READING, Pa. (BRAIN) — Greg LeMond has been named honorary chairman of the board of directors of the Velodrome Development Foundation, which is supporting the proposed construction of the National Velodrome at Albright College, a $25 million multipurpose cycling and events center and headquarters of the World Cycling League.

VDF is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation run by community and sports leaders to support velodrome development and drive public and collegiate programming initiatives.

LeMond will also serve as special advisor to the World Cycling League, principal developers of the velodrome and architects of TeamTrak, a new track racing format.

"I am very excited to play an active role in this project," LeMond said. "I've always understood how important track racing and indoor velodromes are to developing world-class cyclists. Plus WCL's TeamTrak format is a much-needed and exciting way to showcase top male and female track racers and create new interest in the sport."

LeMond also stressed the importance of the velodrome's connection to Albright College. "Albright is smart to recognize the value of this facility, not only to develop a nationally ranked collegiate team but also for the unique curriculum opportunities for product development, sports medicine, and sports event management, to name a few. I look forward to exploring these ideas with the college," he said.

Lex McMillan, the president of the Velodrome Development Foundation and president emeritus of Albright College, said, "Greg LeMond is a huge asset to our foundation, both for his innovative ideas and for his connections to many more donors and investors in the velodrome project from the greater cycling community. We are delighted and deeply grateful that he has agreed to join us."

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (BRAIN) — Kenda Tire has promoted Jay Drunasky to the role of project engineer at its Kenda American Technology Center. Drunasky joined Kenda three years ago as one of the original hires for the North American tech center and has overseen the development of Kenda's latest line of mountain bike tires.

"Kenda has been aggressively expanding our bicycle tire design department and Jay has been integral to this expansion; his leadership in the design of new products was critical to their success in the marketplace," said Tom Williams, Kenda's vice president of engineering. "With this promotion and oversight as a team leader, we are certain that Jay's leadership will continue to elevate the performance of new products under development."

Drunasky now serves as the most senior bicycle engineer for Kenda in the United States, and will provide oversight of the bicycle design and test teams. 

SAN MATEO, Calif. (BRAIN) — GoPro Inc. on Thursday reported a 38 percent drop in revenue to $334.8 million and a loss of $55.8 million for the fourth quarter following another weak holiday sales period for the action camera maker. Both results fell well short of Wall Street expectations.

The Q4 financials compound woes at GoPro, which announced in January that it was exiting the drone business and cutting 250 jobs due to recall issues with its Karma drone. GoPro also stated last month that it had hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to investigate finding a buyer for the company.

At the opening of the market Thursday, GoPro shares were down almost 50 percent over the past 52-week period, and the earnings announcement sent the stock further downward in after-hours trading.

While acknowledging the quarter was a challenging one, GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman said during an earnings call Thursday that the company gleaned several important lessons during the period, especially when it comes to pricing GoPro products.

For example, to address soft demand for its Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session cameras following the launch of the Hero6 Black camera, in December GoPro cut the price on the Hero5 models by $100. As a result, Woodman said, unit sales of Hero5 in the U.S. and Europe more than doubled in December, and Hero5 Session unit sales roughly tripled.

GoPro took additional action on pricing Jan. 7 by reducing the price on Hero6 Black by $100. “Again, we saw an immediate dramatic lift in sell-through,” Woodman said. “… There is clearly significant demand for GoPro at the right price.”

Looking toward the coming year, Woodman laid out several priorities aimed at helping GoPro return to profitability, including:

• Strengthening analytics to better understand GoPro’s customers.
• Increasing marketing globally.
• Launching products that broaden GoPro’s appeal at all price points, with emphasis on new, entry-level customers.
• Expanding the value proposition of GoPro’s subscription services.

Speaking to subscription services, GoPro this week launched an updated version of its Plus service, which now includes a no-questions-asked replacement policy for broken cameras and 20 percent off GoPro accessories for $4.99 a month.

DES MOINES, Iowa (BRAIN) — Last weekend's Iowa Bike Expo saw a 23 percent growth in attendees over last year, bringing in 6,413 people.

The Des Moines consumer show included more than 125 vendors, including bike retailers, bike industry representatives, destination and event marketers, and others. The show is produced by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, a statewide bicycle advocacy organization. Funds raised from the event support the nonprofit's mission to improve cycling conditions and policy in Iowa.

"We emphasize the fun during the expo," said Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. "A wide variety of exhibitors, bands, craft beer samples, and seminars bring real customers to the event. Our guests take their time, check out every booth, and have conversations. They are shopping for spring bicycling."

