AVONDALE, AZ  (BRAIN) — SMS Distribution US, the distributor of Santini clothing and Cinelli official merchandise in the U.S., has moved its headquarters to accommodate growth after its first full year of operations. The new location offers expanded warehouse and staff capacity for the company.

“After a year of re-establishing Santini’s presence in the U.S. and building a new relationship with Cinelli to distribute their official merchandise line of clothing, we simply ran out of room at our startup facility,” said managing partner Steve Medcroft. “And since we saw strong preseason ordering for 2013 and secured key new retailer relationships, we are confident of our growth for the coming year and needed room to more effectively build out our infrastructure and have space for the staff we’ll be adding.”

The new location includes a mix of warehouse and office space, and will contain a product showroom the company said it will use primarily to hold videoconferences with its retailers, reps and supplier partners.

SMS Distribution’s new mailing and shipping address is 961 Eliseo C. Felix Jr. Way, Avondale, AZ 85323. 

FORT MYERS, FL (BRAIN) — New Fort Myers retailer The Bike Bistro is just as much a social space as it is a bike shop.

Among the Phat Cycles, Ridleys, Felts, Fujis and Dahons for sale sit a lounge area and a full-service coffee bar custom-made from concrete and palletized wood. Bright colors for walls and accents infuse the shop with a retro feel.

“That’s what makes this more of a neighborhood bike shop. It’s not a place where guests are overwhelmed with hundreds of bikes and hard sales,” said owner Steven J. Martin, who opened for business in November. “Bicyclists stop in sometimes just for the coffee and to talk cycling. It’s a comfortable, friendly place to come in to say hello, enjoy a hot beverage, and of course to find out about our products and services.”

Martin is a longtime ad man — his last stint was 18 years as senior creative director and partner at a Fort Myers advertising agency—who is now pursuing his passion for cycling … and coffee, of course. The shop even serves its own Bistro Blend Java.

Plans call for tables and seating on the brick-paved walkway out front, consignment art for sale inside the shop, bike rentals and WiFI access.

The Bike Bistro has a full service department as well, and all work comes with a warranty. 

“We take great pride in our professionalism and workmanship, and we stand behind every bike we sell because it’s our bike first,” Martin said.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — After a 17-year run, Ray Keener has pulled the plug on his Selling Cycling retail staff training program. Keener said interest and support waned in recent years as industry suppliers began offering their own product training. 

“When Selling Cycling began, there was really nothing for retailers to use to become their own sales trainers,” Keener said. “We sold 238 packages that first year, and my friends were shocked that so many dealers bought it.”

The first Selling Cycling training program, a 45-minute video program and Owner’s Workbook, was produced in November 1996 and shipped to 238 retailers in January 1997. Selling Cycling covers retail topics such as sales techniques, customer service, store branding, bike fitting, selling service, merchandising and marketing. Keener said it's used by more than 1,600 retailers. 

Keener said Selling Cycling expanded into supplier-supported training in 2000, and graduated from VHS to CD-ROM, then to online training to keep up with changes in technology. 

In the last two years Keener partnered with the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) to keep the program going in the face of growing competition from free supplier-created product training and programs from companies like 3point5 and Sparc. 

“The partnership was strong but the sales were not,” Keener said. “While I still believe that the Selling Cycling message is needed, it’s no longer viable from a business standpoint.”

Keener will continue to produce training as a volunteer for Community Cycles, a Boulder nonprofit that sells recycled bikes to fund its advocacy work. He was also recently appointed the executive director of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association, and he writes columns and occasionally contributes to Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. 

Keener said the 2011 and 2012 Selling Cycling programs are still for sale on the NBDA website, but stock is limited. 

WEST JORDAN, UT (BRAIN) — Reynolds Cycling is relocating its European service center from Germany to the Netherlands, partnering with high-end carbon wheel specialist mtb.

The change “is in response to Reynolds’ commitment to customer service and to answer the growing demands of the European market,” the company said in a release.

"We diligently searched for a company that would not only meet our strict quality standards, but one that was dedicated to top level service and attention to detail. We are very happy with our decision to move the Reynolds EU Service Center to mtb," said Rob Aguero, director of sales and marketing. 

Reynolds will have a company employee on site at mtb to work as a direct contact for its European customers. This employee will facilitate RMA requests, warranty evaluations and small-parts orders and fulfillment for Reynolds EU.

