Weekly- Starting July 25th 8:00amMedium paced road ride, probably around 30-35 miles. May push the pace from time to time, but if you are looking to race, this isn't your ride. Riders should feel comfortable riding around others and can manage a 17-18mph pace. Wheels roll out of the parking lot at 8:00am. Bagels and Coffee after the ride.
Hoping to add both a Super Fast Ride, and a Recreational Ride as well. We are looking for ride leaders, so if you might be interested, please give us a shout.
BillyGoatDAD
It would be impossible for us to be in this position, that of being owners of a bike shop, without our father. His influences are rooted in nearly everything that we do. Our father certainly shaped our passion for bicycles and racing, and for that we are forever grateful. It’s tough to put into words all the things that fathers do and teach us, that ultimately help us become what we become, but a Thank You is always a great place to start. We certainly want to Thank each and every Dad out there!!!We hope that everyone was able to take a break from all the celebrating today and sneak a little ride in. We certainly got out there and spun the pedals around a little bit. Todays ride was filled with appreciation for our dads encouragement, love, and guidance, and it doesn’t get much better than that. And while our dad has long since given up on riding on the roads, he certainly accompanies us on every ride we do. Thank you, Vater, we love you. -Sven and Dirk
We must start by wishing our Mom the most wonderful Mother's Day, and to all of the moms out there....Happy Mother's Day. We had an amazing turnout last night for our grand opening party. It was so great catching up with everyone that showed up, although we all felt as if we didn't have enough time to speak to each and every one of you that attended. Again, we thank you all for coming by and spending your evening with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Time is ticking for our Official Grand Opening Party, and we are working hard at making sure that it's a fun time for all that will be attending. We've had such a tremendous beginning that we are especially looking forward to spending the evening catching up with old friends, new friends, and family. We certainly wouldn't be here without everyone's help. So in some small way, this is a thank you night to all of those that have helped and supported us. Gotta run, we've got plenty to do before the party gets under way.
Sold an awesome bike today. A Bianchi Sempre Pro with Ultegra 11spd. The customer was absolutely amazing. He truly put his trust in us to find him the right mix of European history and style, but with a modern and durable set up. We offered up a few really great options, but he decided on the Sempre Pro and we couldn't agree with him any more. The bike is beautiful from stem to rear derailleur. Beyond that, our customer was into bass guitars.........which we are too. And likes most of the same bands that we do as well. Sometimes we find that our sales process isn't just bikes and their parts, it's learning who our customers are, and what their interests are. Sometimes that actually helps guide us to a bike that not just suits your needs, but suits your personality. So we didn't find a customer today, we made a friend, and honestly, that's how we like to approach our daily workday. We want to provide our customers with friendly, honest, and experienced advice, but it is a collaborative effort, we make sure that you, the customer are the largest part of the decision making process. Come on in and let us help find the RIGHT bike for you.
Our computer system is finally operational. For someone that is computer challenged, it took quite some time with the tech guys to get it all up and running. But now that we have it, it's amazing. We are really looking forward to having it help us with streamlining our store. It's going to take some time to figure out all the ins and outs of the system, but already it has saved us tons of time and headaches. What does all this mean for you? Ultimately it means that we will be able to work more efficiently, do more repairs, build more bikes, and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
The shop is slowly growing with more inventory and we are beginning to have customers coming in and asking about the new store. We've received a ton of bikes and have gotten them all built. With the influx of inventory we are starting to see the shop take fill out a little bit. We are so fortunate to have such great partners in this endeavor that before we go any further, we should probably take the time to thank all of those that helped us achieve this dream. To our wives, Cheryl and Caitlin, our parents, Heidi and Uwe, Raymond and Richard Florman, David Duy, Mark Suardi, Herman Rapert, Jay Strothman, Matt Willenbrink, Gus Wagner, Steffen Mackert, Jim and Patrice Thebeau, Chris Brewer, Brent Cohrs, Trevor Litten, Dave Snead, T.J. Erlacker, Rob Versteegh, Lisa Demas Knight, Mark Kilo and his staff, John Merli and the Dogfish crew, Brad Baum, and all of our friends and customers that have shown us so much support and enthusiasm. We couldn't have gotten opened our doors without the help off all of these folks.
It’s official, Sven and I own our very own bike shop. Through decades of dreaming, years of planning, and as many ups and downs as a premier Tour de France Mountain stage, we’ve finally done it. Billy Goat Bicycle Company is officially open. We’ve purchased what was previously known as A-1 Bicycle Sales and Service and have re-branded it as Billy Goat Bicycle Company.
Our dream of owning our own shop has been alive for at least 10-15 years, but we’d always been looking for the right time and the right opportunity. We feel that we found both of those and today have made it official. We both love A-1, both bought our first road bikes here, and we have always respected the place that A-1 has had in the St. Louis bicycle scene. In a wonderful stroke of luck, as we were searching for a shop location, Raymond Florman, A-1’s owner, was looking to retire. We could not have had a better experience working with Raymond on the purchase and transition from A-1 to Billy Goat. Raymond’s been such a key piece to this all working out that we are forever grateful for his honesty and integrity during this very long process. Now that it is our shop, we are excited to make it our own.
Why Billy Goat? The short answer is that it was a name that we both liked, but the longer answer is simply that from summers spent in Switzerland, and also in Door County Wisconsin, goats just always seemed to be nearby. So the inspiration for the name Billy Goat Bicycle Company is a little about our past, a little about or present, and certainly about our future.
We will certainly be very busy in the next few days, weeks, months, and years, but we are hitting it with complete enthusiasm and excitement. Collectively, Sven and I have spent nearly 35 years in the bike industry and we feel that we have the right approach that will make Billy Goat Bicycle Company one of the premier St. Louis bike shops. We look forward to joining the St. Louis cycling community and being an active part in its growth.