AUSTIN, Texas (BRAIN) — The newly formed Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association is selling PBMA T-shirts, with a percentage of proceeds going to World Bicycle Relief's "Mechanics for Mechanics" program, which buys the tools and parts for a mechanic to keep WBR's Buffalo bikes on the road.

Proceeds from the shirts, which sell for $25, also go directly toward funding the PBMA.

This is a pre-order; shirts will be delivered by mid-August.

Every 100th order will receive a voucher for another free T-shirt, which can be used immediatly or saved for the next round of shirt designs.

More information at probma.org/store/c1/Featured_Products.

DERBY, Vt. (BRAIN) — Louis Garneau Sports has announced that Jason Simmons Cabral will be transitioning from representing the southwestern Ontario territory to covering the Alberta-Saskatchewan-Manitoba territory for Garneau Sports.

In conjunction with this move, Garneau Sports has hired Jay Maclaren to represent the brand in southwestern Ontario. Maclaren is an experienced outdoor and ski industry rep and a former pro cyclist.

''Strengthening our sales force to better serve the IBD is essential to the success of the Garneau brand. We are proud to add such talented, dedicated representation to support the IBD and custom market in Canada,'' said Garneau's Canadian sales manager, Mike Britten.

Cabral and Maclaren will be part of Garneau's upcoming 2017 collection launch and will be on the road soon after.

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — The latest BRAIN print issue looks at first-quarter inventory levels, the national growth in cycling infrastructure, and Electra’s move into an expanded softgoods and helmets line, among other stories.

In the inventory article, Matt Wiebe reports that suppliers had 40 percent more bikes on hand at the end of March than they had at the same point in 2015. But Wiebe reports that a sales uptick in March was making industry experts feel better about the bulging warehouses.

“I am sure everyone wanted a better start to the season, but March being up 9 percent in units and 6 percent in dollars is very encouraging,” said Michael Forte, director of operations for Felt Bicycles and chairman of the BPSA Statistics Committee.

Meanwhile, BRAIN’s Val Vanderpool reported that cycling infrastructure improvements in many regions have led to increased sales in those markets. While many new bike commuters are repurposing old bikes or picking up inexpensive get-around bikes on Craigslist, some retailers are seeing more sales, while suppliers report growth in sales of commuter/urban bikes.

BRAIN’s Lynette Carpiet reports that Trek-owned Electra Bicycle Company is broadening its assortment of branded accessories — for on the bike and off. The brand is now offering everything from beach towels and flip-flops to a new helmet line. And all the Electra items feature branding and colors that match Electra bike models.

The new issue also contains our usual array of columns and features that have never been seen online, including Life Cycle, State of Retail, Global Briefs, Mad Dog Unleashed, Trade Watch, Tech Briefs and Through the Grapevine.

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — WTB partnered with the Semper Fi Fund to put on a mountain bike skills camp earlier this month, where 16 Team Semper Fi riders received three days of instruction and riding with WTB/Cannondale Over Mountain Team athletes Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler.

The Semper Fi Fund provides resources and support for wounded, critically ill and injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. The team is made up of service members.

"I've spent my entire life racing, which is a fairly vain way of going about things in comparison to what these guys have done," said Weir. "It's my turn to give back to each of these service members and the least I can do is provide them with a weekend of rowdy trails and good times. I can't thank these guys enough for the sacrifices they've made for all of us and hopefully this is only the start of something much bigger."

Days were spent exploring different trails on a private ranch, as Moeschler and Weir took turns teaching using their different approaches to mountain bike technique. Over the three days of the event, the service member received group, and one-on-one, clinics on how to improve their individual riding style and experience. 

Moeschler said, "I've taught mountain bike skills to a lot of people over the years but it was incredible to see how much better and how much more confident the servicemen were from start to finish in such a short period of time." 

Each of the service members were presented with a limited edition WTB Volt Team saddle (shown below), featuring a star spangled design of red, white and blue colors. WTB is doing a limited production run of the Volt Team titanium rail saddle as well; it will be available for purchase on the WTB website late this summer, with an MSRP of $129.95. A portion of the proceeds from the saddle sales will be given to the Semper Fi Fund.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (BRAIN) — Protective gear maker Leatt Corp. said its revenue increased 20 percent in the first quarter, to $4.8 million, up from $4 million in the same period last year. 

Net income increased 109 percent to $113,000 in the quarter as the brand began delivering its new DBX 6.0 Carbon and DBX 5.0 Composite helmets for downhill and BMX.

"We had an excellent 2016 first quarter, highlighted by solid financial results and the successful launch of our new carbon and composite-shelled DBX bicycle helmet at the Subaru Sea Otter Classic," CEO Sean Macdonald said.

