I was thinking bout trying to get sponsored by the local bike shop that sold me my first uni from. I am pretty good in an un cocky way i would say best all round in the area.And on almost every ride i get asked where to get one so i would think it’s good business.
How did you go about getting sponsored by a bike shop?
I was thinking about doing a video and poping it in the door.
What do you get from them?
I was thinking pedals and tyres
Ben
I’d edit together a nice to-the-point vid that tells them a bit about yourself some of your skills and why you think they would benefit from sponsoring you. Also give it to them in person. Sticking it through the door would come across as either cheeky or lazy to me. I take a unicycle with me too in case they wanted some right-here-right-now kind of action!
I guess you’d get a discount from them and be expected to wear their Ts or stickers. I would be more interested in stuff like cheap/free wheel builds than pedals or tyres to be honest.
My wheels are built. I don’t change my uni’s much once i have your frame they are sorted!
Pedals i seem to bend and tyres becuz then i would not have to worry about gliding.
Ben
Basically i would want anything i could blag off a bike. I would not mind wearing SOANS lol t’s or stickers it’s all good all i need to do is figure how the hell i am gonna make a video.I could get a camera i guess if phil is willing? but i can’t edit it unless phil can but that seems a bit harsh asking him to do it for me.I would probli write a letter with the video.
Ben
I’m sponsored by my LocalMountain and BMX bike shop. We have like 5 bike shops* here so I went to all of them and checked out all of their merch and stuff and checked which one were freindliest and which were able to get me the most parts I need. I chose one that about 4 miles away, and is really freindly, I ordered a pair of sixsixone leg armour and they gave me a hell of a good deal($35 USD+tax) and didn’t charge shipping, and it came in like 5 days. I also knew that they sposnored people from a friend of my brother who also rode for them and so I spent a couple of days going to a construction yard, a skatepark and a bike trail to make a nice 15 minute video with music and a short talk about myself and the extreme sport of Muni and Trials Uni. I sat there and watched them pop the video in and display the video on the two TV screens and immediately I knew the reaction was positive**. I got sponsored, and they gave me like 2 shirts and a bajillion stickers. Now I get everything like 50-100% off depending on what it is. I also found out that they can order unicycle parts from a catalogue with suzue stuff. They had a suzue Uni hub, and some weak@$$ uni cranks but still!!!
*there are probably 10 or 12 LBS around here but half of them are racing, leisure and crappy bikes only.
**Alot of the vid was like trials gapps and grabs and stuff, like 75% trials 20%muni and 5% freestyle and goffing around.(The perfect recipe for a very exciting video, muni and trials may be switched in percentages tho)
So:
- Finda good LBS
- Make a short video
- add some cool hardcore music
- watch them be amazed
- mention something about a winknorth shore riderwink
- get sponsored
- lather rinse and repeat, i mean get stuff!?
Good Luck with the Sponsorin
unicycle.uk.com & I have “sponsored” quite a few wheel builds. I am always keen to help anyone who breaks spokes & rims because it is a challenge to try and build really strong wheels that will take severe use.
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The thing that makes me choose to do other things to my unis other than the wheel is the cost of building them. If I got sponsored and the only benefit was free wheel builds I’d be well chuffed! If I spend £30 on a rim I have to pay £25 or so to get the wheel rebuilt, so £55 ish for a £30 rim. You never know when you may need to get a wheel built!
Next time I buy a rim and get the wheel built (probably my muni, maybe trials… maybe a 700c…) I’m gonna ask unicycle.com/Mr Hinson to do it. Don’t trust my LBS… Roughly how much would it cost?
If you organise all the spokes & rims & hubs & stuff I would only ask for the postage to send it back to you :–)
If you ask Roger for a wheel with a specific rim & spokes & hub he will be able to give you a price I expect, and he will get me to build it for you… also :–)
Alternatively I would be happy to coach anyone to build their own wheel, either by email or over the phone.
//\
I’m sponsored by my LBS.
They give me free wheel rebuilds, cost price stuff, free J’ville Cycles clothing, and trasport/support at races. It’s great!
I was semi-sponsored by them for quite a long time before I starting uni-ing. I’m doing a lot more for them now though! Nothing stands out more than a unicyclist in a bike race.
