WRAYSBURY, U.K. (BRAIN) — ShredMate, a bike computer that tracks mountain bikers' jump air time and g-forces, among other factors, has shipped all orders to its Kickstarter backers and is now available for purchase. The company said the Shredmate is the first bike computer designed specifically for mountain bikers.

ShredMate includes a small motion sensor that attaches to the bike's fork and connects wirelessly to a smartphone via Bluetooth. The ShredMate app measures jump air time and landing g-force. It also detects peak g-forces in corners, g-outs and even crashes. The app displays jumps and peak g-force events on a map. 

ShredMate also detects when a rider is going down a rough trail and allows riders to view detailed telemetry for those sections.

The developers behind the project had designed, built and manufactured PoolMate lap-counting swimming watches for the last 9 years. They raised about $16,000 on Kickstarter last year for the ShredMate project.

ShredMate retails for $94. The company is selling through bike shops and consumer direct. More information: shredmate.co.uk.

SAUSALITO, Calif. (BRAIN) — True Communications has expanded its communications offerings to include content creation with the hiring of Matthew Ankeny as senior content director. Ankeney was most recently with Gear Patrol. True also announced it had promoted Peter Nicholson to vice president.

Mark Riedy, the founder and CEO of True, said, "We offer a complete suite of services for our clients, and have identified content as a rapidly growing area where businesses can benefit from our expertise. Through content creation, social media strategy and management, and media relations, we're able to fulfill client communications needs from concept to circulation."

Ankeny has experience in creating print, online and social copy, images and videos. "Matt's expertise in professional-grade content creation allows us to offer clients the absolute best creative execution, with a strong network of both agency and editorial talent," Riedy said.

Nicholson has been with True since 2010 and has assisted with and led a wide range of key accounts. "Peter has been integral to True's success, and expanding his agency responsibilities will allow us to deliver the outstanding results our clients expect as we continue to grow," Riedy said.

ORLANDO, Fla. (BRAIN) — Recumbent trike manufacturer Catrike recently expanded its Orlando facility with the addition of a new wheel assembly line.

"We are constantly working to improve our production systems and processes," Catrike general manager Mark Egeland. "The new wheel assembly line is an important part of meeting increased production demands, balancing workflows, optimizing production and assuring the best quality possible."

Consisting of a Holland Mechanics Wheel Line, the wheel building assembly line features intelligent lacing with automatic changeover along with a tightening and truing robot with integrated de-winding and stabilization.

The addition of the Holland Mechanics Wheel Line is aimed at helping Catrike achieve growth targets. Revenue rose 23 percent last year, Catrike stated, and the company was named to Inc. Magazine's annual list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies for a second consecutive year. Catrike also expanded during its 2017 fiscal year with new sales offices and staff at the Orlando facility.

Catrike recumbent trikes are sold exclusively through IBDs, with a network of more than 200 dealers worldwide.

DENVER (BRAIN) — Gates Industrial Corporation, maker of the Gates Carbon Drive belt system, has created several new positions within its bicycle division to meet growing customer demand in electric mobility and share/fleet bikes.

“While the bicycle industry as a whole is experiencing soft growth, we continue to grow our product line to meet the needs of consumers and manufacturers in all of our main bicycle market segments: electric bikes, share bikes, pedal bikes and stationary fitness bikes,” said Todd Sellden, the global director of Gates Carbon Drive.

“In light of this fact, we have strategically realigned our business development strategy to more effectively target and serve each of these industry segments.”

For the e-bike market, Gates has hired industry veteran Zach Krapfl to fill the new position of global e-mobility market development manager. Krapfl will oversee initiatives to collaborate with all the leading and emerging electric drive systems, working with product managers to implement best practices for e-bike design, as well offering complete bike prototyping and technical design guidance. Krapfl’s bike industry resume includes stints with Schwinn, GT and Cannondale, where he helped initiate Cannondale’s electric vehicle initiative. In recent years he has worked as a consultant for Bosch, Felt and other brands.

“Adding Zach to the Carbon Drive team helps us move into a leadership position in the e-mobility category,” Sellden said. “He is well known and well respected and has been involved in electric motor and battery integration in the bike industry for more than a decade.”

Krapfl added, “We are working feverishly to keep up with the latest propulsion advances from Bosch, Shimano, Yamaha, Panasonic, Brose and other promising electric drive systems coming to market. We work hand-in-hand with e-bike manufacturers from start to finish, from engineering and design to factory assembly, to ensure that Gates remains the premium drive solution for electric mobility.”

