SALT LAKE CITY (BRAIN) — Boulder, Colo.-based Product Architects, Inc., the parent company of Polar Bottle, was honored the is week at the Outdoor Retailer show for its commitement to U.S. manufacturing.

The company was awarded a 2015 American Made Outdoor Gear Award, in the 50-100 employee category. It was one of only five category winners from an entry pool of 300 companies. The award, founded by California paddle sports apparel company Kokatat, recognizes outdoor brands that have committed to manufacturing and sourcing domestically.

Since it was founded in 1994, Product Architects has kept its manufacturing operations at the company's Colorado headquarters. The company has worked hard to find stateside suppliers for the materials used in its bottles and has managed to do so for all but a few materials. Currently, the company's entire range of plastic insulated bottles are made in Colorado with American-made components. Even the boxes used to ship the bottles are from a domestic supplier. The only products that are not entirely American made are the stainless steel used in the Thermaluxe bottle and some components of the company's Cenote Hydration System. These parts are produced in China.

"For us, keeping our manufacturing in the United States has been a no brainer," said company president Judy Amabile "From a business standpoint, it reduces shipping costs, lets us manage our inventory and quickly adjust production to consumer demand, and helps us ensure the quality of our products. Most importantly, it has allowed us to create more jobs in the United States and ensure the people who produce our bottles have a safe working environment and are paid a living wage."

The Sterling Rope Company — an outdoor safety rope manufacturer based in Maine — was named the overall winner in the category.

SAN FRANCISCO (BRAIN) — Rumbleship plans to introduce a new "technology-powered shopping experience" at the IBD Summit in Arizona next week. The company, which is a sponsor of the summit, said the new technology will allow brick-and-mortar retailers to push back against showrooming. 

"We're looking forward to leading the pressing conversations that will happen at the IBD Summit. We're especially excited to unveil a retail experience developed just for the IBD and poised to change the retail landscape for the better," said Alex Lugosh, the founder of Rumbleship

IBD Summit attendees will be able to test drive the new shopping experience at the Rumbleship table during the IBD Summit.

More information: contact Rumbleship at (415_ 534-5442 or email info@rumbleship.com.

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — It was 20 years ago that Shimano first introduced its clipless mountain bike pedal, which used what it called Shimano Pedaling Dynamics — later called SPD or "spuds." The 1990 M737 pedal and M100 shoe may have been designed first for mountain bike use, but the SPD technology was later applied to road racing and casual riding shoes and pedals.

To celebrate the anniversary, Shimano is launching a new shoe and pedal design for mountain biking. The PD- M530C pedal comes in a limited edition black finish. The SH-M163G shoe features the Cross X-Strap to reduce top-of-the-foot hotspots and TORBAL midsole technology. It's available in limited edition gray  in sizes 38-48.

Editor's note: This corrects an earlier article that stated that Wilson Bicycle also would act as an agent. That was incorrect - only Hans Johnsen and Downeast are doing sales for Yuba.

FRYEBURG, Maine (BRAIN) — Hans Johnsen Company and Downeast Bicycles are now acting as a rep group for Yuba Bikes in the United States.

Yuba's electric and non-electric cargo bikes are now available from the distributors' sales force. All sales will bill through Yuba and drop-ship from Yuba's headquarters in Petaluma, Calif.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — Louis Garneau is expanding its relationship with Quality Bicycle Products. QBP will now carry a broad assortment of Garneau cyclewear and an expanded selection of other Garneau products. QBP has carried a smaller selection of Garneau multisport clothing, footwear and accessories for nearly two years.

"We are very excited about our relationship with QBP," said David Cathcart, Louis Garneau's U.S. sales manager. "QBP has been a valuable partner as we work to grow the Louis Garneau brand and provide even better service to our dealers."

QBP will increase its selection of Garneau cycling shorts, jerseys, jackets and base layers. Much of the new product is already available from the distributor, with more to be added in coming months.

QBP senior buyer Beckie Huffman said, "Louis Garneau is an amazing partner for QBP. ... We're ecstatic to work more closely with them. This is good for Garneau and QBP, and it's great for dealers."

CHILLIWACK, British Columbia (BRAIN) — Pinkbike will collaborate with the Enduro World Series on video production for all eight of this season's races. The website is promising a new style of coverage with an expanded video crew at each event, as well as extra content that will be released throughout the year.

