SAN FRANCISCO (BRAIN) — Strava is increasing its integration with RunSignUp, which provides a race management platform for more than 15,000 events. 

The integration will make it easier for athletes to register for events and to use Strava's social network to share their training and race performance. 

The updates to Strava include Strava Club Integration, allowing races to link athletes directly to the event's Strava Club via the race website, so athletes can virtually train alongside others preparing for the event. RunSignUp events can also appear on Strava's Featured Race calendar and races can access a quick link to their Strava Club and a set of Strava logos that they can use to promote their Strava Club and expand its reach.

Bob Bickel, the founder and CEO of RunSignUp, said, "the initial response to our partnership has been tremendous. Races are gaining exposure and building a connection between their participants in the lead up to the race, creating an experience that is longer than just one day."

"As Strava continues to expand its reach among cyclists, triathletes, and runners, the RunSignUp community has been a great partner," said Strava's VP of business development and strategy, David Lorsch. "Races love being able to give participants the chance to set their goals, track their training, and most importantly share their journey with others."

The new integration features are now live. More information at runsignup.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/expanded-strava-integration.

DURANGO, Colo. (BRAIN) — The Little Red Bike, a rhyming children's book, is popping up on bike shop counters around the country, auther Bob Copeland tells BRAIN.

"The list is growing and doesn’t include, book, coffee, and specialty stores," Copeland said. 

Copeland worked with illustrator Leif Valin on the book about a little red bike that learns a valuable lesson about pride and how a helpful bicycle mechanic can get its two wheels back on the ground.

"Kids, parents, and cyclist will enjoy the flow of words, following the little red bike as it rides around, happily dinging its bell, feeling rad, followed by a sobering wreck, and a sad sounding 'Ding,'" Copeland said.

Copeland and Valin are each bike industry veterans.

The Little Red Bike retails for $9.99 with a dealer margin, and is available dealer direct. Brick and mortar shops get a free counter top display that holds 10-40 books.

If you are interested in selling The Little Red Bike, contact Copeland at thelittleredbike@gmail.com or call 720-339-1276. For more information and to see the current list of shops selling The Little Red Bike, visit www.thelittleredbike.com.

GUNNISON, Colo. (BRAIN) — Western State Colorado University will offer an Outdoor Industry MBA starting with the 2018-19 academic year. The school believes the program is the first of its kind in the U.S.

The two-year online program includes an MBA core as well as specific tracks for either the product or service side of the outdoor-recreation economy. The program also includes residencies, immersion experiences and guest lectures from outdoor industry experts.

"The Outdoor Industry MBA at Western will give graduate students the tools and connections necessary to make forward-thinking change within this fast-growing industry," said program director Pete Sherman. "We have a unique approach to class scheduling where we offer the industry-specific courses first. This way, students can apply content from class immediately to the workplace."

The school said Ideal candidates have a bachelor's degree, professional experience in the industry and the desire to take their career to the next level. 

Classes begin Sept. 24, pending accreditation approval. More information at western.edu/outdoor-industry-mba.

SANTA FE, N.M. (BRAIN) — Outside magazine is taking applications from employers who'd like to be included on the magazine's Best Places to Work list.

The magazine works with the Best Companies Group to pull together the list.

"Every year, we hear from employers that this is a key recruiting tool and from employees that they use this list to find the best jobs," said Outside articles editor Jonah Ogles.

Previous lists have included companies in marketing, construction, education, manufacturing, and health and wellness industries. Nuun and Backbone Media, two companies active in the bike industry, were included in last year's list of the top 100. 

The deadline to apply is June 15. The application is at outsideonline.com/2304201/apply-now-our-2018-best-places-work.

FRUITA, Colo. (BRAIN) — The Hot Tomato Café, the bike industry’s favorite pizza place in Fruita, won a $5,000 prize at The Wright, a Colorado outdoor entrepreneurship summit held last week. The restaurant beat out some other outdoor industry brands from the Rocky Mountain region, including Yeti Cycles and Green Guru Gear.

