VISTA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Wend Bike, which has offered a rub-on wax chain lube since 2015, has introduced it in six new Day-Glo colors in its Spectrum line.

Wend's paraffin-based formula includes friction reducers including zinc and Teflon. 

Wend developed the rub-on formula as an alternative to hot waxing chains. The company also offers factory-waxed chains and hot waxing kits.

It offers the colored wax in 0.5 ounce, 1 ounce and 2.5 ounce containers. A kit is also available with the company's Wax-Off chain cleaner, a container of rub-on wax and a microfiber towel.  

Dealers interested in stocking the line can contact Lindsey@wendperformance.com. More information at wendperformance.com.

FARMINGTON, Utah (BRAIN) — Vista Outdoor has entered an agreement to sell off its Bollé, Cebé and Serengeti brands for $158 million to Antelope Brands Bidco Inc., an entity controlled by a private equity fund based in Europe. The transaction is set to close in 30 to 45 days. The company announced the sale Monday.

The sale is part of Vista Outdoor’s previously announced strategic business transformation plan to focus resources on pursuing growth in its core product categories of ammunition, hunting and shooting accessories, hydration bottles and packs, and outdoor cooking products.

“We are pleased to have successfully reached an agreement to sell our eyewear and safety business at an attractive price,” said Chris Metz, CEO of Vista Outdoor. “The business will have the opportunity to reach its full potential under new ownership. This divestiture is the first step in our transformation plan and will be the first of several potential asset sales that will significantly reduce Vista Outdoor’s leverage and provide additional resources to for us to reinvest in our core businesses.”

The purchase price represents a premium to the EBITDA multiple paid for Bollé, Cébé and Serengeti as part of the Bushnell acquisition in 2013.

Vista Outdoor expects to use the net after-tax proceeds of the sale to repay outstanding indebtedness. 

“We are now turning our efforts to the rest of our divestiture plan as previously communicated in May,” Metz said. “We are excited to build on this momentum and expect to provide further updates on this process during our first quarter earnings call in early August.”

Robert W. Baird & Co. served as transaction and financial adviser, and Reed Smith LLP served as legal adviser to Vista Outdoor in connection with the transaction.

Related article: Vista Outdoor sees 13% organic decline in outdoor product sales, plans to sell Bollé

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — PeopleForBikes’ board of directors has elected Quality Bicycle Products founder Steve Flagg board chairman. He will serve a two-year term.

“PeopleForBikes has a number of innovative — even daring — programs that have real potential to get more people on bikes such as the Ride Spot program that is being launched in cooperation with the 20 Collective dealer group. I want to be sure we give these programs a real chance to succeed,” Flagg said.

“I would like to see us increase the number of people from our member companies who contribute their talent and time — much like the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association has accomplished through their committee structure,” Flagg continued. “This would be good not only for PeopleForBikes, but also for the industry and ultimately for the mission,” he added.

At its May 1 board meeting, PFB also approved several other officers and committee members: vice chair, Chris Speyer of REI; secretary, Mike Mercuri of SRAM; treasurer, Pat Cunnane of ASI; and at-large member, John Burke of Trek.

The board also recently added three new members: Brandee Lepak, chair of the National Bicycle Dealers Association board; Paul Collins, publisher of Bicycling magazine; and Larry Pizzi, president of Raleigh Electric.

LEVIS, Quebec, and Lexington, S.C. (BRAIN) — Hawley-Lambert has promoted Jeff Brown to director of operations. Formerly distribution center manager in the Hawley-Lambert’s Lexington, South Carolina, facility, Brown brings a strong background in logistics and leadership to his new role, the distributor stated.

“After a long and successful tenure with Target Corporation, we were fortunate to have Jeff join our team in Lexington two years ago,” Hawley-Lambert president Sylvain Caya said. “Jeff’s leadership and extensive knowledge of the distribution business will help support our growth in our four DCs (South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Quebec). I couldn’t be more pleased to have Jeff in this role and know he will do great things.”

