The focus was to really hone in on helping each cyclist determine which bike is best for them, in a super relaxed and fun atmosphere. The idea for Outerbike was to put the cyclist first, making consumers the most important person at the event. Additionally, we knew how difficult it was to find the right size and brand of bike you’re looking for at an independent bike dealer (IBD), and with the shift in sales channels, it’s so important to build relationships directly with the brand.

There was a massive demand for this kind of demo experience, which was much different than seeing a demo fleet at a race. Question: What was the need you saw for creating a unique event like this?Īnswer (Mark): Interbike had a great demo day in Las Vegas called “Outdoor Demo,” the problem was it was only for industry people, not consumers. That’s when we knew we had a good thing going. The following year when we finally nailed down the proof of concept, there were way too many people and not enough bikes-folks were lined up out the door before 7AM. No one really understood how Outerbike worked-people just didn’t realize they would be able to take the demo bikes out for real rides on real trails. The first year of Outerbike in 2010 we had way too many bikes and not enough people. I thought, why don’t we host a consumer bike demo event right here in Moab! Let’s make it possible for the people to ride bikes! I saw an opportunity to fill up Moab with mountain bikers just as Jeep Safari does with off-roaders. It was hard work to pull together a demo fleet to take to Interbike but then afterward, the bikes would have nowhere to go.

Question: Can you give us a general history of Outerbike?Īnswer (Ashley): Before coming to Western Spirit, I served as the President of Merlin Metalworks and I experienced first hand the challenges of pulling together a demo fleet. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mark or Ashley at a past Outerbike, I’m sure you can attest to just how passionate this power couple is and can also appreciate their vision for Outerbike as it evolves.

Now that Outerbike (Moab) has hit its 10th year, we thought it might be a good opportunity to sit down with its founders, Ashley and Mark, to hear about the history of the event, how they got started and how it’s changed over the years.

How to Catch a Biker by Ana Ashley