The Hot Tomato is owned by former pro mountain bike racer Jen Zeuner, who also has developed a small-business incubator in Fruita. 

Twelve contenders for The Wright award were selected from more than 125 peer-based nominations of innovative companies from five states in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Wright award was started in 2010 by Denver-based Something Independent. Previous winners of the award include Yeti, wool clothing brand Voormi, and Oskar Blues, a craft brewer and owner of the Reeb mountain bike brand.

The Hot Tomato's video award entry is on Facebook.

LONG BEACH, Calif. (BRAIN) – At the Amgen Tour of California this week, the Rally Cycling team is riding six custom-designed, hand-painted Diamondback Podium bikes, each inspired by a child who has received a grant from the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation. The bikes, donated by Rally Cycling, are being auctioned online during the tour, with all proceeds benefiting UHCCF.

Each custom-artwork bike, which represents UHCCF and its dedication to helping children and families, can be viewed and is available for bidding online beginning Monday. The auction ends Saturday, May 19, and is at rallyte.am/InspiredBikes3. The goal is to raise more than $75,000.

"These beautifully designed bikes are truly inspiring and represent the important work of the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation to help children access medical care to improve their health," said UHCCF's president, Matt Peterson. "We are honored to partner with Rally Cycling to raise greater awareness about our child medical grant program so more families apply and receive grants."

Six members of the Rally Cycling team will ride these professional-level bikes throughout the Amgen Tour of California, and will showcase them prior to the start of the tour and along the route in the various host cities. The bikes, riders and six children represented are:

• Gladiator: ridden by Brandon McNulty for Lucas, 10, Mechanicsville, Massachusetts
• Classic Cruiser: ridden by Evan Huffman for Anna, 8, Spanish Fork, Utah
• Great Outdoors: ridden by Erica Allar for Kate, 9, Spanish Fork, Utah
• WW2: ridden by Adam de Vos for Juliet, 10, Seekonk, Massachusetts
• Gymnastics: ridden by Sara Bergen for Madison, 7, Conneaut, Ohio
• Hip-Hop: ridden by Robin Carpenter for Tatiana, 10, Las Vegas, Nevada

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Interbike has announced two new keynote speakers for the IBD Summit at this year's Interbike.

Doug Stephens, considered one of the world's foremost retail industry futurists, and David Mead, a lead presenter with Simon Sinek's Start With Why organization, will be joining John Venhuizen, the CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation, as part of the series each morning of the expo. Interbike said the new retail education track at the show brings the same type of high-level speakers that appeared at the IBD Summit when it was held separately in January. 

Stephens is the founder and president of Retail Prophet. He will draw on research from his latest book in a session titled, "Reengineering Retail: The Future of Selling in a Post-Digital World." This session will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m.

Mead, a specialist in organizational culture and leadership, will be delivering two sessions at the IBD Summit at Interbike. On Wednesday afternoon, he will open with discussion surrounding Simon Sinek's best-selling book, Start With Why, explaining how great leaders inspire through the way they think, act and communicate.

In the week's final keynote, "Leaders Eat Last," Mead will offer a follow-up perspective, based in biology, which supports our natural desire as humans to collaborate. This presentation will be the morning of Thursday, Sept. 20.

"These keynote speakers at the IBD Summit at Interbike bring a valuable message that retailers will be able learn and benefit from," said Justin Gottlieb, Interbike's interim show director. "Doug's knowledge as one of the world's leading experts on all aspects of retail and David's ability to convey a meaningful and practical message around leadership and purpose, will ensure that the take-aways from these keynotes will be invaluable for all attendees."

Ace Hardware's Venhuizen will be delivering a keynote entitled, "The Battle for Relevance: How Brick and Mortar Businesses Can Win the Battle for Relevance and Consumer Preference." The presentation is on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 18. He will share how Ace's 5,000-plus independent store owners compete and win against some of the biggest, best and well-funded companies on the planet.

