LOS ANGELES, CA (BRAIN) — Sport Chalet on Thursday announced the launch of “order today, deliver today” service. The same-day service is available in much of California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco) as well as the greater Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Phoenix metropolitan areas.

A button on Sport Chalet’s website instructs shoppers to call one of the sporting goods chain’s “Experts” at a toll-free number between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday to find out about product availability, delivery costs — $25 to $35, though fees may vary, according to the site — and delivery timing.

“We continue to look for ways to enhance our customers’ shopping experience. Sometimes there just is not enough time for a customer to visit our stores and this new service solves that problem,” said Craig Levra, chairman and CEO of Sport Chalet.

“In addition, for those customers who have rented gear from us and do not want to make the drive back to one of our stores, we will drive to their home or office and retrieve the gear for them,” he added.

Sport Chalet has 53 stores and sells bikes from brands including Haro, Electra, Diamondback, KHS, Pure Fix and ASI’s Fuji and SE Bikes, in addition to providing service car rack installation.

LILLE, France (BRAIN) — Bianchi is introducing a new technology for reducing vibration in carbon frames with a prototype frame that is being raced in Paris-Roubaix this weekend.

The Italian company worked with the U.S.-based Materials Sciences Corporation to develop the "Countervail Vibration Cancelling technology," which includes a visco-elastic material included in the lay-up of the frame and fork. Bianchi said it has an exclusive rights to the technology's use in cycling.

Team Vacansoleil-DCM’s Juan Antonio Flecha will race a prototype aero-shaped Infinito CV model frame at Paris-Roubaix and attended a Bianchi press introduction in Lille on Thursday.

"We are really excited to introduce a revolutionary vibration cancelling technology for cycling with our new Infinito CV model," Bianchi CEO Bob Ippolito said. "Thanks to our close collaboration with MSC's engineers we developed a new exclusive patented material technology that will deliver better performance with less fatigue and more control."

David Reed, vice president of marketing and communcations for Bianchi USA, said the technology is still in prototype. "We will not see inventory until late 2013," Reed said. He had no information about pricing. 

OAKLAND, CA (BRAIN) — Nutritionals brand GU Energy, retailer Sports Basement of Walnut Creek and Kaiser Oakland Medical Center were this year's winners of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition's Bike Friendly Business Awards.

The companies will be honored at an event May 9 in Oakland.

GU, based in West Berkeley, won in the organization's small business category. The company's staff bike commuter program awards bike commuters with $20 a month and free day off work for every size months' of bike commuting. GU has a bike room with company bikes that employees are encouraged to use during the day instead of their cars, as well as a bike repair station coupled with a bike mechanic subsidy for repairs. 

GU’s president Brian Vaughn regularly bikes to work and participates in rides. 
Sports Basement Walnut Creek

Sports Basement won in the medium-sized business category.  

"Not only do they provide a knowledgeable, full service bike shop that caters to all experience levels, but they actively participate in and foster the growth of local bicycle advocacy group Bike Walnut Creek," the Coalition said. 

The Coalion cited the store for encouraging staff to bike through bike-focused employee events, a large discount on bike labor, accessories, free bicycle rentals, as well as event reimbursement when employees participate in any kind of cycling race or event.

“Sports Basement has been amazing in their support,” said Danny Milks, from the Bike Walnut Creek advocacy group. “They support our advocacy efforts with a meeting place, free drinks and snacks, discounts, free gift cards, supplies, advertising and print marketing for us. Sports Basement has gone above and beyond the normal bicycle friendliness to employees and customers. They make a big difference in the local scene.”

Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center was honored in the Coalition's large-business category. The center has consistently sponsored the Coalition's Bike to Work Day and has a long-term partnership with the EBBC’s Bicycle Safety Education Program. The EBBC regularly holds free classes for the public at the Kaiser Oakland location as well as one-hour lunch workshops for employees. “Employees enjoyed the Day 1 Urban Bicycle Safety Class so much that they requested that we host a Day 2 class,” said Jackie Stiasny, the commuter services program coordinator.

MORGAN HILL, CA (BRAIN) — Specialized has launched a new triathlon/time trial saddle, the Sitero. The saddle was designed specifically fit for the aerodynamic position.  The shape is intended to accommodate the forward pelvic rotation of a triathlete, allowing for greater blood flow and less soft tissue pressure than other nose-less saddle designs.  

The Sitero also has optional, integrated water storage.  Each Sitero will come with a removable Tri-Pod attachment to mount a water bottle cage or it can be replaced with an interchangeable hook for easy racking in transitions.