To support its growth in the bike share market, Gates has hired veteran engineer Cathy Wilson as a market development manager to oversee share bike development, best practices and sales. Wilson previously worked in the Gates belt plant in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and she was instrumental in developing the Gates Carbon Drive 11- millimeter pitch bicycle belts.

“Creating this new position for Cathy Wilson will enable us to achieve even greater market penetration in the share bike space,” Sellden said. Gates Carbon Drive belts are currently used on share bikes deployed in Asia, North America and Europe. 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BRAIN) — Industry Nine is offering four wheelsets in its new Torch Road Alloy product line. The TRA wheels offer features, including custom color options, previously available only on the brand's Torch Mountain wheels.

"Ideal scenarios for the TRA line-up would be in the CX start grid, fast moving, light-duty off-road explorations, or hammering out long days on Forest Service roads," the company said.

All TRA wheelsets have a 24-hole 2:1 spoke lacing pattern to equalize spoke tension. The spokes are Industry Nine aluminum and the hubs are made in USA with Center Lock rotor mounting and most popular axle and driver/cassette body options.

The standard color is with all black hubs and spokes. Custom colors include Silver, Blue, Red, Gold, Orange, Pink, Purple, Turquoise, Lime, or Green hubs and spokes for an upcharge. Enduro XD-15 Hybrid Ceramic bearings are also available for an upcharge.

Wheel models in the TRA line include the top-end ULCX240 Carbon TRA, which combines a Reynolds UL240 carbon rim with Industry Nine hubs and spokes. The wheels weight 1,325 grams and retail for $2,300.

The next model is the ULCX235 TRA in 700c or 650b. The wheels include the UL235 rim, which has a 23.5 millimeter internal width. It retails for $1225 in either diameter.

The TRA line is rounded out by the AR25 TRA wheelset, with a rim with a 21.5mm internal width, designed for tires from 25-50mm. It retails for $1,225.

More information: industrynine.com/systemwheels. 

AUSTIN, Texas (BRAIN) — In preparation for a panel discussion at Interbike, the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association is surveying bike shop owners and managers about the pay and benefits they offer their technical staff. 

"This survey is meant to help us gather data to further the conversation," said James Stanfill, PBMA's president.

The survey is at surveymonkey.com/r/PBMAComp. The survey will be open until July 15. 

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Pocket Outdoor Media, the owner of Triathlete magazine, announced Wednesday that the magazine will be the official race program sponsor of the Ironman North American Series for the 2018 race season. The magazine will produce the official race programs for the 14 Ironman races in North America, including the 40th anniversary Ironman Championship race to be held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on Oct. 13.

"Triathlete and Ironman have grown up together," said Erin Beresini, Triathlete's editor-in-chief. "We're honored to share our 35th anniversary year with the 40th anniversary of the Ironman World Championship and celebrate these two historic triathlon brands."

Triathlete magazine's editorial staff will write, design, produce, and deliver the race programs in print and digital magazine format. Triathlete will produce at least 10,000 copies of the Ironman World Championship Official Race Program and will produce event-specific programs for all 14 races in the series. Each program will feature event-specific content, a complete schedule of events, list of qualifying races, Ironman Village schedules, event site maps, spectator guides, course maps for each leg of the race, profiles of male and female professional triathletes, spotlights on the host city, and information on TriClub, Ironkids and the Ironman Foundation. The series event at Quebec's Mont-Tremblant will feature English and French editions totaling over 11,000 copies.

Triathlete will serve as the exclusive advertising sales partner for all programs and will be soliciting participation from the triathlon and endurance sports industries. For details and pricing contact Rob Wood, Pocket Outdoor's Chief Revenue Officer, at rwood@pocketoutdoormedia.com or call 303-245-2102.

BOULDER, Colo. — Camber Outdoors has announced seven June events in its 2018 Camber Exchange series.

Hosted by Camber Outdoors partner companies, Camber Exchanges connect people who share interests, career objectives, and passion for the outdoors. They gather like-minded individuals to spark ideas, learn from leaders in the active-outdoor industries, and participate in Camber Outdoors' growing community. 

