The biggest consumer bike show in the U.S. will roll into a new north waterfront facility this weekend, bringing shoppers and bicycling enthusiasts to two days of activities. The Seattle Bicycle Expo, sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club, will fill the new Smith Cove Cruise Terminal 91 facility with indoor and outdoor bike-related fun. It's open Saturday, March 13, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, March 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Event registration is expected to be a hot ticket, after a record-breaking Chilly Hilly bike ride was tackled by 6,028 riders on an unseasonably non-chilly Sunday in February, and last July's 30th annual Seattle to Portland (STP) ride sold out at 10,000 registrations. Along with Cascade, many other regional bike clubs host booths and lure riders to their group rides and fundraising cycling events.
Gear and clothing deals are always highly sought at the expo, which this year has 300 exhibit booths. The new cruise ship dock may also be a draw. The two-level facility has stellar views of downtown and the bay.
There will be a performance area for experts like mountain bike trials rider Ryan Leech and a team of German "artistic cyclists," two stages for speakers including Willie Weir, coach Gale Bernhardt and cartoonist Jef Mallet, who pens the Frazz comic, and a Kids Bike Zone with youth activities.
Cost is $10 for one day, or $12 for both days (cash only at the door), and kids under 15 get in free. A $2 discount coupon is available on Cascade's website.
How do you find the event? By bike is best, of course. It's at the north end of the Elliott Bay Trail, where the bike trail crosses West Garfield Street just south of the rail yard and north of the grain terminal. Reach that trail from the Burke Gilman Trail via the Ballard Bridge in the north, or the waterfront trail via downtown from the south. Directions here.