A native of South Carolina, Brown has a bachelor of science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. His career in distribution leadership began in 2003 when he joined Target, where he worked in a regional distribution center in South Carolina and later at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

“I have been fortunate in my career to have worked for a Fortune 500 company. The lessons I learned have served me well,” Brown said. “In all cases, distribution comes down to a good system backed up by people performing their roles with enthusiasm and excellence. I look forward to ensuring our systems operate at peak performance and our people are motivated and enthusiastic about helping our customers get the products they need to be successful in their business.”

Brown’s promotion is effective immediately, and he will remain based out of Hawley-Lambert’s Lexington, South Carolina facility. 

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — A collaboration between the Italian auto brand Maserati, the Dutch e-bike brand Diavelo, and the Chinese e-bike motor maker Bafang has resulted in a line of Maserati e-bikes on display at Eurobike here this week. 

The Maserati Trofeo e-road has an alloy frame with a discrete motor and battery, producing a lightweight, nimble road bike. It features the Bafang M800 mid-drive motor. The bike has already won the German Design Award and the A'Design Award in Italy.  

The bike line serves to promote the new Bafang motor, which offers single and double chainring compatibility. It can be set by the manufacturer to the EU legal limit of 25 kmh or unleashed for a maximum speed of 45 kmh for use on pedelecs. The motor is tuned to help the most during accelerations; after the maximum assist speed is reached, it runs almost resistance-free. 

"We put a lot of effort into developing this compact drive train system. Currently one of the lightest and smallest systems in the market we see many more opportunities for other bicycle categories as well," said Sunny He, one of Bafang's founders and CMO.

The Dirtsuit

The Dirtsuit sits firmly in the category of a product that probably makes a lot of sense, but that we're not sure will translate for the U.S. consumer. The waterproof/breathable one-piece oversuit is from a three-year-old German brand, Dirtlej, whose slogan is "no more excuses."

Company co-founder Lena Kaiser said she wears the suit on just about every ride from October to May. Her co-founder Jan Rühl was inspired to make the original suit, which has long sleeves and short legs, by kite-boarding suits. The hooded Dirtsuit is now available with short sleeves, full legs, or removable legs. The full long-sleeve, long-legged version might be just the thing for sloppy snow/slush rides, if the Euro-style works for you. Prices start at $199 retail for the short version. The company currently has no U.S. distribution. 

Opportunity knocks

When thieves stole five e-bikes from the Greenstorm.eu booth overnight Saturday, the Austrian company's employees made the most of it when the show opened Sunday morning. They enlisted the help of the show's many international visitors to produce signs in eight languages — and counting — explaining the theft.

"Our e-bikes were so beautiful, they were stolen already," the English sign read.

Greenstorm has an unusual business model. The company barters its new e-bikes to hotel operators in exchange for unsold room credits, then sells the credits online. At the end of the season, Greenstorm takes the bikes back and sells them, making the company one of the largest sellers of used e-bikes in Europe. 

The Greenstorm theft wasn't the only one at Eurobike. Someone also took a giant screen TV monitor from the Zwift booth and, according to the Eurobike Show Daily, three e-bikes from the Bafang booth.

Bike camping in style and comfort

It's not quite glamping, but the B-Turtle from Gentle Tent gets bike campers up off the ground and into comfort, and also allows campers to stand up inside. The two-person tent uses inflatable tubes as "poles" and rides on top of a bike trailer. The trailer still has room for gear inside, as well. 

Gentle Tent got its start making rooftop tents for autos; it also makes tents that ride on kayaks, so a bike trailer tent was a natural transition. The full trailer with tent weighs about 66 pounds and costs 3,000 euros. First production will begin in August. 

More affordable motion capture

MotionLogic offers three-dimensional bike fitting equipment for stores and fit studios. The company's system is available in a one-camera version for 5,000 euros ($5,800), or a two-camera version for 9,000 euros, around 2/3 the cost of competitive systems. The cameras work in most light conditions, so a darkened room is not required, and the cameras can be positioned on tripods or even at the ceiling for a clean look. 

