BEAVERTON, OR (BRAIN) — Lance Armstrong stepped down as chairman of the Livestrong Foundation on Wednesday, hours before several long-time sponsors severed ties with Armstrong, who has been slapped with a lifetime suspension from competition for doping. Most of the brands said they would continue to support Livestrong.

Nike was the first to announce its was ending its relationship with Armstrong.

"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner," Nike said Wednesday in a statement.

Later Wednesday, Trek Bicycle said it was ending its relations with Armstrong, which date back to the late 1990s.

“Trek is disappointed by the findings and conclusions in the USADA report regarding Lance Armstrong. Given the determinations of the report, Trek today is terminating our longterm relationship with Lance Armstrong. Trek will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation and its efforts to combat cancer.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that a Trek spokesman said Armstrong will retain a small share in Trek Bicycle. 

Other Armstrong sponsors followed suit:

• Giro will end its relationship with Armstrong when a contract runs out at the end of the year, spokesman Mark Riedy told BRAIN. Giro will continue to support Livestrong, a relationship that includes selling Livestrong-licensed helmets and other products, he said.
• Honey Stinger, a sports nutritionals brand that Armstrong owns a share of, is in the process of removing Armstrong's image and endorsements from its products, the company's Len Zanni told ABC News.
• An Oakley spokesman told BusinessWeek that the eyeglass maker will decide what to do about Armstrong after waiting to see if the UCI appeals Armstrong's suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Oakley also said it would continue to support Livestrong.
• Anheuser Busch said it would not renew its contract with Armstrong, who appeared in Michelob Ultra television ads until 2010.
• A SRAM spokesman on Tuesday told BRAIN the company had no statement planned regarding Armstrong, who raced with SRAM components during his comeback in 2009 and 2010. For a time, Armstrong owned a share of the company, although SRAM bought those shares back from him in preparation for a public offering.
• Nutritionals maker FRS has ended its relationship with Armstrong, a company official told SFGate.com.

Grassroots protest

"We are not a bunch of ex-bike racers who hate Lance. We just wanted Nike to re-affirm that they support clean athletes. And they've done it," — protestor Jeff Mitchem.

Nike's announcement came a day after a small protest outside Nike's headquarters in Oregon, where activists including former pro racer Paul Willerton demanded the shoe company end its sponsorship of Armstrong.

Portland urban designer Jeff Mitchem joined Willerton and about five others at the protest. Mitchem manages the Rapha Racing Northwest team, which Willerton races for. Mitchem told BRAIN on Wednesday that Nike's decision to drop Armstrong was probably unrelated to the protest.

"Timing is everything, right? ... I'm not a real activist at heart, this was definately outside of my comfort zone. But it felt good, and we tried to make the point that we were not there to oppose Lance. We are not a bunch of ex-bike racers who hate Lance. We just wanted Nike to re-affirm that they support clean athletes. And they've done it," he said.

Nike changes

Also on Wednesday, Nike issued a statement denying any involvement in covering up Armstrong's doping. A New York Daily News article earlier this week had resurrected a years-old story about Nike wiring the UCI $500,000 on behalf of Armstrong to cover up a positive doping result. The story originated with testimony by Kathy LeMond, wife of Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, who recounted it during a 2006 lawsuit.

Nike also said it was renaming the Lance Armstrong Fitness Center the Livestrong Fitness Center.

A statement on the Livestrong website said that the foundation's vice chairman, Jeff Garvey, will take over Armstrong's position as chairman.

"I have had the great honor of serving as this foundation’s chairman for the last five years and its mission and success are my top priorities," Armstrong said in the statement. "Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship."

Armstrong will remain a member of the Livestrong board. He reportedly did not receive a salary for the chairman role.

In related news, former Armstrong teammate Levi Leipheimer was fired by his Omega Pharma-Lotto team this week after Leipheimer confessed to doping while racing with Armstrong.

Also, Skratch Labs owner Allen Lim, who worked with Floyd Landis and Armstrong's RadioShack team, told VeloNews.com that he was aware of doping by Landis and Leipheimer but did not help them dope and urged them not to. Lim said that he never was employed by Landis but instead was working for Saris, which was promoting Landis' use of the PowerTap power meter with blog posts by Lim posted during Landis preparations for the Tour de France.

