Business Ownership in Kirkwood

Dirk on his Univega, purchased from A-1

October 1982

I remember at the age of 11 walking into A1 for the first time, the smell of the tires, the sight of the beautiful high polish that only high end road bicycles can have, and that sound, the sound of mechanics putting together dream machines back in the shop, it was sensory overload.  I still feel that sense of wonderment when I walk into the shop now.  I remember my brother and my dad picking out this beautiful Peugeot racing bicycle, and knowing that if my dad thought it was good, then that bike must be spectacular.  I loved that bike, even though it belonged to my dad and my brother, not to mention it was far too big for me to ride.  But that Peugeot sparked something in me, it kick-started my obsession for bicycles, and I immediately began saving up my allowance so that I could buy a fancy bicycle too.

Dad “Testing out” the Peugeot.

May 1983

Dirk and Sven then.

April 1980

Dirk looking rad with his Univega.

May 1983

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been selling and repairing bikes for 30 years now, but perhaps the silver in my hair is confirmation enough of all the time that has passed since then and now.  Looking back, I know that I was extremely lucky to have worked at some of the best shops in town, where I really learned as much about the business side of bicycles as I did the bikes themselves.  The greatest lesson that I learned from these other local shops was to focus on your community first, it’s the area that you will have the most impact in.  Proof of that is confirmed to me nearly every day when a customer comes to me and says, “I got my very first bicycle here” or “our family has been buying bikes here for over 30 years”. 

Having our business in Kirkwood provides us with a tremendous amount of pride.  It’s a community that has supported A1 for over 40 years, and has supported Billy Goat Bicycle Company for the past 5, and we couldn’t be any more grateful to our customers and our community.  The strength of a community is often defined by things like access to local resources, programs for social change, programs for community safety, and having good contacts with others.  Kirkwood’s commitment to making it a great place to live also makes it one of the best places to own a business.  So had you told me that 30 something years ago that buying that bicycle would lead to me owning a bicycle store in Kirkwood, I doubt that I would have believed you.  I would have thought you were downright bonkers if you’d told me that I’d be purchasing that very shop that I had bought that bicycle from.  The road to here was a long one, with some hits, and certainly some misses along the way, but all of it has been part of the journey.  And all the best journey’s that I’ve ever been on have been by bicycle.

Dirk and Sven Now. February 2020

A Few Good Goats

Rider Qualifications: We are interested in racing cyclists that embody the spirit of sportsmanship, fair play, and integrity.

-10 Mass Starts in last Calendar Year (excluding training races) -should you not meet these requirements, let us work with you to achieve them through support, guidance, and encouragement) -Riders willing to be Ambassadors for ALL of their sponsors -Riders interested in a healthy team atmosphere -Riders willing to assist their team, teammates, and their sponsors in and out of competition. Rider Benefits: Team Purchases: (generally a one time buy in at the beginning of the year) -Team Bikes at up to 40% off retail -Team Equipment 30-40% -Team Clothing  Wholesale on all team clothing On Non Team Purchases: 15% off Bicycles 20% off Parts/Accessories/Clothing Free Coaching via Team Directors Coaching via Aeolus/VeloPro Race Reimbursements for Targeted Races Guidance and Advice from Team Ambassadors Access to Team Only Rides Wholesale Pricing on Team Clothing Shop Support at most local races. How do I join? Assuming that you meet all the qualifications, club dues are $45. Membership is valid from the time you join until December 31st.

Who can I contact should I have questions? You can email Dirk Sprogoe at dirk@billygoatbicycleco.com or Karen Proper at karen@billygoatbicycleco.com

How do I order clothing? Email Dirk at dirk@billygoatbicycleco.com or Karen Proper at karen@billygoatbicycleco.com How can I help? Whether it’s ordering team clothing, working on events, or simply helping a teammate out, we can always use help.  Please contact Dirk or Karen, dirk@billygoatbicycleco.com  or karen@billygoatbicycleco.com

R.I.P.

