FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — For years Ritchey told dealers asking for complete bikes that it wasn't going to happen while its OEM component sales represented such a large portion of its business. The thinking is a component maker shouldn't compete with its customers by offering complete bikes.

But as companies use more and more self-branded components, Ritchey's OEM sales slowed sharply, and so did their worry about competing with their dwindling number of customers. Ritchey USA decided last year to offer U.S. shops complete bikes, and now Ritchey International, based in Lugano, Switzerland, follows suit.

“Dealers have been asking us to do this for a long time but we always wanted to protect our OEM sales,” said Riccardo Deliziosi, Ritchey’s global director of sales, at the Eurobike show this week. 

“After announcing to our dealers the availability of complete bikes, the response, especially from our German dealers, has been strong,” Deliziosi said.

He would like to sign up 30 to 50 dealers interested in complete bike sales and has already signed up a few dealers at Eurobike.

The company will offer five of its steel frames in two levels of builds maximizing Ritchey component spec, and completed with either Shimano or SRAM drivetrains.

Currently the bikes are being assembled in Asia, but the company will bring assembly operations to Europe in the future. Complete bikes are warehoused at Ritchey's new logistics facility in Singen, Germany, and Ritchey International will handle the sales.          

“What's nice for us is that we can spec almost the entire bike with Ritchey components. Tom (Ritchey) designs his components to integrate with each other, but most of our OEM customers just picked what they wanted from the line,” he said.

The move impacts the company's three major distributors as well as its seven smaller regional distributors. These distributors will no longer offer frames nor offer complete bikes. They will, however, continue to offer Ritchey components and accessories.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — This lakeside town in Southern Germany is a long way from Fruita, Colorado. But Fruita city manager Mike Bennett and Mayor Lori Buck are here handing out their business cards — in the shape of bike cogs — and meeting European companies, in hopes to recruit them to locate their offices or U.S. headquarters in their Western Colorado mountain town.

They're also promoting Fruita to companies as an ideal venue for product launches, dealer events and company retreats.

As Fruita’s oil and gas based economy dries up, officials are looking to outdoor and cycling as target markets for economic development. They see them as a natural fit. “We need something less volatile,” said Buck. “And we’re serious about bringing people to our community.”

MRP, based in Grand Junction, Colorado, has been a helpful partner in introducing Fruita’s officials to the industry. MRP is hosting a happy hour after the show Thursday where officials will discuss the city’s robust incentives for new businesses looking to establish their U.S. base there.  

The city has more than 68 acres of land between downtown and the Kokopelli mountain bike trailhead ready for businesses to locate on lakefront lots with interstate, railroad and highway access. The lots have build-to-suit lease or purchase options, and feature improvements such as streets, sidewalks, water, electric, fiber and sewer. Fruita is also designing and constructing paved and soft-surface singletrack trails to connect the business park with downtown and a major mountain bike trailhead.

Officials have been hitting the circuit — walking the halls of the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City in early August and Interbike last fall. And Buck and Bennett will make the trek to Interbike again next month. It all is part of their plan to put Fruita on the map as more than just a mountain biking destination, but a potential bike business cluster. Much like Ogden has in Utah.

Fruita hosts the popular Fat Tire Festival every year, and MRP and DT Swiss are located in nearby Grand Junction. The city and the Grand Valley, with its 100,000 population, are also home to many bike shops, including Over the Edge. 

Bennett noted that Fruita is the fastest-growing area in Colorado’s Grand Valley, with 13,000 residents, which has doubled in recent years. It also has a low median age — 35.8 — and most are high school grads (88.7 percent); 26 percent have earned bachelor degrees or higher. It’s located 20 minutes away from Grand Junction airport, offering daily flights to major cities, and a Class 1 rail line. “And Fruita, while small, has tons of culture,” Buck noted. “What we’re selling is quality of life.”

With world-class trails, 300 days of sunshine, and an outdoor playground with rafting, hiking, camping and equestrian riding, as well as trails that cater to pedal-assist bikes, Fruita draws more than 250,000 people a year to enjoy its views and landscapes, Bennett said. Most land is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management so Fruita relies heavily on the outdoor recreational market and tourism.