The new films will capture all the action from the events, but also offer insight into life on the circuit, telling the story of the mechanics, teams and amateur riders. There will also be a number of features looking at equipment development and pro bike setup.

"We've cut our teeth covering the biggest events in mountain biking and we're very much looking forward to the 2015 season. The EWS is one of the most significant race series to emerge in recent memory and we've assembled a talented media team accordingly. Look to see not only our gold-standard coverage for the EWS this year, but a few new media initiatives as well," said Julian Coffey, PinkBike's publisher.

The 2015 EWS calendar:

• March 28: Giant Toa Rotorua Enduro, Crankworx Rotorua, New Zealand
• May 24: Chain Reaction Cycles Emerald Enduro, County Wicklow, Ireland
• May 30-31: TweedLove, Tweed Valley, Scotland
• July 18-19: Samoens Enduro World Series driven by Urge Bike Products, France
• July 31-Aug. 2,: Yeti Cycles Big Mountain Enduro presented by Shimano, Crested Butte, Colo.
• Aug. 9: SRAM Canadian Open Enduro, Crankworx Whistler,British Columbia
• Sept. 25-27: Enduro Festival Zona Zero, Zona Zero Ainsa Sobrabe, Spain
• Oct. 3-4:  Superenduro Powered by SRAM, Finale Ligure, Italy

SALT LAKE CITY (BRAIN) — The National Interscholastic Cycling Association received an Outdoor Inspiration Awards in the nonprofit category at last week's Outdoor Retailer Winter Market here.

The awards, held for the fifth time this year, were created by adidas Outdoor to celebrate individuals, groups and companies "whose efforts go above and beyond in encouraging others in their communities to enjoy, participate in and support outdoor activities."

"It is important to recognize those in the industry who actively encourage people to discover the outdoors and all the benefits," said Greg Thomsen, the managing director for adidas Outdoor USA. "With so many distractions, whether it is over-scheduled kids, technology or malls, these leaders play a key role in propelling the future of the industry. We offer our heartfelt congratulations for their commitment to this critical mission."

Besides NICA's win in the nonprofit category, the following awards were given out:

• Individual Winner: Jeremy Collins, a climber, artist and activist.
• Manufacturer Winner: Patagonia.
• Retailer Winner: The Mountaineer, Keene Valley, N.Y.,  an outdoor specialty store in business since 1975.
• Youth Winner: Matt Moniz, a 16-year-old high school junior, climber, Eagle Scout and National Geographic 2010 Adventurer of the Year from Colorado.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: John Roskelley, noted mountain climber and author from Spokane, Wash.

OLNEY, Ill. (BRAIN) — Former pro racer Shaun Palmer, who signed a deal with Intense last summer to represent the brand and help manage its junior developmental race team, is signing up more sponsors.

Palmer will join Magura as a brand ambassador, the German company announced last week. Palmer used Magura hydraulic rim brakes in the 1990s, including for his second place finish at the 1996 world championships downhill event.

Palmer also will use E-Thirteen cranksets, guide rings and chainguards, as will the Palmer Junior Team.

"We are so happy to have Shaun back on Magura's and helping him with his junior team's efforts," said Magura USA's president, Jeff Enlow.

SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — BST Nano Carbon, which acquired Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles in September, has hired industry veteran Tony Karklins as general manager of the BST Bikes division, which houses both Ellsworth and the new Synergy Nano component brand.

Karklins will be responsible for the operations and expansion of BST Bikes, including Ellsworth. Founder Tony Ellsworth will focus on designing new bikes and components for both his eponymous frame brand and Synergy Nano.

Karklins owned and operated Chainwheel, an IBD in Little Rock, Ark., for 19 years before launching Orbea USA in 2001. Orbea USA served as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Orbea until the Spanish company acquired the subsidiary in spring 2014. Karklins was most recently an executive vice president at Florida-based retail chain BikeStreet USA.

"I look forward to leading BST Bikes. It's an opportunity like no other," Karklins said. "With access to BST Nano's advanced materials and large-scale, carbon fiber manufacturing in Southern California, BST Bikes is poised for great success in the bicycle industry. We will focus on the Ellsworth brand for 2015, as we work to expand our offerings and presence to other categories in the near future."