In addition to showing how the body works on a bike, the system gathers information from PowerTap pedals at every 9 degrees of pedal stroke and also measures saddle pressure in real time, so motion, power and weight distribution can be gathered and recorded for analysis. A MotionLogic spokesman said the system operates at processing speeds comparable to lab systems that cost ten times as much. 

MotionLogic has offices in Germany and manufacturing in Colorado. The company has been selling for about two years and is working with several U.S. shops and fit/coaching studios. 

The Tour comes to Eurobike

One consequence of Eurobike's early dates this year was that, in many parts of the show, business stops in late afternoon as folks look for a TV to see the final kilometers of the Tour de France stage (also weird for Americans: live Tour de France coverage in the late afternoon?!). On Monday, a crowd gathered in the aisles around the Abus booth, not for a celebrity autograph session or free beer, but because Abus brought in an enormous TV screen to show the stage. 

BURBANK, Calif. (BRAIN) — After launching its first e-bike, the Volta urban commuter, on Kickstarter last year, Pure Cycles is turning to crowdfunding again to bring its Capacita cargo e-bike to market via an Indiegogo campaign. The company showed the new pedal-assist hauler at Eurobike this week.

The Capacita has an aluminum frame, built-in smart app, GPS anti-theft tracking, integrated front and rear lights, Tektro disc brakes, full fenders, fat 24 x 2.35-inch WTB Thickslick tires, a front basket, extended rear rack and removable rear foot platforms. The front basket and rear rack each have a carrying capacity of 175 pounds.

The Class 1 e-bike’s Bafang 350W rear hub motor and 42V 10Ah Samsung battery provide a range of 20 to 40 miles.

The Capacita will retail for $2,499, but Pure Cycles is offering an early bird premium in its Indiegogo campaign to reserve a bike for as little as $1,399 — a 44 percent discount. Premiums for multiple bikes offer deeper discounts.

For more information, visit the Capacita Indiegogo campaign.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — A total of 1,400 exhibitors and 37,379 industry visitors from 96 countries came to Lake Constance. Overall industry attendance was down from 42,590 last year, or about 12 percent. Eurobike's show management said the exhibition space was sold out this year.

Organizers said the show welcomed 100 new companies to the Messe, which was only open to the trade.

“No matter whether they had a sports or urban orientation: everyone who conducts business in the bicycle industry comes to Eurobike - either as an exhibitor or as an trade visitor,” said Eurobike head Stefan Reisinger. “Although our premiere of Retail First, with strict admission management, led to a slight drop in the number of visitors, it also meant that the quality of visitors was pushed up to the highest level ever. Thus, the pure exchange between industry professionals at the stands was strengthened, even as the length of the show was reduced to three days. This confirmed the success of the Retail First measure and as such we will retain it in the future.”

Next year, Eurobike will take place from Wednesday, July 31, to Saturday, August 3. The first three days will be trade-only and the fourth day will be open to consumers.

"The date in early August 2019 is currently the time frame in which the largest number of dates preferred by the industry overlap, and the vote for a concept for the show that includes an appeal to consumers is very clear. We are pleased with the approval of the date that we have heard,” said Reisinger. 

FAIR LAWN, N.J. (BRAIN) — Frog Bikes, a British brand that specializes in offering lightweight kids' road and mountain bikes, has hired Marc Urbanski as its New York, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania representative.

Urbanski is the principal at Pavé Sports LLC and has successfully represented brands such as Cervélo, Ceramic Speed and Niner in the region.

Urbanski can be reached by email at marc@pavesportsgroup.com or by phone at (908) 566-5254. 

CHANDLER, Ariz. (BRAIN) — In an effort to get more kids active outdoors this summer, the USA BMX Foundation is promoting a photo scavenger hunt with a prize raffle.

Participants can download the USA BMX Foundation Summer Scavenger Hunt bingo card and begin taking photos of themselves with various items outdoors indicated on the card, such as a tree stump, a picnic table or a swing set. Those who complete a row or column of the card and submit it to the USA BMX Facebook page are then entered into a raffle for one of the following prizes:

   1st prize: A two-hour clinic with pro BMX racers Justin Posey, Lauren Reynolds and Tory Nyhaug.