“We figure we might as well match companies that match outdoor recreation,” Bennett said. “If you need to expand, relocate or start a business, you’ll have a supportive government.”

Interested companies can go to www.fruita.org for more information or email Bennett at mbennett@fruita.org.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — The Eurobike Award distinguishes products and concepts that stand out for their innovations, new functions and quality. Trade show organizers also bestow 12 Gold Awards and one Green Award for the top products, and most sustainable product.

Some 472 entrants applied for an award this year. In a two-stage process, an expert panel awarded a Eurobike Award to 51 new products after examination and discussion.

Among them were 12 companies that in the expert judges’ opinion redefine the benchmark for innovations and were given a Gold Award. These were:

Uvex – Jakkyl HDE mountain bike helmet

SRAM – Red eTap wireless electronic shifting system

Elite – Quick Motion roller trainer

WTB – Horizon Road Plus tires

3T – Exploro aero gravel bike

Parlee Cycles – TTiR model with disc brakes

Giro – Factor Techlace racing shoe

by.schulz – Stem Twist SDS

Rotor – 2INpower power meter

Supernova – Taster light and horn for an e-bike

Lumen Labs – Lumos Helmet with integrated front and rear lights

Bike Ahead – NSA (No-Slip-Application) for carbon bike components

The Green Award for innovation in sustainable product design went to Taiwanese company Chien King Industrial, which has found an interesting raw material for the plastic in its CK-UB2RH FPC pedals: the husks of rice grains.

The members of the expert panel were test engineer Marcus Schröder (EFBE Prüftechnik GmbH), bike fitting specialist Lotte Kraus, top triathlete Thomas Hellriegel, Italian trade journalist Marcella Crisanti (ciclonline.com), Dutch bike retailer Rik de Bruin (Gek van Fietsen) and Canadian designer Kevin Quan.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Belgian tough is now available in women’s sizing.

Ridley launched its lineup of women’s road bikes Wednesday night during a dinner presentation at the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen.

Bert Kenens, Ridley’s product manager, said that many brands have developed women’s bikes with the prevailing thought that women’s upper bodies were shorter than men’s, which led to shorter toptubes. But he contends that this is the wrong approach.

“We discovered that our Ridley performance geometry is very suitable for women’s bikes also,” he said. “There are some differences between men and women. Women have narrower shoulders, hips are a bit wider, and on average women are not so strong as men.”

Taking into consideration these parameters, Ridley’s women’s bikes don’t alter frame geometry. They feature the same frames as Ridley’s Noah, Helium and Fenix, but feature shorter stems, narrower bars, zero offset seatposts and shorter crank lengths.

Compared to their male counterparts, the women’s line offers a zero offset seatpost, 80-100 millimeter stems; 36-, 38-, and 40-millimeter bars, and 165-, 167.5-, 170- and 172.5 millimeter cranks.

The lineup includes the Jane, Jane SL, Jane SL Disc; Aura SLA, Aura X and Aura SLX; Liz Alloy, Liz Carbon, Liz SL and Liz SL Disc, at various spec and price points. 

Ridley sponsored pro riders and Claudia Lichtenberg and Andre Greipel were on hand at the launch to talk about their racing, favorite bikes and how they overcome race setbacks and hurdles.

LEVIS, Quebec (BRAIN) — Lambert has expanded its product offering with the addition of five brands: Bern, Basil, Brooks, Kuat and Renthal.

The brands' product lineups will be made available to IBDs across Canada starting this fall. The new brands announced today are in addition to other new brands announced earlier in the month: Deity and Enduro Bearings.

"Hawley-Lambert is always striving to serve its retailers with the best and most innovative brands for each category. Each of these new brands will be adding tremendous value to our IBDs' product offer and ultimately their customers," said André Trudeau, product director at Hawley-Lambert.

