March 18, 2010 (Montreal, QC) – Marin Bikes has chosen Montreal as the venue for its first concept store worldwide. The 1,400-square-foot Momentum Solutions Velo store on St. Denis Street opened on February 15. Inside, there are floor-to-ceiling wrap-around photos of cycling in California’s Marin County, widely accepted as the birthplace of mountain biking. The Golden Gate Bridge dominates the wall behind the cash register.

The store co-owners are Pierre Grouiller, from Toulouse, France, and Yannick Guimond from Rosemere, Quebec. The two met while working at Bicycles Quilicot in Montreal and began riding together. Grouiller knew André Lecompte, the local Marin rep, and jokingly told him one day about wanting to open a Marin concept store. The joke soon turned into reality when Lecompte took the idea back to Marin headquarters and “made it happen.”

Almost 60 bikes are on display on the showroom floor, about 90% Marin models, but you can also find the Intense, Lapierre, and Opus models. Prices start at about $350 for a Marin Kentfield hybrid and continue up to about $5,000 for a Marin CXR Team. “Prices can go higher for made-to-order bikes,” adds Grouiller. Beyond its MTB pedigree, Marin also makes road, street, city, kids, and women’s bikes. Accessories such as Bell helmets and Kryptonite locks can be found along with a bike fitting room for customers.

“For me, this is a childhood dream come true,” explains Grouiller, who began his working career at age 12 in a Toulouse bike shop. He came to Montreal to study mechanical engineering and also taught bike mechanics at the Techno Cycle school as a sideline.

Early signs bode well for Momentum Solutions: during the first two weeks of operation they sold about 15 bikes with snow still on the ground. “Most of the bikes sold have been top-end road and mountain bikes. We don’t expect the hybrids to start moving until the weather gets nicer,” commented Guimond. By summer they expect to hire four employees.

Momentum Solutions sponsors a mountain bike team by the same name featuring Philippe Morin. The store also plans to donate 2% of its profits to help youth in Nepal return to school and to learn mountain biking skills.

The official grand opening will be held in April with cocktails and other celebrations planned, including Marin Bikes founder, owner, and CEO Bob Buckley, who will be on hand for the event.

Momentum Solutions Velo
7341, rue St. Denis, Montreal
H2R 2E5
514-233-2631
www.momentumvelo.com