NIENBURG, Germany (BRAIN) — A massive fire ripped through two warehouses at German manufacturer and distributor Hartje on Tuesday evening, destroying thousands of bicycles and bike parts and racking up millions of dollars in damages. 

Hartje, located just north of Hannover in Northern Germany, distributes about 20 well-known parts and accessories brands including Camelbak, Alex Rims, 3T, Campagnolo, Crankbrothers and Selle SMP. It also manufacturers bikes under its own name, and distributes trekking, city, electric mountain bikes for Conway, Victoria, Union, Prince and Tern. 

According to news reports, the fire broke out in one warehouse Tuesday evening that stored 10,000 new bikes and accessories and was still burning this afternoon after spreading to a second hall. At least one warehouse collapsed and burned to ashes, destroying all the wheels inside and large quantities of assembly materials. 

None of Hartje’s 400 employees was injured in the blaze. 

The cause of the fire was unknown on Wednesday, and it did not affect bicycle production, which is located in another building on the site.

DELAND, FL (BRAIN) — The European lubricant and cleaner brand Muc-Off is introducing a new body cleanser designed for athletes and others who need to clean off when they don't have opportunity to take a shower or even have a towel. Dry Shower is available in a 6.8-ounce or 1.7-ounce pump spray bottle.

The formula is intended to kill odor-causing bacteria with a coconut-derived cleanser.  The pH-balanced formula is free from parabens and formaldehyde and contains no alcohol. The 6.8-ounce size has a MSRP of $7.99.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (BRAIN) — Strava has filed a response in San Francisco’s Superior Court denying responsibility for all 26 charges set forth in a negligence lawsuit stemming from the 2010 death of a cyclist who was killed while using the popular personal fitness mobile application.  

Strava also countersued William K. Flint I, the father of Kim Flint Jr. and administrator of his estate, saying that when Flint Jr. joined Strava on Oct. 7, 2009, he electronically signed and agreed to Strava’s terms and conditions, a part of which excludes Strava from responsibility of legal claims or demands arising from a user’s connection to the site.

Flint Jr., 41, died on June 19, 2010, when he collided with an automobile while attempting to defend his “King of the Mountain” on a ride in Orinda, California’s Tilden Park. King of the Mountain is the term Strava uses to identify the fastest rider on a particular segment, clocked by GPS. The Strava app allows users to record ride times and ranks riders on individual segments. Flint was apparently trying to regain the King of the Mountain title he had recently lost at the time of his death. (Related: King of the (Down) Hill)

His parents filed a negligence lawsuit against Strava in June, saying the company encouraged dangerous behavior by failing to warn cyclists that the road conditions were not suited for racing, and not taking adequate measures to ensure KOM challenges took place on safe courses.  

In the countersuit, Strava contends that it is not liable for damages in Flint Jr.’s death because it was the result of his negligence, not the company’s. Strava claims that Flint Jr. was riding recklessly over the posted speed limit on the wrong side of the road when he crashed. 

A case management conference is scheduled in the case on Nov. 21.  

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (BRAIN) — Sinclair Imports president Lance Donnell defended his right to maintain a discount website this week in response to QBP's lawsuit alleging unfair competition.

In an e-mail to BRAIN, Donnell said Bike Baron, the website named in the suit, sells closeout inventory that does not conflict with the interests of Sinclair’s brick-and-mortar retail customers.

“Being forced to sell closeout inventory below cost, sometimes for 50 cents on the dollar or less at the end of the year, had become an unsustainable model. We offer the same inventory to retailers for substantially less than products are sold for on Bike Baron, but more often our retailers are little interested in closeout inventory,” Donnell said.

QBP is accusing Nevada-based Sinclair of using Bike Baron and an eBay site to sell directly to consumers while purporting to sell only through specialty retailers.

In the suit filed last month, QBP also alleges that Sinclair uses numerous images to promote products on Bike Baron and the eBay store that were created, copyrighted and watermarked by QBP.