"The addition of these great brands to our portfolio will make a positive difference for our retail partners. One of Lambert's strengths is the breadth of the brands we help bring to market. Within the new brands for 2017, there is a meaningful product for every one of our IBDs regardless of the markets and customers they service," said Edward Wright, national sales director for Lambert.

IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bosch eBike Systems is launching a new sales support class at Interbike designed help retailers enhance their e-bike selling skills.

The hour long sessions will cover topics including:

• The Bosch advantage: top five selling points.
• The four Bosch e-bike systems and their target customers.
• Sealing the deal: how to conduct a great e-bike demo ride.

At Interbike, the company will also bring its Bosch Dealer Certification Clinic, covering service process, removal and re-installation of components, operation of laps diagnostic tools, model year 2017 innovations, and tips on system operation, diagnostic and correcting problems.

Both classes are free and will be held in the Mariners A Room at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Bosch Sales Support will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 21 and 22, from 1 to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. The Bosch Dealer Certification Clinic is set for Sept. 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Space is limited. To pre-register, email boschservice@magurausa.com (U.S. dealers) or boschservice@livetoplaysports.com (Canadian dealers), or call 844-723-2453.

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — SAHN Designs, a Vancouver, British Columbia, company, is recalling about 3,600 Classic model helmets that were sold in the U.S. and Canada between 2013 and 2015 for about $130.

According to the U.S. CPSC, the  helmets do not comply with the impact requirements of the federal safety standard for bicycle helmets, posing a risk of head injury. No incidents have been reported.

The recall involves SAHN Classic SH523 adult bicycle helmets. "SAHN" is printed on the outer shell of the helmet on the right side. The production date and "SH-523 Classic" are printed on the white sticker label on the inside of the helmet. The helmets came in matte and gloss colors. Matte colors include black, white, blue, tan, grey, green, cream and brown. Gloss colors include black, white, blue, tan, cream and green.

For a replacement, consumers are being told to contact SAHN Designs at 800-642-7086 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or online at sahn.cc.

About 2,000 helmets were sold in the U.S. and 1,600 in Canada.

More information: CPSC recall page | Sahn recall page.

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — The SKULPT is a device that measures an athlete's 24 individual muscle groups and provides readings of their quality and performance potential with actionable data.

The technology was originally developed to track the progression of patients dealing with muscle disorders including ALS. It has been adapted and commercialized to address the needs of athletes seeking to optimize performance and minimize injury.

The device uses Composition Myography – the description of muscles - to send a high frequency, low voltage current into the 24 muscle groups, evaluating the quality and density of muscle tissue compared to intramuscular fat and subcutaneous fat. Twelve active sensors translate the data into data that allows athletes understand their physical strengths and weaknesses

The product is currently being sold by electronics and sporting goods stores. It retails for $99.

More information at skulpt.me.

SPARKS, Nev. (BRAIN) — Many suppliers got a short email notice Thursday from the Sporting Goods Shipping Association (SGSA) with an article from the Journal of Commerce attached.

What had been a bright spot for most suppliers — record low rates for ocean freight shipping of 40-foot containers (see the October 1 issue of BRAIN) — is coming to an abrupt halt with the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping Company. Hanjin filed for bankruptcy Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea.

Angie Munson, SGSA's executive director, told BRAIN that it was too early to tell how the bankruptcy would affect container shipments for the industry from key Asian ports. However, container rates are going up immediately, said Munson as well as several major publications that track the transportation industry.

Shippers imposed spot rate increases on trans-Pacific shipping Thursday. Rates had already been trending up slightly. Rates for West Coast-bound ships could go up 54 percent or more, while East Coast-bound rates could see a 50 percent increase.

Munson, who manages shipping rates for companies in the sporting goods industry as well as some in the bicycle industry, said she doesn't think — at this point — that the impact in terms of delayed shipments, primarily to the West Coast, will be significant for the bicycle industry.

But for major retailers the bankruptcy could not have come at a worse time since many, like Amazon, are stockpiling goods for the holiday season.

