Park City is the kind of town where you see a lot of bikes that are more expensive than the cars to which they’re racked.
This isn’t a criticism. I’m of the group with a bicycle spending habit belonging several tax brackets above my reality. It’s called prioritizing, and you’d be wise to do a bit of “research” before making your “investment.” For years cyclists have found it difficult to get saddle time on their dream machines before making a buying decision, but Park City Bike Demos (PCBD) is turning the buying process on its head and making it a lot more user friendly.
PCBD owner Andre Shoumatoff is a serial tinkerer. He’ll turn over bikes and bike parts at a dizzying rate, cycling through new innovations in search of the real game changers. Shoumatoff knows better than anyone it’s tough sledding to try the latest and greatest unless you have oodles of time and energy to devote to the task, so he set out to make the process a whole lot easier. He founded Park City Bike Demos to give Parkites and visitors alike access to the latest mountain and road bikes, so cyclists of all shapes, sizes, ages and aspirations can find what works best for them.
PCBD shakes things up with an ever-changing inventory that puts new bikes on the floor all the time, and gets the latest iterations in the hands of riders as soon as they’re available. They accomplish this by breaking with tradition. Normally, riders get to choose from a banged up fleet of rental beaters, trying to determine if the faulty shifting and incessant creaking is a symptom of the bike or mechanical neglect. Then they usually get to choose between a bargain basement model or the top shelf cadillac edition.
At PCBD, there are is a wide range of bikes and build kits available for demo, and if riders like what they try, they can buy that exact bike. No more guessing how what you’re buying will measure up to what you tried. Careful inventory tracks how much each bike has been ridden. The more miles on the bike, the more savings the end user gets, so it’s up to buyers to determine how much they want to spend.
Fall riding season is Park City’s best, and it’s just around the corner. So get some saddle time at PCBD. High-end mountain and road bike rentals start at $75 per day, and any money you spend goes towards the purchase of your new dream bike from the likes of BMC, Devinci, Felt and Knolly. Visit the PCBD website to learn more, and stop in for a cup of coffee and a conversation with some fo the most informed minds in the business.
Park City Bike Demos: 1500 Kearns Blvd, PC, 435-659-3991. parkcitybikedemos.com