Quality makes its product images available only to retailers who sign a subscription and licensing agreement with SmartEtailing, a company in which QBP owner Steve Flagg acquired a majority interest earlier this year. Further, the page title of the Bike Baron website reads “Quality Bike Parts,” which comes up in a Web search for Bike Baron, creating confusion about the source of the products.

Sinclair has also targeted its ad and sales efforts in Minnesota, where QBP is based, the suit says.

Donnell pointed out that he has nothing to gain by using a competitor’s photos, and that Sinclair has access to pictures of bike parts from its suppliers and an in-house studio.

“My partner and I certainly had no knowledge anything like that ever happened nor would we allow or condone it under any circumstances. We never received a demand letter and never even a phone call alerting us to their concern, or anything like that occurring would have been looked into and immediately stopped,” he said.

Donnell questioned QBP’s motives with the suit, referencing a situation four years ago when Ridley dropped Sinclair for QBP, after Donnell said Sinclair made the Belgium supplier the fastest growing bike brand in the U.S.

“We had invested a huge amount of money to build that brand. That is business and the risk of being a small distributor. But it strikes me as odd that QBP seems intent on injuring Sinclair after that occurred?” he said.

The Bike Baron site is still live, but no sales are being processed as it said the site was undergoing updates. The initial hearing in the case has not been scheduled.

IRVINE, CA (BRAIN) — Felt has formed a wholly owned subsidiary in Canada, and signed a multi-year contract with its former distributor there, Spaso Sports, to be the exclusive sales and marketing agent in that territory.

The model is one Felt has already set up in Germany, Spain and the U.K., and allows the company to be more competitive on pricing in the Canadian market, said Michael Forte, Felt’s director of operations.

Felt Canada, which is run within Felt’s U.S. headquarters in Irvine, California, will be responsible for importing bikes into Canada while Spaso will handle sales, marketing, customer service, warehousing and distribution. Spaso will continue to handle distribution for other non-competing brands in Canada.

“We have been working on this new arrangement for several months with Felt,” said Bruno Warnotte, president of the Montréal-based Spaso Sports. “We believe it is in the mutual best interest of both parties, and will contribute greatly to grow the Felt Bicycles brand in Canada. As a stand alone distributor, we lacked the synergies needed to fully take advantage of the brand power Felt enjoys in the USA, and in core European countries.”

EL DORADO HILLS, CA (BRAIN) — Just ahead of its three-year anniversary, Folsom Bike has expanded to a second location with the opening of Town Center Bike & Tri.

While the new location has a greater emphasis on triathlon than the Folsom store, with a large selection of wetsuits, goggles, running shoes and other tri apparel, it’s still a full-service family shop, noted owner Erin Gorrell.

“The philosophy of our store is I want it to be the Nordstrom of bike stores, where it’s a real high-end-looking shop but it’s also a very homey and welcoming environment,” she said. That hominess is reflected in the plush customer lounge area with couches, coffee table and shag rug, as well as the bar stools and counter overlooking the service area.

The shop adds Trek and Pinarello to Gorell’s bike lineup that includes such brands as Giant, Felt, BMC, Cervélo and Redline. The Folsom location now carries Trek as well, though not Pinarello. Also new at Town Center: a full selection of Oakley eyewear.

The 6,000-square-foot store is in the heart of El Dorado’s family-friendly Town Center shopping and entertainment district, with foot traffic coming in from popular bistros, movie theaters, a farmer’s market and an amphitheater. “It’s newer but it has the feeling of an Italian village, like something in Tuscany,” Gorrell said.

Town Center Bike and Tri is also positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning multi-sport market in Northern California, home to events including the Tri for Real series, Xterras, numerous duathlons, Icebreaker swims and, beginning in 2013, the Tahoe Ironman.

“It’s grown tremendously here, and no other shop in our area focuses on tri,” Gorrell said.

PAAL-BERINGEN, Belgium (BRAIN) — Ridley is offering a limited edition bike built up with its new 2013 Helium SL frameset.