The Iowa Bike Expo hosted new features like the TerraTrike Demo Track, VanDoIt Seminar Area, Detroit Bike Giveaway, and Bike Law Iowa Stage. Other sponsors include RAGBRAI, Primal, Bikes To You, and Travel Iowa. It was the eighth annual edition of the one-day event.

New vendors this year included ABUS, Selle Anatomica, HED Cycling Products, Kryptonite, Ergon, HASE USA, and Eleven Pine.

Organizers are in negotiations for the 2019 event dates and an announcement will be made at their website, iowabikeexpo.com, soon.

SAINT LAURENT, Quebec (BRAIN) — Outdoor Gear Canada's BMX division, OGCBMX, has been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor of Kink bikes. OGCBMX will receive its first Kink shipments this spring.

"We are very happy to be distributing a brand with such deep BMX history. Kink have always had a focus on quality and refined products, something that OGC truly appreciates and shares," said Jeremy Deme, BMX division manager at OGC. "The addition of Kink to OGCBMX's portfolio gives BMX dealer in Canada a truly complete BMX offering in one place."

"I am very excited to partner with Outdoor Gear Canada. We share the same drive for customer service and great BMX products," saod Zack Phillips, the owner of Kink. "The combination of Kink product and OGC will allow all the bicycle shops in Canada to have easy access to our products. I'm looking forward to a long term relationship filling the needs of BMX in Canada."

OGCBMX's current lineup that includes BMX products from We The People, Fit, Eclat, Fiend, S&M, Merritt, Tall Order, Federal, Radio, Salt, Salt Plus, and Fuse.

For more information on Kink bikes, visit: kinkbmx.com. 

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Populo Bicycles' new Lift V2 e-bike is a Class II that has both throttle and pedal assist operation with a step-through frame. It is powered by a 250 watt motor and Samsung 313Wh battery, allowing an estimated range of 28 miles.

"Today's e-bikes are lighter, powerful, and more affordable than ever before," said Jeremy Griffin, national sales manager for Populo Bicycles. "We are very excited to deliver this exciting new model to our dealers at a great price."

Populo designed the Lift V2 to be accessible to casual cyclists. It has a step-through frame, a suspension fork and suspension seatpost, and an upright, swept-back handlebar with ergonomic grips.

Lift V2 is offered in matte black or gloss white, comes in two sizes (43cm or 50cm) and retails for $1,399.99.

Populo Bicycles offers a full line of e-bikes through independent local bike shops and is actively signing up new dealers. For more information, contact Jeremy Griffin at jgriffin@avantsports.com.

For all other inquiries, visit populo.com.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Pedego Electric Bikes is now offering used Pedego bikes at its participating Pedego stores. The "Certified Pre-Loved" bikes comes with a 12-month warranty. All Pre-Loved bikes come from participating Pedego stores' rental and demo fleets.

"Pedego is miles ahead of other manufacturers with its Certified Pre-Loved Bike program, which offers consumers a lower entry point to the best-selling electric bikes while still receiving many of the benefits of buying a new bike," the company said.

The certified bikes pass an 18-point inspection and testing protocol designed by Pedego. Every Pre-Loved bike receives a complete tune-up on all mechanical systems including brakes, gears, drivetrain and wheels. The warranty covers the entire bike, battery included. 

Prices start at $1,499.

"Pedego's Certified Pre-Loved Bikes program offers savings without compromise, inspiring more people to confidently enjoy the fun of Pedego," said Pedego Electric Bikes' CEO and co-founder Don DiCostanzo.

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (BRAIN) —  The fourth annual Eroica California will, for the first time, include a category for cyclists on modern road bikes.

The April 14-15 event will include its regular vintage bike "ride to the ocean." It will also include a new event, called NOVA Eroica, that is open to all drop bar road bikes. The NOVA Eroica also will include timed segements and will be limited to 200 entrants.

The event will continue to offer vintage bike rides on four routes, ranging from 40 to 127 miles. The longer rides include gravel road sections. The event opens with a festival that include a vintage bike pageant and vintage market. 

Registration is open at eroicacalifornia.com/registration.

The California event is part of the Eroica series that includes events in South Africa, Tuscany, Japan, Spain, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.

DENVER (BRAIN) — Alchemy Bicycles said it's making "major headway" in the U.S. retail channel, and is taking the next step by offering lower prices on complete bikes.