More information on these sessions including the education schedule to-date can be found on the Interbike website.

Interbike Marketweek will take place in the Reno-Tahoe region beginning with the Northstar Free-Ride Festival in North Lake Tahoe, California, Sept. 14-16 (with bike demos taking place on Sept. 15-16). OutDoor Demo will run from Sept. 16-17 for members of the trade, followed by the Interbike Expo in Reno, Nevada, on Sept. 18-20.

COTATI, Calif. (BRAIN) — Yuba Bikes is expanding its distribution throughout France and Europe with the establishment of a new distribution center, Cargo Bike Distribution SAS, located near Annecy, France.

Yuba has been growing sales and presence throughout France to the point where expansion was the next logical step, in order to continue to provide the best service to their dealers and consumers, the company said. Harald Marzolf, a long time player in the French outdoor industry, will be managing operations, sales and marketing for Yuba in France. Previously, Marzolf oversaw the watersports company NeilPryde.

Yuba will be working with Cyclable, Yuba's main dealer, importer and reseller in France to serve the French market.

"The demand for Yuba Bikes is strong in France," said Benjamin Sarrazin, the founder of Yuba. "The French market loves the Yuba brand because of the combination of utility, ease of use and West Coast style."

DETROIT (BRAIN) — On the anniversary of its MoGo bike share program, Detroit is rolling out a pilot program with a variety of adaptive cycles for riders of all abilities. It's one of the first major cities to offer an adaptive cycle share program.

"MoGo is designed to serve a wide range of people and needs, and the addition of adaptive bikes to our fleet reflects our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility," said Lisa Nuszkowski, the founder and executive director of MoGo. "We're proud to make MoGo available to people of all abilities, as well as expand mobility options for people in Detroit."

MoGo has purchased 13 cycles for the program, including upright cargo tricycles, recumbent tricycles, an in-line recumbent tandem, two hand tricycles, three two-wheeled tandems, one side-by-side recumbent tandem and one front loading trailer.

Instead of checking out adaptive cycles at a MoGo station, the adaptive cycles will be available at Wheelhouse Detroit, which has partnered with MoGo on this pilot program. Wheelhouse will maintain and service all adaptive MoGo cycles. 
Wheelhouse Detroit is a woman-owned full-service bicycle shop that offers retail, service, rentals and tours. Its first location, in Downtown's Rivertown District, was established in 2008 with the goal of enabling "everyone to experience the Motor City on two wheels."Its second location opened in Hamtramck in 2016.

MoGo also has partnered with Programs to Educate All Cyclists, a local nonprofit, whose goal is to empower individuals with disabilities through cycling, active transportation and self-advocacy education. PEAC will assist with training and promoting Adaptive MoGo.

Adaptive MoGo cycles will be available from May 15 to Oct. 318 at Wheelhouse Detroit's RiverWalk location. Riders are strongly encouraged to reserve a cycle in advance. More information at www.mogodetroit.org/adaptive-mogo.

MoGo also announced that in celebration of its anniversary, it will offer free rides all day on Wednesday, May 23. The normal $8 fee for a Daily Pass will be waived and charges will only apply for any individual trip that exceeds 30 minutes. mogodetroit.org.

CEDAR PARK, Texas (BRAIN) — Enviolo, a division of Fallbrook Technologies previously known as NuVinci, has started production on new drivetrain groups using its continuously variable internal gearing system.

Fallbrook filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, but Enviolo continues to operate as usual. 

The brand's 2018 model year portfolio includes five groupsets each including a NuVinci Optimized controller and a transmission.

"With the NuVinci Optimized products, we enhance the riding experience and offer manufacturers the opportunity of differentiating their models," said Richard Hilgart, the product manager at Enviolo. "Given the growth of new segments such as urban lifestyle and e-cargo bikes or the outstanding progress of commercial and B2B fleets, it was evident to us that it is essential to create product lines with unique features focused on those applications. The MY2019 groupsets are a result of analyzing these trends and optimizing the products to fit rider requirements."