The Helium SL Limited 58 edition weighs 5.8kg (12.8 pounds) without pedals. The company will sell 58 of the special edition models, numbered from 01/58 through 58/58. The retail price is 7,999 euros (about $10,450); the bikes can be ordered by consumers through the Ridley website and will be delivered via its retailers on February 10, 2013.

The frames used for the special bike have special superlight paint finish. The bike is built with a SRAM Red group, Zipp 202 tubular wheels with Continental Temp tubulars, a KMC chain and 4ZA stem, seatpost, saddle and handlbars.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — The butter b1 is a U.S.-made chain holder for cleaning, storing and traveling with a bike with the rear wheel removed.

The device attaches to the right rear drop out like a quick release. The big adjusting knob is machined aluminum, the chain runs on a Delrin rod and a stainless steel post holds the parts together.

Suggested retail is $40. The product is available consumer direct; wholesale inquiries can be directed to Chad Moore at chad@wearebutter.com.

More information: www.wearebutter.com.

CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN) — SRAM Inc. on Thursday announced it was ending its relationship with Lance Armstrong, who used the company's components during his comeback to the sport in 2009 and 2010. SRAM also clarified that Armstrong no longer owned any share in the company.

In more fall out from the Armstrong doping scandal, Rabobank, one of the longest standing sponsors in the European peloton, announced Friday that it is leaving the sport because of the scandal. Giant Bicycle, which has been involved with the Rabobank teams for the last four seasons, said it is "re-evaluating" its sports marketing program.

As reported in BRAIN earlier this week, SRAM bought out Armstrong's shares in the company last year in preparation for a public offering. On Thursday the company issued the following statement:

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (BRAIN) — From Giant Bicycle headquarters to Oakley headquarters, more than 120 riders wrapped up a three-day, 200-mile trip on Sunday to benefit the Young Survival Coalition, a global organization dedicated to helping young women diagnosed with breast cancer. As might be surmised from the start and end point, many bike industry insiders participated, including two-dozen Giant employees, Interbike's Justin Gottlieb, SmartEtailing's Mark Graff and BRAIN publisher Marc Sani.

Liv/giant, the women’s bike brand of Giant Bicycles, has been a sponsor of the YSC Tour de Pink rides for five years. Other Tour de Pink events include a yearly East Coast three-day ride that rolled in late September from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. 

In July 2010, the Tour de Pink took on a special significance for Giant employees when Michelle Weiser, Giant’s gear marketing manager, succumbed to breast cancer. This year Giant employees Eric Christianson, Ann Fischer, and Michele Benson pedaled the West Coast Tour de Pink as part of a team known as “Weiser’s Army” and raised more than $66,000 dollars.

This spring, Liv/giant produced a special road bike, the Avail Inspire, which was designed by Emily Gresh.  The Connecticut woman won a design contest sponsored by Liv/giant and YSC that was open only to breast cancer survivors.  Training for a YSC Tour de Pink event helped Emily recover from her cancer treatment; several bikes with the distinctive graphics she imagined were also provided by Liv/giant to a number of Tour de Pink riders so they could take part in the 2012 events. Sales of Inspire bikes and gear have led to Liv/giant donating more than $75,000 to the organization.  

PETALUMA, CA (BRAIN) — CamelBak is adding a glass version of its eddy bottle, which has already been available in plastic and stainless steel versions.

The new Glass eddy is availabel with four colored silicon sleeves that offer protection and improved grip. The bottle is constructed from glass manufactured in France.

The Glass version also incorporates a larger, easy-to-clean straw.

“We recognize that different consumers have different preferences in their reusable water bottles,” said Jon Austen, CamelBak's director of product management. “Some consumers just prefer to drink out of glass, and we wanted to give people this option while still providing the benefit of CamelBak’s spill-proof Bite Valve, which has been proven to help people drink more water.”

MSRP is $25.

GREENWICH, CT (BRAIN) — Custom fit studio Signatures Cycles has moved its Greenwich location to gain increased foot traffic in and out of the affluent town’s transportation hub.