"Alchemy has grown to a size and volume where we can negotiate the component prices with our suppliers," said Alchemy founder and owner Ryan Cannizzaro. "Combined with our improved efficiencies in manufacturing, we are seeing significant changes in our cost structure. This is allowing us to produce some extremely attractive complete bike models."

For example, the company is offering its U.S.-made Atlas carbon frame with an Ultegra group and Enve wheels, handlebar and stem at $7,000 retail. Its U.S.-made Eros titanium frame with Ultegra and Enve wheels, handlebar and stem retails for $6,500.

The company also recently announced that it was entering the international race scene for the first time this year with its Enduro World Series team. The company has signed four new independent reps recently and said it has increased its dealer base by 30 percent over a year ago. 

The company had focused on selling framesets until this year, Cannizzaro said. 

"We recognize in today's market, people really want to buy a bike that's ready to roll," he said. "Alchemy has already been gaining momentum in what most would say are very difficult market conditions, and I think the timing is right for us to focus on completes and adjust our prices accordingly."

Alchemy offers road, 'cross and mountain bikes, all made in Denver of carbon, stainless steel or titanium. More information at AlchemyBicycles.com.

EMPORIA, Kan. (BRAIN) — Dirty Kanza Promotions said it will significantly expand the size and scope of its "All Things Gravel" outdoor expo. In the past, expo booth spaces were available to Dirty Kanza event sponsors only with the show running one day in conjunction with rider sign-In. This year, expo display booth spaces will be available to any group or organization from the cycling and outdoor sporting industries. The show will also be expanded to be held on the race day as well as sign-in day. 

"We are excited to expand our outdoor expo in 2018," said Jim Cummins, the executive director of Dirty Kanza Promotions. "We expect gravel cycling fans who are not riding in Dirty Kanza will come to enjoy the Expo and Emporia, cheer on the Dirty Kanza riders as they leave the starting line, spend some time at the Expo and then return to the finish area to welcome our riders back to town. Dirty Kanza is the world's premier gravel cycling challenge, and we hope that our All Things Gravel Expo will become recognized as the premier gravel cycling expo. We believe it will be the place where the entire cycling community comes to see, touch, and experience all that is new in gravel."

Expo hours are as follows:
Friday, June 1: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 2: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission for spectators is free.
There will be a food court and beer garden open both days.

More information at dirtykanza.com. 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Beginning this month, Barnett Bicycle Institute is introducing new curriculum to its core Bicycle Repair and Overhaul class. The BRO course is an 80-hour professional mechanic's training. 

Curriculum updates will introduce students to suspension service, as well as take a deeper dive in to hydraulic disc brakes with a process in master cylinder rebuilds.

BBI said, "We boosted the curriculum in BRO because suspension and disc brakes are common on modern bikes. We would like to make sure our education equips professional mechanics with the right knowledge to service the technology."

BBI will also go further into thru-axle discussion and demonstration during class lectures.

More information at bbinstitute.com, or 719-632-5173, or manager@bbinstitute.com.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (BRAIN) —Santa Cruz Bicycles, Fox, Shimano, White Industries and WTB have donated a pair of custom-painted Santa Cruz Hightower LTs that are being raffled to support the "Back On Trail" campaign, which will fund trail reconstruction projects in the wake of recent wildfires in California.

The monthlong fundraising campaign will benefit the Redwood Empire Mountain Bike Alliance and the Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers, who will each spearhead reconstruction efforts in their respective regions.

Santa Cruz Bicycles graphic designer Campbell Steers said he drew inspiration from CalFire firefighting equipment for the custom graphics and build spec on the bikes. One of the bikes is red and one is white.

"We talked to our shops, reps and customers in the areas affected by the fires and above all they expressed a real desire for a return to normalcy," said Santa Cruz CEO Joe Graney. "We all know how a good bike ride makes you feel, and we want to help people get back to that."

Entries to win the bikes are available by making donations at backontrail.org — with one raffle entry for every $5 donated. The campaign runs the entire month of February, with the two winners chosen on March 1.

The bikes are valued at $10,000 each and feature not only custom graphics, but a custom parts spec from California-based companies.

Petaluma-based White Industries is located closest to the Northern California fire zone and supplied the cranks, bottom bracket, hubs and headsets for the bikes; Scotts Valley-based Fox supplied forks, shocks and dropper posts; Irvine-based Shimano supplied brakes, shifters, derailleurs and cassettes; and Mill Valley-based WTB supplied tires and saddles. The parts will be mounted to Santa Cruz Hightower LT frames and the wheels built up using Santa Cruz Reserve carbon rims.

