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Part I in a III part blog. 

It seems slightly ironic that the sales reps of bicycle companies are pretty dependent upon cars to get their job done.  With towns being as spread about as they are, and the need to see these shops often, an automobile is a necessary evil.  This is one Sales Reps foray into ditching his driver seat for a bicycle seat to go see some of his dealers. 

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One sees many stories in the media these days about how many more people are riding bicycles due to the high gas prices.  I am seeing more people on bikes, but I’m not sure that I’m seeing more of them actual commute to work at least in suburbia, but the city has been another story…   I think those with enough self-discipline and access to commuting  infrastructure from bike paths to showers at work have started. But summer or winter extremes may keep all but the most dedicated or centrally located off the bike on a regular basis, at least around here.

My job usually requires a fair bit of travel each day.  Doing my job properly entails seeing four or five businesses in a day and it is rare that I put in under 50 miles on the vehicle a day.  My longest days are usually somewhere in the 250 mile range.  The situation requires more than a phone call to collect an order.  Yes, I get lucky and walk into a store and the shop owner/manager just hands me a piece of paper with everything written neatly down with all of my part numbers.  More often, I need to review their inventory and point out all the items they need, suggest new or substitute items and point out all the great deals that we are offering this month.  Oh yes, I sometimes need to be on the spot to pick up checks from my customers to keep their accounts clean and my credit rep Lori happy.

So yes, I really do need to travel this often and drive this many miles.  I don’t drive a SUV, but I don’t drive a hybrid either.  I get to drive a  minivan that has lots of room to pick up and transfer inventory if need be.  But occasionally all the factors come together and I get to commute via bike.

Between mid-May and mid-September, I travel every three weeks out to Martha’s Vineyard to see my accounts.  They do decent business during summer and they make it worthwhile to travel out there.

One small problem is Martha’s Vineyard for those of you who have not been there is that it is an island off the coast of Massachusetts.  Getting there requires a bit of planning and preparation.  You can get a car out to the island, but it costs a bit of money and limits your travel times and options.

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Next Post…Gear to get the job done.