The Sitero comes in a Pro version with carbon rails that weighs 222 grams and will retail for $225. The Expert version with hollow titanium rails weighs 270 grams and will retail for $175.  Siteros will be available in Specialized retailers late this month.

AUSTIN, TX (BRAIN) — Cycleast, a new custom shop in the Texas capital, is also entering the distribution business, bringing in handmade carbon fiber and steel road and track bikes from the Czech Republic’s Festka Bicycles as the brand’s U.S. importer.

“Cycleast is proud to be the U.S. distributor of Festka because we see in them the same fire and passion we have for bicycles and the people who ride them,” said Cycleast co-owner Russell Pickavance, who opened the shop with business partner Jessica Wurtzebach in March.

Pickavance discovered Festka at the 2013 National Handmade Bicycle Show in Denver, where he was casting about for custom frame partners for the opening of Cycleast. In addition to carrying stock frames and doing custom orders for Festka out of the shop, the goal is to “help get them into bike shops all across the United States,” said Pickavance.

Festka’s lineup tops out with the Zero road frame, built from carbon tubes made by Czech supplier CompoTech and carbon lugs handmade in Festka’s shop. “It’s reminiscent of the Colnago C59—big lugs, big tubes,” Pickavance said.

The Zero frame is available in three versions: Standard, balancing of speed and comfort; Race, which has 30 percent more carbon fiber for increased stiffness; and Divan, which uses a vibration dampening technology to improve comfort. 

Cycleast also carries handmade steel bikes from U.S. framebuilders Jeremy Shlachter of Gallus Cycles in Fort Worth and Christopher Dornbach of Dornbox Hand Crafted Bicycles in Cumberland, Maine.

SANTA FE, NM (BRAIN) — BTI has hired Chris Blumenstetter as Cinelli brand manager, the company announced Friday.

Blumenstetter has had an extensive career in the sport - racing in Belgium, France and Italy. He still follows European racing closely. “My pride and joy while racing in the 80’s was my 'dusty rose' Cinelli Super Corsa with suede brown Cinelli VIP kit on the bike,” said Blumenstetter.

Prior to joining BTI, Blumenstetter was store manager for The Bike Shop in Honolulu. 

HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN) – Accell Group will merge bike production for its Batavus and Sparta brands, the company announced this week. Production will consolidate under one roof at the company’s headquarters in Heerenveen. Accell’s Juncker Bike Parts will be moved into the warehouse in Apeldoorn after Sparta vacates following the consolidation. 

Accell also plans to base the storage and shipment of service and warranty parts for Batavus, Koga and Sparta in the warehouse in Apeldoorn. 

Accell Group said the move was made in an effort to strengthen the company amidst mounting challenges in the Dutch market, examining which activities could be merged in order to improve efficiency. Both Batavus and Sparta are sold only in Europe. 

“The further decline of the Dutch bicycle market forces us to make a more drastic adjustment with regard to the organization in the Netherlands,” said Accell Group CEO René Takens. “Combining the production activities of Batavus and Sparta enables us to achieve an acceptable capacity utilization. Unfortunately this means we need to part from several loyal employees and call on the flexibility of the rest of the staff for the changes to work.” 

The reorganization will result in a loss of about 60 jobs. Accell Group will implement a guided ‘from work to work’ program for the affected employees. A number of staff members will also be transferred to different locations. 

These changes in its production facilities in the Netherlands, which employ 595, will be conducted in phases from August 2013 through December 2014, and result in savings upwards of 2 to 3 million euros annually starting in 2014.

Accell Group and its subsidiaries employ 2,776 people worldwide in 18 countries. The Dutch conglomerate operates production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary, Turkey and Canada. Last year Accell Group’s revenue topped 772.5 million euros. 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (BRAIN) — RIDES, an extended service program for bike retailers, is sponsoring next week's Bicycle Leadership Conference and exhibiting at the Interbike IBD Summit.

RIDES, which is an acronym for Ride It Daily Extended Service, allows retailers to offer extended service programs to customers, providing guaranteed repair, replacement and maintenance, for bikes at all prices. The program was introduced at last fall's Interbike. The company is focusing initial sales efforts on California, Nevada, Arizona and Minnesota.

"Organizers of the BLC, Sea Otter and IBD Summit have developed the third week of April into an 'official' spring launch for the bike industry," said RIDES Founder Frank McMillan. "Obviously, retailers and manufacturers are the key to our success, so being at the BLC and IBD Summit makes sense for us."

RIDES' program is backed by Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. and administered by Global Warranty Group.

"RIDES creates an environment where customers know their investment is protected, and shops are able to increase retention and revenue because their customers will come back through their door for service, new purchases and maintenance," McMillan said.

