Build-Your-Own Bike Club Avatar!!!

We’re stoked to announce that Bike Club is doing something completely unique with our mint, giving cyclists everywhere the chance to build their own Bike Club avatar and mint it as an NFT!

Even better, we’re going to make it so affordable that everyone can join in, gaining access to our RIDE & EARN program and all the other benefits of being a holder! There’s a lot to unpack in this announcement, including WHY we’re switching it up, so let’s get started…

TL;DR – Bike Club mint updates

You’ll be able to build your own Rider avatar from a wide variety of traits
Mint price will be extremely low
Premium traits will be available for a few dollars extra, and new colors and designs will drop all the time
Premium traits may include brand, event, athlete & artist collabs
You’ll be able to update your avatar with new traits any time you want
Each trait (jersey, background, helmet, etc.) can have its own benefits and utility

Why launch a “build-your-own” Bike Club Avatar?

First, because it’s really cool! Secondly, because our mission is to make every cyclist feel welcome and included in our community, so we want you to feel truly represented by your Bike Club avatar. And the best way to do that is for you to create one that looks like you.

While we really liked the idea of doing a randomly generated launch and seeing everyone’s surprise and delight if they got some really rare traits, the reality is many people would end up with an avatar that looked nothing like them.

The cool thing is, our Build-Your-Own (BYO) system means that we’ll be able to create even more rarity from limited edition traits while actually allowing more people to collect and trade these items. Some gamification features will be implemented differently than we originally planned, but we’re already working on alternate ideas for this, too!

Even more exciting is that you may be able to constantly update your avatar with new traits to suit your mood, the season, or to gain extra benefits from brand-supported traits (more on that below). And, we’re no longer limited to 10k drops, so we can truly open Bike Club up to everyone who wants to join!

This is also a much more sustainable business model that provides ongoing revenue so we can keep building Bike Club for decades to come. This is a long-term project!

How will BYO work?

Just a few examples of the many stock jersey designs to choose from!

We’ll have a collection of amazing traits drawn by renowned cycling artist Rich Mitch for each layer, letting you choose from different body types and skin tones, hairstyles and colors, jersey designs, helmet or cycling cap (or none), and some beautiful backgrounds.

On top of those, we’ll have some premium traits that cost a little extra, most being just a couple dollars. And, we’ll continually add new colors and designs to keep it fresh.

These allow you to dress up your avatar, change its look through the seasons, or match your favorite team or brand. More importantly, it allows brands, events, athletes, etc., to create special editions that can be airdropped, won, or purchased!

How will the “branded” traits work?

Branded traits allow cycling related brands, athletes, events, industry influencers, and other artists to create special designs and limited editions to reward their best customers or create promotions.

Because each of these new traits are held as a separate NFT, each can have its own benefits and utility provided by the brand issuing it.

Here are a few examples of how this could be used:

A bike brand could issue a branded jersey that lets you jump to the front of the line at any demo event.
A component brand could issue a branded musette that gets you a VIP swag pack at any expo event they attend.
A cycling apparel brand could give you a matching digital jersey when you buy a real cycling kit from them, which provides a lifetime pre-order discount on future kits before they’re released to the public.
A gravel race could issue your ticket as a commemorative background that gets you into the event and serves as digital memorabilia.
Top pros could issue a signature design to access private chats or match their race kits.
Cycling advocacy groups could sell a branded accessory as a fundraiser.

…and that’s just the beginning. There’s no limit to how these can be used, and new items can be created forever, allowing you to continually gain new benefits and utility for being part of Bike Club!

At launch, we’ll have exclusive (and very limited edition!) traits from HED Cycling, Eliel Cycling, Crypto Baristas, Kask, and Sage Cycles, to name a few.

Wen mint? How much?

We’re shooting for late summer 2022. To be honest, this is a huge dev project, well beyond the scope of a standard “10k PFP” NFT drop, so our timeline and the exact functionality may shift slightly, but this is our goal.

And we’re going to make it very affordable. Like extremely affordable. Our goal is to make Bike Club accessible to every rider, everywhere.

Actual pricing will be announced prior to mint along with other details.

…and RIDE & EARN?

All of this will play into our RIDE & EARN program, too, with your Bike Club Rider NFT serving as your access point to earning Points for every ride you do. Stay tuned for more details about this and some exciting partner activations!