Business news :Diamondback launches 2013 retailer outreach/demo bike program

KENT, Wash. –  Diamondback Bicycles launched a comprehensive retailer outreach and demo bike program designed to help grow brand awareness throughout the U.S. for 2013.

The program will feature two Sprinter vans: one based on the East Coast and one based on the West coast. The vans are equipped with a fleet of Diamondback mountain, road and cyclocross bikes. Along with attending consumer events and races, the ambassadors driving the vans will focus on visiting Diamondback retailers, helping educate shop staff about Diamondback product and company direction.

“There’s a lot going on at Diamondback right now, from our carbon-frame Podium road bike series to new innovations in mountain bikes, like the Mason,” said Diamondback Marketing Manager Jon Kennedy. “We’re stoked, and we want to share the stoke with our retailers. The best way to do that is to visit them on their turf, and that’s ultimately what makes our program different. While we’ll be attending lots of events and races where consumers can try our bikes, we’re also putting the focus squarely on developing a closer relationship with our dealers … to help educate them about our products, our brand, and our direction.”

Diamondback, which has recently pushed into a broader assortment of high-end mountain and road bikes, began a similar program in 2012 with a West Cost van. Based on the success of that program, Diamondback is expanding the program in 2013 to be able to cover much more of the U.S.

The West Coast-based van began its journey in California and will make the rounds through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Oregon. The East Coast-based van will start its trek, mid-February in Florida. It will head up the East Coast and then makes its way west to Chicago.

Bikes aboard the vans will include Diamondback’s flagship carbon race bike, the Podium 7, as well as the Podium 6. On the mountain bike front, bikes available for demo will include the gravity-oriented Scapegoat and Mission Pro, the Mason 29er, a unique blend of 29 inch wheels with more all-mountain geometry, and the trail-oriented Sortie Black 29 and Sortie 3 29. As for Cyclocross bikes, the vans will be carrying the Steilacoom RCX Pro Disc, a cross bike stock with disc brakes.

The staff managing the tour include James Weigand, Diamondback’s Team Liaison Manager based at company headquarters, Ryan “Verg” Vergernot piloting the West Coast van, and David Brinsfield piloting the East Coast van. In addition to retailer outreach and attending events, the vans will also help support two of their road teams, the Kelly Benefit Strategies Team (DC/MD) and the Allegiant Air Team (CA/NV).  

Specific dates and locations for the vans will be updated periodically at Diamondback’s blog, along with tech tips and stories from the road thanks to Verg and David.

About Diamondback
Born in Camarillo, Calif., in 1978 and today based in Kent, Wash., Diamondback designs and builds performance bicycles for every rider at every level. From its roots in the BMX world to new innovations in road, hybrid and full-suspension mountain technologies, Diamondback continues a legacy of building the finest bikes for today’s most aggressive riders. It takes generations to build a legacy of quality. We are performance driven, to perform at every level.

For more about Diamondback Bicycles, visit www.diamondback.com/.

Dave Simpson / Verde PR & Consulting / (307) 734-0505 / dave@verdepr.com