We have exceptional deals on new and used kayaks and bicycles this month! The sun is out and the weather is awesome for playing on the water or the roads! Come by the shop to see awesome new bikes on the floor. We have the Bacchetta Basso and new CA-2 in beautiful orange carbon! You must see the Greenspeed Aero prototype trike! This is the fastest bike we have seen to date! We also have new Fuji Barnebey cruisers in a beautiful deep purple with cream accents. This is a perfect all-around cruiser!

Sumrall Summit

Calling ALL cyclists! Join us for the Sumrall Summit on Saturday, November 7 in Sumrall, Mississippi! Sumrall is located on the beautiful LongLeaf Trace, between Hattiesburg and Prentiss. Expected launch times are around 10:00 AM. Distances will vary from 1 mile to 82 miles, so there is NO EXCUSE for anyone, on any bike, to pass this up!

We will have the RideSouth bus and trailer available for transport ($10) from the RideSouth shop at 7:30 AM Saturday morning. Please arrive early (7:00 AM) if you are transporting your bike. There is limited space available on the bus, so make your reservations and payment early! The bus will leave no later than 5:00 PM to return to the shop. There is plenty of parking at the Sumrall Gateway for your vehicles if you wish to meet us there.

The Summit is simply a get-together to ride the LLT. Lunch is on your own and there is no fee or tee-shirt. If you have ideas about a Recumbent Rally, next spring, bring them along. If you have friends on any type of bike, bring them along as well! There is a Subway near the trailhead and a couple of restaurants in Sumrall. We will have water and powerade. There will be NO SAG on the LLT, so come prepared!

If you are unfamiliar with the LLT, it is about 15 miles to Hattiesburg, or about 25 miles to Prentiss. There are many comfort stations along the way, so you can vary your distances to whatever suits you. It is a public trail that is mostly flat and populated with college students, faculty, local cyclists and occasional critters. You will see Llamas, emus, horses and the occasional rabbit along the way, as well as some gorgeous fall foliage. We advise everyone to wear a helmet and have lights on their bike for safety.

If you like the idea of the Sumrall Summit, pass this along to your cycling friends. We will have a few ride leaders for different distances and speeds, but we would like to emphasize this is for everyone! If 3 miles has been your longest ride to date, show up and we bet you can double it, at least! Join us for the fun and fellowship!

[email protected]
601 992-2490
www.ridesouth.com

We love it when our previous customers come into the shop and ask what is new! It is always great to see you again when you come in and we will always strive to have an answer or two for you! Here are just a few new items in the store for you:

We have a couple of the ever-popular Greenspeed Magnums in the third primary color – Yellow! A bestseller with a new, fresh look! Of course we have the blue and red Magnums as well.

How about our first electric Greenspeed? Plenty of power and reserve for your commuting or hill riding adventures! We have the Golden Motor system on a small frame GT-1 for you to try if you dare!

We have our next batch of the fast-selling Catrikes arriving soon! The folding Trail and folding 559 have been very popular with the mobile crowd. But then we are all part of that group, aren’t we? We have all the other Catrike models on the floor, including a beautiful silver 700, dubbed the “Silver Bullet”!

We have a really cool Berkel Bike which works as a hand cycle, or foot cycle. Great for special needs, as the seat height is wheelchair height. Hase and Greenspeed also make terrific hand cycles. You can test ride most of them here!

We have a good selection of used two-wheeled recumbents on hand. Try a used RANS, Cycle Genius, Lightning, or Bacchetta bike on for size. You will be glad you did! We even have a used Hase Kett Wiesel on the floor!

The Fuji Barnebey is the best cruising bike we have had! It has tons of cool features and is less than any other foot-foward bike! Makes a great Father’s Day gift! Come by and test ride one today!

We still consider the Evoke Kayak line new as they were only introduced this year. They are beginning to sell because of their superior quality and low price point. The roto-molded Evokes will become more popular as the weather heats up, so get yours now!

The coolest fishing boat we have seen is the new Hobie Pro Angler 17 Tandem! What a great way to celebrate the Fourth on any body of water you choose! We have one left for your holiday adventures! We will have new PA-12s and PA-14s coming in THIS WEEK!

Every day is a new day to begin your fitness regimen. But, you will continue it only if it is fun! At RideSouth, we provide fun to our customers in many ways. Come by and see why RideSouth is still . . . The Way to Ride!