   2nd prize: A free one-year USA BMX membership.

   3rd prize: A goodie bag with 100% goggles, Broski headphones and products from Tangent.

Additionally, participants who completely black out their card will be entered into a raffle for an Ssquared BMX frame. 

“Basically we’re trying to get kids outside and get them active and unplug from all the technology — get off the iPad, the phone and all that. It’s been really fun to see all the parents and the kids working together,” said Posey, who is the USA BMX Foundation’s marketing coordinator in addition to being a pro racer.

For detailed instructions, see the video on USA BMX’s Facebook page.

BOSTON (BRAIN) — The Serotta International Cycling Institute is offering a three-day Personalized Fit course with an option to get bike fit certified at Interbike. The three-day Personalized Fit certification course starts on the last day of the trade show, Thursday, Sept. 20, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 22. 

The class will teach basic fitting methodology and students are eligible to earn SICI certification after passing the course exam and completing 10 practice fittings for review after returning home.

The class is a prerequisite for all Advanced classes including Motion Analysis, Advanced Fit and Advanced Triathlon Fit. Curriculum includes:

-SICI fit demo and overview
-Client communication
-Anatomy/kinematics relative to bike fit
-Physical assessment techniques including flexibility, range of motion and the foot
-Size Cycle set up and operation
-Fit business fundamentals
-Frame geometry and fit
-Existing bike fit
-Triathlon and mountain bike fit
-Common fit related complaints and solutions

Class schedule is 6/20 from 1 p.m.-6 p.m., 6/21 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m, 6/22 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The class will be held at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Paradise Ballroom C on the second floor (3800 S. Virginia St, Reno NV 89502). Early bird pricing ($1,300) ends on August 20. Then it is $1,500 after that.

For more information, www.serottacyclinginstitute.com or email SICIgetfit@gmail.com. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN) — On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced that it would assess an additional 10 percent tariff on up to $200 billion of Chinese goods. The latest list and round of tariffs comes on the heels of two other rounds of tariffs imposing 25 percent duties on $34 billion and $16 billion worth of Chinese imports.

The latest round targets hundreds of imports and includes many bicycle products and components including cable casing for derailleurs and caliper brakes, bike tires, rim strips, inner tubes, complete bicycles, frames, steel tubing, forks, wheel rims, wheel spokes, alloy hubs, three-speed hubs, two-speed hubs, freewheel sprockets, brakes and brake parts, saddles, pedals, cranksets and speedometers.

“In light of China’s decision to respond to the investigation by imposing duties on U.S. goods, the Trade Representative proposes a modification of the action taken in this investigation. The proposed modification is to maintain the original $34 billion action and the proposed $16 billion action, and to take further action in the form of an additional 10 percent ad valorem duty on products of China with an annual trade value of approximately $200 billion,” read the document published by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The U.S. Trade Representative is taking comments on these proposed tariffs until Aug. 17. A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20-23.

For the full list, see the 205-page document.

Related stories:

US proposes 25% tariff on China-made e-bikes

China-made GPS units will be hit with 25% tariff starting next month

US component makers squeezed by material costs and new tariff on bearings 

US spoke makers adjusting to steel tariff 

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — The 17-year-old Czech Republic brand, Apache Bicycles, made its first Eurobike appearance here this year, as the brand looks to expand outside its home market and offer its bike assembly services to companies looking to avoid potentially crippling anti-dumping duties on Chinese-assembled e-bikes.

Apache's branding shocked some visitors from the U.S., where American Indian-themed marketing has become increasingly unacceptable in recent years.

The Czech brand's booth featured a teepee meeting room, giant wall-mounted images of Native American leaders, and white-skinned models in Indian garb, face paint and feathered headdresses. A large sign outside the teepee welcomed potential clients to "be part of our tribe."

Bike model names include the Hawk, the Arrow, the Teepee and the top of the line e-MTB model, the Scalp. Yes: that happened.