Bill Wood, senior vice president of BST Nano Carbon's worldwide sales and marketing, said, "Tony's exceptional business acumen and deep involvement with the bicycle industry are a welcome addition to BST Bikes as we prepare to grow market share and launch exciting new products and programs for Ellsworth and Synergy Nano domestically and abroad."

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — With the number of MAP policies from industry suppliers rising steadily, SmartEtailing is creating a way for retailers to keep track of the various policies and pricing changes online. SmartEtailing plans to go live with a single repository where any brand that services the specialty channel can post a new MAP policy. The service is free for brands and retailers to use and access.

SmartEtailing will announce this new service at the IBD Summit this week in Phoenix. The service is set to go live later this week.

Any retailer, even those who don't currently work with SmartEtailing, will have access to the MAP service. Those who don't have a SmartEtailing website will need to register to receive a login and password. They will gain access to the site and see the current MAP policy for any brand that's published on the site. For SmartEtailing retailers, the site will be available for them to access on their administration settings.

"It's good that more and more brands are adopting MAP policies, but it's a real challenge for retailers to keep track of and stay in step with," said Mark Graff, co-founder of SmartEtailing, which hosts websites for more than 1,000 bike retailers, many of which sell online. "What we're doing with the MAP protection service is helping create a single source for publishing the policies and for automating the compliance for many of the retailers, and aiding in the enforcement."

Aside from the MAP policies, retailers will also be able to reference the latest price sheets from participating brands on the site. Graff said the site will not reveal wholesale pricing or discount schedules and emphasized that it's a trade site, not a public site — so access will be restricted.

Graff said 14 brands are participating in the new MAP protection service including 45NRTH, Bell, Blackburn, Buzzy's, Civia, Foundry, Giro, iSSi, Jagwire, MSW, Park Tool, Problem Solvers, Salsa and Surly. And he hopes many more sign on.

"This is something we will be building up and we invite any brand that is selling to the specialty bike retailer and has a unilateral or MAP policy to contact us and we'll give them the instructions on how to use the service," Graff said.

An app will alert retailers to updates in MAP policies and prices.

For retailers who use SmartEtailing's online catalog service, their online pricing will automatically adjust to comply with updates to pricing and policies. Retailers can override the pricing, but they will see a warning screen that lets them know the price is different from the latest minimum advertised price published by the brands.

"Our three brands — Giro, Bell and Blackburn — are fully committed to this," said Bernie Doering, senior global vice president for action sports at BRG Sports, the owner of those three brands. "It's an excellent idea and a big help to the brands because even though we provide many opportunities for dealers to access the policies and the pricing grids and we send them out multiple times a year, there are still many who cannot find them or claim they never got them."

Retailers who want to register for access to the site and are not currently working with SmartEtailing can email info@smartetailing.com for information.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bonk Breaker is branching out from its energy bars with a new line of Chews.

Bonk Breaker Chews are designed to serve as an immediate, easily digestible energy source for athletes, kids, and active lifestyle enthusiasts in a great-tasting, organic-ingredient, bite-sized gummi format.

"We're thrilled to offer Bonk Breaker Chews in response to increasing market demand for a broader range of product offerings formulated on the same principles of clean, natural, tasty nutrition as our original bars," said Chris Frank, Bonk Breaker's chairman and co-CEO. 

Bonk Breaker Chews are initially available in two flavors: Orange Tangerine and Strawberry with caffeine. Each 180-calorie packet provides 240 mg of electrolytes along with 200 percent of the daily value of Vitamin C. The chews are made from organic ingredients and are non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free and have an 18-month shelf life.

More information at bonkbreaker.com.

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (BRAIN) — The challenge of casting a wider net to continue to grow the sport of triathlon emerged as a key theme at Triathlon Business International's third annual North American Annual Conference held in Los Angeles this week.

Scott Brown, president of Universal Sports Network, described the importance of televising triathlon and other endurance sports in order to bring them to mainstream audiences in his opening keynote address. "The ability to tap in and access events in real time is a dramatic change," Brown said. "We just don't have to wait anymore, which expands what is possible in broadcasting endurance events, as is the ability to capture images via POV cameras and drones."