Suppliers with goods that have yet to leave Asian ports, and that had been scheduled for Hanjin ships, are hustling for new shippers. That means unloading already-packed containers, repacking them and trucking them to a different terminal at the port. That will also increase the cost of goods.

A number of shippers, including some used by the industry, have told their clients they have stopped putting containers on Hanjin ships. Those include members of the CKYHE Alliance — Evergreen Line, Cosco Container Lines, K Line and Yang Ming Line. The Alliance also includes Hanjin.

Hanjin, a Korean company and the seventh-largest ocean freight company in the world, sparked turmoil in international markets when it filed for bankruptcy protection.

Hanjin's ships are now idling outside West Coast ports like those at Long Beach, Los Angeles, Seattle and others unable to unload their containers out of fear creditors will seize the ships.

Freight brokers told The Wall Street Journal that about 25,000 containers cross the Pacific daily on Hanjin ships.

Michael Forte, Felt's general manager and chairman of the BPSA's statistics committee, said bicycle suppliers generally experience two spikes in shipping — May and June when early season models are brought in, and late fall as suppliers bring in inventory for the new season. "That tracks with BPSA data," he said.

As for Felt, the Southern California company uses Evergreen and Yang Ming to deliver its bicycles to the West Coast and Canada.

Through the first half of the year, suppliers had been enjoying a nearly 25 percent reduction in ocean freight costs — approximately $17 million — due to a glut of container ships, a fall-off in goods coming from China, and a major pullback in Chinese demand consumer goods and for commodities like iron ore, oil and other bulk items.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Electric assist has clear benefits to commuters or mountain bikers who want to make one more downhill run. But offering tourists a little electric assist seems wrong on many levels.

What tourist wants to be 60 miles into their day only to find their battery is running low? What tourist is going to cut down on pack weight just to extend battery life?

Yet Tout Terrain, the company known for building bikes capable of doing a round-the-world trip, or three, while extremely far off the grid, is offering its fully suspended Panamericana model in an electric-assist version.

“Depending on how much of their own power a rider exerts, we estimate the battery will last 80 to 100 kilometers. That's not enough range for a dedicated tourer, but for an older rider happy to go shorter distances, it works out well,” said Johannes Faulhaber, Tout Terrain's technical purchasing manager.

“And there are older tourists who are happy going 60 kilometers a day and have power at the hotel to recharge their battery packs. It's to these tourists this bike appeals to,” he added.

And it's not just the electric assist, the full-suspension design is the most comfortable in the Tout Terrain line, Faulhaber said. Add to the mix the quiet and low maintenance Gates carbon drive and again, for tourists looking for shorter days in the saddle, the bike makes a lot of sense.

Faulhaber said the bike's comfort makes it the go-to bike for any ride. “That rear suspension system is really comfortable and for many of us at Tout Terrain this is the bike we want to be riding around on,” he added.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — After adding disc brakes and through-axles the past few years, designers are turning their focus on the overall look of the bike and the results are surprising.

The biggest change is that cables have almost entirely disappeared as has the seat collar. And stems are designed to flow smoothly from clamping the bar into the toptube so there is one uninterrupted form from the front of the bike to the back. And finally that ugly stack of headset washers that ruins the look of any bike is gone.

“It's a nice change. Functionally road bikes are really dialed now. They ride much better than they did a few years ago. So designers have time to focus on better integrating how a bike and components look,” said Luke Musselman, Duro Tires' director of business development.

One of SRAM's strategy meetings at Eurobike was to look at how they can help bike designers attach components with as little fuss as possible.

“It's not that our customers have asked for components that ease cable routing, but we know it is something that is coming. So we are starting to think about how to design things, like a front cable derailleur, with cleaner cable routing,” said Ron Ritzler, VP of SRAM components.

Even though the Wilier Triestina has exposed rim brakes, the lack of exposed cables doesn't catch your eye as much as the feeling that the bike has a really integrated look.

De Rosa's SK Pininforina is similar. Nice simple graphics extend from the seat tube onto the seatpost with no hint of a seatpost collar to get in the way. Even the rim brakes are less obtrusive because there are no big loops of cable announcing their presence.