"Revenue increased by 20 percent, and net income doubled in the first quarter, which has typically been our weakest quarter. All our new products continued to soar, although neck braces saw a slight decline."

Dr. Christopher Leatt, the company's chairman of the board and head of research and development, added, "The reception accorded our new bicycle helmets — in the press, in the industry and among the riders — was promising. We believe that our new helmets again demonstrate the ingenuity and agility of our entire team in terms of research, design, engineering and product development. Our strategy continues to be to diversify and extend our multi-faceted product line into new sports and markets. We expect that our innovative, lightweight helmets for motocross, extreme sports and now bicycling are a potentially game-changing product for us, with a global market potential."

Helmet sales accounted for $809,000, or 17 percent of revenue, in the quarter. "These helmet revenues are due to the continuation of the initial shipment of our GPX 5.5 Composite and GPX 6.5 Carbon helmets that first shipped to our customers in the United States and abroad during the 2015 fourth quarter. Additionally, we shipped the DBX 6.0 Carbon and DBX 5.0 Composite helmets to our international customers during the 2016 first quarter."

Body armor sales accounted for $2.19 million. "The category was up 9 percent overall, with strong sales in upper body protectors and knee and elbow guards within the category. In addition, our C-Frame knee brace continues to gain traction, and we are now seeing reorders from our distributors and dealers," Macdonald said.

Sales of the brand's flagship neck brace accounted for $1.59 million, down from $1.79 million a year earlier.

"In the United States the decrease in neck brace revenues was primarily the result of a decrease in the sales of the MRX pro neck brace for motor sports, which were particularly strong during the 2015 first quarter, but we note that neck brace sales for the motorcycle and bicycle markets in the United States were stable," Macdonald said. The decrease in sales of neck braces to customers outside the United States was caused by the significant strength of the U.S. dollar in relation to the local trading currencies of customers in the respective regions, the company said.

Macdonald said the strong U.S. dollar may have a more noticeable effect on revenue in more established product categories. Approximately 61 percent percent of the company's revenue is derived from sales outside of the United States.

Macdonald said the brand was expanding its dealer base in the U.S.  "Sales through our B2B portal for dealers in the U.S. is beginning to pick up speed as dealers can easily place orders online. This allows our sales managers to get out of the office and meet dealers and sales representatives face-to face, build relationships and offer technical support. It also ensures that the Leatt brand is properly represented in the market place," Macdonald added.

Leatt's R&D is done in Cape Town, South Africa, with production predominantly in China. Leatt has warehouses and a distribution office in California for the North American market and a network of distributors in other markets. Its stock is traded on the OTCQB under the symbol LEAT.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Borealis Fat Bikes is working with K9 Outdoor Sports of Fort Erie, Ontario, in an effort to reduce its bike prices in Canada. Borealis, based in Colorado Springs, said it has seen a decline in Canadian sales in the past year because of the unfavorable currency exchange rate. 

"This partnership will offset the current unfavorable exchange rate and reduce shipping costs into Canada," said Steve Kaczmarek, the company's founder and CEO. "In addition, we are introducing online sales with the new website. This will provide all Canadian customers the ability to purchase a Borealis fat bike even if there isn't a dealer in their area. Longer term, in the event the currency exchange rates become more favorable, we will re-evaluate at that time."

Kaczmarek said the partnership will immediately reduce consumer purchase price by an estimated 20 percent. 

A new website was created for consumer-direct purchases in Canada: Borealisbikes.ca.

Existing Canadian dealers can order from K9 Outdoor Sports or direct from Borealis at info@borealisbikes.ca or (844) 965-3725.

NEW YORK (BRAIN) — Champion System is auctioning a SRAM-equipped Parlee Cycles Chebacco bike with proceeds to benefit World Bicycle Relief.

It will be the second time the Parlee has been auctioned to benefit WBR. Last November, Champion System submitted the winning bid for the bike at an event hosted by World Bicycle Relief and Signature Cycles, a Greenwich, Connecticut, retailer. The bike had been donated to that event by Parlee. Now Champion System is putting it back up for bid via a 10-day eBay auction.

The auction is now underway and ends at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday. All the proceeds will go directly to WBR. On Monday afternoon, the top bid was $3,200. Full retail value is about $7,150.

Champion System is promoting the auction at the Amgen Tour of California this week, where Champion System serves as the race's exclusive jersey partner.