As of Friday, Dec. 7, the current service center located in Kirchzarten, Germany, stopped facilitating RMA requests and warranty evaluations.

Any communications for service or warranty in the EU on or after Dec. 10 should be directed to Heather Elliott, Reynolds’ U.S. customer service manager, at heather.elliott@reynoldscycling.com. She will handle service until the transition to mtb is complete.  

The initial process for European warranty/service claims will remain the same. Once an RMA number has been issued by Reynolds, wheels will be sent directly to mtb. 

WOODINVILLE, WA (BRAIN) — A brand new stationary bike trainer brand being launched by a long-time LeMond Fitness executive is focusing on consumer direct sales in its first season.

Cascade Health & Fitness launched a line of three trainers last month. Because the products were not available in time to sell into the dealer market for this season, the company decided to sell them consumer direct via its website for at least its first season, company president and owner John Post told BRAIN Friday.

Post was president of LeMond Fitness from 2002 until 2010. Several other former LeMond employees also work for Cascade, he said. While Post left LeMond two years ago, the others left LeMond after the brand was sold to San Diego-based Hoist Fitness this fall.

Cascade has three trainers to start with: one with magnetic resistance and two with fluid resistance units. One of the fluid trainers has a wireless power meter that calculates wattage from the resistance unit's power curve and beams it to handlebar-mounted head unit. That model retails for $379, while the other fluid trainer retails for $299. Both come with a front wheel riser block.

Post said the trainers are manufactured by a Taiwanese vendor that has produced "millions" of trainers over the years and has a reputation for high quality.The Cascade trainers are especially quiet and stable compared to other products on the market, he said.

Currently just one retailer, nearby Woodinville Bicycle, sells the Cascade trainers. Post said if the company decides to sell more into the dealer market next season, it will likely sell dealer direct rather than through distributors because of tight margins in the very competitive trainer market.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Visitors to Jason Smith's workshop — should they be far enough down the rabbit hole of bike geekdom to appreciate it — might be treated to a fairly eye-opening demonstration about bike chain friction.

Smith, a materials engineer and former multi-sport competitor, puts a brand new chain from a major manufacturer on a test rig that simulates a bike drivetrain being powered at 250 watts. That's the kind of power an amateur racer can maintain for an hour or so. The chain has been treated with a popular bike lube. While the drivetrain spins, a laptop screen shows the chain's friction resistance: it's costing the rider (or in this case a $5,500 electric motor) about 13 watts.

Then Smith mounts a different chain, also from a major manufacturer. This chain has been cleaned of its original lubricant and treated with a combination of paraffin wax and Teflon. The laptop screen shows another number: about 5 watts.

Many athletes spend months training to increase their power by 8 watts, or 3 percent. Smith showed that a choice in chain lube might allow the same improvement.

While the demonstration compared the best and worst chains and lubes in Smith's extensive testing, it used new, well-known products and common techniques, nothing extraordinary.

"This is not an uncommon set-up," Smith said. "A rider might set up his bike with the first chain and think he was doing everything right."

Smith has set up a cozy but well-equipped test lab in the basement of his house in an upscale neighborhood of North Boulder. He's spent the last few months measuring the friction in bike chains, derailleur pulleys and pedals.

It all started from his own mid-ride musings about the optimum components and lubes. Unlike most riders who have these kinds of thoughts, Smith had the engineering experience, training and resources to find the answers. The result is a small business called Friction Facts.

Via its website, Smith's company sells data reports on component friction to interested cyclists: a $9.95 package includes data on pedal, chain and pulley resistance. He also will treat chains with his special paraffin and Teflon process, selling treated new chains for roughly $20 more than retail.

He's also done special tests for Velo magazine, which will publish a chain lube comparison in its Buyer's Guide issue, coming out next month. If you want to know the details of the chain demonstration mentioned at the beginning of this article, you'll have to pick up that issue. Smith also is preparing to test another kind of product for Velo for publication next year.

Without revealing details of his reports or his testing for Velo, what's remarkable about Smith's test results is that component choices and lubrication procedures can make real, measurable differences, in some cases clearly large enough to determine the outcome of a close race.

Smith strives to maintain independence, something like a Consumer Reports lab. He buys all his tested products at retail, and buys test chains from multiple sources so they come from different manufacturing batches. He's avoided doing projects for specific manufacturers that might influence his objectivity.