Sample bikes will be on display at Santa Rosa's Trailhouse for two weeks, then will move to the Topa Topa Brewery in Santa Barbara on Feb. 18. The actual prize bikes will be made in the winners' chosen size.

More information and ticket sales at backontrail.org.

SAN CARLOS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Jason Boles, who owns The Velo bike shop in Phoenix, Arizona, has launched a Beeline Bikes mobile repair franchise in Los Angeles. Boles also has signed franchise development agreements with Beeline in other regions of Arizona and California.

"Bicycling has been a lifelong passion of mine, and when I found the business opportunity with Beeline Bikes, I was thrilled to join such a unique concept that allows me to continue to pursue entrepreneurship in the cycling industry," said Boles. "As the owner of a boutique bike shop and Beeline Bikes of Phoenix, I'm looking forward to serving the increasingly mobile LA community. Los Angeles is an enormous metropolitan (area) where many rely on bicycles as their main mode of transportation and don't want to deal with the traffic and hassle of taking their bikes to the shop for repairs."

Boles has been involved in racing and cycling for more than 20 years, and was team captain of the Northern Arizona University cycling team from 1993-1997. Before joining Beeline Bikes, he owned and operated insurance agencies throughout Arizona and was a multistate territory sales manager for a national insurance carrier. In 2015 he opened The Velo, a boutique bike shop located in the Downtown Phoenix Art District. 

Beeline Bikes was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2013. Accell North America and Backcountry.com are both investors in the business, which is currently offering franchise opportunities in all 50 states. More information at BeelineBikes.com.

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bicycle Retailer and Industry News has hired Ellen Butler as its Western sales representative. Butler will work with brands in the Western region to develop effective trade advertising campaigns to help them achieve their marketing goals.

"Ellen is a dedicated professional who brings a high-touch, personalized approach to media sales. She has built strong relationships by helping her customers build successful marketing plans and becoming a trusted advisor," said Megan Tompkins, the magazine's publisher. "We're thrilled to have her digital sales and marketing expertise as well as we continue to expand BRAIN's digital offerings."

Butler got her start in cycling in a Burley trailer, graduated to tandem stoker, and worked at a bike shop in high school. She then served as collegiate cycling club president, raced in the Indiana University Little 500, and received her degree in Recreation Administration. She's worked with race promoters, handled marketing for CatEye USA, and now owns her own sales and marketing business, Butler Strategic.

Butler will continue her role with the advertising sales team at Rotating Mass Media selling their consumer brands Dirt Rag, Bicycle Times and Dirt Fest. This spring will mark her sixth year in advertising sales and partnerships.

She, her husband, and pup call Colorado home. They spend summers exploring mountain bike trails and working from their camper.

"I'm honored to add another industry favorite to our Butler Strategic client roster. It's been rewarding to establish advertising packages and build relationships. BRAIN is a critical component of any bike company's marketing efforts, and I look forward to helping brands realize success with trade packages for Bicycle Retailer," Butler said.

Butler rounds out a seasoned BRAIN media sales team including Karl Wiedemann, who represents the magazine on the East Coast, and longtime sales reps Barry and Jim Kingwill, who cover the Midwest including the Rocky Mountains and Colorado. Tompkins will handle advertising sales and partnerships in Southern California where the magazine is based.

Butler's territory includes Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and British Columbia, Canada. She can be reached at ebutler@bicycleretailer.com.

MIAMI (BRAIN) — J&B Importers has entered into a distribution agreement with Tubus and Racktime to distribute the brands' touring racks in the U.S.

Tubus offers chromoly and stainless steel touring racks. Racktime is a system rack that has a "Snap-it" system to allow easy installation and removal of bags and baskets. 

Most Tubus racks and some Racktime accessories are in stock now at J&B warehouses. The full Racktime rack line will be arriving sometime in April or May, said Benjamin Joannou Jr., the co-CEO of J&B. 

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bicycle Retailer and Industry News this week has launched its second e-newsletter. The new Jobs & Hires e-newsletter will be emailed to subscribers every Tuesday, and will provide the latest hire and personnel-related headlines in the industry as well as links to job listings on the website's classifieds section.

The classifieds include job openings as well as companies and retailers that are for sale and services provided to the industry. They are printed in every issue of the magazine and are also online.