There are moments in life that you know you will never be able to forget. Sometimes those moments are great, and sometimes those moments are heartbreaking. We recently experienced the latter. One of our mechanics recently passed away. He leaves behind a wife, a brother, a sister, nieces, friends, and co-workers, who would want nothing more than to spend one more day with him. Richard Florman left us far too soon. We know that he was such a driving force for us at the shop, and one of the most meticulous mechanics that we’ve ever worked with, and that we will never be able to replace him. In times like these it is always hard to find the words to convey what our hearts feel. The terms sad, tragic, surreal, and disbelief have been used so many times the past week and a half that they almost seem meaningless. We are doing our best to remember all the wonderful things, the quirks, and the stories that Richard shared with us. While struggling to find the words for the loss we are feeling, we came across this great quote: "Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime." Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 Richard was more than a bicycle mechanic, he was craftsman, an engineer, a tinkerer, and most of all a cyclist. So we know that his legacy will be the thousands of repairs, the thousands of bike builds that he performed. We also know that his gift to us is going to be the countless number of miles that we will surely ride in honor and memory of him. Richard, if you are listening buddy, the Billy Goat family, and the cycling community thanks you for the infinite number of miles that you’ve been able to give to us thanks to your amazing mechanical ability. We will be forever grateful.

Interbike 2015, a whirlwind.

Trip To Interbike, 2015!  

Alarm is ringing @ 5AM, time to catch the 7AM flight to Vegas. Checked my bags with 20 minutes to spare, sweated my way through the security line, jumped on the plane as they closed the doors behind me and off we went.

Flight was perfect and arrived 15 minutes early. It was a cool and breezy morning in Vegas. After getting my rental car, finding a parking spot, hiking to the registration tables and getting my admission badge it was 10AM (Vegas time). If you’ve ever been to Vegas, or “The Show”, you can understand how overwhelming it is. The Vegas properties are 5 minute walks just to get out of the parking lot. Everything is HUGE!

I had an hour to kill before my first appointment so I decided to take a lap and check it out. Absolutely incredible! We’re talking 577,000 square feet covered with one bike product after another. From clothing, to bikes, to accessories, to energy drinks. You name it, they’ve got it.

First stop was with Thule/Camelback. They have a great product line with some nice enhancements for the upcoming year. Looking forward to continuing carrying their products. Immediately following was Bianchi. Their bikes are beautiful! And although I certainly got wrapped up in the Kool-Aid, Dirk and I are anxious to get our preseason order completed and get some of that sexy Celeste color on the floor.

After visiting a few other booths and a long day of walking, talking and filling my back-pack with brochures I was anxious to go see Cross-Vegas. Just in time to see the women’s start I want to congratulate local racer Sunny Gilbert. She was magnificent! She pursued, lap after lap, the chase group that contained Katie Compton. Every lap Sunny was the same 7 – 10 seconds behind a super elite group of riders. A most impressive ride. Congrats!

The men’s elite race did not disappoint. Sven Nys, my favorite rider who also happen to have one cool name, did not disappoint with a solid 2nd place finish losing out to young buck and next super-star Wout Van Aert. In the end Wout was just too much for Sven to handle. Also an impressive show from Jeremy Powers who was throwing punches all day long at the EuroStars and ended up 6th.

2nd day at “The Show” I spent some time at the SRAM booth, thanks Brad for the tour, and checked out the new SRAM eTap. It is Cool! It may be a little scarce when it first comes available but if you’re looking for an alternative to Di2 I think these guys have a found a solid alternative.

My flight was leaving @ 8PM Vegas time so after a 2nd long day of walking, talking and brochure collecting it was time to go home and I was beat. I did have the pleasure of flying home with Sunny Gilbert and Doug Nishamura who kept me company. At 2:30AM my head hit the pillow thinking about all the cool new opportunities we can incorporate into The Goat.

The Little Things

9/9/2015 In our world of electronic shifting, GPS tracking, carbon fiber and titanium frames, it’s easy to get lost in all the technology. But sometimes it’s the little things that bring you back to what you love most about riding and selling bicycles. This past weekend we were reminded of those little things, as we were doing bike safety checks for the JCC Kids Triathlon. From “Frozen” themed bikes, to full blown miniature tri-bikes, they were all there, but even more impressive than the bikes were the smiles and enthusiasm on all of the kids faces. That enthusiasm is infectious, and we couldn’t help but get excited as well. By game day, the kids had put on their game faces and were ready to go. To see that determination was truly inspiring. We want to thank all the kids who participated and are an inspiration to all of us old-timers.

Another great incident of how the “little things” really can make our day happened yesterday. A customer and her son came into the shop yesterday to pick up her bike. After Dave helped her get her bike into the car, he extended his hand to the son, and I watched as the kid instead wrapped his arms around Dave. When he came back into the shop, Dave told me the kid said that “he was a hugger”. I was just beaming. It’s those little experiences that fill our daily jobs with so much joy and happiness, that bring us back for more.