Change of Greenery BlogThings to See and Do in Napa Valley that's GREEN!

Napa Valley Wine Tour Promotion 2 people for $99!

OH YEAH… we just launched our Summer Promotion… Get TWO all-day electric bikes for the AMAZING price of $99! (Regular Price $150)

Summer is finally here and we have decided to lower our prices this season!

Starting tomorrow, you can ride our bikes for the low price of $99 for two people and Saturdays at $75pp. You can now reserve online at http://changeofgreenery.rezgo.com/. First come – first serve! Days will be blocked off on our online calendar as soon as it is filled.

What do you get with your all-day bike tour?

-          2 Electric Bikes that can go up to 18mph with a range of 30 miles using pedal-assist or 15 miles using it as a mini-moped.

-          35 Different offers on 5 different maps using the included Napa Valley Green Card Key. This includes 2-for-1 wine tastings at Domaine Chandon ($25 savings), Trefethen Family (Save $10 or $25 for their reserves), Clos du Val ($15 or $25) and many many other deals such as 10% off their food purchases from The Monticello Deli, The Food Mill and any spa package treatments from The Napa Valley Marriott Spa. For a full list – please check out this page. This bike ride pays for itself!

-          Complimentary wine and retail pickup from our Cabernet colored Yamaha Vino moped. Once you return the bikes, we’ll give you your purchases.

-          We also include roadside assistance, but our ebikes ARE equipped with THORN-RESISTANT tubes for those pesky goat heads in Napa Valley. We keep one bike on hand to immediately REPLACE the bike wherever you are at!

-          Bikes MUST be picked up from 9am – 12pm. Return is anytime before 6pm. We are closed Tues & Weds.

Why electric bikes vs. regular bikes?

We see regular bike riders all the time – you know, the ones sitting under the shade on the side of the road trying to catch their breath or trying to seek salvation from the heat and from long periods of bike riding. For people who are VERY familiar with Napa Valley afternoon winds, our bike riders tell me that the motor “saves” them and they get to see sooooo many different things in a shorter time period by going a little bit faster with more strength! Our bikes can actually go up Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder. Trust me, I’ve done it before (and even rode with “real” cyclists for a few miles).

It’s VERY rare that we get a complaint on our bikes and our service, but yet we hear horror stories from our partner wineries about “bike renters being ‘too hot’ on a regular bike and are too bitter to enjoy their visit.” Last week, I heard about a woman who demanded someone from “X Bike Company” to pick her up immediately because she was too exhausted and could not pedal anymore to return the bike. Don’t let this happen to you!

Check out our reviews on Yelp – we are currently at 27 reviews at an average of 5-stars! Woohoo!

We are also listed as “9 New Reasons To Love Napa Valley” for 2011.  We could possibly be dubbed as “the best time you’ll ever have on a bike!” So what are you waiting for? Get out of your car and onto these amazing bikes! Woooooooohooooooooo!

I’m looking forward to seeing you this year in Napa Valley!

For those of you interested in riding the 25-mile Cycle4Sight ride, we have 4 ebikes left. We will rent these out for Cycle4Sight riders for $25 with registration. Registration is $50 and that includes beer, wine and goodies. See their website for more details.

The proceeds go to a good cause.

The ride starts at 9am from Justin Sienna High School, which is down the street from the Napa Valley Marriott on Solano Ave., so you’ll want to get your bike rental at 8:30am.

Here is the route.

Call me at 707-596-0499 for more details.

Check out this monthly forecast in Napa so you can get a gist of what to wear.

In Napa, it tends to get a bit chilly (50s?) in the morning when you get your bike, so make sure you dress in layers. As noon arrives, it starts to get pretty perfect (70s?). So bring a sweater and maybe some gloves. Remember, we are not open on rainy days.

Since we are not open until this Saturday – feel free to email us at reservations@changeofgreenery.com with your name, phone number, date and we’ll take a peek at our calendar for availability and ping you back. First come, first serve.

We will be swamped with phone calls so please use email. Thanks!

Dogs in Napa Valley

Want to know what you can do in Napa Valley that’s different? How about renting an electric bicycle from Change of Greenery? Our ebikes go in excess of 30+ miles using pedal assist and we have 30+ different partners where you can make pitstops and get all these great incentives! Also, we provide roadside assistance should you get a flat and we also do wine and retail pickup from our participating green partners!

For the month of September and October, we are currently offering $10 off. Please use promo code “CRUSH” or you can call us directly at 707-596-0499 and tell us you read about our Napa Crush special! Also, please feel free to read our Yelp reviews!

We are located at the #1 hotel in Napa… The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa!

See you soon!

