Mr. EIT Bike Days 2024

Early afternoon in the hotel garden of LeParc in Wiener Neustadt. The sun has regained the upper hand after a few cloudier hours. Its autumn-yellow rays warmly blanket the area behind the four-star house. Soft background music gently emanates from the speakers at the guest garden.
In the semicircularly arranged deckchairs, cyclists with partially mud-splattered pants and people in regular jackets and jeans lounge about. Some chat with a glass of beer or a cup of coffee in hand. Others with a phone, reviewing the photos and short videos of the ride they just completed. An older couple dozes contentedly in the sun. Two gray-haired gentlemen seem to be blissfully asleep.
Those who don't want to chill right now browse through Endura's bikewear, get informed about Tubolito's soon-to-be-released super-elastic tube for E-MTBs, apply at Variolube for "a chain lubrication, please," or talk shop with the team from Pancho Wheels about rim widths, spoke tension, and axle standards.

The scene has something extremely cozy, deeply relaxed. Roland Eitler looks contentedly over the oval, which is bordered by the tents of the 18 exhibitors with their 24 brands inside. So, this is how a festival can be.
"In five minutes, the next tour departs!" he then calls across the area. Even without a sound system, the announcement is clearly audible to the farthest corner of the grounds. Then the loud-voiced bald man turns around and stomps towards the camp to get fresh equipment. After all, he's going into the third of four rounds, and even the largest battery will run low at some point, which is not ideal for a responsible guide.

However, the man, whose announcement prompts a good dozen e-mountain bikers to begin gathering at the info tent, doesn't get far.
"Mister Eit, a photo please!" a group of three stops him. "Roland, do you still have an e-bike left?" asks a man in his mid-fifties, whose yellow T-shirt with a conspicuous patch logo identifies him as a helper. "You always make such cool videos, I really wanted to tell you that," a noticeably younger person pats him on the shoulder almost simultaneously and engages him in a short conversation.
Swarmed like a superstar, the content producer known for his YouTube channel "Mr. EIT" has a playful-friendly word for each follower, an open ear for every concern. He works through the agendas one by one and then calls again: "In five minutes, the next tour departs!

Insiders like the Patreons have long known that these five minutes are equivalent to "almost really now then soon." Because for Roland Eitler, it's not only about the program items he wants to offer and the content promises he aims to fulfill, but also about ensuring that his guests have a good time. And that simply doesn't happen in the stressful staccato of a rigid schedule and event corset.

That's why there are no fixed departure times, but rather a "we'll leave when the group is full." No music blaring from overlapping sources, no contest, no event highlight. No stage and no moderators bombarding their audience from all sides.
Instead, there's time for another photo, another rental bike, another fan talk if the mood of those waiting still allows for it. And a well-considered bringing together of exhibitors and the audience.
This doesn't just refer to the raffle, for which a letter of the solution word is to be asked or guessed at each expo stand.
"Anyone who always preaches that a bucket, sponge, and water are enough to clean a bicycle should, of course, only equip the wash area here with a Gardena hose. And anyone who usually addresses an older, well-off audience cannot suddenly present cheap children's bicycles," insists Mr. EIT, who, according to his online self-description, does what he wants regardless, on his rules and his authenticity.

Patreons? LeParc? Mister Eit? These potentially confusing word creations are non-negotiable ingredients of the Mr. EIT Bike Days 2024 in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria.
This is the first multi-day festival that the technology-savvy communication talent has organized together with his partners from the bike industry and strongly supported by his most dedicated followers.

In other words: Roland Eitler and his wife Daniela have organized a weekend with a small but fine expo, guided tours, test bikes, barbecue, and attached accommodation in meticulous planning and determined implementation. A whole army of helpers voluntarily pitched in and helped out without pay from Friday to Sunday. And manufacturers like Orbea, Marin Bikes, Connex, Axa, X10, or Geero came - some even with world or at least Austria premieres in tow - to connect with Mr. EIT's community, hear their concerns, and listen to their feedback.