Plans are available for one- or two-year periods, offer repair or replacement on all frames and components — except consumables like tires and tubes — and begin at the end of the manufacturer's warranty. Depending on the chosen plan, fees range from $7.49 to $2,200, and consumers can purchase a plan up to 30 days before their manufacturer's warranty expires.

More information: RideItDailyExtendedService.com.

NOVATO, CA (BRAIN) — Northern Marin County gets a new purveyor of bikes—and beer, too, if all goes according to plan—as Bicycle Brüstop prepares to open April 27 as a Giant partner store.

Husband-and-wife owners Aaron and Carolyn Thompson are building out retail part of the 2,100-square-foot store with input from Giant’s designers. Some 300 square feet in the back will house a bar/lounge area with four tap handles, four barstools, one table and two televisions, with one screen for roadies, the other for the gravity/action sports crowd.

“I want it to be a place where people can stay and hang out, not just shop and leave,” said Aaron Thompson.

It was almost last call for the Brü part of the business, however, before the Thompsons could even begin building the shop’s bar. Local youth advocacy groups opposed the bar/bike shop combination before city officials, saying it could encourage underage drinking and increase the chance of drunken cycling and driving. One complainant also claimed the concentration of establishments serving alcohol was already too high in Bicycle Brüstop’s tract.

The Thompsons have pledged to serve only draft beer, so no bottle or cans can be snuck off site to underage youth, and to have all its servers certified through a National Restaurant Association alcohol program. They’ll also set up video surveillance of the service and seating areas.

After rallying its own community support, Bicycle Brüstop last week received its conditional use permit to serve beer and is awaiting approval of its license from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

On the retail side of the business, meanwhile, Bicycle Brüstop will focus on intermediate and high-end road, mountain, fitness and hybrid bikes, ceding the market for cruisers, BMX and entry-level bikes to longtime retailer Old Town Sports, located kitty-corner from the store.

It will also be a big proponent of women’s cycling, with Carolyn Thompson serving as the female face of the shop and the Liv/Giant line filling product need.

“That’s one of the reasons went with Giant. They’re going to be the act to follow in women’s cycling over the next few years,” Aaron Thompson said.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England (BRAIN) — Cycling journalists Carlton Reid, of Britain, and Patrick Brady, of California, are each launching new bike books via campaigns on the crowd funding site Kickstarter.com.

Reid, the executive editor of BikeBiz, the UK bicycle trade magazine, has already raised more than $18,000 toward the publication of a bike history book, "Roads Were Not Built For Cars." The original goal for Reid's campaign was just $6,000. The campaign ends in 11 days.

Reid has been researching his book for two years, including trips to libraries in Washington D.C. and Detroit.

More information: Reid's project on Kickstarter.

Brady, publisher of the cycling website RedKitePrayer.com, plans to publish a collection of his work titled “Why We Ride.” The book will draw from work Brady has published on Red Kite Prayer, in Peloton Magazine and on the blog Belgium Knee Warmers. Brady's project had raised $2,750 by Monday afternoon, with 20 days left in the campaign; the goal is to raise $20,000.

Proceeds from Brady's project are meant to pay the medical bills of Brady’s newborn son, Matthew, who spent 37 days in the NICU and was only able to go home following chest surgery.

More information: Brady's project on Kickstarter

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Thanks to 2012’s unseasonably warm winter, IBD sales suffered from unfavorable year-ago comparisons this February but showed strength when viewed against the more realistic 2011 period, according to data from research firm Leisure Trends Group.

Merchandise sales dropped 7 percent in dollars and 5 percent in units compared with February 2012, but rose 5.5 percent and 2 percent, respectively, compared with February 2011.

Dollar sales of aftermarket parts slipped 4 percent compared with 2012 but rose 14 percent compared with 2011. Aftermarket accessories rose 2 percent compared with 2012 and 14 percent compared with 2011 largely on the strength of high-priced electronics like action cameras and power meters, according to Greg Shoenfeld, retail analyst at Leisure Trends.

Bike sales, meanwhile, appeared lackluster viewed through any prism. Dollar sales plunged 13 percent and units fell 9 percent compared with 2012, and were flat and down 4 percent, respectively, compared with February 2011.

Road bikes saw the biggest decline, off 15 percent in units and 18 percent in dollars compared with 2012.

Twenty-niners were the lone bright segment, up 21 percent in dollars from a year ago and capturing 49 percent of the overall mountain bike market.