The Parlee Chebacco a handmade carbon fiber bike for gravel grinding, cyclocross racing or commuting. It has disc brakes, wide tire clearance (up to 40mm) and hidden fender mounts front and rear. It is built with a SRAM Force1 Hydro group, Zipp 30 Course disc brake wheels and a Zipp Service Course SL cockpit. 

Link to auction page. 

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (BRAIN) — American Classic has hired Rico Sports Group Inc. for North American OEM sales.

"Jason Rico brings valued industry experience and perspective to American Classic. He will play an essential role in amplifying our new well priced OEM line," said Bill Shook, American Classic's engineer and founder. "We're excited to have Jason build on the momentum we've generated with our new OEM hubs, rims and wheels for model years 2018 and beyond."

RSG has previously worked with such brands as Alex Rims, Reynolds Cycling and Hutchinson to build their OEM presence in the North American market.

"I'm excited to be a part of the American Classic team," Rico said. "I'm a big fan of Bill Shook and the technology that American Classic offers. The new OEM offerings bring his technology to a wider range of price points and makes a well-established high-end wheel brand available to more cyclists."

The cornerstone of the new OEM line is a new hub design that has a two-pawl cassette ratchet system with 74 points of engagement, four fully sealed steel bearings and AC's patented steel cassette body. The hub will begin production in January 2017, with 6-bolt, Center Lock or rim brake models and a choice of Shimano/SRAM 10-11 speed or Sram XD bodies.

Related: American Classic looks to OEM sales for growth.

BOSTON (BRAIN) — Vittoria Industries North America has hired Mark Silverman to drive sales in the New York City, Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey areas.

Silverman has worked as an independent sales rep in the cycling industry since 1990.

"The New York City area cycling industry is booming, so it's important to have the best people representing our brand in this fast moving market," Vittoria commercial director Dan McKenna said. "Mark Silverman has over 20 years experience in the cycling industry in the New York region and we are happy to have him representing Vittoria, 3T, and Selle Italia."

With new bike lanes and the Citi Bike bike share program, more people in New York City are cycling on a daily basis than ever before — and this has helped brick-and-mortar bike shops in the area, Silverman said. "There are so many new bike shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, it's enough to keep one person busy full time," he said. "Selling tires is natural thing for me and I'm happy to be on board with a premium brand."

Silverman can be reached at (914) 715-0474 or specialtyrep@optonline.net. 

INDIANAPOLIS (BRAIN) — Silca is bringing back the SuperPista, a pump first introduced in 1989. The redesigned SuperPista includes some features and materials that Silca uses in its SuperPista Ultimate pump, introduced about two years ago.

The new pump is made using 100 percent aluminum construction, with not a single plastic component, with a wide base for stability. The oversized base is designed ot be friendly to cleated shoes and finished flooring. The pump also has a full-grain leather gasket and IGUS linear bearings for smoothness. It has a solid wooden handle and a large gauge. The hose is a tough ballistic nylon overbraid that Silca said provides five times the life expectancy and half the compression of a traditional rubber hose.

The IGUS linear bearing and centerless ground piston shaft is borrowed from high-end mountain bike suspension forks. The 3-inch diameter gauge features optical grade anti-glare PMMA lens for readability in all conditions. The gauge is accurate within 2 percent and repeatable within 1 percent.

The 7075-T6 aluminum schrader chuck has a fully metal pressure bleed button.

Silca's Limited Lifetime Warranty covers the buyer of the SuperPista for life against manufacturing and material defects. In addition, Silca guarantees the function of all metal parts in the pump for seven years against fatigue, stress and other failures related to use of the product. Silca guarantees wear parts, including any elastomer seal or leather seal for two years. 

MSRP: $235.00.

More information at silca.cc/products/superpista.

MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — Pacific Cycle is recalling 129,000 Schwinn-branded infant bike helmets, sold at Target between January, 2014 and last month. The magnetic buckle on the helmet's chin strap has small plastic cover and magnets that can come loose, creating the danger that an infant could choke or ingest a magnet.

Pacific Cycle has received three reports of the plastic cover coming loose. No injuries have been reported.

Consumers are being told to stop using the helmets and contact Pacific for instructions on how to receive a replacement helmet. 

Consumers can call Pacific Cycle toll-free at 877-564-2261 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday, email customerservice@pacific-cycle.com or go online to www.schwinnbikes.com and click on "Support" then "Safety & Recalls" or to www.target.com and click on "Product Recall" for more information.

Only helmets with the magnetic no-pinch chin strap buckles are affected by this recall. The helmets are made for infants ranging from one to three years old. The helmet and its straps come in various colors and design patterns. The buckles have small plastic covers and enclosed magnets. "SCHWINN" is printed on the front of the helmets. 

More information: CPSC recall notice.