If you’re after sponsorship, I suggest turning up at local bike events. I doubt very much you’ll increase their unicycle sales by much, so your main selling point is the fact you are different, and therefore if you’re wearing their T-shirt or whatever you will get noticed as “that unicycle guy from Such and Such bike shop, who beat a 100 bikers at that last bike race; or does really cool trials stuff”. If you get yourself in the local paper wearing their cycle jersey- even better still.
My plug for my LBS: If you’re ever in my area, Johnsonville Cycle is definitely the best bike shop around (I’m not just saying that because they sponsor me- they really know what they’re doing).
Ken 
No way! That is super cool! 
When I know what I want I shall contact you- Thanks a lot!
I know of a few places in my general area that wouldn’t mind sponsoring mee I suppose but I don’t have a good enough camera. mmmm I could ask Spam for help. But I’m on a different project. Building a custom Municycle with a fat boy wheel.
in terms of effective bonuses and free stuff. local bike shops arent the places you should be looking at.
usually they dont get enough money to be throwing it around on unicyclists. i’m sponsored by 2 local bike shops (dunno how) and they say that they reward loyalty the most. (i aint keepin up my end of the bargain then hey?)
id say pick a bikeshop team that puts on all the demos in your area. and the more demos you do for them the more they’ll realise that you can pull in the crowds as much or more than the bikers can.
that said. i get all my tyres free from monty australia anyways. they are really good for that.
damn man %50-100 off at a LBS. you must be doin some good work.
I am sponsored by the bike shop in my town. It was pretty easy, I went into the store, told them a bit about me and what I could do, and put on a little demo infront of the shop. They said"wow" tossed me a jursey. I’m now on the team mcbike!
P.S. they were more impressed with one-footing or backwards riding than wheel walking 
I might start to think about getting sponsored by my LBS. They are cool. We go their all the time. Ive just got a BMX wheel for a 10er for my BC wheel, and also got a tube for my air saddle, and some dust caps.
My dad gets all the bits for his bike their.
Anyways, Mike, I’d love to learn how to build a wheel. Will you be at Mostyn again this year? If so, would you be interested in doing a wheel building session? Maybe just in the evening, outside if the weather is nice, with a can or two!? Sounds like a great idea to me!
Cheers,
Joe,
The Memphis Unicycle Club is supported by two LBSs and Schwalbe of North America (distributor of the “Big Apple”). We also get support from Unicycle.Com for our community outreach to kids. There is not a single rider that is sponsored but rather our entire group. As a member of the MUC we get from the shops a discount on parts and accessories and often, when shop mechanics are available, free mechanical help with such as wheel building. (However, I do most of that sort of thing for club members.)
In exchange for this support of our club, our efforts doing youth development outreach and promotion of unicycling, the shops are identified as supporters on our web site and when we make appearances at special events we will put up the shops’ banners. We also, and most importantly, recommend our supporters to those interested I their services and products. The shops also allow us to place brochures there for the public exposure introducing and describing our club and our mission and vision statements.
I suggest getting the LBSs involved and develop a relationship between them and the sport and not in a single rider. Then, massage that relationship so that it benefits both unicycling in your area and the bike shop. Too, make sure that your organization presents an image that reflects the values/image of the LBS.
Remember, it’s all about business.
Tommy
Hate to take this thread off topic, but with all the wheelbuilding comments I thought I might be able to get some feedback. Does anyone know how to get a new rim for the Torker 24" LX? I have a virtually new uni with a warped(run over) rim, and have had little luck in getting it straight. I am not doing well finding a rim or wheel either. Seems such a waste not to use it again because of a rim. Thanks
As for being sponsored, way too much like a job. It can take the fun right out of the sport. Be aware of what is expected of you if you become sponsored.
Re: Who is sponsored by a bike shop?
- psst * thats not that hard, seeing as unicycling is not the most popular sport
don’t get me wrong, tho. from what i’ve been reading, yer quite skilled!
Yo Bugman,
You are right about sponsorship. When one takes gear or services there has to be something in exchange. Sometimes it is an imposition and sometimes it just comes really easy to represent a company / product or shop. When we fly the Uni.Com banner we are all mindfully on our best behavior, for example.
Tommy
Bugman,
I could be completely wrong but I think some people are talking about completely different type of sponsorship. I remember you mentioning you were sponsored for moto-x, and they flew you to comps and such. But I think being sponsored by an LBS just means sporting a sticker or a shirt. Not as big of a responsibility. But again i could be completely wrong here.
David