St. Louis Bicycle Works and Terrain magazine are pleased to announce that the Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo will be held on January 15, 2017, at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Ill. The tradeshow, which serves the Mississippi Valley region, was previously known as the St. Louis Bike Expo and, before that, as the Midwest Bike Expo & Swap Meet. It was last held in January 2015.

“The Bike Expo is the oldest and largest show of its kind in our area, with a twelve-year history and almost two thousand attendees annually,” said Patrick Van Der Tuin, executive director of St. Louis Bicycle Works, a non-profit organization that gives kids the chance to earn a free bike while they learn about bicycle safety and maintenance from its volunteers. “We’re excited to be able to bring the show back with a renewed level of enthusiasm and focus.”

As its name indicates, the Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo will have an expanded scope that includes outdoor activities such as running, hiking, climbing, camping and paddling, to correspond with the more comprehensive focus of Terrain magazine, producers of the event in partnership with St. Louis Bicycle Works. “Bicycles — whether road, mountain, gravel, cyclocross, commuter or custom — will remain a major part of the expo now and for as long as we continue to do it,” said Brad Kovach, editor and publisher of the magazine.

The Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo will feature 40,000 square feet of exhibit space located just a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Louis. The expo will consist of more than 100 display booths (see the current exhibitor list below) as well as a number of special attractions, including:

  • Upper Limits mobile rock climbing wall
  • The North Face virtual reality National Park experience
  • Elby pedal-assist bike demos (inside on the show floor)
  • Spoked Bikes & Stuff virtual bike races
  • Velofix mobile bike shop
  • Big Muddy Adventures 30-foot wooden voyageur canoe

The Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo is a ticketed event. Tickets are $8 when purchased online or $12 at the door (free for children 10 and under). Proceeds from ticket purchases will go to St. Louis Bicycle Works in support of its Earn-A-Bike program.

“The St. Louis Bicycle Works Earn-A-Bike program aims to teach kids that they can set goals, and reach them,” said Van Der Tuin. During the free program, kids attend a series of hands-on courses held once a week for six weeks. “They learn about bikes, including maintenance and safety, but the other lessons they learn are even more valuable. They learn to solve problems individually and as a group. They also learn a sense of responsibility, as students must attend every session to graduate,” Van Der Tuin added. Upon graduation, kids receive their own bike, helmet, light and lock and participate in a group safety ride with adults and peers. The program gave away 1,376 bikes last year.

“It’s important for us to give back to the community that has supported us since Terrain launched three years ago,” said Kovach. “We also want to recognize the groups that have worked to make the Bike Expo a success over the past twelve years, including St. Louis Bicycle Works and also the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation and Trailnet. We hope we can continue to produce a high-quality event that will help grow the outdoor community in and around our great city.”

For more information about attending and exhibiting at the Mississippi Valley Bike + Outdoor Expo, visit www.bikeandoutdoorexpo.com.

Current exhibitors include:

Allstate
ApexNetwork Physical Therapy
Alpine Shop
Athletico Physical Therapy
Big BAM
Big Muddy Adventures (BMA)
Big Shark Bicycle Company
The Bike Factory
Bike MS
The Bike Rack
Bike Surgeon
Brainskinz
Chainspirations
Chiro-Med
Christian Family Services
ChristianCycling
City of Wildwood
Climb So iLL
Coconut Kitchen
Cycle for Life
The Cyclery & Fitness Center
CyclingSavvy
Damsel in Defense
DogFish Apparel
Elby Bikes
FeCycles
Firecreek Jerky
Fit-Flavors
Fleet Feet
Four Legged Running
Gateway East Trails
Gateway Off-Road Cyclists
Great Rivers Greenway
GO! St. Louis
Golden Eagle Inn / Wine Rest USA
Hammer Nutrition
HeartLand Boating Magazine
Hidden Valley Ski Resort
Integrity Spine and Joint Center
Katy Bike Rental and Shuttle
LaBerta and Sons Cycles
LeafFilter
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training
Lupus Foundation
Maplewood Bicycle
Marsan Underground Kayak & Canoe
Metro East Park and Recreation District
Midwest Cyclotouring
Missouri & Illinois Beef Industry Council
Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation
Missouri River Relief
Missouri Rock Island Trail
Missouri State Parks
MOAB Provisions
Monroe County YMCA-HTC Center Illinois Ozarks 10K Bluff Trail Run
New Balance / Browns Enterprises
The North Face
Old Mountains Gear Exchange
Ozark Trail Association
Oz Cycles
Padre’s Cycle Inn
Pedal the Cause
Pedego Electric Bikes
Recycled Cycles & Service
Retro Image Apparel
Roots Mountain Biking
Spoked Bikes & Stuff
St. Louis Bicycle Works
St. Louis Women’s Bike Summit
STLBiking.com
Studio Element
Sun Solar
SUP St. Louis
Team Backstoppers
Terrain Magazine
Terrain Trail Runners
Timber Longboards
Touch of Nature Environmental Center
Tour de Cure
Trailblazer Bikes
Trailhead Bicycles
TrailHead Camp
Trailnet
Underwood Chiropractic
Upper Limits
Urban Tri Gear
Velofix