"It takes the viewership of sports past voyeurism," he added. "It lets the audience feel they are there and we can tell better stories to engage people."

Engaging current triathletes and grabbing the attention of new ones is the key to triathlon's growth. Although the sport has experienced phenomenal growth, adult participation numbers are flat according to USA Triathlon.

"Our sport is participant driven," said Rob Urbach, CEO of USA Triathlon. "We can make our sport more compelling and deliverable with content that is good for television sports and distribution in all channels. There is opportunity for recasting and taking advantage of new technology."

But besides televising more events, investing in youth and women's participation is an industry priority. Both segments are growing, especially youth triathlon. The USAT has launched several successful initiatives to engage kids and teens via school sports programs. "It's encouraging that 90 percent of these kids are staying in the sport," Urbach said. "But there is still so much we can do to invest in our youth."

Breaking down barriers to entry to bring more women into the sport is also a top priority for Life Time Fitness and Ironman, which recently announced a new nationwide effort called "Women For Tri" to do just that. Ironman and Life Time appointed a 12-member advisory board and an ambassador team to research, brainstorm and put into action strategies to help grow female participation.

And by hosting indoor triathlons and other women's events, the two organizations hope to attract more women to the sport. "The two most cited barriers to entry into triathlon for women are the open water swim and the cost of buying a bike," said Kimo Seymour, senior vice president of media and events for Life Time. "But by making it easy for first timers to do their first tri in a pool and riding whatever bike they can pull out of the garage, in a safe environment, I think we can get more women to try it."

Reaching underserved communities is also a priority for the industry. USAT has several pilot programs in place at the college level to help increase diversity and grow the sport. "It's an area we know we need to be working, looking at demographics," said Urbach. "It's partly cultural adaptation, and that will take time but we're working on it."

Triathlon has historically attracted affluent professionals — mostly male — with disposable income, and interim data from TBI and MultiSport Research's current U.S. Triathlon Marketplace Study suggests this is still true. According to data presented by MultiSport Research's Gary Roethenbaugh from nearly 2,200 participants that have responded so far, the triathlete's annual income averages around $105,000, and 70 percent of U.S. triathletes are male.

But other data supports the notion that it's beginning to shift as triathlon becomes more accessible to a wider audience via a growing number of clubs and local teams. "There is this stereotype of the narcissistic triathlete, but I think that is really starting to change," said the USAT's Rob Urbach. "Clubs and teams are forming, and if we can capture all that energy, it will be positive for the sport."

Leveraging the social side of what many perceive to be a solitary sport will be a key to growing triathlon, Urbach also said.

"Triathlon needs to reclaim its mojo — my greatest fear is that people will say triathlon is so 2000, with obstacle racing and running events growing in popularity," he said. "So we need to continue to increase interest any way we can."

The conference drew some 200 participants, including retailers, suppliers and event directors, and runs through Tuesday afternoon.

PHOENIX, Ariz. (BRAIN) — Howard Hawkins, 82, unexpectedly died of cardiac arrest in a Phoenix, Ariz., hospital Monday.

Hawkins, along with Art Engstrom, and the company’s many employees, built an iconic brand around the notion that few tools were available to fix bicycles as they became more complex to repair in the 1960s.

As a result they began making their own tools and the first was a bicycle repair stand. The stand took the bike off the floor and made it easy for mechanics to repair it. Local bike shops soon adopted it and then executives at the Schwinn Bicycle Company liked it so much they requested a production model.

The fledgling company then expanded to include truing stands. That led to a variety of other tools and they then expanded into tools for average cyclists.  The Park Tool “blue” is a standard feature at almost every retail outlet in North America and enjoys wide distribution in Europe and Asia.

Hawkins and Engstrom had been a perennial top 10 Schwinn dealer in the Twin Cities with three stores, but later sold their shops to focus on the tool business. Both Engstrom and Hawkins retired. Park Tool celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013. Today there are more than 300 tools in the Park catalog.

Eric Hawkins, who heads the company as its president, said his dad loved visiting the factory. “He was here a lot walking around and saying hello. Everyone just loved him; it was like having a grandpa around,” he said.

