CR8 Gets Real Shop + Rider Feedback
With the Kickstarter launch less than two months out, we wanted to get our CR8 prototypes into the hands of real riders and bike experts. We hosted a CR8 demo night at our studio where we invited local bike riders to come in and get formally introduced to our entire CR8 project. From the product itself, the packaging, website, and saddle bag accessories, demo attendees got to be the first to partake in the CR8 experience.
Different Riders, Different Hauls
The participants use their bikes for commuting with laptops, work out gear, picnic and leisure supplies (kites, blankets, etc.), even construction materials like bags of concrete and 7′ poles. As we showed them the versatility of the CR8 system and the sturdiness it became clear our system could work for each of them, despite their different uses. We found that the riders gear varied so much and from day to day that the CR8 accessories (like saddle bags, wire baskets, and classic milk crate) would be extremely beneficial. The cam + lock and key was comforting for those that wanted the option to “lock and go” or easily and securely latch their crate as needed. Stay tuned for our testimonials and one-on-one interviews next week.
Oldest Shop America Gets a Crack at the CR8
In Jamaica, New York the oldest bike shop in the country still stands today. We thought what better place for the CR8 to get honest feedback and go through genuine testing than Bellitte Bicycles? Originally opened in 1918 by Sicilian immigrant, Salvatore “Sam” Bellittle, the shop started as a bicycle, motorcycle, and radio repair all-in-one stop. Read below for the full (short version) history of the shop!
The roaring ’20s brought huge success for the motorcycle end of the business and a few years later the Great Depression forced New Yorkers to travel by way of bike due to the low cost, and give up their fast, gas guzzling motorcycles. This transformed Bellitte’s into a “full fledged bicycle shop” and Sam was one of the few business owners to weather the Depression storm.
As World War Two started, it ushered in the second generation of Bellittes to run the shop. Wartime rationing created a scarcity of bike parts and the family used scrapped parts found around the city to make due. Weathering yet another storm, the Bellitte shop survived and made it to the golden age of biking: the 1970s. “Bellitte Bicycles sold more units in that time period over any other time in its history.” In the 1980s the shop was passed down again to 3rd generation, Sal Bellitte, the grandson of Salvatore “Sam” and he has ran the shop ever since. Last year marked Bellitte Bicycles 100th anniversary with no plans of retirement.
Stay tuned for Sal’s full, unfiltered, review of the CR8 next week and see what shop the CR8 ends up next. With the Kickstarter launch this summer, we’re hoping the CR8 system is available in shops like Sal’s across the U.S. To stay up to date on the CR8 journey please follow our Instagram and Twitter and join our newsletter.
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