VeloPhilanthro: How I became a sales representative

As I was reading through an issue of Bicycle Times magazine earlier this year I came across an article about a folding bicycle that had been reviewed by one of the publication's product testers. The bike was labeled as a Melon "Slice". I was immediately interested in the bike for several reasons. One; I'm a pilot by trade and am always looking for ways and opportunities to take a bike with me on trips. Second; The "Slice" was a very attractive ride. The paint and decals complimented each other and the actual geometry of the thing just looked nice. Finally; As I read the article in it's entirety I learned that Melon bikes was headquartered less than 10 miles from my house in Asheville! I knew I had to learn more. I went to their website and explored every page and every link. I told my co-worker Larry about the bike and about the company and how close they were to us. Larry and I had talked about getting some sort of folding bikes to keep in the airplane we fly and take with us on long trips to bike-friendly cities. The Melon Slice was a born-natural choice for us. We began scheming about how to get our hands on a couple. The price of a fully equipped Slice is $499, originally $599 - not bad at all for a well - and I mean WELL-equipped 7005 aluminum-framed folder!

Although the $499 price tag was extremely reasonable, I don't often have 500 bucks to spend on my passion. I entertained thoughts of offering to "test" one of the bikes and write a review about it and how well it worked for us in the aviation industry. But after talking with Larry more and more we thought we might see if we could try and sell them for the company on our travels. Phone calls were made and we soon discovered that the company was more than willing to bring us on board as sales reps and put some bikes in our hands! The rest, as they say, is history. I went out to the main office yesterday and returned home with a brand-new-in-the-box Melon Slice. I'll take this bike along on trips with me and try my hand at being a salesman.

Here's some pictures of the whole thing. All I had to do was inflate the tires, attach the front wheel, and install the pedals. Easy-peasy-lemon squeezy.