The Look 795 Aero Light not only does a better job integrating the stem into the flow of the top of the bike, but it hides its front rim brake inside the fork, and the rear is out of sight down by the bottom bracket to deliver an even cleaner look.

But BMC's Road Machine 01 goes the full distance, with all the cables disappearing inside the stem right behind the handlebar clamp. A quick look at the bike and it would be easy to confuse it with a fixie as there is nothing to suggest the presence of cables one normally associates with geared drivetrains.

Other bikes are slipping the front disc hydraulic hose into the shoulder of the fork to run it internally to the caliper. But BMC goes inside the fork at the stem for the cleanest look. The company even took the extra step of creating a skeletal rear quick-release lever that all but disappears. It may not have the fully integrated stem of the Look, but that seems like a small nit to pick.

And it's not only road bikes getting the makeover. Rocky Mountain's Slayer 790 has hidden its rear stay suspension pivots so the bike at first glance looks like a hardtail. The company also went to extra lengths to tuck its cables out of sight, but with droppers and no way for long internal cables runs on a full-suspension bike, it had to settle for minimizing what is seen.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Selle Royal Group has kept sales and marketing for its Fizik, Brooks, Crankbrothers and Selle Royal brands separate in an effort to not create confusion in the market. But now the Italian company is looking to begin integrating certain functions.

As part of a restructure, Selle Royal Group has created two new roles, VP of sales and marketing for all four brands for Europe and Asia, a position filled by Nicolo Mannoni, and VP of sales and marketing for all four brands for the Americas, handled by Gaspare Licata, who retains the title of CEO of Crankbrothers. These two positions will report to Nicola Rosin, CEO of Selle Royal Group.

Licata said that as part of these changes, Selle Royal Group is creating two internal clusters: Fizik and Crankbrothers will now be grouped together for sales; Selle Royal and Brooks will form the second cluster.

“We decided for the aftermarket, not to sell all the brands under one manager, but rather to separate by cluster,” said Licata, during a meeting at Eurobike this week. “At a business to business level, we need to create synergies, but be specific to the audience we’re talking to.

“This isn’t about saving costs but about getting to better know each market,” he added. “We have people traveling across the world and spending a lot of time on the plane. We need people to stay in their market and understand and learn and implement the best strategy for the brands they’re responsible for.”

Product development and marketing will still be driven by each individual brand. So the product and marketing strategy for Fizik, for example, will continue to be made by Fizik, and the same goes for Brooks, Crankbrothers and Selle Royal. “From a product marketing point of view, we want to keep the strong authenticity we’ve had until now, so it will still be driven by the brands,” Licata said.

But Licata said that by grouping brands into these sales clusters, they hope to develop synergies and efficiencies and gain knowledge. “This reorganization is not going to affect product development or operations,” he added. “It’s a sales and marketing change.

“The goal is to combine sales for the two clusters and create synergy between the brands when they are needed and can be helpful for us or a potential partner,” he added.

Mannoni stressed that these changes will be felt at a business-to-business level and only affect aftermarket sales. OEM sales of the brands are handled separately.

He said they’ve started to discuss the new sales clusters and structure with partners here at Eurobike.

“This reorganization started in July internally, but now is the right moment to communicate it and spread the message to the industry,” he said.

Selle Royal Group will be putting a greater emphasis on creating a stronger corporate image, while maintaining specific strategies on product and marketing for each of its individual brands, they said.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — While MIPS’ origin dates back to 1995, when Swedish neurosurgeon Hans Von Holst began evaluating helmets and studying head trauma, it’s only in recent years that the multi-directional impact protection system has become a buzz word in the bike industry.

Johan Thiel, CEO of the Swedish company, said he’s seen growth of nearly 300 percent last year. And is on target to 100 percent growth this year. Currently there are 140 bike helmets that are equipped with a MIPS layer that allow a helmet to absorb more of the rotational forces during an impact. And another 90 models are launching here at Eurobike.