"Year over year we have continued to build the Camber Exchange program to elevate the vision of Everyone's Outdoors through community engagement," said Deanne Buck, the executive director of Camber Outdoors. "Through Camber Exchanges, we are able to give leaders at our partner companies a platform for why and how they're prioritizing women's leadership as a business imperative."

June 2018 Camber Exchange series schedule:

• June 26: Burlington, Vt. Host company: Burton. Speaker: Ai Kenney, vice president of global strategy and insights at Burton
• June 26: San Francisco, Calif. Host company: Marmot. Speakers: Kristin Sjoholm, director of global supply chain at Marmot/ExOfficio; Deanna Flemming, director of global sales at Marmot/ExOfficio; and Jessica Poppell, category manager of women's outerwear at Marmot/ExOfficio
• June 27: Salt Lake City, Utah. Host company: ROTOR Bike Components. Speaker: Lori Barrett, vice president of sales and business development at ROTOR Bike Components
• June 28: Kent, Wash. Host company: REI Co-op. Speakers: Raquel Karls, senior vice president of human resources at REI Co-op, and Wilma Wallace, vice president of general counsel at REI Co-op
• June 28: Portland, Ore. Host company: KEEN. Speaker: Christy Saito, vice president of global product merchandising at KEEN
• June 28: Washington, D.C. Host company: REI Co-op. Speaker: Rebecca Smith, general manager of REI Co-op Washington, D.C.
• June 28: Boulder, Colo. Host company: PeopleForBikes. Speakers: Beth Jensen, senior director of sustainable business innovation at Outdoor Industry Association; additional speakers announced soon. This event is in collaboration with PeopleForBikes DRAFT Meetup. 

The events are sponsored by CamelBak, Bell, Giro, and Bollé. The 2018 Camber Outdoors series includes 25 Camber Exchanges across the continental U.S. and Canada. All proceeds from Camber Exchanges support connecting African American people with nature to change the face of leadership in the outdoors through a partnership with Outdoor Afro.

Additional information and registration can be found on the Camber Outdoors Events webpage.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Matt Powell, the vice president and senior industry adviser for sports at The NPD Group, will present the latest retail and consumer shopping trends in the cycling industry at an Interbike session on Sept. 19.

Powell is a recognized expert on the sports, outdoor and recreation marketplace. He plans to provide an in-depth look at current market trends and dynamics, the social forces that are driving those trends and the knowledge of who is walking into retail stores today and what is driving them there.

"Matt presented a similar session for attendees at one of our sister shows earlier this year, and the room was jam-packed," said Justin Gottlieb, Interbike's interim show director. "When you combine the powerful trends information that Powell will share, with a session from one of the leading retail industry futurists (Doug Stephens), these back-to-back presentations alone will give retailers some incredible information to digest and act upon."

Powell's session, "Shopping Trends of the Cycling Consumer," will take place at the Interbike Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. Stephens' session, "Re-engineering Retail: The Future of Selling in a Post Digital World," will start at 9 a.m.

Powell said, "Retail is going through seismic changes, and much of that change is being driven by generational forces. It is critical that brands and retailers understand these forces and how they are changing the game. This will be a session Interbike attendees won't want to miss."

More information on this session, including the entire education schedule to date, can be found on the Interbike website.

Related:

• Opinion: Retail should be omnipresent, not omnichannel, by Matt Powell. 
• Retail industry futurists and Ace Hardware's CEO to give morning addresses at Interbike's IBD Summit

OBERWANGEN, Switzerland (BRAIN) — Stromer said its new top model, the ST5, offers new integrated features, class-leading power and exceptional battery life.

The ST5 has virtually no visible cables for a clean look — even the handlebar area appears completely cable-free. The headlight and rear light are integrated into the design and the battery is housed in the downtube. The rear wheel motor is also largely hidden by the 11-speed cassette.

A touch display containing the speedometer and controls is fused into the top tube. The battery can be ejected with the press of a finger. The bike has an electonic locking feature that is activated by Bluetooth, so that it is locked as soon as the owner moves a few meters away from the bike. Stromer's OMNI app for mobile phones provides performance data and various functions such as fine-tuning of the motor, anti-theft protection, and GPS positioning.

Stromer's "SYNO Sport" motor provides 650 watts and 48 Newton meters of torque. The battery provides 983 watt-hours and enables ranges of up to 110 miles and a speed of up to 28 mph. At the highest level of motor support, its range is 40 miles.