The video channel of the Wiener Neustadt native now has nearly 60,000 subscribers, and his Instagram account counts 12,300 followers. That's not nothing, as one would say in typical Austrian, restrained recognition - but it's also not the world.
And yet people come from truly far away to experience their hero live and attend one of his events: people from Styria, Burgenland, Salzburg, Bavaria of course, yes, even from Sauerland and Münster are there. The one who probably traveled the farthest started his 1,100 km journey from the far north of the Federal Republic to Lower Austria on German Unity Day, including a stopover in Passau. Apparently, Eitler's digital alter ego possesses a mobilizing power that would make gentlemen like Babler, Nehammer, or Kogler envious, were they informed about it.
For the creator himself, this is less of a wonder and more the result of years of effort and groundwork: "I don't know any other content creator with so few followers who puts in such effort for their people," he says, not without modesty, but certainly justified.

In addition: Joint rides with the charismatic coffee drinker, even on two, even three consecutive days, are regularly available as ventures called "Patreonride." However, these are reserved for the same-named paying members of his community, who also receive additional videos, information, and goodies for their monthly contribution.
The Mr. EIT Bike Days, on the other hand, are free and open to everyone - and everything. Unlike in the one hundred percent self-produced contributions of the passionate e-mountain biker, this weekend is exceptionally also about city, urban, gravel, cargo bikes, and much more.
That the hand extended towards these (original sound Eitler) "special bikes" was at least partially accepted is commented on by the rather 40- than 30-year-old in his usual pointed manner: "Earlier, a genuine road cyclist praised my videos. I almost had a fit of hyperventilation," he jokes.

The Eitler's five minutes are finally over. For the third time on this October 6th, the weekday technical employee slips into the role of a tour guide. His previous jobs have helped him gain undeniable leadership qualities. The rest is accomplished by the part-time community manager with humor, meticulous preparation, and local knowledge.
"I would never, ever lead such a large, unfamiliar group somewhere I don't know," swears the resident of Wiener Neustadt, emphasizing the necessity of holding the first Bike Days in his home territory. Because here he knows every path like the back of his hand, here he knows every trail and how the rescue team should approach if necessary. Here, he can precisely inform his followers about conditions and danger spots down to the millimeter and quickly saw away a fallen tree during early morning scouting.
Roland Eitler would also never, ever lead 20 people or more without support. And so, on every round, two of the three Patreons, who are well-known to him, are present as the respective rear and middle leaders, complete with radios.

There is Julia, a "newly caught" e-biker, who after her first trips to the Burgenland Trails, Saalbach, and the Petzen with her boyfriend, wants one thing above all here and today: fun. There is Team Niederbayern, consisting of three motivated men who got up at three in the morning and drove here to systematically work through the test bikes. There are married couples looking for shared adventures and experiences with like-minded people. Retirees who want to expand their technical riding horizons. Nerds and tinkerers who already know all the innovations of the upcoming model year and riding technique specialists who are honing their manuals and bunny hops. And there is Daniela, a complete beginner, whose father encouraged her after the Guglzipf track last weekend to visit the Mr. EIT Bike Days.

All of them and many more experience an inimitable mix of stand-up comedy, exchange of experiences, socializing, knowledge sharing, slapstick, and e-mountain biking along the way. Just as one knows it from the videos of the entertaining chatterbox.
And as with his video contributions, behind every ironic comment, every jokingly formulated warning, and every witty hint, there is undoubtedly a wealth of experience, combined with a considerable amount of human knowledge and self-reflection.
 

And so, at the end of the tour and festival day, everyone can take something away for themselves. The Patreons, who have now become genuine buddies and friends "even without Roland," enjoy more relaxed hours in informal companionship. The test bikers gain essential insights for their next bicycle purchase. The applicants of the Salzkammergut Trophy receive plenty of expressions of interest in the Bosch (e)MTB scavenger hunt, their side event for E-mountain bikes. The Germans learn that for inexplicable reasons, in Austria, people say "über d'Shreamsn" when they mean "downhill across the field." And Daniela realizes that she now has to start saving. After all, today's ride was quite fun for her, and she will probably have to get an E-MTB sooner or later.
But perhaps her father, who is partly to blame for this unexpectedly arising financing question, knows what is appropriate at this point. Just as Roland Eitler knows what is fitting at the end of the first Mr. EIT Bike Days:
A big thank you to his wife and the many helping hands of the Patreons, without whom this weekend simply would not have been possible. And an announcement that will surely please many of his fans: The event will take place again in 2025 - from September 19th to 21st at the Reiteralm!