Danni Thompson, is still beaming over the Food Donation Project that the store has worked on for the last two years.  "Our customers were amazing.  We put together 100's of pounds of food and other items to help those who are struggling in OC. Rock N' Road joined forces with Feed America or as they were previously known, Second Harvest Food Bank, to help feed the poor and displaced in Orange County.  This will be the second year that Rock N' Road has joined with their customers to help in this effort.  Nationally, Feed America is able to distribute $20 worth of food for every $1.00 donation.  There are more details about cash donations on their website at www.feedamerica.org.

Matt Ford went the distance this year in support of the MS Bay to Bay Ride.  Not only did the company become a major sponsor of the event, Matt rode the 150 mile ride.  For 2009 there is a major effort afoot to get a team together.  "The ride was great fun.  The first day was about 100 miles from Irvine to Carlsbad.  Then we camped out overnight, and picked it up in the morning for another 50 miles ending up at Mission Bay in San Diego.  You can only imagine the great views along that route.  As an organization Rock N Road raised  $20,000 for MS and had a great time doing it."

The MS Ride was only one of dozens of cause rides that Rock N' Road helped out with cash, prizes, promotion, ride marshalls, or SAG.  Sag stands for support and gear.  Members of the SAG team are either stationed at various points of the ride or ride along with the other participants.  They have first aid, pumps, repair parts, and tools to help cyclists who are having mechanical problems get back on the road.

Randy Matson works at the Mission Viejo store and is the company liaison to the forest service.  According to Randy, "The riding trails need to be maintained and the forest service needs help in hearing about locations that need major help.  We participate in both of those efforts through an organization called  the Warriors Society.   This work results in safer, cleaner trails for everyone using them throughout OC."

Matt Ford concludes:  "We are a retail store like no other.  Bicycle Retailers across the US provide so much more to the community that just a place to buy and repair you bike.  At Rock N' Road we take this part of our commitment very seriously.  Our goal is to leave OC a little bit better than we found it.  Healthy riders having fun, saving gas and the environment would seem like enough, but to us it is only the starting place."  

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Rock N' Road Cyclery is the premier bicycle retail chain in Orange County. With 4 stores scattered from Irvine to Laguna Niguel, OC residents are never more than a few miles from one of their locations. The shops cater to the entire family as well as enthusiasts. Their primary bike line is Specialized Bicycles, one of the largest US suppliers of bikes. They are best known for their Mountain bikes, but are now considered a leader in Road BIkes, Triathlon bicycles, street hybrids, and even kids bikes with training wheels.
The stores are actively seeking to increase the number of women in the sport. The offer a wide range of products that are specifically designed for woman riders. They also have special clinics and rides for the ladies.
Open since 1991, the company has rapidly grown in size and community involvement, participating in the MS Bay to Bay ride this past year as a primary sponsor. This is their second year helping with Feeding America.