The bike has four-piston disc brake calipers developed specifically for Stromer. The new Cycl-e tires from Pirelli also are exclusive for the  ST5. Recommended retail price is $9,999.

More informatio at www.stromerbike.com. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BRAIN) —Registration is now open for exhibitors/builders for next year's North American Handmade Bicycle Show, which will held at the Sacramento Convention Center from March 15-17, 2019.

From now through June 20, exhibitors that register will receive early-bird pricing. Regular pricing goes into effect June 21.

This will be the third time in the show's history it has been held in Sacramento.

Sacramento has always been a strong location for the show, said Don Walker, the founder of NAHBS.

"There is an amazing cycling culture in Sacramento and Northern California. Attendee turnout has been very solid in past years. The weather is usually great in March, and we have established partnerships with cycling groups and organizations in the area. We also plan to launch some new partnerships and initiatives — which will be announced in the coming months — that will bring all of our exhibitors more exposure and value," Walker said.

More information: NAHBS registration page. 

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BRAIN) — RedMonkey Sports has acquired Zevlin, a bar tape company, adding road and gravel bar tape to its product offerings.

Zevlin, is a Dallas-based company owned and operated by brothers Drew and Brad Hagestad, launched at Interbike in 2012.

"RedMonkey Sports has been looking to enter the road and gravel bike segment of the market for a while now. Given the various products we currently have in development, we felt the acquisition of Zevlin would fit well with our current product offerings and align with our new product road map. We look forward to continuing the development of this product line and integrating our production methodology to further enhance and improve marketwide inline bar tape offerings," said RedMonkey owner Michael Nasco.

RedMonkey Sports, Inc. is a Southern California-based bicycle accessories company whose current product line includes silicone mountain bike grips and tire sealant.

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (BRAIN) — Club Ride Apparel will be distributed in Australia by Vivelo ltd., a distributor based in Queensland.

The clothing brand said Vivelo will carry a large seasonally relevant assortment of Club Ride products beginning next month.

"Vivelo is an established bike accessory and component distributor that will foster and grow our independent retailer business in this part of the world," said Mike Herlinger, the CEO of Club Ride Apparel. "This relationship not only enables our dealers to better manage their inventory, but also establishes a new level of brand marketing and product availability."

Dave Stallan, the president of Vivelo, said, "I see Club Ride as both the pioneer and leader in the performance lifestyle bicycle clothing category.

"This partnership fills a growing and needed clothing category in our role as a distributor for the network of independent bike shops that we service. In addition, this relationship provides Club Ride's current Australian retailers will have the ability to quickly order a broader range of SKUs, to maintain a strong brand presence in their stores."

TRYSIL, Norway (BRAIN) — Swix Sport Group has changed its name to BRAV. Ferd, which bought Swix in 1978, remains the group's parent. The new name will not be consumer-facing, but will serve internally to unite the company's several brands, officials said.

The company has sales of over 1 billion Norwegian kroner ($126 million) and is best known for its nordic ski products; it owns the brands Swix, Lundhags, Toko, Ulvang, Helsport, Hard Rocx, Skisporet and Original.

Hard Rocx is a Norwegian bike brand that Swix bought in 2015; the company continues to market Hard Rocx in Norway and offers bikes and some bike accessories under the Swix brand in other markets. At the Outdoor Retailer/SIA Snow Show in Denver this year, Swix showed mountain, road and gravel bikes as well as bike lubes and cleaners under the Swix brand.

The company does about half its sales in Norway and the rest outside the country.

"This is our natural next step," said Brav's CEO, Tomas Holmestad. "We now have a diverse portfolio of brands — all deeply rooted in our Scandinavian heritage in the outdoors — and it made sense that the group name shouldn't be the same as one of our brands."

"Swix and the other brands will remain unchanged and continue to grow and inspire our customers around the world," said Holmestad. "The new group name Brav won't be consumer-facing, but will align our brands with common values and goals — and unite us across all operations."

Steve Poulin, Swix USA CEO and naming committee member, said, "Swix is part of a strong, growing group of brands, and the U.S. market is rife with potential to bring other brands here in the coming years — exciting consumers with exceptional products they haven't seen before."

More than 300 employees worldwide participated in the renaming process, and a dedicated group was formed to process all suggestions and input. "We received more than 100 name suggestions, resulting in Brav," said Poulin. 