POC was the first brand to use MIPS, but now it’s found on helmets from Specialized, Bontrager, Bell, Giro, Fox, Lazer, Scott and Smith, to name a few. Some 58 brands have MIPS helmets in their lines, up from 44 last year. And the company is now working more closely with suppliers through their product development cycles.

Two years ago, MIPS was retrofitting existing helmets while now it works with R&D teams early on in the process of developing a new model.

Thiel said recent news and research surrounding concussions and brain injuries in the sports of hockey and football helped give it a boost in the marketplace.

MIPS mimics the function of the cerebral spinal fluid in the human head and adds a second layer of protection. MIPS uses a low-friction layer that, at the point of an angled impact, creates a relative motion between the helmet and the head. This helps to redirect the rotational energies away from the brain to lower the strain in the brain tissue during the first critical milliseconds of an impact.

At Eurobike, MIPS has a visible and sizable booth and signage.

North America represents its fastest-growing market. The company, based in Stockholm, employs 20 at its headquarters and another five in China, where it manufactures its protection layers.

Now that helmet makers are embracing it, MIPS is putting a bigger focus on ingredient marketing directly to consumers. It has displays that show how the layer moves within a helmet during impact and these displays are being installed at various retailers to educate buyers on the advantages of paying a premium for a MIPS helmet.

The bike industry remains its largest market, but the company is also making inroads into moto, ski and equestrian industries. And team sports are looking into the technology as well.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — So how successful were Eurobike’s efforts to offer more demo riding opportunities by extending its demo to all three days of the trade show as well as its consumer festival days? It’s still a bit early to tell, but so far supplier reaction is mixed.

The expanded demo area, located between and behind the B halls on the exhibition grounds, offered more than 3,000 bikes and parts for testing.

On Wednesday, as rows of bikes sat idly on racks, some companies felt disappointed by the turnout.

Marin’s Chris Holmes said the company had only done five demos for the entire day on Wednesday. But the company still had to staff the demo booth on top of the inside trade show booth. “One downside is myself and product mangers can’t go out to talk to media or dealers because we have to be at the inside booth — we are booked with appointments,” he said.

Ridley had also only offered about five demos on Wednesday. But by Thursday, traffic was picking up and more suppliers were reporting a steady stream of testers.

“It’s not what we thought it would be,” said Frank Aldorf of Canyon, about the traffic at the demo booth. “Maybe it’s because it’s spread out over five days. But it’s good to have an outside area for conversations.”

Show organizers set up signs throughout the demo area reminding dealers to ride slowly. But several exhibitors showed concern over the number of e-bikes being ridden at high speeds and the potential for crashes between pedestrians and riders.

Pivot had about 20 demo bikes on hand and Ben Webster, who was manning the booth, said so far the company was sending out more demos than it had anticipated. “Maybe we’ll bring more bikes next year,” he said.

Webster said the surrounding trails weren’t ideal for putting some of Pivot’s longer-travel bikes through the ringer, but dealers could at least get a sense of sizing and general feel of a bike. “At Interbike’s demo, we’re slammed all day. Here we sat two hours in the morning and had one demo,” he noted. “But from midday to about 5 p.m. it starts getting busy.”

Webster also said that many riders show up in jeans, collared shirts and casual tennis shoes or sneakers to test a mountain bike, which is unusual for a demo. Most don’t bring helmets.

“I think the format of a dedicated demo and separate dedicated inside show is the way to go,” he said, so riders can come better prepared and not have to walk around the show in their riding kits or sweaty after demoing bikes. 

BOULDER, Colo.  (BRAIN) — QBP founder and chairman Steve Flagg will be honored with the BPSA Lifetime Achievement Award at the Interbike Awards Night on Thursday, Sept. 22, in Las Vegas.

The award is given to one person "whose career has greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of the bicycle industry."

Factors considered in the award selection process include: span and scope of career, lives touched through the individual's work, awards and honors received, and more. The BPSA proposed honoring Flagg this year. "In light of all that he has done for this industry and the legacy he is leaving at QBP, we couldn't think of a more deserving person than Steve," said Adam Micklin, BPSA president.