CHICAGO (BRAIN) — SRAM has released a drivetrain and disc brake set specifically developed for use on electric mountain bikes.

SRAM EX1 will be available to OEMs this summer.

"The experience an e-MTB provides its rider and the demands placed on each element of the entire system are incredibly different than with a traditional, non-electric-assisted mountain bike. Therefore, the thinking simply has to be different," the company said.

The group includes SRAM's new E-Block cassette, which SRAM is an 11-48T 8-speed design, allowing a 436 percent gear range. Based on its testing, SRAM believes this is the ideal e-MTB gear range.

With just eight gears over the wide range, the cassette offers large jumps between gears. SRAM said the big steps, in combination with the EX1 group's single-action shift lever, reduce riders' tendency to double shift and help reduce chain and cassette wear.

The cassette is machined from case-hardened tool steel and is narrower than a 10- or 11-speed cassette, which helps maintain a straighter chainline throughout the gear range. The cassette works with a wider chain for increased durability. The company said the durability is key to e-MTBs, where shifting is typically done at very high torque and low pedaling cadence.

The E-Block cassette uses a non-XD driver body. SRAM said the larger virtual front sprocket provided by a midship motor all but eliminates the need for a 10-tooth cassette cog.

The EX1 derailleur uses SRAM's X-Horizon design seen in XX1 and X01 derailleurs, with a redesigned clutch, cage and pulley design specifically for the 48-tooth cog.

The EX1 crank is designed specifically to work with Bosch and Brose mid-ship motors, with crankarms purpose built for the high-torque e-MTB environment. It's compatible with Bosch, Brose and Yamaha bottom bracket interfaces.

The chainrings are X-SYNC chain management technology found in other SRAM 1x drivetrains. EX1 offers 14-, 16- and 18-tooth sprockets for Bosch motors.

The new SRAM Guide RE brakes are designed to handle e-MTBs' higher average speeds, more intense use and increased mass. The brakes combine SRAM's Guide R lever assembly with a powerful four-piston caliper derived from the gravity-focused Code brakes. It comes with sintered pads for better pad life.

SAN FRANCISCO (BRAIN) — Strava has updated its mobile apps with Live Segments, so athletes who use the company's app can see, in real time, when they are approaching a favorite segment and if they are on pace for a personal record or KOM.

The updates is available on the iOS and Android apps for Strava Premium members. It offers visual and audio cues and is similar to the Live Segments feature that Garmin added to some of its devices last summer. 

"Last July, we launched Live Segments for Garmin cycling computers and saw that athletes really enjoyed the feature. We wanted to extend that positive experience to the millions of athletes who use their phone for riding and running," says Aaron Forth, Strava's chief product officer.

As athletes approach a starred segment or a popular segment, the app screen automatically changes to Live Segments mode. Athletes will see a map of the upcoming segment including a notification bar with segment name and start location. As they get closer to the start of the segment, the notification bar turns from black to orange. Once the segment starts, Premium athletes then see their current effort in the center of the screen, their personal record on the left and the KOM, QOM or CR on the right. After the segment, the screen summarizes their results and then returns to live stats.

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Julian Coffey, the former publisher of Pinkbike and previous marketing director at Race Face, has signed on at Kali Protectives as vice president of business development.

Coffey, who after five years left Pinkbike in January of this year, will oversee brand management, sales and marketing for Kali.

"Kali makes the most advanced helmets on the market, and I want to be a part of that. Riders deserve to know about a company that consistently leads the way in safety," Coffey said.

Kali owner Brad Waldron said, "Julian has been a Kali supporter from day one. We are releasing some extremely forward-thinking technology in 2017, and in a very short time he has launched a new website, opened fresh distribution channels and rolled out some successful initiatives to support those upcoming products. We're stoked on our new teammate from British Columbia. I'm excited about what we have coming up and I love riding in Canada!"

Coffey can be contacted at julian@kaliprotectives.com.

MILWAUKEE (BRAIN) — Milwaukee-based accessory brand BiKase is launching its newest product, the SuperBand, on Kickstarter. The SuperBand can be attached to various places on a bike (or stroller, golf cart or other ATV) and includes two elastic bands to hold anything from a rain jacket to a beer can.

The design includes a rigid frame that attaches to a bike with one of two different sized O-ring straps. It also can be mounted to standard water bottle cage frame mounts. The elastic bands that hold the carried object are made of engineered rubber. They will hold anything that is 4 inches or smaller. 

The product launched on Kickstarter this week, hoping to raise $5,000 in a 30-day campaign. More information: Kickstarter page. 

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (BRAIN) — Endura has hired MISO Partners to represent the brand in New England.