I’ve gotten many hugs, compliments and gifts but this one tops it all:

Carolyn:

Just wanted to say another big, huge THANK YOU for all your help and amazing customer service at Change of Greenery.  My friends, Carrie and Julie, and I really enjoyed our day on the electric bikes and will definitely be back for another ride soon!   Change of Greenery provided us with a perfect way to tour Napa Valley at our own pace (but with much needed help from “pedal assist”), and we had an amazing ride!.   The added bonus of the Napa Valley Green Card was terrific, and definitely helped us map our way to the recommended wineries and businesses.  And, the retail pickup of our wine purchases was way above and beyond the call of duty but much appreciated.  I will definitely be back, and will be recommending Change of Greenery to all of my friends and clients!

It was great to meet you, please keep in touch if there’s ever anything I can do for you.  I have a million ideas running in my head about your business and how it can reach out more.  I will be sharing my experience with some of my industry friends and hope they will have an opportunity to check out the bikes and support your business.

Meanwhile – contact the folks at Balloons Above the Valley – ask for Kevin, one of the pilots and the one we had for our ride.  He mentioned that occasionally, they cross promote with other Napa businesses.  I will say from personal experience that Ballooning and Biking were the 2 main things on my agenda.  Their balloon ride and your bike ride were the PERFECT complement to each other.  I think you should contact them and see about doing some business together.  I can just see it…Balloon & Bike specials!

I researched all of the ballooning companies, and this one had the most personal service with amenities, experienced pilots and staff – they have the largest balloon in the world in their fleet, and they were the least expensive.  After experiencing it firsthand, I would definitely recommend them without hesitation.  Check out their website at www.balloonrides.com.  The people I dealt with were Kevin (pilot), Micah (admin) and Stephanie (admin).

Good luck, hope to see you soon!  And let’s do more business together!

*Maybe we’ll post some of our pics on your Facebook group page?

Best Regards,

Lori O.

*This was published WITH permission. Thanks Lori! You’re the best!!!

Bounty Hunter Ebike

Bounty Hunters Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ
975 1st St
Napa, CA 94559

http://bountyhunterwinebar.com/

Did you know that Bounty Hunters Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ is a Change of Greenery partner? You can whizz on your electric bike rental on your way to beautiful Downtown Napa and get a 2-for-1 flight tasting of The Bounty Hunter brand with your Napa Valley Green Card. It takes approximately 12 minutes by ebike coming from The Napa Valley Marriott, 3425 Solano Ave., Napa, CA 94558. The Bounty Hunters is an interesting restaurant with a few unusual items that I have never seen before… like this:

Wine Chilling Machine

Free Wine Chilling Service

One of them is their “Free Chilling Service” machine for wines. You’ll see this as soon as you walk through the doors.  It claims it’s “25 times faster than a refrigerator”. I didn’t put my finger in it because I thought it might come off. Maybe next time!

If you can make it for lunch they have a “Lunch Express” for a BBQ sammich, a side and a drink for $10. It was gooooooood! I ate it all!!!!!

Bounty Hunter Express Lunch Sammich Meal

The Return from Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park

I’ve never heard of the Bubbling Well Pet Cemetery until a private jet pilot had told me about it. He and his male co-worker made the trek last year and thought to himself, “I wish my family was here to see this!” Present day, he came back with his lovely wife and 2 beautiful daughters and off they went on the egreenery electric bikes. When they returned, the father had told me a funny story of how he passed up a 51-year old cyclist on a $6,000 Cannondale and one-by-one they all whizzed right past him on Atlas Peak Road. When the family took a break, the avid cyclist asked them how they did it and they explained that they were on ebikes. The professional biker laughed and said, “OH! I thought it was me! I thought I was losing my touch!” and they all laughed together.

I’ve never been to the Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park, but I heard there are many cyclists that make this steep climb. Here is their info:

Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park

Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park
2462 Atlas Peak Rd
Napa, CA 94558

Google Map It from the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa

They stopped at Reynolds Family Winery on Silverado Trail (the parents went tasting and the girls rode the ebikes around their property). Afterwards, they rode further north to Oak Knoll Road and back to Solano Ave to return the bikes. They came back with blackberries that they picked in the fields. I don’t know where they picked them at, but I think they’re growing in abundance in Napa because I see them hovering over my patio from my neighbor’s yard…

The pilot and his family checked out on Sunday (3 days after their bike ride) and saw me on his way out. He said his kids STILL couldn’t stop talking about the bikes! That’s what we love to hear!

How do I begin?

The phone has been ringing off the hook and all I can say is that we will get back to you asap. I’m currently carrying an appointment book everywhere I go and pick up the phone when I can. We have plenty of availability as we have a fleet of bikes at The Napa Valley Marriott (I mean – where else would you go?).

