Hey all,
ERTC has officially decided to end our relationship with Revolution Cycle as a sponsor of the club. We will still continue to support Revolution Cycle led initiatives such as the MS Road/MTB/Fatbike Tours and the Tour d’la Alberta but will no longer receive the 7% discount on bicycles and 15% on parts and accessories.
We’ve always had our sponsors at arm’s length as we are, and will continue to be, an independent bicycle club, and want to empower our members to choose where they wish to get service and parts from without having to feel like they have to go to any one shop. Instead, choosing the shop that works best for them and at a price point that matches their expectations. If you love Revolution Cycle, please continue to go there!
However, we have allied with Velofix Edmonton (VFE) to give our members a great option to have their parts installed and their bikes serviced in a timely manner. VFE’s model is a mobile one - they will come out to your work / home and service your bikes right there, keeping in stock parts that are commonly used in these repairs. Shawn, the owner, has been a member of the cycling community for many years and his daughters are involved with racing. As such, he understands the needs of a club such as ours, with a particular eye for the issues that women face in our sport, making him (and by extension, Velofix) a great fit for our club. Jerseys have been updated, and all in-stock craft kit has been discounted by 50%. You will not be required to sport Velofix branded jerseys in races as our colour schemes are still the same, however all new jerseys purchased from this day forward are redesigned with the new logos.
You might ask: “That’s cool and all, but what are we getting?” Well, here is a list of benefits that they will be offering right away:
Free Maintenance Clinics
Active promotion of our club to other Velofix customers
Target of 48 hours from booking to service time, with an offer to come to group rides to diagnose your bike. “It’s making this weird noise when I do x. WTF?!”
Race Support at all Races that Velofix attends, as well as All ERTC sponsored races. This includes:
Spare wheels in the follow cars
Adjustments and and minor work on race day
Ok, now you might be thinking “Neat, that’s pretty cool, but that doesn’t save me money!” Well…
Velofix is currently working on a team discount for BH Bikes (https://www.bhbikes.com/en_GB/bikes/road) for 2017 models, with an possibility for 2018 models as well. We should be able to get these bikes for a solid discount, but numbers are still out.
Price Matching. This isn’t the normal price matching you’re used to, however. VFE will attempt to match advertised online pricing as much as they are able to (not losing money) for in stock items. VFE keeps in stock commonly replaced items such as chains, brake pads, derailleurs, etc.
VFE is accepting deliveries of items bought online for installation. Planning a big upgrade or replacing a broken part? Make an online order, change the delivery address, and make an appointment for installation! Don’t want to do that? You can always have it delivered at home and bring the part in. ERTC is happy to help with this transition - many of us are no strangers to buying parts online as the pricing and selection online is often better than anything in town. Just pipe up in the ERTC - Social Group on Facebook! Coupled with pre-group ride diagnosis this should fit our needs quite well. Common online places we go to for stuff: ProBikeKit, Chain Reaction Cycles Wiggle Canada Bicycle Parts