“Our lease was up, and I realized I was on the wrong side of the hub. I wanted to have more visibility for the traffic going into the train station,” said owner Paul Levine. “If it’s possible to be on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ in Greenwich, we were on it.”

 Though similar in size to Signature’s 2,500-square-foot former Greenwich home, the new location’s split-level layout allows more privacy for bike fitting. The shop’s fit station, along with showers and a locker room, is on the lower level, with sales and repairs housed above. “We’ve dedicated the entire lower level for the fit experience,” Levine said.

 Signature works with the Purely Custom XY sizing system and offers three levels of fitting—for a customer’s current bike, a new stock bike or a new custom bike. The shop also offers a mobile fit service for home or office.

 Bike brands include Serotta, Seven, Parlee, Guru, Independent Fabrication and Passoni. The Greenwich store also just brought on Rapha and Assos apparel.

 Levine is eyeing early November for an official grand opening, with raffles for a lightweight wheelset, a trip to Majorca and a full Shimano Dura-Ace gruppo.

 Signature also operates studios/showrooms in New York City and Central Valley, New York.

AIGLE, Switzerland (BRAIN) — The international cycling union UCI on Monday drove the final nail into Lance Armstrong's doping punishment, announcing that it would not appeal the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's finding that Armstrong doped for much of his professional career.

The UCI's decision not to appeal USADA's ruling inspired Oakley to announce it was cutting ties to Armstrong.

Oakley was Armstrong's last remaining major sponsor. Last week most of Armstrong's other sponsors, including Trek Bicycle and Nike, cut ties.

Oakley's statement:

Based on UCI’s decision today and the overwhelming evidence that USADA presented, Oakley has severed its longstanding relationship with Lance Armstrong, effective immediately.

When Lance joined our family many years ago, he was a symbol of possibility. We are deeply saddened by the outcome, but look forward with hope to athletes and teams of the future who will rekindle that inspiration by racing clean, fair and honest.

We believe the LIVESTRONG Foundation has been a positive force in the lives of many affected by cancer and, at this time, Oakley will continue to support its noble goals.

In related news on Friday USA Cycling announced Friday that it was renaming the Lance Armstrong Junior Race Series. Armstrong had supported the series for 20 years. It has been renamed the Road Development Race Series.

“Lance Armstrong supported the junior race series for over 20 years,” said USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson in a statement. “However, given the recent revelations involving Mr. Armstrong and in order to continue to grow this development program, we feel it is only appropriate to initiate this change of title not only for this program and its race directors, but also for the bright future of budding American cyclists.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (BRAIN) — William Watkins has been appointed CEO of Serotta and its parent company, Great American Bicycle, the company announced Monday.

Watkins replaces interim CEO Howard Berkowitz, who led Serotta through a transition period after Bradway Capital bought the company in May. Berkowitz has returned to Bradway, where he serves as vice president of private investment.

Watkins is former elite amateur racer who raced on Serottas during his career. Watkins is the founder and CEO of The Marena Group, a medical device company that he started in his garage in 1994. 

"I consider it a true privilege to see my career come full circle. Today I get to lead the company that designed and manufactured the bikes that were part of my launch into life back in the mid-1970s, when I pursued my Olympic cycling dream," Watkins said. "I can see now that all of my experiences — athletic and professional — have led me to this moment. I am confident that the wonderful team of craftsmen and professionals at Serotta are going to rock the bicycle industry."
 
Prior to starting his own company, Watkins held various product and sales management positions at Mobil Chemical Co. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Watkins served in the Army Corps of Engineers from 1977 through 1984.  
 

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — BicycleRetailer.com is going to publish a series of reviews of bike-related mobile apps in the coming days. We’re starting with my look today at BikeBrain, an iOS app that turns your smart phone into an elaborate version of a cycling computer, with at least one feature I haven’t encountered elsewhere.

The number of bike-related apps is growing faster than we can review them, so any help is appreciated. If you have a favorite app you’d like to recommend, or a different experience on one that we review, please leave a note in the comments section below the articles or contact me via email (sfrothingham@bicycleretailer.com).