Eric had been in Arizona last week and attended a car auction with his dad before returning home. His dad had recently been in the hospital and had been given a stent and was anxious to get up and about, he said. “Obviously it was his time to go, but it’s very hard to lose the patriarch of the family,” said Eric, who has three sisters. “My mother is holding up well. She’s very strong, so that means a lot.”

Eric said his 82-year-old dad had been slowing down a bit, but still enjoyed building the company’s booths for Eurobike and Interbike. “He just loved being part of that. And he was always amazed at how successful the company had become over the years,” he added.

Services and visitation will be held Sunday and Eric will deliver the eulogy. Hawkins, a former Navy veteran, will be buried Monday at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

More on Park Tool's history: Park Tool expanding into larger HQ; Park Tool celebrates 50th.

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (BRAIN) — Some 250 advocates, land managers, U.S. forest service representatives and industry suppliers and retailers attended the fourth annual Global Fat Bike Summit here at the Snow King Resort this past weekend. Gary Sjoquist, QBP’s advocacy director, said that while Jackson Hole is a remote location, it was selected for various reasons.

Sjoquist along with retailer Scott Fitzgerald, owner of Fitzgerald’s Bicycles in Victor, Idaho, founded the event and remain among the organizers. Helping plan this year’s gathering were local advocacy nonprofit Wyoming Pathways and local retailer Hoback Sports.

“The first two Summits we had too much snow, so people couldn’t get to them. And the third one in Ogden [last year], we didn’t have enough snow. We want to get land managers on snow bikes and we knew there would be reliable snow in Jackson. Plus, fat bikes are an accepted practice here.”

The Snow King Resort grooms its singletrack and Sjoquist said the surrounding business community is supportive of fat bike use. Jackson Hole is also next to Grand Teton National Park, which like other national parks, doesn’t allow fat bikes. However, with a new park superintendent, Sjoquist said there’s hope that that could change.

Among the attendees this year were representatives from Grand Teton National Park, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, state parks, chambers of commerce and Nordic ski resorts.

“This was a great, positive event that showed how this fat bike thing is growing, expanding into kids’ bikes and how land managers are realizing this is the real deal. It’s not a fad. It’s going to be around a long time. We need to figure out how to accommodate these bikes,” Gary Sjoquist, QBP advocacy director, Fat Bike Summit founder.

“For the first time we were able to have state park managers talk about — based on what they had learned at previous summits — they’re now building singletrack for fat bikes at their parks. They’ve got grooming equipment and now have singletrack available. It was a really good way to show national parks – look, state parks are doing it and they’re making it work,” Sjoquist said.

“We didn’t quite get there this year, but Grand Teton and Yellowstone have at least said ‘we are ready to listen,’ ” he added. “That’s a big step forward.”

The Bridger-Teton National Forest Unit was presented with a land manager award for their efforts to create a mountain biking destination — building mountain bike trails for summer and for fat biking during the winter. They also were presented with a Surly Pugsley to patrol their trails.

In addition to a full day of panels and discussions Friday, a demo area had fat bikes from Salsa, Surly, Trek, Specialized, Durango Bike Company, Borealis, Felt and Rocky Mountain. The weekend festival drew three times the industry support it had in previous years. Specialized brought 20- and 24-inch fat bikes for kids to demo.

A short track race next to the expo drew beginners and experts alike for three-lap and six-lap competitions. Attendees could easily ride from the Snow King Resort into the adjacent forest’s singletrack trails.

While the location and date of next year’s Summit hasn’t been set, Sjoquist said the success of the event and the growth in fat biking means that it will likely return. But it may make more sense to have various regional summits that address land management issues that are specific to the local area.

“This was a great, positive event that showed how this fat bike thing is growing, expanding into kids’ bikes and how land managers are realizing this is the real deal. It’s not a fad. It’s going to be around a long time. We need to figure out how to accommodate these bikes,” Sjoquist said.

BRUSSELS (BRAIN) — In honor of “The Cannibal’s” 70^th birthday, Eddy Merckx Cycles is introducing a limited run of 70 steel racing bikes — the EDDY70, priced at $17,500 — as the forerunner of the company’s upcoming Heritage collection of steel performance road models.

Launched at a Brussels event attended by Merckx himself Tuesday night, the EDDY70 can be ordered exclusively at www.eddy70.com. Each bike will be numbered, and buyers can choose where Merckx signs the frame.