The portfolio includes a city group, a trekking group, a sportive group, and commercial and cargo groupsets.

"We are confident the new use-case approach will offer riders the optimal ride performance, while further establishing the brand Enviolo, and growing a successful business. In 2017, we had incredible revenue growth of 44 pecent over 2016, and early indications of Q1 results in 2018 already confirm this positive trend," said Billy van den Ende, the sales director at enviolo. Samples of the new groupsets have already been delivered, to allow manufacturers to display their new MY19 models at shows this summer. Current MY2018 products will remain available for warranty replacements only. 

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — Organizers of the Eurobike trade show — which moves to new dates in early July this year — said the show is sold out of exhibit space. The list of exhibitors includes about 100 brands that are either new to the show or who are returning after an absence.

"In terms of exhibitor numbers for the Eurobike, we are back in the range of last year's record 1,400 exhibitors," said Dirk Heidrich, Messe Friedrichshafen project leader for the show.

The show noted that Kona is returning as an exhibitor and will show off its new e-MTB line. Swiss startup BETA, founded last year, is another new exhibitor and will show off its high-end carbon road and mountain bike frames.

Most new Eurobike exhibitors come from Germany, followed by Taiwan, the United States and France, the show said.

Eurobike's director, Stefan Reisinger, said, "The bicycle market is changing very dynamically. On the one hand, the e-bike boom is generating record revenues for many market players, but also considerable shifts in market structures. With the changed concept for the show and a clear focus on trade visitors and e-mobility topics, we are addressing these changes in the bike and e-bike market. The strong positive reception from established as well as new market players shows us that we are on the right track with this concept." 

The show is July 8-10. Admission is limited to trade visitors and accredited journalists. 

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Giant Manufacturing's first-quarter earnings report offers a look at how the e-bike market is changing the look of the bicycle industry.

Premium e-bike sales drove Giant's growth in the first quarter, accounting for more than 30 percent of its quarterly revenue.

The uptick in e-bike orders led to a 3.2 percent increase in revenue to $466.5 million compared with last year's first quarter.

However, on the downside, net income before taxes slumped 17 percent to $19.3 million.

Adding to the company's financial burden were new Taiwanese tax rates that took a bite out of the company's net after-tax income — down 50 percent when compared year-over-year.

According to Giant, Taiwan's tax rates for corporations increased from 17 percent to 20 percent, clipping net after-tax income by an additional $4.9 million.

"If (we) exclude the income tax effect, first-quarter net income after taxes would have declined (only) 22 percent," a release stated.

However, Giant cited multiple factors that contributed to its overall weakness in the first quarter: an unfavorable exchange rate with China's renminbi (RMB), a squeeze on OEM margins, continued softness in China's domestic market, as well as the hit it took from the new tax rates.

In addition, first-quarter sales in the U.S. and Japan were weak thanks to a prolonged spate of poor weather. While Giant noted the continued weakness in the Chinese market, it did point out that premium carbon fiber product sales were up.

Despite a soft first quarter, Giant said the company continues to benefit from double-digit growth in e-bike sales. And the company remains bullish on e-bike and performance bike sales in Europe and North America, Giant stated.

LOVELAND, Colo. (BRAIN) — Push Industries is expanding its dealer network and international distributor base as the suspension manufacturer continues to shift from selling exclusively consumer direct to a greater B2B presence.

"As we transition from a service provider to a true hardgoods manufacturer, we realize the need for partners who can, with the same level of precision, function as extensions of the Push brand," president and founder Darren Murphy said.

To lead the sales channel shift, Push has brought aboard Mike LaHaie as director of sales and business development. An avid mountain biker, LaHaie has a background in the financial industry. He was most recently an independent sales representative for Elevation Sports & Marketing in Denver.

"Joining the cycling industry is an amazing opportunity to combine my skills and my passion," LaHaie said. "The opportunity to apply my expertise and experience in the cycling world — and for a tremendous brand like Push, no less — sends me off to work each day with a huge smile on my face."

