Dirt Factory Business Update
22/03/2017
School and Community Bike Sessions
22/05/2017
Last weekend, the Dirt Factory team descended on Great Northern Warehouse to host the Urban Action Weekend, our first pop-up event in Manchester city centre.
We were busy in the days leading up to the event to build the roll in ramp, assemble the pumptrack and get everything ready for the event. The weekend was an opportunity for our supporters and riders from across the city to sample our new BigAirBag and M0DULAR pumptrack.
All ages and abilities
It was great to see more than 80 riders enjoy what we had to offer. All ages and abilities got involved – many of them experiencing a pumptrack and airbag for the first time. We even had a Deliveroo delivery cyclist hit the airbag between jobs.
In addition to the riders taking part we also welcomed spectators from far and wide. Many just sat in the Manchester sun and enjoyed the spectacle of riders hitting the Dirt Factory BigAirBag in the outside amphitheatre at Great Northern.
Inside Great Northern we had a room set up with our pumptrack, Red Bull DJ, Olfi Action Camera tent and Evans Cycles who provided demo bikes for people who didn’t bring their own. Ben Newton from WeRide Holidays offered expert tuition to anyone getting to grips with the track for the first time.
Throughout the weekend we were also joined by our friends at Swifty Scooters who brought with them a full fleet of their innovative scooters. I even got the chance to have a go of one on the pumptrack – nearly as much fun as riding it on a bike!
Created a buzz
Whilst we continue to work towards securing a permanent space for Dirt Factory, this event was a great opportunity to get out there, make new connections and spread the word. We definitely created a buzz at Great Northern Warehouse and plenty of people were keen to know more about our future plans.
I would like to give thanks to our super volunteers, Great Northern Warehouse, our friends at Test Your Steel, all of the organisations mentioned above and all the people who came along to support the event.
Our next stop for anyone wanting to sample our BigAirBag is the Northern Grip mountain bike festival in July. Hope to see you there.
Best wishes,
Dan