The EDDY70 frame’s Columbus XCr seamless steel tubes are TIG welded, and the complete bike comes with a carbon fork, Campagnolo Super Record group and EDDY70-signature Campy Bora Ultra 35 wheels.

The new Heritage collection, meanwhile, will be available at dealers starting in September.

“These are neither retro bikes nor something for fixie lovers; they are ultramodern, state-of-the-art racing bikes, improved with the best Columbus steel alloys and designed for superior performance,” the company stated in a release.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Former time trialist and coach Colby Pearce has joined the SRM sales and marketing staff at the German power meter company’s U.S. offices in Colorado Springs.

Pearce will represent SRM at industry trade shows, expos and races throughout the U.S. while providing feedback and market insight for product development.

“Colby, together with Greg Lemond and Jonathan Vaughters, was one of the first American professionals to use the SRM power meter for serious training,” said SRM founder Uli Schoberer. “He understood the advantage of recording more than only heart rate to analyze quality and quantity of training and track progress in increasing performance. Colby believed that training with power would be the future of cycling more than 20 years ago.”

BERKELEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — The National Interscholastic Cycling Association honored 16 and organizations in 11 categories at its 2014 NICA Awards ceremony held Saturday at Clif Bar’s headquarters in the Bay Area. 

Honorees included student-athletes, coaches, volunteers, partners and sponsors who helped advance interscholastic mountain biking during the past year. Robin Farina, founder of the Women’s Cycling Association, served as master of ceremonies.

“As NICA grows, so does the pool of talent in our organization. I truly am surrounded by greatness, and it is humbling to hear of how much effort and energy our members across the country are expending to build not only the interscholastic cycling movement, but also cycling itself,” said Austin McInerny, NICA’s executive director. “Though the bike industry is experiencing relatively flat sales, we show a steady increase in participation across teams, coaches and student-athletes. When you look at the positive effects of all our work on the people and the communities in which we all live, it is easy to understand why our results are so positive.”

NICA is on track to have 15,000 student-athletes across the nation by 2022, McInerny added.

QBP founder Steve Flagg, the recipient of the 2014 NICA Legacy Award, said: “In every organization I meet with regarding cycling advocacy, the question turns to how are we going to get more youth into biking? Well, NICA is the answer, and my only surprise is that the bike industry so far isn’t fully 100 percent engaged behind NICA, but you better believe they will be in the next year or two as they recognize the power of NICA.”

The complete list of winners:

• Clif Bar and Company Volunteer Service Award: Dee Seymour, SoCal High School Cycling League; John Tillson, Tennessee High School Cycling League
• CamelBak Distinguished Alumni Award: Matthew Zalusky, Minnetonka High School, Minnesota High School Cycling League
• Primal Cycling Apparel Race Production Partner Award: Chris Wentz, director, event medical specialists, Colorado High School Cycling League
• Quality Bicycle Products Community Impact Award: Richard “Dick” Schindler, Minnesota High School Cycling League
• Specialized Student-Athlete Leadership Award: Rita Gutierrez, Eagle County, Colorado High School Cycling League; Trevor von Boeck, Highlander Racing Composite, Colorado High School Cycling League
• International Mountain Bike Association Teen Trail Corps Award: Cam Eng, Thunder Ridge, Colorado High School Cycling League
• Easton Foundations League Founders Award: Dan Brooks, Georgia High School Cycling League
• SRAM Coach of the Year Award: Heather Williams, Ogden High School Mountain Bike Team, Utah High School Mountain Bike League; Morgan Fletcher, Oakland Composite, NorCal High School Cycling League
• Trek All-Star Student-Athlete Award: Carson Beckett, Marshall County High School, Tennessee High School Cycling League; Jordan Horner, Burnsville High School, Minnesota High School Cycling League
• NICA Legacy Award: Steve Flagg, founder and owner, Quality Bicycle Products
• GU Energy Extraordinary Courage Award: Sienna Leger Redel, Park City High School, Utah High School Cycling League; KC Fontes, Salinas High School, NorCal High School Cycling League

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Bicycle Product Suppliers Association members picked up $49 million in business in 2014, and shipped 201,722 more units to retailers last year compared with 2013, according to numbers compiled by The NPD Group for the BPSA.