Push and LaHaie recently launched the Push Partner Program, a B2B website offering retailers support both in-house and in cooperation with the company's external sales reps. Push's current product range includes a line of suspension tools and components, like the ElevenSix rear shock and ACS3 fork coil kit. Interested dealers and distributors can reach LaHaie at mike@pushindustries.com.

BOSTON (BRAIN) — Cat Bartash, the buyer at Ace Wheelworks in Boston, will be among the speakers at the fifth annual Aligned Conference in October. The conference, organized by Promoboxx, is intended to "bring together brand marketers, sales representatives, and independent retailers to develop retail marketing strategies that increase foot traffic, local sales, and measurable business impact."

This year's theme is "It Takes a Community - Aligning Brands, Reps, & Retailers to Support Local Retail." Aligned will have three attendee tracks with some overlapping keynote sessions and events. 

The keynote speakers will include Jim Koch, the founder of The Boston Beer Company and brewer of Samuel Adams; Chris Davis, VP of global marketing at New Balance; and Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, the founder of Retail Minded and a Small Business Saturday spokesperson.

Participants in the sessions will include representatives from Specialized, OluKai, Hill's Pet, HubSpot, The North Face, Lonestar e-Bikes, and Denali. 

Ace Wheelworks' Bartash will speak at a session called "Demo Daze: Making an Impression In-Store."

The conference is Oct. 3-5 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Aligned is expecting 500 attendees for three days of 50 sessions, four industry keynotes, and networking.

More information and registration is at alignedcon.com.

OREFIELD, Pa. (BRAIN) — Olympic cyclist Marty Nothstein won Tuesday's Republican primary for Pennsylvania's 7th U.S. House district. Nothstein beat Dean Browning for the nomination with 16,004 votes, or 50.5 percent. He will face Democrat Susan Wild in the general election. Wild beat five other Democrats and took 15,001 votes. 

Nothstein, 47, is a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist on the track who went on to race as a pro on the domestic road circuit. He has been active in politics since 2015, when he won a seat on the Board of Commissioners of Lehigh County. He is now chairman of that board. He is chairman of the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, a velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.

He announced last fall that he would run in the GOP primary in the state’s 15th Congressional District, but following the release of a new district map the state Supreme Court imposed in February, he found himself a resident in the newly drawn 7th District, and he quickly registered to run in that district. 

A video of Nothstein's victory speech is on the website of the local newspaper The Morning Call. 

DENVER (BRAIN) — JackRabbit, which operates 60 athletic specialty stores and several e-commerce sites, has acquired Clever Training, a multisport e-commerce retailer. JackRabbit's parent is the private investment firm CriticalPoint Capital. 

CleverTraining, based in Seminole, Florida, was founded in 2002 and has expanded from servicing triathletes to offering products for fitness enthusiasts across multiple sports and activities. It has a retail location near Clearwater, Florida, in addition to its e-commerce site, clevertraining.com.

"Clever Training is a perfect addition to our company to further our commitment to offering the most complete product offerings and experiences to the active lifestyle enthusiasts," said Bill Kirkendall, the CEO of Denver-based JackRabbit.

"I look forward to working together with the Clever Training management team who collectively have 40-plus years of e-commerce experience and a passion for active living. A united Clever Training and JackRabbit company will best serve existing and future consumers dedicated to fitness and overall well-being."

Clever Training will continue to operate under the current executive management team of Andrew McSwain, Bill Gustin, Jarod Harper and Matt Seymour from its Seminole, Florida, corporate headquarters.

"The Clever Training management team has thoroughly impressed us with their ability to reach and inspire their dedicated customer base. This acquisition is the latest milestone for the JackRabbit family that has included the rebranding of our store portfolio, acquisitions of two new flagship stores, the launch of Rogue Training and a rapid expansion of our e-commerce capabilities through this acquisition. We remain interested in further e-commerce and retail store acquisition opportunities," CPC partner Brad Holtmeier said.