A respected cycling businessman and advocate, Flagg started out in the industry more than 40 years ago. After founding Minneapolis' first bicycle co-op, he and wife Mary Henrickson created QBP to help independent bike dealers acquire hard-to-find parts, resolve technical problems, and learn how to set themselves up for success. In 1981, QBP had just seven customers. Under Flagg's stewardship, the company is now the largest distributor of bicycle parts and accessories in the industry.

Over the next three-plus decades, Flagg established a reputation for integrity, innovation, and his defense of the bicycle as a powerful, transformative tool for change. Through the early adoption of e-commerce technology, investing in product development however odd it seemed at the time (think fat bikes), to hiring the bike industry's first full-time advocacy employee, Flagg put his ideas and those of his loyal employees into action, and the results were more often than not complete game-changers.

"I was an independent bike dealer for years," Flagg said. "I believe in bike dealers. I have great respect for them. They are pillars of their communities, and I know the challenges they face. I've built my career on providing dealers with the support, education and advocacy they deserve. I continue to work every day to further that mission."

This is the first time the BPSA has presented a Lifetime Achievement Award at Interbike. Matt Moore, a 20-year QBP veteran and chair of the BPSA Legal/Legislative committee, will present the award.

The third annual Awards Night is expected to draw more than 700 attendees in its third year. Awards will be presented in 33 categories, including athletes, product, retailers, suppliers and advocacy.

For Interbike attendees, tickets for the gala can be purchased during the Interbike registration process. Special advanced ticket pricing for the event is $95 per person, and includes the evening reception, beer and wine, a sit-down dinner along with the awards show entertainment. Ten dollars from every ticket sold will be donated to World Bicycle Relief. The 2015 IB Awards sold out in advance of the event — but should tickets still be available on-site, prices will be $125 at the door. Those interested in attending are encouraged to secure their tickets today.

For Interbike exhibitors, single tickets and number of private tables are available and can be purchased directly through Interbike. Contact Sean O'Brien, marketing director, at 949-226-5799 or sean.obrien@interbike.com for more information.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Mechanics interested in learning how to work for a race team or event can now apply for registration in USA Cycling's 2016 Bill Woodul Race Mechanics Clinic, which is being held Nov. 16-20 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The program helps mechanics reach the next level of professional bicycle mechanic expertise, an advantage in a retail store and in work with teams and events. USAC-licensed mechanics may support Olympic trials, national championships, USA Cycling training camps and international events.

Interested mechanics need to first send in a resume outlining at least two years of bike mechanic experience. Once approved, they will be sent information on how to register.

The cost is $675 if paid before Sept. 30, or $725 from Oct. 1-15. The cost includes housing, meals, course materials and a two-year USAC mechanics license. The course is limited to 60 participants.

More information visit usacycling.org or contact Gregory Cross at gcross@usacycling.org or 719-287-5887.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) —  The latest addition to Moots' adventure/cross bike line is the Baxter 29-inch bike.

The Baxter was designed for either drop or flat bars and is compatible with a rigid or 100mm-travel suspension fork.

"The new Moots Baxter is ideal for almost any cycling adventure you can imagine - bikepacking, touring, singletrack, double-track exploring, gravel, the Tour Divide .. .Baxter can handle it all. It has mountain bike capabilities with a monster cross build," said Jon Cariveau, marketing manager at Moots. "The frame optimizes features from both the gravel road and mountain bike worlds using the perfect combination of materials and frame geometry for the job."

Named after Moots' resident banana-eating Chocolate Labrador, the Baxter is handbuilt in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, from Moots' proprietary 3/2.5 Pi Tech titanium tubing.

The Baxter is available in five stock sizes and custom sizing. Orders are being accepted now for October 1 delivery. Options include: electronic internal routing, engraved head tube, etched logos, polished logos, color decals, fender mounts and rack eyelets.

MSRP for complete bike as pictured: $8699.00. Visit the Baxter model page at moots.com for detailed features and specifications.

More information: moots.com/bike/baxter-29.