We all have it. Some live in it, some make it. History was not a favorite course in school, but we tried to avoid repeating it. Our teachers said we should learn from it, but we wanted to focus on the present – or sometimes, the future. The future seemed so exciting, so pliable, so challenging! History seemed so dull, so fixed, so unchanging.

Our first Recumbent Rally and Convention is now history. It is what it was and that is all. If you missed a session or two of the eleven sessions, or if you missed the entire inaugural event, we are sorry. We have many photos of the history making that we have accumulated. Perhaps you would like to see them here. More importantly, perhaps you would like to begin planning for a future event!

If you have ideas, beyond the obvious of more folks helping and doing all the things that needed doing, please let us know. Future events can include kayaking as well. The recent Hobie SAIL event planning session included a great route up Pelahatchie Creek, a stop at the Trading Post and a leisurely sail back along the south shore of the bay. An awesome day on the water through a diverse landscape right here in our back yard! Here are a few photos from the trip. We hope to have the event sometime in June. Let us know if you are interested.

Yes, we like to think of the future. We like to plan and create. We sell bikes and kayaks of the future. We search for new products, for new meaning. We look forward to tomorrow and what it will bring. History is fine, and necessary. But we get more enjoyment in making it, not living in it. Come to RideSouth and see what we mean!

Did you see the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”? How about another great film with Tom Hanks, “Big”? If you somehow combine these movies, you get a love story that grows way beyond your expectations! Laid-back folks who love recumbent cycling came from all over to make the 2015 Recumbent Rally and Convention . . . BIG!

Perhaps the biggest thing accomplished during the nine-day event could be summed up in a word . . . Recumbent. Our signs at the Flowood YMCA and alongside Old Fannin at the Hampton, exposed the word to thousands of motorists every day. The excellent story and online video by Clarion Ledger reporter Todd Sherman, exposed the word and what it means to thousands of readers. The eleven sessions of the 2015 Recumbent Rally and Convention spoke volumes to BentLovers, and all cyclists, that this love story is here to stay . . . and they should look into it more! The theme of “Painless in Flowood” ran through the entire event, as we heard no complaints anywhere about cycling pain, even after six hundred miles of cycling by some riders!!

Here is a brief wrap-up of the different sessions. More, including some pics and videos, can be found on www.ridesouthevents.com as soon as we get to it!

Workshop Session
The RideSouth shop was filled to capacity as Janet Buckwalter entertained and informed folks about what it takes to tour on a recumbent. Janet had her trike loaded to the gills and helped folks decide what to pack and what they could do without. The three o’clock Friday kick-off session was well received and should inspire some riders to expand their worlds and take on some big adventures, as Janet has! We hope so!

Bay Ride Session
The four o’clock traffic on Old Fannin was entertained as a two-block-long line of recumbents left the shop and followed bike lanes and trails to Fannin Landing, then around the Pelahatchie Bay and back to the shop. The large group was divided into two subgroups according to speed. As it turned out we could have subdivided further, but a great time was had by all. The newspaper reporter, Todd, even got into the act on a recumbent trike! You can see his story and videos here.

Welcome Dinner Session
The tight scheduling of the sessions was apparent as some folks had to hustle to make the seven o’clock Welcome Dinner at the event hotel, the Hampton Inn in Flowood. But there was plenty of refreshments and good food for the overflow crowd provided by The Corner Bakery! As everyone started to mellow out a bit, we were thoroughly entertained by Greenspeed Trike Guru, Ian Sims. Ian had everyone focused on his colorful history of bringing the whole idea of recumbent trikes to market with an excellent slide show on the big screen!

Metric Century Session
After a good meal and a good night’s sleep, folks gathered at the RideSouth shop for the launch of the RS Metric Century early Saturday morning. We launched right on time and folks crossed the spillway on another gorgeous day! In fact, the weather for EVERY SESSION was SPECTACULAR! After regrouping at the Reservoir Overlook, riders headed north on the fantastic Natchez Trace. An out-and-back ride of one hundred kilometers kept folks occupied until just before noon when the excellent box lunches were served back at the shop. There were hundreds of other riders out for the Ridgeland Century rides as well! It was great to have cyclists outnumbering cars for a change!