Apache is not looking for U.S. distribution, and whether Western European dealers will accept the branding is unclear. Questionable theme aside, the company's marketing materials and bike designs and graphics are highly professional, and the bike quality and assembly location may be attractive to many.

Apache was launched in 2001 and gained national prominence through its early sponsorship of Jaroslav Kulhavy, who is now one of the most successful men's cross-country mountain bike racers of the last decade. Kulhavy, now sponsored by Specialized, rode an Apache when he won the junior world championships and junior European championships in 2003.

Apache began selling e-bikes in 2008, said Lukas Barta, CEO of BP Lumen, Apache's parent company.

"We were one of the first e-bike brands in the Czech Republic and we are still one of the largest," Barta told BRAIN.

The company currently does 90 to 95 percent of its business in its home country, with just a few export sales to Slovakia, Poland and Croatia. It came to Eurobike this year with the aim to expand its exports. Barta said that after the show, the company will decide whether to use distributors in European markets or open a central European facility.

Two years ago, Apache began assembling its e-bikes at its own facility in the Czech Republic instead of China.

"It gave us better control of quality and flexibility," Barta said. "And it was good to say in the Czech Republic that we are made there."

The move was well-timed as many European e-bike brands are now looking to move assembly out of China as fast as possible because of possible EU anti-dumping duties of as much as 189 percent.

"We have capacity to offer OE assembly to some customers, that's part of why we are here," Barta said. "There are a lot of companies looking for options."

BEND, Ore. (BRAIN) — CushCore has added a version of its foam tire inserts — the Oregon company calls them an “inner-tire suspension system” — for 27.5-plus wheels. The new insert is 50 percent wider than CushCore’s standard 27.5 insert and fits rims with internal widths of 32 to 45 millimeters and tires 2.6 to 3 inches wide.

“In addition to damping the tire’s air chamber, enhancing the suspension potential inherent in 27.5-plus tires, the new CushCore insert bolsters the tire’s sidewall, ensuring more predictable behavior, reducing tire squirm, protecting rims against impacts and allowing you to realize the full traction benefits of large tires without the potential downsides,” CushCore stated in a release.

CushCore founder Adam Krefting said, “Plus-sized tires with CushCore make a great setup for riding technical terrain. You get the plush ride and extra traction that plus-sized tires are known for, but CushCore controls the bouncy, squirmy feeling that generally comes with a high-volume casing. The bike feels more settled and you can maintain difficult lines with less effort.”

MSRP is $149 for a set of two inserts with air valves. They'll be available starting in mid-August.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and Interbike have teamed up on a panel discussion for Wednesday of Interbike Marketweek.

The panel will be moderated by Dan Mann, president and founder of The Mann Group, and Zach Phillips, director of professional development for NAMM, and will include three music instrument retailers who will discuss the challenges they face, their similarities to the bicycle industry and what they are doing to overcome them.

“I approached Zach after watching some educational sessions earlier this year at their event,” said Justin Gottlieb, interim show director for Interbike. “The discussions that were happening with their retailers were very similar – including stiff competition from online and chain giants, the struggle for profitability, adapting to disruptive technologies and more.”

Phillips put together a panel of the most successful independent music retailers to discuss how they deal with changes in retail and continue to explore new opportunities.

“Both of our audiences operate in the same hyper-competitive retail climate,” said Phillips. "Given that, I think the discussion will uncover powerful lessons learned and actionable new ideas from some of the savviest music instrument retailers in North America. These concepts will apply directly to the Interbike audience to help them elevate their businesses in the year ahead.”

All three retailers have been in business for a combined 145 years. They include Leslie Faltin of Instrumental Music Centers in Tucson, Arizona; Whitney Brown Grisaffi of Ted Brown Music in Tacoma, Washington; and Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music in Vancouver, Washington.

The session, which will be part of the Retail by Retailers education track, is set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. 

DETROIT (BRAIN) — After more than a year in operation, Detroit’s MoGo bike share is expanding service to more neighborhoods in Detroit, as well as to five other cities in the region including Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, and Royal Oak.

