BIKE FRIDAY® CLUB OF AMERICA (and BEYOND)

FANTASTIC! Thank you for your boundless enthusiasm about starting a local Chapter of the Bike Friday Club of America (BFCA) and Beyond.

BFCA is extremely important to Bike Friday. As your Chapter grows, we'd like to put BF owners traveling to your area in contact with you so that they might learn more about Bike Friday and the great community it fosters. What's more, we look forward to visiting you, riding with you, and demonstrating hot-off-the-line developments.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to call us on 1-800-777-0258 or email bfclub@bikefriday.com. Otherwise, tell us when you first ride is, and we'll be on the way to making our little wheel club grow big.

If you are ready to start the process now, simply read through the following steps.

THE BIKE FRIDAY CLUB MANIFESTO

Promote the Bicycle Way of Life: bicycling for fun, fitness and a better, cleaner world, no matter what wheel size you ride
Socialize like crazy: Get Bike Friday owners and friends riding together regularly, rain, hail or shine (well, maybe not hail). You could even hold travel slideshow potlucks in winter when it's less appealing to ride. Extend your circle of friends to include BF owners in other states and around the world - several club members have stayed in each other's homes - it's up to you how far you want to take it.
Spread the Bike Friday gospel: Little Wheels Make Me Fly! When you ride your Bike Friday you're not only spreading bicycle cheer, you're helping Bike Friday keep its wheels turning, so we'll be there for you in the future.
Lean on Me: Provide a channel for owners to share knowledge, insights, problems and solutions about traveling activities, events.
Bring new members into the fold: You will be contacted from time to time by people interested in test riding a Bike Friday, and by Bike Friday seeking test rides for potential owners in the area - you can opt out of this. We would like you to be open to inviting all cyclists to join the club, and if you wish, allow them to test ride your bike and ask questions. However, as with socializing, this is entirely up to you, and remember you can always refer them to us if they require more attention than you are willing or able to give.
Favoritism: From time to time we offer Members special discounts and offers
Our Extended Family: When possible, Bike Friday staff will make the epic journey from Eugene to visit your club, ride with you, and demonstrate new products and models.

Finally, the BFCA is a Club run for and by members, with the support and appreciation of Bike Friday. Any member can propose an event or ride. Don't just rely on the notional leader to do all the work - quite often they're too busy like you.

HOW IT WORKS

Decide on the Ride: Weekly, Monthly, ad-hoc; weekend, weekday, before work, after work. Hard-core or easy amble, or a combination of the two. We recommend a seriously social approach to include all cyclists. Of course, you can also organize a fast rider group led by a suitable hammerhead. You can have a standard set of rides that become a tradition, so people can catch you anytime along the route. You should welcome all cyclists on the ride.

Send us info for your Club Webpage: Take a look at an example club. We need a photo of you and your Friday, a headshot, a brief introduction to you, your bike model, frame number, color, a description of your plans for the club, and anything else you think will entice people to join. We create a page including a YAHOO message board for your club for members to join and contact each other.

Give us the ride details: Start location, zipcode (in America), start time, approximate length of the ride, level, any anticipated highlights, and whether people should come in costume. The costume will normally be the stunning Bike Friday Jersey, available at a discount to club members, and complimentary to club leaders. Call for the latest discount price.

We Broadcast the ride: The first time you organize a ride, Bike Friday will send an e-mail to all contacts within a 60 mile radius of your starting zip code, catching both existing Bike Friday owners and interested parties on our database. This will become the basis of your list. We encourage people to join the YAHOO group. Of course this is not compulsory, but it is a convenient facility used by thousands of interest groups, and has useful features like a calendar. You can also join people to the group yourself.

As you conduct subsequent rides, numbers might dwindle and you might want us to send out another e-mail to the people in your radius to revive interest. There are always new Bike Friday owners joining our community every day.

You Don't Have to Ride ... a Bike Friday Club get together is a great excuse to socialize - how about a potluck dinner, slide show, and sharing travel tips and tricks - especially if it's too cold and wet to step out the door. Be creative!

Event Calendar: Bike Friday will try to publicize your event on the Event Calendar at least two weeks before your ride. It will include your phone number, e-mail, address and a link to your Club page. We can keep your ride as a regular event on the Event Calendar, or you can tell us each time when your next ride takes place and we publicize it.

They Contact You: As people respond to you, collect their names - they will become your core club members. Encourage them to join the group. We encourage members to keep in contact with each other, to check with the leader on the next upcoming ride, and vice versa.

The Fine Print: Attached is a waiver form (coming soon) which all riders should sign. It's also a way of collecting information about potential new customers and any issues that need to be addressed for existing customers.

What Could They Do On A Friday? Some of your participants might well be interested in purchasing or upgrading their Bike Friday - let us know. If they are a first-time Bike Friday owner you get the Referral Fee.

RELEASE WAIVER

Please paste this text below in a document, and make copies. Have your riders sign it.

"I agree that bicycling is a potentially hazardous activity and that injuries and even death can occur from accidents, negligence or carelessness. I voluntarily participate in this event. I assume all risks associated with participating in this event, including but not limited to: illness, injury, collisions, contact with other participants or bystanders, effects of the weather, traffic and conditions of the road and theft. All such risks are known to me and assumed by me."

"I will obey all laws, ordinances and regulations. I will do my best to make the ride fun and safe for everyone. I consent to emergency medical treatment in the event of my injury or illness."

Having read this Release of Liability and knowing these facts, and in consideration of ride organizers accepting my registration - I, for myself and anyone entitled to act in my behalf, waive and release Green Gear Cycling, Inc. (a.k.a. Bike Friday), their respective administrators, directors, agents, officers, members, volunteers, and employees, other participants, any sponsors, advertisers, corporations or municipalities, their representatives and successors for all claims or liabilities of any kind arising our of my participation in this event, even though that liability may arise out of negligence of carelessness on the part of the persons or organizations conducting or supporting this event."

READY TO START YOUR CLUB?

Please do not contact bfclubs@bikefriday.com until you have organized the following items:

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Phone Number Contact

What size Jersey are you?

What type of Bike Friday(s) do you own - model, color, frame number

Description of yourself

Description of your plans for the club

Your photo for the club page

Full details of your first ride (starting zipcode, time, meeting place, directions, enticing description, contact details, rain date). It should be information we can paste into the initial email without alteration.

Take a look at one of the existing Bike Friday Clubs, (e.g. BF Club of NY, Boston, Australia, San Francisco) as an example.

Thank you for being a Bike Friday champ!