MISO's principal, Brandon Morphew, said, "Endura is an industry leader that has the IBD as a central part of their business. They give us a great set of tools for dealers to win. With an industry-leading stock rotation program, a complete line up of mountain, road, triathlon and commuter clothing at great price points, a strong MAP policy and healthy margins. Endura fits in perfectly with our portfolio, and we couldn't be happier to represent them here in New England."

Endura USA's national sales manager, Mark Ashley, said, "We're excited to welcome MISO to our lineup. MISO offers a tremendous opportunity to grow our sales representation in the territory, and support our New England retailers with a solid and well respected team."

Morphew can be reached at brandon@misopartners.com or call 781-269-9662

RANDOLPH, Mass. (BRAIN) — Delta is offering retailers a new point-of-purchase display that helps consumers answer their most common question about cellphone holders: "Does my phone or case fit?"

According to Delta, some bike shops have reported that they have to open product packaging as much as five times per day to check sizing for their customers.

The new POS, available to dealers at no charge, helps consumers easily answer the question. Delta's test marketing at some Boston dealers last summer resulted in a 20 percent increase in sales of Delta phone holders.

"The response to our display has been tremendous," Delta president Jeff Greenstein said. "Dealers and distributors are delighted to have a retail fixture that both solves a real problem and increases sales for them."

The display unit comes with three phone holders pre­installed and mounts to either slatwall or with a screw. Dealers can request a unit by emailing phonepop@deltacycle.com. 

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Giro Sport Design has announced the Aerohead MIPS and Aerohead Ultimate MIPS helmets, each designed for time trial or triathlon use.

Giro says the Aerohead Ultimate MIPS features the fastest helmet shape it has ever tested, plus MIPS multi-directional impact protection system.

The helmets will be available this summer in two versions. The Aerohead MIPS has venting for longer timed events and a MSRP of $250. The Aerohead Ultimate MIPS features a TeXtreme shell to combine a smaller frontal area and reduced venting for less drag; it retails for $550.

"In 1985, Giro pioneered the aerodynamic helmet with the original Advantage," said Rob Wesson, Giro's director of helmet R&D. "The Aerohead MIPS is our fastest helmet ever and represents the culmination of everything we have learned over the past 30 years. In addition, we have been able to integrate MIPS to provide more protection in certain impacts, as well as including the Roc Loc Air fit system and hydrophilic padding to improve ventilation and cooling. With its combination of reduced drag, MIPS, and increased comfort, the Aerohead MIPS simply wouldn't have been possible only a few years ago. By utilizing a TeXtreme carbon fiber shell for the Aerohead Ultimate MIPS, we were able to further reduce frontal area, making our fastest shape ever even faster."

Giro said the Aerohead Ultimate MIPS is 3 seconds faster over 40km than Giro's previous fastest helmet, the Selector. 

The Aerohead Ultimate MIPS has already been raced to victory on both the road and track by the world's top professionals. It will make its official debut Friday at the Tour of California time trial stage, with BMC Racing Team, Team Katusha, and Team Wiggins, while top professional triathletes including Linsey Corbin and Andreas and Michael Raelert will compete in the Aerohead MIPS this summer.

SALT LAKE CITY (BRAIN) — Scott USA is recalling several models of road and cyclocross bikes, along with some framesets, that were spec'd with its house-brand Syncros seatposts because the posts can break. The company has received 11 reports of broken seatposts outside of the U.S. No injuries have been reported.

The company is recalling about 1,400 bikes in the U.S. and 170 in Canada. 

The recall involves model year 2016 Scott men's and women's road bicycles with Syncros FL 0.1 seat posts. Bike models included in the recall are: Addict CX 10 disc, Addict SL, Addict Team Issue, Addict 10, Addict 15, Addict 20, Addict Gravel disc, Solace Premium disc, and Solace 10 disc. Framesets being recalled are the Addict 10 (HMF), Addict CX 10 disc (HMX) mech/Di2.

Also being recalled is the aftermarket seatpost, model Syncros FL1.0 Carbon Offset in 27.2mm.

A complete list of serial numbers included in the recall can be found at scott-sports.com/global/en/company/safety-and-recalls. The serial number is printed on a white sticker and embossed on the underside of the frame near the bottom bracket, as shown in the photo below.

Consumers are being told to contact their local Scott dealer to arrange for a free replacement seatpost. They can also contact Scott USA toll-free at 888-607-8365 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, by email at recall@scott-sports.com or online at www.SCOTT-Sports.com and click on "Safety" at the bottom of the page, then "Recalls" for more information.

More information: CPSC recall page.