Frost Bike Coming Up!

This weekend is the annual Frost Bike show at Quality Bicycle Products in the Minneapolis suburbs. It's a show that began as an open house to thank independent bicycle dealers for choosing to get their parts and accessories from "QBP". If you were a customer, you were invited. It's not something open to the public, and back in the day, nobody would have cared.

Now the "open house" has morphed into a dealer show/ exposition/ seminar/ conference sort of thing. Several of QBP's distributed brands and represented companies come and set up booths and show areas similar to what you might see at InterBike, only on a smaller, more intimate scale. Even new products are introduced at this "show" now, so it has gained a level of significance above and beyond it's humble beginnings.

Even so, vestiges of the hospitality of the open house are yet to be seen. A free lunch is served and coffee and soda are distributed on the "show" floor at no charge. You come and go throughout the warehouse and much of the complex at will. A "goody" bag is distributed to each attendee. Many of the exhibitors have "swag". It's an interesting setting and coming when it does, (late winter) it's always a "show" that begins to spawn hope and makes you look forward to getting back into the "season", as it were, for retailers.

I'm pumped up because I'll get to see the Salsa Crew again and see some of the Surly Gang that I know. There might even be a few surprises to uncover in the mtb/29"er world, so that's always an attraction. Whatever goes down, I'll be reporting on it here come Monday. Tomorrow will be my last post for the week and Saturday through Sunday I'll be up in the Minny-apple-puss area to enjoy Frost Bike.

Hopefully the "Dirty Blue Box" will make it!