Before we jump into the reviews, it may be useful for you to know a bit about this reviewer’s riding habits, equipment and philosophies:

• I dig gadgets. Cheap or free gadgets are even better.

A bike computer (a CatEye about the size of my fist, as I recall) was one of the first accessories I bought when I got into cycling in the early 1980s. The bike gadgets I’ve owned since would fill a pannier or two. They include many computers, wired and wireless, a wired chest heart monitor strap that plugged into a CatEye handlebar computer, in place of the cadence sensor, a surprising number of wireless heart monitors, two power meters, at least three GPS-enabled computers and now, a smart phone.

What’s fun about the current situation is that most cycling apps are free or have nominal cost. Installing the latest and greatest app takes a click or two on a touch screen, instead of shop time spent aligning magnets, tiny Philips screws and zip ties. And when I tire of one, I touch the Delete button instead of filling a drawer in my garage.

The phone stays in my jersey pocket, gathering data. After the ride I can geek out over the stats.

So a thriving cycle computer business is being replaced by an “app economy” where it’s sometimes not clear if and how the app developers hope to recoup their costs. In each app review we’ll make note of the developer’s apparent monetization plan.

• I also dig gadget-free rides.

While I enjoy tracking my progress (or lack thereof) and playing with gadgets, I also like focusing on the scenery, my companions, the sound of my own breathing and the hum of nice tires on pavement or gravel.

I also like the look of a light, clean bike with no gadgets on the handlebars or wires dangling around the frame. Which is why I’ve never mounted my phone on the handlebars for outdoor riding. When I use a cycling app, the phone stays in my jersey pocket gathering data. After the ride I can geek out over the stats and upload it to Strava for trash-talking at the office.

 I did use a Minoura accessory to put my phone on the handlebars last winter in an attempt to make indoor training tolerable.

• Here’s what I use:

I have a Saris/CyclOps PowerTap power meter hub on my road and mountain bikes, although I sometimes opt to install wheels without power measurement. I generally have a Garmin Edge 500 on my handlebars. The Garmin connects with the PowerTap to show power and cadence, and when I’m not using a power meter the Garmin performs regular bike computer functions. I generally upload ride files from the Garmin to Strava.com (I’ll review the Strava mobile app soon as part of this series).

I have an iPhone 4 and an Apple laptop. GPS apps use a lot of battery power, so I often use a Mophie battery on my iPhone for weekend rides, so I can ride as long as I want without fear of running down my battery.

• Here’s what I think: 

In light of the strident views expressed in the comments under a recent article about Strava, it might be useful for me to share my views here (although I hope this won’t dissuade anyone from sharing their opinions): 

The bicycle is simultaneously one of the simplest machines on earth and one of the most disruptive technologies in history. Like the wheels it’s built on, the bike is such a central part of world culture that its existence looks to have resulted from evolution rather than invention. On the other hand, the bike is a killer app. 

Bike riders are similarly complicated and contradictory. Some are built to quantify, some are social animals, some crave competition and some choose to ride alone, and thank god for that in some cases. Some live a digital existence while others are decidedly analog. For some, cycling apps add to the experience, and for others, they would detract. I am a bit of all of the above.

Bike Brain is one of the many, many apps that turns your iPhone into a very powerful (if somewhat large) wireless bike computer, using the phone’s GPS to show and record your speed and distance traveled, etc., and show your position on a map. Other similar apps are Strava, Cyclometer, Cyclops Mobile and Mapmyride, and we plan to review all of those in this series.

Since so many of us carry phones during rides, for emergencies if nothing else, and apps don’t add any weight ... one has to wonder about the future for makers of standard bike computers. 

But Bike Brain has one function that I haven’t seen before on a bike app: an in-app camera that will geolocate photos. If you use the app to take photos or videos during a ride, the app will later show the location of the photos on a route map. What’s more, you can upload the pictures, videos, a map of the ride and other ride data to your Facebook account with a push of a button. The app even sends Facebook a link (like this one)to an interactive Google map that contains the geolocated images, so you can give your Facebook friends a fairly complete and interactive report on your ride. This is great when you want to brag about your vacation or your choice of residence. 