February 2013 vs. February 2012: Dollar Sales

All bicycles: -13 percent

Road bikes: -18 percent

Mountain bikes: -7 percent

Transit/fitness bikes: -2 percent

Lifestyle/leisure bikes: -15 percent

Shoes: -5 percent

Apparel: -6 percent

Aftermarket parts: -4 percent

Aftermarket accessories: +2 percent

The editors of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News pedal the Windy City for three days to visit a dozen-plus bike dealers and take the pulse of Chicago's retail community. Sponsorship opportunities still available.

ALLENTOWN, PA (BRAIN) — The Gluskin Townley Group, publisher of the American Bicyclist Study, has hired industry veteran Al Budris to act as a sales rep for the study.

"Al has been in the bicycle industry for 33 years and has literally spent his entire life learning the bicycle business from the bottom up, and we couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable person to represent the American Bicyclist Study," said Elliot Gluskin, managing partner of the Gluskin Townley Group.

Budris is a former vice president of Veltec Sports and president of Sidi America. He will represent the American Bicyclist Study through his sales agency, Alpha Sports Associates.

"I established Alpha Sports Associates in 2006 with the goal of providing maximum value for clients by helping them create sustainable competitive advantages and successful go-to market strategies, and the American Bicyclist Study is definitely an adult American bicyclist research tool that can contribute to this goal. Accordingly I am very happy to be the sales representative for this ground breaking research," Budris said.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend opening day of the Eurobike trade show this year, Wednesday, August 28.

Merkel will take about two hours to officially open Eurobike and then tour the show.

“We are very pleased that the Chancellor is coming to Friedrichshafen for the Eurobike. This puts the topic of cycling and mobility in the center of the political and media spotlight," said Klaus Wellman, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen, the show's venue.

Preparations for the chancellor’s visit are being coordinated by Messe Friedrichshafen and the Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV), the German bicycle industry association.

The show will be held August 28-31, 2013. The show is trade-only for its first three days and then open to the public on Sunday, August 31.

An outdoor Eurobike Demo Day will take place on Tuesday, August 27, in the nearby town of Argenbühl.

More information: www.eurobike-show.com.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Leisure Trends Group will present a webinar Thursday that will include 2012 retail sales data and a look at emerging product categories, including new technologies.

LTG retail analyst JJ Rudman will present cycling retail sales data drawn from Leisure Trends Group Cycling RetailTRAK and Bicycle Product Suppliers Association Topline retail sales data. Rudman will look at the overall health of the industry and important category trends heading into the 2013 selling season.

The agenda includes:

• 2012 Sales Review
• Inventory through the Winter
• Hot Categories for 2013
• 29"/26" Mountain bikes
• New Technologies to Monitor 

The webinar is 1-2 pm MDT Thursday. Space is limited. Reserve your spot at: www1.gotomeeting.com/register/984316281

NEWBURY PARK, CA (BRAIN) — Barbara Greenlee of Bothell, Washington, is the latest winner of the Liv/giant bike design contest, which the Giant USA-owned women's bike brand runs with the Young Survival Coalition. 

Young Survival Coalition is a global organization dedicated to issues young women confront in dealing with breast cancer. Liv/giant supports two YSC fundraising rides each year: the three-day YSC Tour de Pink East Coast bike ride, and the Tour de Pink West Coast event. As part of that effort Liv/giant donates several bikes to breast cancer survivors who ride their first Tour de Pink event. 

This year's design contest winner, Greenlee, received a 2012 Avail Inspire bike last year through the survivor program. This year she submitted a design. 

“When we saw Barbara’s design, we were immediately drawn to it,” says Elysa Walk, Giant USA’s general manager. “She imagined the beauty of cherry blossoms on a white bicycle canvas. It was such a great expression of life and inspiration.”

“Young Survival Coalition really helped me get through treatment,” Greenlee said. “I received the diagnosis at age 40. My doctor said the cancer had likely been growing for about 10 years. YSC had the resources and connections to help me through each obstacle I faced along the way.”

The design features cherry blossoms, which have been applied to a Shimano 105-equipped Avail 1. A limited number of 2013 Avail Inspires (ARP/SRP $1,400) are available at select Liv/giant retailers across the U.S. Matching cherry blossom-themed accessories including a jersey, water bottle, and socks are also available. Liv/giant donates 10 percent of the retail price of each item to YSC. 

“The inspiration for my design came from riding in TdP, my YSC sisters, and also where I was at in my breast cancer journey,” Greenlee said. “Riding TdP was something that I never would have attempted before cancer. I felt like I had something to prove.  YSC helped me do just that. The Japanese cherry blossom is a daily reminder that life is short and sweet, to exist in the present moment, and to celebrate the gift of life.”