The 5 percent dollar sales gain was driven primarily by increases in recreational categories of lifestyle comfort and cruiser bikes, and fitness hybrid bikes. These two categories added $39 million in new business for suppliers.

Fat bikes, another high-performing category, saw a 44-percent jump in unit sales to 36,865, and added $14 million to supplier pockets. Even with the stellar growth in fat bike business, the entire mountain bike category only picked up an additional 884 units in sales last year. Higher sales of 650b bikes were unable to offset losses in other wheel sizes.

Meanwhile, road bike sales continued to tumble, down $18 million overall. High-end categories, such as performance men’s and women’s and triathlon bikes, fell the hardest. High-end men’s road bikes were down $22 million alone. Cyclocross and lower-cost sport men’s and women’s bikes picked up $3 and $5 million, respectively.

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (BRAIN) — The Light Electric Vehicle Association is seeking nominations for awards to be presented at the upcoming Taipei Cycle show. Awards will be given to company of the year, innovator of the year, corporate citizen of the year, cross cultural leader of the year, leaders and founders medals and bright light medal.

Nominations can be made by any party and should be emailed to LEVA chairman Edward Benjamin at ed@LEVassociation.com. 

LEVA has designated the following award categories for 2015:

Company of the Year

This award will go to the company that is regarded as being the most influential on the industry in recent years. As is the case with the Time Magazine“Person of the Year” this is not a popularity contest, but recognition of affect on the industry — good or bad.

Innovator of the Year

This award will go to an individual or company that leads in innovative thinking. This could be business model, technical or design innovation.

Corporate Citizen of the Year

This will go to a company that demonstrates responsible business practices, treats their staff and customers with dignity and care and supports the industry with a “we all win together” attitude and practice.

Cross Cultural Leader of the Year

This will go to an individual or a company that demonstrates effective leadership in successful cross cultural problem solving or success creation.

Leaders and Founders Medals

Several awards to be given to individuals who have played important roles in the creation and expansion of the light electric vehicle industry. This may include business, academic or government leaders. Founders awards limited to those whose contributions occurred before 2000.

Bright Light Medal

This award will go to the company or individual that shows great promise, but has just begun in the LEV industry.

PHOENIX (BRAIN) — Steve Flagg got the audience’s attention at the IBD Summit Wednesday, pointing out the challenges that rampant discount pricing for parts and accessories from online vendors in the U.K. pose for distributors and dealers.

Flagg, founder and president of Quality Bicycle Products, the largest distributor in the industry, said QBP often finds it difficult to compete with some online pricing from these websites.

“We get calls from dealers wanting to know why these prices are just 10 percent above what you charge us. I can’t explain it, but it’s not a good feeling and the same is true for dealers who hear the same thing from consumers,” Flagg said, as some 250 attendees filled a conference room at the Marriott Hotel at The Buttes.

Flagg could offer no explanation for how websites like Wiggle and Chain Reaction can deliver products direct to consumers so close to wholesale prices. “I, too, am concerned,” he said.

While Flagg diplomatically avoided naming names, among retailers these UK websites are widely reviled for their low-ball pricing of Shimano components.

Flagg pointed out that national retail sales have been averaging around 3 percent in growth. But for bicycle dealers sales are trending slightly down. And, more importantly he noted, was the double-digit trend in the overall growth of Internet sales — averaging around 10 percent a year. “I believe we can capture some of that growth,” Flagg said.

But first, Flagg listed what he called factors comprising the “Bad Internet.” They include the web’s power to turn brands into commodities, ultra-low pricing, minimal contact with consumers, a lack of community and showrooming.

On the other hand, there is the “Good Internet.” The web allows consumers to research products before purchase; “pajama” shopping or, in other words, the ability of consumers to sit at home and shop online; the web’s ability to save time and vehicle trips; and its ability to maintain MAP pricing.

What QBP needs to succeed are the same attributes that dealers need: Exclusive brands that protect their products with MAP pricing. “Dealers must select brands that have channel integrity,” he said. But just as importantly, dealers need to build their own store’s brand as well as differentiate their store in the marketplace.

Flagg pointed out dealers also need to embrace all the digital tools now available. “Use the Internet to communicate the dealer’s brand,” Flagg said.