Otherwise, in several road and mountain ride the free app seemed to do what it promises. It  has very complete bike computer and mapping functions if you want to put your phone on your handlebar, or even just pull it out of your pocket occasionally to see how far you’ve gone and where the heck you are. 

Related — Frothed Up: An introduction to BRAIN's mobile app review series.

As I mentioned in my introduction, my preference is to use a Garmin Edge 500 (or nothing) on my handlebars and keep my phone in my jersey pocket; I’m more interested in reviewing data after a ride than during. But BikeBrain offers an array of information that old school bike computer makers could only dream of, artfully arranged. Moving between various screens is done with swipes, which is probably easily done during a ride.

Biologic, which is a sister company to the Tern folding bike brand, recently switched the app from costing $1.99 to being free. If you got the newer, free version, you can buy a $1.99 app upgrade module to make the app compatible with heartrate monitors and cadence and speed sensors that work with the Bluetooth Smart wireless protocol. If you paid for the app, the module is gratis (I did not test these accessories).

One oddity is that the app displays the vertical ascent and descent totals in miles, rather than feet, as is more common in my experience. A spokesman said, "The total ascent/descent automatically changes from feet to miles after a mile has been ascended/descended for convenience. We felt it more appropriate to culminate this into the larger unit of miles to ensure the number would fit into the screen width and for convenience."

Cost: Free

Platform: iOS

Compatible with: Bluetooth Smart accessories

Revenue: Sales of upgraded features available via in-app purchase, sales of Biologic accessories.

App store reviews: 4 out of 5 stars, 59 reviews

First release: March 2011

Latest update: Oct. 10, 2012

Download link

Bike Brain is offered by Biologic, which sells a variety of innovative bike accessories, ranging from iPhone cases to saddles, pumps, lights and generator hubs. You can buy some of these accessories, such as handlebar mounts, speed and cadence sensors, and a long-fingered glove that works with touch screens, through the app.

PORTLAND, OR (BRAIN) — With 50 percent chance of rain and expected afternoon showers, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News editors and sponsors will likely get a little wet today as they embark on a three-day tour of bike shops in Portland, Oregon. 

BRAIN staff and sponsors will ride to 14 retailers to talk with storeowners and learn about what’s driving a recent boom in new shops in this cycling Mecca. Portland, Oregon, has earned a “platinum” level bike-friendly community designation from the League of American Bicyclists and some 70 retailers have set up shop in this city just shy of 600,000 residents (metro area has a population of 2.2 million). 

On the first day, the Dealer Tour will work its way Northeast with visits to Universal Cycles, Bike N Hike, Citybikes, Bike Gallery and Velo Cult. On Wednesday, the group will head Northwest to Western Bikeworks, UpCycles Bike Shop, West End Bikes, Athletes Lounge and Fat Tire Farm. Bikes Belong will host a reception to cap off the day of visits at the headquarters of Rapha North America at 6 p.m. Portland retailers and suppliers are welcome to attend.  

Riders will head south on the final day to Lake Oswego to visit Lakeside Bicycles, then work their way back to Portland with stops at Sellwood Cycle, River City Bicycles and the River City Outlet and ending at Clever Cycles, which recently was honored with a BRAINy award for best urban shop. 

Editors are joined by representatives from sponsoring companies Advanced Sports International, parent of Fuji, Kestrel, Breezer, Oval, SE Bikes and Terry; Bell and Giro; Burley Design; Yakima and Interbike.  

Coverage and photos from store visits will be featured in the magazine’s December 1 edition. But check back here all week for daily online stories and photo galleries or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates. 

RENO, NV (BRAIN) — Glacier Glove's new cycling glove line includes new models aimed at road, mountain bike and cyclocross riders.

The Cyclocross model is made for cold, wet, and muddy conditions. The glove was designed to keep the back of the rider's hand warm while allowing palms to breathe.

The material is G-Tek Neoprene with neoprene padding on the palm, Lycra articulated knuckles for stretch, a Lycra cuff and leather over the palm for durability. The glove retails for $39.99

More information: glacierglove.com/