"Headlines and stories about people shifting roles or starting new jobs are among the most commented stories on our website," said publisher Megan Tompkins. "And our classifieds section gets plenty of online traffic. By providing this weekly roundup, readers will be able to stay on top of who's going and coming as well as scope out new opportunities."

Readers can subscribe to the free e-newsletter at bicycleretailer.com/jobs-and-hires-newsletter.

Those who would like to see it before subscribing can check out the web browser version of this week's newsletter.

The e-newsletter also offers new advertising opportunities. Companies interested should contact publisher Tompkins at mtompkins@bicycleretailer.com.

IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — The BPSA/PeopleForBikes E-Bike Summit, held at Shimano North American's offices on Dec. 14, included two panel discussions that are now available as audio podcasts.

The summit attracted more than 100 suppliers, retailers, advocates and media.

"The e-bike panels at the BPSA/PeopleForBikes E-Bike Summit gave us an enlightening snapshot into the minds of the leaders in the e-bike industry," said Morgan Lommele, e-bike coordinator for the BPSA and PeopleForBikes. "Retailers, advocacy and industry panelists gave summit participants a sense of why the industry has taken off so rapidly and top-of-mind issues going forward."

There were two panel topics that are now available as podcasts of about an hour each. They can be downloaded from the Shimano website or obtained via the following podcast apps: soundcloud.com | itunes | play.google | stitcher.com

• E-bike Industry Challenges and Solutions, moderated by Brandee Lepak, chair of the NBDA board and co-owner of Global Bikes in Phoenix, with panelists from Shimano, Bosch, Giant and Specialized.

• Electric Mountain Bikes moderated by SRAM's Randy Neufeld, with panelists from IMBA, Trek, Haibike and Troy Lee Designs.

A slide deck for all the E-Bike Summit presentations is also available. Contact morgan@peopleforbikes.org or ray@bpsa.org to receive a copy.

RANDOLPH, Mass. (BRAIN) — Delta Cycle's new X Mount Pro is a lightweight, durable, low-profile smartphone mount. It attaches under the bike's stem cap, and Delta is offering a free sample unit to stocking dealers.

"The smartphone that everyone keeps in their pockets is really the most powerful bike computer you can own," Delta Cycle's president, Jeff Greenstein, said. "People just aren't taking advantage of these smartphone tools, but the X Mount Pro takes care of that."

Greenstein noted that the newest phones rival cycling computers' battery life, provide GPS, maps and elevation data and can monitor cyclists' heart rate and other vital signs as they cycle. Unfortunately, the company said, many cyclists leave their phones in their pockets because previous phone mounts have been heavy and bulky.

The X Mount Pro is made of forged aluminum. The platform is a composite material and its phone straps are made from a proprietary, weather-resistant silicone. The patent-pending design is black and created to blend in with a bike's aesthetic.

"The mount is designed so riders can see their screens easily, but it also doesn't stick out and ruin the bike's appearance," Greenstein said. "The X Mount Pro goes on the bike's stem cap, so it doesn't take up any real estate on the bike's handlebars or interfere with other things cyclists may have mounted there."

He said the flexible design will fit any make or model bike and any smartphone. The mount retails for $24.99. 

Stocking Delta Cycle dealers can request a free sample at deltacycle.com/xmountsample.

AMSTERDAM (BRAIN) — Enviolo (previously NuVinci Cycling) has expanded the role of Avelino Rivera to include new responsibilities focused on bike share programs globally.

Rivera will be in charge of supporting existing and new bike share customers.

Rivera joined the company in 2005 as an engineering technician and then moved into customer support and finally an account management role. In 2016, he began working with U.S. bike share company Motivate.

"In the 12 years working at Enviolo, I've never seen a better opportunity for enhancing cycling with NuVinci Optimized products than bike share. We bring great advantages to bike share operators including differentiating their offering from the competition and lowering the overall lifecycle cost of bike share models. Bike sharing is definitely good for the whole industry and helps cultivating new cycling enthusiasts for the lifestyle and the sport," Rivera said.

He can be reached at arivera@enviolo.com. 

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — Quality Bicycle Products is warning its customers to be wary of emails purporting to be coming from company owner Steve Flagg and asking for payment.

The company said it recently became aware of the scam and said retailers should not send any funds to the sender of the email and if they have, they should contact their bank immediately. QBP said it has not made any changes to its payment systems.

The company also suggested that retailers visit phishing.org to learn more about phishing scams and how to prevent them.