Smith'd like to see the company outgrow his basement and expand its offerings. He's itching to test all the bearings on a bike and to keep providing his customers with updated data as he tests more products in more ways.

The potential market for $9.95 data reports is regrettably finite, but Friction Fact's limited marketing so far has generated enough cash flow to finance some new test equipment.

Smith is giving Friction Facts another six months to outgrow the basement, then he will decide whether to continue with the business full-time or scale back and take another engineering job — and perhaps ride his bike a bit more.

"I don't think anyone independent has ever tested this way before, so if I have to stop this after six months, at least I will have put this data out there for people to use," Smith said.

NORCROSS, GA (BRAIN) — Lake Rudd Capital Partners has completed an agreement to purchase Blue Competition Cycles from its founders, Michael and Jay Skop, the companies announced Tuesday.

A statement from Blue said a partnership with LRCP will provide financial backing to improve infrastructure, enhance its strategic plan for expansion, and build its management team.

The company said its business has expanded in the U.S. and Europe by an average of 30 percent a year for the past three years. 

"Lake Rudd looks to partner with strong management teams and brands in growing industries to build world-class organizations. Blue is a brand that we see becoming the next leading company across several segments of the growing cycling industry," said Bill Overbay, managing partner of LRCP.

Under terms of the agreement, LRCP acquired the company from Michael and Jay Skop. The company said it will retain the majority of Blue's employees.

LRCP is a Providence, Rhode Island-based private equity firm specializing in investing in privately held and family-controlled businesses. More information: www.lakeruddcapital.com.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Competitor Group Inc. has promoted Caley Fretz to tech editor for Velo magazine and VeloNews.com.

Fretz has worked at Velo since September 2010, most recently as associate technical editor. He began as an intern in spring 2009 while still attending Colorado State University, where he was president of the collegiate cycling team.

"Caley's passion for the technical aspect of bike racing is unmatched," said Neal Rogers, Velo's editor in chief. "He brings a depth of knowledge that our readers already recognize and appreciate, as well as a writing style that is inspired and original. His good-natured personality and keen attention to detail will serve him well in this new leadership role."

Fretz now splits his time between Boulder, Colorado, and Annecy, France. Beyond his journalistic pursuits, he is a Category 1 road and cyclocross racer. He also holds a professional cross-country mountain bike license.

MILAN, Italy (BRAIN) — Deda Elementi is now offering a carbon seatpost built for Selle Italia's monolink seat rail standard. 

Deda's Mnlink seatpost has a simple and easy-to-adjust clamp that requires less time and fewer tools than traditional post. It allows separate set back and seat angle adjustments and more fore- and aft- adjustment range.

The post will be available in 2013 in 31.6mm and 27.2mm diameters and 350mm length. The post weighs 188 grams.

More information: www.dedaelementi.com

WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) — Yolanda Cade, the national PR and communications director for the American Automobile Association, will be the keynote speaker at next year's National Bike Summit.

The League of American Bicyclists, the Summit's organizer, said Cade will "provide insight about AAA's share the road efforts and strategies we can implement together to improve the cycling and driving experience."

The summit is March 4-6 in Washington.

The National Bicycle Dealers Assication is offering 25 scholarsips for bike shop owners and other key employees to attend the summit. The scholarship covers registration and travel costs. Applications can be submitted on the NBDA website and are due by January 10.

MILL VALLEY, CA (BRAIN) — Journalist John Bradley is joining TRUE Communications, a public relations and marketing company that represents a variety of bike brands.

Bradley is former senior editor at Wired and Outside magazines.

At Wired he overhauled the magazine's "Test" section and launched its annual "App Guide." He also managed the seven-person Gadget Lab team for wired.com.

"Adding John to our team will clearly help us deliver even more for our clients," said Mark Riedy, the founder of True.

"His experience at the highest levels of publishing and deep connections are going to make it possible to get more exposure for the brands that we represent."

Riedy said Bradley will work on a range of True accounts including Spark Devices, Osmo Nutrition, Giro Snow (helmets and goggles), Shinola, Castelli and Yeti.

Bradley can be reached at John@trueoverdrive.com.

WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) — Suppliers imported 16.2 million bikes though October this year compared with 12.8 million bikes imported over the same period in 2011. Children’s bike categories are up 33 percent overall as retailers hope to get a bike under a lot of Christmas trees this holiday season.

