The idea for Great Lil’ Bike Books is really just a compilation of ideas I’ve used in various applications over the last ten years. About a month ago, I sent out a GLBB pitch deck to a few bike shop friends to see if anyone was interested and the first to get back to me was my buddy Levi from Yawp! Cyclery in Denver. And, after a late night text exchange (that means it was after 9pm), we arranged a weekend to have him come to Madison to help me make them. It was like a work exchange. Sorta. More like apple picking.
Back to the books…
I wanted to offer a product that consolidated the helpful info that should come with any new bicycle into one delicious little book. Included in there would be helpful info about tire pressure, chain lubrication, when to get your bike serviced, where to ride, helpful bike safety tips and more. Bike shops can be intimidating and overwhelming (and smelly), especially if it’s a busy summer day, so my hope is that the GLBB would give the rider the info they need in a form they can digest on their own time, instead of during the melee of buying a new bike. And it would save the shop time while still offering a valuable service.
If you haven’t noticed, I like books and paper and tactile information vehicles you just can’t in your right mind throw away. Yawp! has been a good customer for Mordecai this year because they share that sentiment.
So Levi, being Levi (that is, creative and intelligent), whipped up some neat little drawings, pages of helpful info, and some hand drawn maps to the best spots to ride a new bike around Denver. I added some salt and pepper to the format and also ordered the plates to print a three-color cover on the Vandercook.
It was fun to have him in the bindery to print and build these together. We mixed the most yummy pink for the covers and then followed that with white and finally black.
I'm pretty sure Levi had a good time, but it’s hard to tell. He’s pretty quiet. He’s a good worker, mostly… totally capable of listening to instructions and operating any machine except a stapler. Anyone who knows Levi will agree it’s rather hard to say a negative word about him, but he’s a terrible stapler. I’m not saying anything I didn’t say to his face.
These specific books are going to be free with every bike purchase at Yawp! this year. Or, you can buy one of these books for $1500-$6000 and get a FREE BIKE of similar or lesser value. Choose your own adventure.
If you’re interested in ordering some Great Lil’ Bike Books or any Great Lil’_______ Books for your operation, you can download the GLBB guide here. Minimum order is 25 books and special pricing is available for large orders.
Special thanks to Levi for guinea piggin the GLBB idea and hanging out in Madison. It was a blast.