Trail Ride Session
The Trail Ride group launched immediately after the Metric Century riders and also regrouped at the Overlook. Ride leaders kept track of everyone through the intricate trail network and got everyone back safely to join the other riders at the shop. There are a number of other routes we can explore for future rides and events. What a great place to be if you are a cyclist, or just someone who enjoys the great outdoors!

Speed Trial Session
Some folks just have that need! So we organized a course just south of Flowood to let that need-for-speed manifest itself! Session leaders counted down for each rider to launch at one minute intervals. The adrenalin rushed as they took off with all they had, to race the clock, or the rider in front . . . or behind! The start was a grueling uphill with a fast finish on the opposite side downhill. We even got Ian Sims to race in the Greenspeed Glyde velomobile that he produced! It seemed appropriate that Kerry Kerr was the fastest on another of Ian’s machines, the new Aero! The Flowood and Airport police kept the cars away from us, and a good time was had by all. We distributed the free frozen yogurt passes to all participants and even some of the helpers and spectators!

Recumbent Forum Session
Perhaps the most attended session, after the Welcome Dinner, the Recumbent Forum was a great interaction between attendees and industry leaders! We had Ian Sims talking trikes, Mike Colliton and Rich Pinto from Bacchetta, talking bikes, and Dr. Bob McGuire talking nutrition. Dr. Bob had a great presentation that we have for you here. There is a wealth of information for your help in food and drink intake while you are burning up the road on your recumbent! Folks told some wonderful recumbent stories and were surprised to receive a cool RideSouth jersey for their trouble! We hope to have sparked some ideas for promoting recumbents in the future, including attracting HPV racers to the area!

Vicksburg Military Park Tour (Ride to) Session
An ambitious session, to be sure! Get up early Sunday morning and ride from the RS shop TO Vicksburg, then ride the Vicksburg Military Park hills with the other riders! The park is nothing but hills and a challenge even if you haven’t ridden sixty miles to get there! Kudos to Doug Morgan and Kerry Kerr for taking the challenge! You can see a video of the route on the www.ridesouthevents.com website!

Vicksburg Military Park (Transport) Session
A more reasonable option for most was to be transported to the park, and then ride the grueling hills. Thanks to Laura Morgan for providing the transport service! The park offers great historical value and an opportunity to burn quite a few calories. After the ride, Paul and Donna Ingram opened their beautiful home overlooking the Mississippi River for the small number of riders taking the challenge, and fed everyone some awesome lasagna! That fuel and a few liquid refreshments prepped riders for the trip to Natchez later Sunday afternoon!

LongLeaf Trace Tour Session
There was a concurrent session competing for cyclists’ time. Transport to the fabulous LongLeaf Trace for a tour from Prentiss to Hattiesburg left an hour earlier than the Vicksburg transport. More folks signed up for the relatively flat LLT than the hilly, military park for their Sunday adventure. No wonder! The RS bus, RS trailer and a rental bus were at capacity as we arrived near scheduled time at the Prentiss Gateway of the LLT. Folks were joined by other recumbent riders there and headed down the Trace to Sumrall, where we served lunch to everyone. It was great to see the Bacchetta guys riding with Dr. Bob, too. After a good lunch break, riders made their way to the Hattiesburg Holiday Inn Suites where we loaded everyone back on the buses and headed back to the RS shop.

Natchez to Nashville Tour Session
The RS bus arrived right on time at the shop Sunday afternoon, and unloaded folks from a great adventure on the LLT. New driver and new riders loaded up to begin the next great rally adventure! Dubbed N2N, the plan was to spend the night in Natchez and leave at mile marker 0.0 at eight o’clock Monday morning. A sendoff evening meal at the Magnolia Grille, overlooking the Mississippi River, prepped the three riders and SAG driver for five days of riding . . . all the way to Nashville! The first day ended up being about one hundred and four miles all the way to Jackson. Overnighting in Jackson, the riders began where they left off and continued to French Camp on Tuesday night. All reported French Camp a five-star stop! Wednesday night found the riders in Tupelo after a fairly long day. Collingwood, Tennessee was the planned stop for Thursday and Nashville for Friday. After tackling the Tennessee hills, riders celebrated at the famous Loveless Cafe, four hundred and forty-four miles from their start five days earlier! An unexpected hotel shortage in Nashville forced a drive back to Tupelo for the night which led to a return welcoming back at the RS shop on Saturday morning, ahead of schedule. Medals and jersey patches were awarded to the deserving riders by many supporters and the RS skeleton crew! Way to go guys and thank you to Rick Eades for SAG support the whole way!