While the increase in unit business drove the value of imports up by $204.8 million, the average unit value dropped in all categories except 24-inch, which saw a modest two percent increase. 

If there is more 650b bikes being imported it is anyone’s guess as to which import category they fall under. Suppliers reported that 29ers were imported as mountain bikes in the 26-inch category, or with other 700c bikes and also in the “other” category. The situation will probably be the same with 650b.

Taiwanese bike builders' business with the U.S. continues to lose ground, down seven percent, at the same time Chinese builders business jumped by 28 percent. Most of increase in Chinese imports is in kids’ categories, but Chinese builders of adult bikes also saw increases.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) —SRAM is working with SmartEtailing to add a "Buy Local Now!" button to many of the products on the component company's website. The buttons link to participating retailers and allow consumers to see which stores have the exact product they want in stock.

The SmartEtailing program links retailers' point-of-sale systems to real-time supply-chain inventory to show whether the product is either "in-store," for immediate pickup, or "in-warehouse," indicating the item can be ordered from one of the dealer's distributors.

"Specialty suppliers like SRAM have brand power that draws consumers to their site. Buy Local Now provides an efficient, intelligent handoff to local stocking specialty retailers who can then earn the sales. By combining brand power with local power, suppliers and retailers in the specialty channel work together to offer consumers viable local-purchase options where they can also benefit from value-added services and expert product installation," said SmartEtailing cofounder Mark Graff.

Along with SRAM, CatEye, Park Tool, Surly, CycleOps and Saris also are using the Buy Local Now program.

More information www.SmartEtailing.com.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Trek Store of Boulder has been acquired by Elevation Cycles owner Nick Howe, former global road brand manager for Trek.

Howe left Trek in April after three-and-a-half years with the brand to purchase Bicycle Peddler in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, which he overhauled as Elevation Cycles, a Trek concept store. His partners include subsidiary owners Mike Swafford, a 14-year veteran of Wheat Ridge Cyclery, and Gavin Hayes, who served as brand manager at Spot Brand for five years.

When the owner of the Boulder store looked to exit the business, Trek approached Howe about taking over the location, also a concept store. Both locations additionally carry bikes from Rocky Mountain, Look, Independent Fabrication and Ibis. “But we’re a Trek-dominant store for sure,” said Howe.

Unlike at Highlands Ranch, which required a complete remodel, Howe’s move into the Boulder location was pretty much turnkey due to Trek’s significant investment under the previous owner. “There were some functional changes we made about where we merchandise some things, but overall we didn’t have to make many significant changes to the store,” he said.

Howe is no newcomer to the Boulder retail scene. Before his time at Trek, he owned Sports Garage with Chris Jacobson and operated Colorado Multisport. He first cut his teeth in retail as a salesperson at Wheat Ridge Cyclery.

BOSTON, MA (BRAIN) — BMC Switzerland is now working with Durango, Colorado-based Verde PR & Consulting for public relations in North America.

The company said the will focus on bringing added brand awareness to BMC’s domestic mountain, road and triathlon bikes, as well as sponsored riders.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — The number of protected bike lanes, also called "green lanes," in the U.S. has doubled in 2012 and is on track to double again next year, according to Bikes Belong.

Green lanes have a physical separation, such as a curb, parked cars or plastic posts, between moving cars and bikes.

"Increasingly, U.S. cities want to make riding a bike a practical and comfortable way to get around for short trips," said Martha Roskowski, director of the Green Lane Project. "The growing popularity of urban living, the decline in driving by young people and a desire for more attractive public places are inspiring cash-strapped cities to focus on retrofitting existing streets to make them work better for all users."

A new study shows 102 protected green lanes in 32 U.S. cities at the end of 2012. U.S. communities are projected to add another 100 green lanes in 2013.

A recent study in Washington, D.C., revealed bicycling increased 200 percent on Pennsylvania Avenue after green lanes were installed there.

"The numbers make it very clear that if we change how the streets work, we change how people travel," said Roskowski. "Building safe, appealing places to ride is the number one way we can encourage more people to hop on a bike. You can't market people into feeling safe; it starts on the ground with the proper infrastructure."

The Green Lane Project was launched in early 2012 by the Bikes Belong Foundation and is working with six leading cities to help them put green lanes on the ground.