DALLAS (BRAIN) — Playtri Franchising LLC, a Dallas-based retailer and franchiser, has acquired Endurance House International LLC, a Madison, Wisconsin-based franchiser. 

Playtri was launched as a coaching company in 2000 and later opened five stores in the Dallas area. It announced in January 2017 that it was selling franchises; the first franchise opened in May last year in North Fort Worth; there are now seven locations in total.

Endurance House was founded in 2006 and began franchising in 2012. Today Endurance House operates 12 stores in nine states with another location opening soon. Two of its franchise locations closed this spring, one in Florida and one in Southern California. Endurance House founders Jamie and Tara Osborn will remain with the Playtri leadership team. 

Playtri said the acquisition "will combine two powerhouses in the world of triathlon retailing into the largest chain of triathlon-focused retail locations in the nation, with 18 locations in nine states."

Playtri 's founders are the husband and wife team of Ahmed Zaher and Staci Brode. Zaher is a former member of the Egyptian Olympic swim team and 8-time Hawaii Ironman finisher. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Zaher has extensive experience as a Shell and Exxon franchisee. Brode holds a Marketing and Business Honors degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

The CEO of Playtri Franchising is Stephan Brown, an experienced senior executive in the consumer products industry. Brown has competed as an age group triathlete for 32 years and owns the Playtri franchise location in Colleyville, Texas.

Brown said, "Playtri Franchising LLC plans to actively expand; with the goal of operating in all 50 U.S. states; training and equipping athletes to reach their fitness goals in the most well-rounded athletic endeavor ever conceived."

Brown said current Endurance House locations will not be re-branded, but that all new locations will be under the Playtri name. 

NEVADA CITY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Chris Kelly, who founded Kelly Bike Company in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s, is putting the company and its brand up for sale. He said he's hoping an investor will take the brand and run with it, whether he remains involved or not.

The brand is known for its custom steel frames and forks, as well as innovative items like the Kelly Take Offs, which allow use of downtube shifters adjacent to road brake levers. 

"I think the brand still has a lot of potential," Kelly told BRAIN on Thursday.

Kelly moved the company from Oakland to Nevada City in 2004. At the time, the company had a silent partner investor; that partnership was dissolved in 2006 and the brand was nearly dormant for a couple seasons, before being revived in 2009. 

To his dismay, Kelly has dealt with some consumer and industry confusion since the launch of the Kellys — with an S — bike brand in Europe several decades ago. The European brand, based in Slovakia, cannot be sold in the U.S. market because of the trademark. Kelly notes that he launched “kellybike.com” in 1995. It was one of the first bike company websites and has remained in continuous use ever since. He said the domain is valuable as the two keywords “kelly” and “bike” appear in over 500 million searches per year.

"I will entertain any reasonable offer so long as it has nothing to do with goats, chickens or chicken manure. That said, it all depends on the deal," Kelly wrote on the company's website this week. "In the meantime I plan to continue operating within my means, producing one-off custom orders, limited production runs of frames and forks, frame repair and powdercoating service."

Besides making bikes, Kelly hosts a monthly local radio show on KVMR. On the show, he has interviewed bike world celebrities including Greg LeMond, Inga Thompson, Tom Ritchey and the mountain bike historian and author (and no relation) Charlie Kelly. 

CHICAGO (BRAIN) — SRAM's new NX Eagle offers a 1x12 speed offroad drivetrain for about $375 for the group. The group shares many features with SRAM's XX1, X01 and GX drivetrains. Notably, its 11-50 tooth cassette works with Shimano-type cassette bodies. SRAM is targeting the group at entry level mountain bike and e-MTB use.

"NX Eagle delivers an ease of entry that will bring the benefit of Eagle performance to more riders than ever before," the company said. 

The group includes the SRAM NX aluminum crankset, which is designed for SRAM's X-SYNC2 chainrings and uses a DUB technology bottom bracket and a new spindle design.

The NX Eagle derailleur uses SRAM's 1x-specific X-HORIZON design, 14-tooth X-SYNC lower pulley and a Type-3 roller bearing clutch.

Teh NX Eagle is available as a e-MTB specific shifter option limiting the pull lever to a single engagement and is compatible with Matchmaker X clamp.

The group includes the PG-1230 Eagle cassette with an 11-50 range, compatible with 8-, 9- and 10-speed splined (Shimano-type) cassette bodies. The group also includes its own chain, which is said to offer improved durability. 

