Having started its life in 2010 in a barn-like building known as The Armory, the Philly Bike Expo has, for 12 of its 14 editions, found a more fitting home at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Its naturally lit show hall provides an ideal setting for the many bicycle-related activities taking place in the heart of the city on the weekend of March 8-9.

Although the expo is well established, it still holds tremendous untapped potential for the bicycle industry as a popular, well-attended event that has almost returned to its pre Covid scale. 

The cycling industry in general is not recovering quite so well. Yet the Philly Bike Expo shows not only that the market is still present and engaged, but also there are multiple avenues for reaching both existing and new customers that extend far beyond the traditional booth on the show floor.

Some consumer bike expos attract a larger number of exhibitors—for instance, Sea Otter features considerably more. While both events offer fun riding opportunities, participants at Sea Otter must pay to join on-bike events. What truly sets the Philly Bike Expo apart, however, is its series of seminars. These sessions rarely receive media attention, being largely uncovered by journalists, yet they are a goldmine of cycling culture.

Philly Bike Expo seminars are the closest thing in Cycling to the TED Talks. Photo: Philly Bike Expo

Why don't they get written up more? As a former journalist who has covered many bike expos, I've found that bike products lend themselves to quick, easily consumable content—snap a picture, post it, write a few words, and you're done. In contrast, a single seminar, which typically lasts an hour, can easily warrant a feature-length article and you may have to hunt for good photos to go with it. This makes seminars more suited for in-depth feature writing, especially now when podcasts have taken over much of that territory—an opportunity waiting to be seized.

Despite the scant media coverage, the seminars at the expo are always well attended. Philadelphia’s mature and well-educated cycling community appreciates these deep dives into a wide range of topics, often led by some of the most accomplished figures in the cycling world.

A quick look at the seminar listing reveals a vast but rare pool of expertise, which is available in person for just one weekend each year. (Recordings are posted on the show’s YouTube channel after the event). 

A notable omission from the seminar presenters is the absence of leading lights from major bike brands—a gap that may stem from the misconception that the expo is primarily for custom frame manufacturers.

In reality, while the expo’s early promotional materials leaned toward custom builders—largely because it was founded by the Bilenky family, a mainstay of Philadelphia’s custom bike scene—these manufacturers typically have comprised only 25–30 percent of the exhibitors over the years.

“Another misconception is that a mountain bike can’t exist at an urban expo,” said show director Bina Bilenky. Where this notion comes from is anybody's guess, especially since mountain bikes—with their wide tires and aggressive tread—have been popular among urban cyclists worldwide since the early 1980s. The knobby tyres are more comfortable on broken pavement, they don’t puncture easily, and throw up very little water from wet roads.

We'd like to see more mountain bikes at Philly Bike Expo. 

Although the Philly Bike Expo strives to encompass the entire cycling world—more comprehensively than any other show in the USA—there remain several gaps and niches waiting to be filled.

In internal discussions, HBG staff often highlight the importance of companies engaging with the community and contributing to bike culture. While our focus is on the custom handbuilt sector, we also recognize the significant contributions that major companies can make to sustaining the industry’s cultural fabric. At the same time, we sense a decline in the industry’s involvement in key cultural events. Community and culture are essential to the survival of every industry. Lose those and the fabric frays and falls apart.

Apart from the wide range of companies exhibiting, the meetings and social life, the rich seminar experience, and the free-to-join rides, the Philly Bike Expo also provides a range of activities for young children, thus enabling entire families to attend. Craft and painting tables are available, where children are encouraged to make bike-themed art, also there are courses for children to learn and improve their bike balance.

While the expo does such a great job of opening up the door of Cycling to a wider section of the community, you have to wonder how many marketing managers must be asleep at the wheel to be not perceiving and exploiting the opportunity it presents.

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We at HBG salute the Philly Bike Expo and the small-scale manufacturers for building a vibrant community and cultural interest that keeps it relevant and essential to exhibitors, presenters, and attendees alike. Even as large segments of the industry retreat into their silos, the expo continues to shine as a beacon where cycling enthusiasts can gather for a genuine, rewarding experience that reinforces the fabric of the cycling society.

 PhillyBikeExpo.com