SLIDESHOW: Bike Swap
Cycling enthusiasts looking for a deal converged on the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds yesterday for a swap meet and consumer expo.
The Stop, Swap and Save event attracted vendors from all over the mid-Atlantic as a place to peddle their wares to hundreds of cyclists.
Chip Atkins of Pibby's Bicycle Repair on West Marshall Street was one of the local vendors seeking to move some merchandise. At one point about noon, he offered $100 off anything over $500.
He was also selling Alan bike frames for another Richmond business, Stellina Sport, which imports Italian bicycle products.
Atkins attended the event when it was held in Westminster, Md., and was glad to see it brought to Richmond.
"We've got a burgeoning cycling community here," Atkins said. "It's just a great thing to do on a day with pretty lousy weather. Most people would rather be out enjoying their bicycle right now, but coming here, you can get some good deals."
Sonya Gagnon of Ashland was attending for two reasons -- to sell her 2002 Cannondale mountain bike and find good deals.
A road and mountain bike racer, Gagnon was successful on one front, purchasing a pair of gloves from Beacon Cycling and Fitness, based in New Jersey. However, with about an hour left in the swap meet, her bike remained for sale.
Gagnon bought the Cannondale for $1,600 in 2002 but was offering it for $500.
The deals offered at the swap meet were better than what cyclists might find at online auction sites, said David Bratton of Mechanicsville. He was manning the American Diabetes Association's booth for their fundraiser, Tour de Cure.
He also had a laptop, checking Internet Web sites to compare merchandise offered at the swap meet.
"There is a lot of good quality stuff for cheaper prices than . . . anywhere else," said Bratton, who bought tires, gear components and a bike computer.
Some came a great distance. J.D. Bilodeau of Easthampton, Mass., drove 10 hours to set up a booth and "make some room in my garage."
But as he was selling, he was also buying extra parts, spare gears and a bike seat.
"I'm sitting on my hands so I don't spend more," he said.
Paul Smith and Karen Winkler own Scamp'n'Rascal Cycling Adventures in Bethlehem, Pa. They offer bicycle tours of Amish country and the Pocono Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania. The outings also help people "get a much deeper understanding of the culture in the areas the tour goes through," Winkler said.
Nonprofit organizations were on hand to promote fundraising events. Bike MS: Ride Virginia, American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training were registering and handing out informational brochures.
By midmorning, four or five people had signed up for the Tour de Cure, Bratton said.
Based on the number of brochures being picked up, he expected that number to increase through online registration.
"I think the residual effect will be a lot better than what I'm seeing here," Bratton said.
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.
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