"The PG-1230 is the only Eagle cassette designed to be durable enough to withstand the increased demands of E-MTB applications and a perfect solution to heavy-duty use and abuse," the company said.

The group will be available in September. 

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.  (BRAIN) — Interbike has announced the addition of a new educational track whereby key retailers will share their experiences on specific topics relevant to all IBD's today. These Retail by Retailers sessions will be presented in either a one-on-one interview or panel discussion format during the Interbike Expo, Sept. 18-20.

The Retail by Retailers discussions were designed based on feedback from the Interbike Retail Advisory Board and in partnership with The Mann Group and the National Bicycle Dealers Association. The objective was to highlight important topics impacting IBD's today and to learn from other retailers who are having success in those areas. Early confirmed sessions include:

• Successfully Integrating Mobile Bike Repair into Your Shop. Retailer: Ian Christie, the founder and CEO of Summit Bicycles, with five locations in Northern California
• Hiring and Retaining Mechanics That are Invested in Your Business. Retailer: Steve Williams, the director of sales & continuous improvement at Mike's Bike Shop, New Brunswick, Canada
• Service Writing: Elevating the Level of Contact Between Service Employees & Customers. Retailer: Hill Abell, the owner of Bicycle Sport Shop, with five locations in the Austin, Texas area
• Magic Numbers: How to Use Metrics to Benchmark Your Business. Retailer: Jeff Selzer, General Manager, Palo Alto Bicycles, Palo Alto, Calif.; Tim Krone, the owner of Pedal Bicycles, with two locations in the Kalamazoo, Mich. area; Sheri Mann, Co-Owner, Summit City Bicycles & Fitness, Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Hill Abell, owner of Bicycle Sport Shop, with five locations in the Austin, Texas, area.

"No matter what industry you're in, education in the form of peer-to-peer advice, support and perspective can be the some of the most effective ways to learn and overcome challenges," said Justin Gottlieb, Interbike's interim show director . "We're excited to have this esteemed group of retailers contributing their time to this new track, and hope to have packed rooms for each session."

Another session under the Retail by Retailers education track will be the Interbike Innovation Awards retailer presentations. Moderated by Brandee Lepak, the NBDA's board chair, and Megan Tompkins, the publisher of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, this session will feature short presentations by the winning independent bicycle retailers that have implemented innovative ideas and strategies to their businesses with positive results over the past 12 months.

"Learning from professional speakers can certainly be helpful to all retailers, but there's nothing like hearing from those that truly speak our language," said Lepak, who is the co-owner of Global Bikes in Arizona. "I know these topics are on the minds of many IBD's today, and my staff will be attending each one of them."

All educational sessions at Interbike are offered at no-charge to registered attendees. More information on the Retail by Retailers track and the complete lineup of educational sessions at Interbike can be found at Interbike.com/events/education. 

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — The International Mountain Bicycling Association is now accepting applications for the next class of IMBA Ride Centers. The group says Ride Centers are "large-scale facilities with something for every rider, and range from gold-level destinations including Park City, Utah, and Oakridge, Oregon, to up-and-coming destinations embracing mountain bikers like McCall, Idaho, and Marquette, Michigan."

The IMBA Ride Center designation is designed to support local stakeholders and land managers in their effort to create the ultimate mountain biking destination trail system. The application criteria serves as the blueprint for achieving and improving a trail system and is comprised of multiple factors with both trail experience and surrounding community amenities being measured. The application process consists of a self-evaluation, an in-person on-site professional assessment and review, a report detailing the findings and a thorough evaluation of the existing conditions, opportunities for growth, and recommendations on next steps to improving the trail system status.

“The Ride Center designation is as much about the process as it is the award, by helping community partners use the process as a guide and educational experience for creating amazing places to ride,” said Shane Wilson, IMBA's trail solutions program manager.

Currently there are 39 IMBA Ride Centers (six Gold, 15 Silver, 18 Bronze), nine of which are outside of the U.S. With the recent 2018 announcement congratulating Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Vail Valley and Steamboat Bike Town on becoming the newest IMBA Ride Centers, Virginia and Colorado now each have three Ride Centers, alongside Arkansas and Minnesota. Idaho leads the U.S. states with four Ride Centers.

Interested applicants should review information and download materials for the three-step application process on imba.com. The application period closes July 27, 2018.