The Recumbent Rally and Convention was a big success thanks to the many volunteers for all the sessions!! It was a success because the weather was PERFECT! It was a success because recumbent suppliers supported the rally, big time! But mostly it was a success because your love story for recumbents got told a little more, thanks to you . . . and that is BIG!

Cast and crew:
Lane Snider
Louis Reno
David Read
Charlene Read
Carol Kossman
Rhonda Armstrong
Stacy Maxey
Bob McGuire
Doug Morgan
Paul Ingram
Donna Ingram
Ian Sims
Jerome Hediger
Janet Buckwalter
Dudley Dearman
Rich Pinto
Mark Colliton
Rick Eades
Jim Lee
Carolyn Bergeron
Clint Jenkins
Laura Morgan
Keith May
Todd Sherman

Also, thanks to the many supporters and local recumbent riders who were on standby for transport and assistance if needed! A special thanks to the Flowood YMCA, the Flowood Chamber, Chick-fil-A, the Corner Bakery, Flowood Police, Airport Police, AMR, The Rankin County News and The Clarion Ledger for fantastic support before, during and after the rally!! There were many others that offered their support and we are forever grateful!

www.ridesouth.com
[email protected]
601 992-2490
105 Avalon Court
Brandon, MS 39047

Rally Press Release

Flowood, Mississippi May1-9, 2015

May 1 marks the kickoff of the first ever Recumbent Rally and Convention to be headquartered in Flowood, Mississippi. RideSouth Recumbents, LLC, located on the outskirts of Flowood, will bring in recumbent bike enthusiasts from all over the nation to ride, visit, learn, and tour on their recumbent bikes, trikes and velomobiles. Speakers and presenters from as far away as Australia will lead discussions about the future of these “laid back” bikes that are becoming increasingly more popular because of their safety, speed, fun and comfort advantages over traditional upright bicycles.

The Rally begins on Friday afternoon with a touring workshop, a trail ride around Pelahatchie Bay and a welcome dinner at the Hampton Inn in Flowood. On Saturday, there are more trail rides, a metric century ride, speed trials and a recumbent forum for attendees to enjoy for their $60 attendance fee. On Sunday, rally participants can sign up for a tour of the Longleaf Trace ($35) or the Vicksburg Military Park ($25). There is even a Natchez to Nashville tour offered for folks during the following week ($250 + most meals and hotels). The N2N route will be entirely on the 444 mile Natchez Trace Parkway. Support and transport will be provided for all sessions. More information and updates for the Rally can be found on www.RideSouthEvents.com.

We have decided to postpone the March 21 launch of the 2015 Signature Ride. We are heavily involved with the Recumbent Rally and Convention on May 1, and the expected new date will be after the Rally. We will still have rides from the shop and possibly training rides to Hattiesburg in March.
Thank you!

Painless in Flowood is the theme for the Recumbent Rally and Convention to be held in Flowood, Mississippi on May 1, 2015. Please check out our special video invitation:

Painless in Flowood

Good Morning

As this day begins, we snapped a few photos to give you an idea of what we face today. RideSouth has twice the inventory we have had in Decembers past. We have over forty recumbent trikes and many used bikes and trikes. We have the most popular recumbent bikes in the world and some that are on the way to challenging all others. We have a velomobile, or two, and more coming.

We have excellent cruiser bikes that are better than the once popular Townies we introduced to our area over sixteen years ago. Marin and Fuji make some awesome, light bikes that you have to try to believe as well as some great mountain bikes. We have Masi full carbon road bikes on sale.

We have brand new Hobie Kayaks of every model, even the new Pro Angler Tandem. We have numerous last year’s kayaks at greatly reduced prices and quite a few used kayaks that are in excellent condition. We have kayaks from Evoke and Sundolphin on order, that are a better value, and less expensive, than any other kayak you can find.

There is much more in store, including kid’s bikes, commuter bikes, hybrids and special needs bikes. Also, we have stocked up on shoes, helmets, lights and pedals, all excellent Christmas gifts. Gift certificates are also available.

We would like to take a few days off for Christmas, so we have a week for you to put a wrap on your RideSouth present to your loved ones, or yourself. We will do everything in our power to make your Christmas, indeed, a Good Morning!