To make the best of the situation, we’re answering the most common questions right here and right now….

YES – we have baby trailers and tag-alongs but we don’t want your kids at risk with our bike loops… this is Napa of course and we care about your safety! But we do have them! The safest places are behind the Napa Valley Marriott in residential and vineyard areas…

YES – you can rent one of our electric bikes and bring a regular bike and still get 2-for-1 wine tastings with our partners! Yes, yes, bring your bike enthused partner and see who can go faster (We know who will win! *Wink! Wink!*!). We’ve been there and done that!

YES to kids over over 5’2 with a parent riding along side.

YES to adults who are 5’0 – 6’3.

YES you HAVE to sign a waiver. For FASTER expedition, HAVE this waiver… so either you want to wait in the queue to sign the waiver OR you sign it now and we’ll get you rolling ASAP! We MUST have a VALID credit card as a deposit.

YES you CAN get a DUI on a bike. This is wine TASTING and not wine GUZZLING! Safety is always a first!

YES – we use lithium-ion battery! Static Charge!

NO – it’s not recommended to ride this bike if you’ve never ridden a bike before!

NO – You CANNOT go 30+ miles on THROTTLE mode. You’ll use your battery life faster (let’s say 15 miles for a 150 pound person on regular terrain if you use the throttle mode 100% of the time). It hasn’t been tested only because no one has ever done it. I can say that a 140 pounder can go 30 miles with 30% throttle mode and 70% pedal assist. So yes, if you weigh 200 pounds, you’ll probably do about 25 miles on pedal assist with no inclines. Just take that with a grain of salt! It’s all about the weight! I just recently had a family of 4 do 27-miles with mountain inclines with 20% throttle mode and they came back with lots of battery life left. Granted, they all weighed an average of 160 lbs.

NO – there are no restaurants on Silverado Loop Trail. You must go to either Yountville or Downtown Napa!

Please watch the YouVideo before you rent a bike just so you’ll get a hint of what we’re all about!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWKzfvYl9c]

Any other questions?

Please email us at changeofgreenery@gmail.com. Even if you want to make reservations. Our phones are literally off the hook! We will get back to you because we love you for being green!

Check out our partners and our Napa Valley Bike Maps!

For a Change of Scenery – Try Change of Greenery… Get out of your car and onto some ebikes! ONLY in Napa Valley!

BTW, for the record – we are AWESOME…

I met the owner of The Cottages of Napa Valley and he told me that our ebike riders can picnic on their property. You can call them before heading out or ask one of Change of Greenery’s staff members to call just to make sure there’s no one is utilizing the tables. I actually got a tour of this unique place last week and it was gorgeous! When you rent an ebike from Change of Greenery, you can get 10% your picnic basket from Characters BBQ menu from the Napa Valley Marriott or get 15% off your food bill from The Red Hen Cantina. They are both on the way to The Cottages of Napa Valley… approximately 3 miles from where we are located… 1/2 way to Domaine Chandon!

The Cottages of Napa Valley

Please call (707) 252-7810 ahead in advance for availability!

Ever since I created that 27-mile bike loop, I’ve sent 16 ebike riders on that loop. It’s only been 2 days since it’s been on every since bike that we have in stock. I have to admit… it’s probably the most beautiful loop that I have created. An older nurse practitioner (in her 60s?) went on that loop with her 30ish year old daughter. Once you make that turn on Oakville Grade, you will see an amazing view of Napa Valley and when you coast down, your mind is just boggled (Do I brake or do I look at the breathtaking view?!!). Just for you future bike riders who are taking this loop, make sure you use ONLY pedal-assist! I know people tend to get excited over the throttle, but let me tell ya, I’ve had 3 ebike riders (out of 16) who winded up losing their battery power before making it back. The best way to maximize your battery life is to use pedal-assist versus throttling (Think of it as 30 miles vs 15 miles). Both will take you to a max speed of 18mph (but really it goes around 20).

Here is what this loop looks like:

Oakville Grade View

Oakville Grade View

Other things you’ll see:

Yup, this route is becoming VERY popular and pictures doesn’t do it any justice!! For people who don’t want to go through Silverado Trail to Oak Knoll Ave after The Oakville Grade, you can go south through the town of Yountville towards Napa. You’ll be able to make pitstops at any of the 5 partners, Domaine Chandon (2-for-1 bubbly tasting there) and onto a bike path back onto Solano Ave. and back to The Napa Valley Marriott. For the record, it’s approximately 6 miles from Domaine Chandon back to the hotel.