Founded in 2012, CriticalPoint Capital is a private investment firm based in Manhattan Beach, California. It acquired JackRabbit from The Finish Line Inc. in March 2017. 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BRAIN) — Cane Creek Cycling Components has named Eric Smith as its new director of supply chain. The newly created position is a promotion for Smith, who has been with Cane Creek for 10 years, most recently serving as sourcing manager.

Before working for Cane Creek, Smith spent nine years as the service manager in a bike shop followed by more than five years with Hawley Company, first in customer service and then in purchasing.

"Cane Creek is my home and being able to lead a new department is amazing," said Smith. "I look forward to taking what I've learned in the sourcing role and applying it more strategically and at a higher level to our supply chain. I have a strong team to work with and am excited for the challenge ahead."

In his new role, Smith will report directly to the company's president and CEO, Brent Graves, and is responsible for leading the strategic sourcing, purchasing and project management functions of Cane Creek.

"While our entire team has done a great job embracing the challenge of reigniting the flame at Cane Creek over the last two years, Eric has impressed with continuously taking on greater responsibility and knocking it out of the park," said Graves. "The course we are on is exciting, and I look forward to seeing Eric and his team provide even more impetus behind our efforts."

LOS ANGELES (BRAIN) — Amgen is extending its sponsorship of the Tour of California, which has already continued for more than a decade. AEG, the owner and operator of the race, said Amgen will retain naming rights and other exclusive sponsorship benefits for the race.

A representative said the companies are not specifying the length of the extension, beyond saying it is a multiyear agreement. 

This year's race began Sunday and concludes this Saturday, May 19, in front of the California State Capitol building in Sacramento. Team Sky's Egan Bernal was leading the race following Tuesday's stage 3. 

"We are incredibly proud of the relationship we have built with Amgen over the last twelve years," said Nick Baker, chief operating officer of AEG Global Partnerships. "Amgen is a partner who has shared our vision for the race since day one. We've been honored to develop the tour with them into an event that is so much more than cycling. Throughout our relationship, we've collaborated with Amgen on initiatives like Breakaway From Cancer to support patients and families dealing with cancer — programs that mean so much to surrounding communities and AEG."

As a part of the renewal, AEG and Amgen are collaborating on an elementary school program for participating California schools. The program, "Be Safe! Be Active! Be Smart!" is aimed at helping children lead a healthy lifestyle while learning about bike safety.

SALEM, Ore. (BRAIN) — The Oregon Department of Revenue has collected $34,065 from bike retailers for the state's $15 bike tax, which went into effect Jan. 1.

The figure equates to taxes collected on the sale of 2,271 bikes, a fraction of the number of bikes sold in a state of 4.1 million. Lawmakers predicted the tax would bring in $1.2 million in its first year. A lag in reporting and paying the new tax likely explains the difference. 

The figure is for all the state's bike tax receipts from January through April, said the department's Colleen Chrisinger. The tax requires retailers to make reports and payments quarterly, so the first payments only began arriving in April.

"Given the due dates, these receipts would likely be for tax liability associated with the period January through March, but we always want to emphasize that there can be differences between amounts and timing of taxes paid compared to taxes owed. Receipts are simply payments the department has received," Chrisinger said.

Oregon is the only state with a bike sales tax. The June 15 issue of BRAIN will contain an article with more details on the Oregon bike tax, as well as a look at the $4-per-bike tax that has been levied in Colorado Springs, Colorado, since 1988. 

Previous articles

• Oregon legislature expands bike tax to all wheel sizes, and e-bikes— March 5, 2018
• Oregon retailers are (hopefully) collecting the new bike tax — Jan. 4, 2018
• Santa Cruz's Oregon Trail Tax riffs on state's new bike tax — Sept. 7, 2017
• Inspired by Oregon, Colorado lawmaker proposes bike tax — July 19, 2017
• Oregon legislature passes $15 bike tax — July 7, 2017