The expansion is planned for next spring and will add about 30 new stations to MoGo’s current system, along with nearly 150 additional bikes. The expansion is made possible through a $495,380 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant awarded by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

“People’s transportation needs don’t stop at city borders,” said Lisa Nuszkowski, founder and executive director of MoGo. “Expansion of bike share sends an important message about our ability to work together to solve transportation challenges in the region while providing people with an affordable and convenient way to get where they need to go.”

In Detroit, MoGo’s expansion will provide more opportunities to connect residents and visitors to public transportation.

Specific station locations have not yet been determined. MoGo will work closely with each community to identify potential locations and secure permits and approvals. 

Through funding from the Better Bike Share Partnership, MoGo and its municipal partners will conduct community outreach to engage residents in conversations about station locations and other considerations.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) — Velofix and Zwift have announced a partnership for Velofix’s mobile bike shops to provide installation of Zwift’s online training platform.

“Whether riders don’t have the time or need technical help, Velofix’s network of mobile bike shops will apply the premium-quality customer service that they are known for to help riders join the online community,” Velofix stated in a release.

Over the past few months, several Velofix locations have participated in a Zwift Pro Install pilot program, and Zwift is now ready to roll out the Pro Install program to Velofix’s entire network.

“We believe that delivering a seamless experience from the checkout to home delivery and setup by a friendly expert is critical to an excellent first-ride experience with Zwift, and Velofix is a great partner to deliver this,” said Jeff Veldhuizen, vice president of e-commerce at Zwift.

WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (BRAIN) — Tifosi Optics has released the Alliant, a new style of sunglass designed to be lightweight and rugged, with an obstructed clear field of vision.

It has a Grilamid TR-90 frame, shatterproof and scratch-resistant polycarbonate lenses, and adjustable ear and nose pieces. All contact points have hydrophilic rubber to keep the sunglass in place in sweaty conditions. Eight lens vents and two temple events help keep the Alliant free of fog.

The Alliant is available in five colors with four interchangeable lens options and one Fototec option.

MSRP: $69.95-$79.95. More information: tifosioptics.com.

HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN) — Accell Group announced Friday that it has increased its minority stake Velosophy to take over 100 percent ownership in the Dutch e-cargo bike company. Velosophy owns Babboe family cargo bikes, premium cargo brand CarQon, and Centaur Cargo, which specializes in B2B cargo bikes for “last mile” deliveries.

The Dutch group previously had a 35 percent stake in Velosophy.

“This acquisition is a significant step forward in our urban mobility strategy and bolsters our position in the market for e-cargo bikes,” Accell Group CEO Ton Anbeek said. “The focus of this strategy is not just on consumers, but also on the growing demand for smarter and cleaner mobility solutions for the delivery of parcels, shopping and meals in cities.

“The Velosophy team lives and breathes innovation and provides us with even more execution power in the international e-cargo bike market. Together we can make a real difference for both consumers and the business market in areas such as electric drives and safety, but also on specific e-cargo innovations such as battery capacity, road holding and cornering stability,” Anbeek added.

Babboe was founded in 2006 and offers a selection of electric and non-electric front-loading family cargo bikes sold in more than 20 countries. Velosophy launched CarQon this year as a high-end e-cargo brand. Centaur Cargo serves the market for electric delivery bikes and is currently running numerous pilot programs with e-commerce companies, Accell stated.

Velosophy general manager Epco Vlugt said: “The growing international demand for urban bike solutions is creating enormous opportunities — opportunities that we, as a small player, are not big enough or fast enough to respond to. By joining forces with Accell, we will be able to develop and implement our innovative solutions more quickly and launch them on a global scale. The opportunities opened up by Accell as a global player give us a huge energy boost to continue the expansion of Velosophy and its brands and to allow them to thrive.”

Velosophy has around 50 employees and recorded 17.7 million euros in sales last year. Accell Group is financing the acquisition from its own resources, and the transaction is subject to the approval of the German market authority. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018.