PARK CITY, Utah (BRAIN) — With a combination of nearly 500 miles of single track and an extensive network of rural paved and gravel roads, the snow sports mecca of Park City, Utah, has also become a popular cycling destination. New specialty retailer Storm Cycles, owned by four friends with a passion for riding, opened in early March to serve the growing cycling scene.

"We saw a need for a bike shop that was open year-round, and our community is excited to have a bike shop right down the street," said Todd Henneman, co-owner of Storm Cycles. "A lot of the stores in Park City are multi-sport stores and the focus to snow shifts in the winter, but we'll be a dedicated bike shop all year long."

Storm Cycles is located about seven miles from downtown Park City in the Snyderville Basin, which has ample single track in the summer and a groomed multi-use trail network in the winter. With Salsa as one of its primary brands, Henneman said he anticipates fat bike service and sales will help carry the store through the winter.

"We've watched fat bikes explode in popularity the past couple of years. The trails get packed down by skiers and snowshoers, and people have realized just how fun it is to ride singletrack in the winter," he said.

As an avid cross-country skier, Henneman plans to carry a small selection of Nordic and touring ski equipment alongside its bike inventory during the winter months to bring people into the store. He also anticipates that the coffee shop located next door will attract customers year-round. Storm Cycles partner Rob Hibl owns the coffee shop, Park City Coffee Roasters, which he opened in 1997. A door that separates the businesses will be left open to encourage people to wander between the two.

Juan Patterson and his wife, Lauri Bilawa, are also partners at Storm Cycles. Patterson manages the service department and helps out with retails sales, and Bilawa takes care of financials. Hibl will also work on the sales floor, and a full-time mechanic will come on board in early April.

According to Henneman, Storm Cycles' market is split nearly equally between road and off-road, with mountain taking a slight majority. Henneman said he also hopes to grow the gravel scene in the valley. "There are so many great gravel routes here," he said. "So I'd love to add a gravel ride to the calendar once the season gets going."

The 3,200-square-foot shop stocks bikes from Cannondale, Pivot and Salsa, as well as a full array of softgoods, accessories and tools.

SHERIDAN, Colo. (BRAIN) — Denver-area triathlon retailer KompetitiveEdge has new ownership.

Former store manager Ryan Stedeford is taking full ownership of the store as of April 1 from previous owner Rob Runyon. 

After starting as a mechanic at Bicycle Village when he was 13, Stedeford worked for several other shops, eventually becoming a general manager. Introduced to Runyon through a mutual acquaintance, Stedeford started at KE in 2009 as a mechanic before taking over as store manager. Since then KE has moved aggressively into the triathlon market. Besides several top bicycle brands, they are the largest retailer of Newton running shoes in Colorado.

Stedeford, 23, said he is excited for 2014.

"It's a huge step for me to take ownership of KompetitiveEdge. For the past five years I've worked hard to create a store that is customer focused and provides the top gear athletes are looking for," he said.

For 2014 KE has two athlete teams and works with several area clubs and coaching services.

In addition to bikes, components and apparel, KE offers bike fits and physiology testing.

"Obviously 2014 is a big year, not just for me but for the company as a whole," said Stedeford. "We will be launching a new e-commerce site, changing up our brand offerings and creating better efficiencies to enhance the customer experience."

The store is at 3820 S. Federal Blvd. in Sheridan.

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — RockyMounts is offering new low-profile crossbars and towers for bike and ski racks.

The Ouray Crossbar and Flagstaff Towers integrate with most vehicle's factory roof rails.

"This new system represents another step forward for us in terms of not only carrying your gear, but enhancing your vehicle in the process," said Bruno Maier, president of RockyMounts, Inc. "Just because you like to play outside doesn't mean you should have to compromise efficiency and aesthetics when it comes to your vehicle."

The Flagstaff and Ouray are designed to be mounted together as a system, but are compatible with other combinations of RockyMounts base rack systems and will be sold separately.

The Ouray Crossbar is crafted from durable non-corrosive black anodized aluminum. It will be available in five lengths ranging from 44 to 60 inches. The Ouray is engineered with thick-wall construction to be stronger than the competition. The Ouray retails for $149.95.

The Flagstaff Towers feature an industrial strength contoured contact pad and strap for easy and secure mounting to any raised factory or aftermarket side-rails, regardless of size or shape. The Flagstaff features powder coated internals for greater durability and corrosion resistance. A pivoting attached door allows easy installation and the ability to lock the system to your side rails with the addition of RockyMounts lock cores. The Flagstaff retails for $179.95.

Both products will be available for shipment and purchase in June 2014.

More information: RockyMounts.com.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) – Registered attendees at next month's IBD Summit in Monterey, Calif., will receive VIP cards for September's Interbike Expo. The cards will allow access to several benefits, including exclusive access to two new VIP lounges at the Las Vegas show.

The new VIP Retailer lounges will be located near the show floor at Interbike, and within the expo area at OutDoor Demo. Both lounges give retailers a place to sit, relax, recharge, cool down and/or grab some refreshments during the events.

"The VIP Card for Interbike is our way of saying thank you to the retailers who take time to step away from their stores and attend the IBD Summit," said Pat Hus, vice president of Interbike. "We understand that we are asking retailers to leave their store at a busy time of the year, but by attending the IBD Summit retailers will get world-class education specifically tailored to the unique challenges faced by IBDs. The IBD Summit will change the way they do business and will ultimately help them become more profitable, so there's an argument to be made that retailers can't afford not to attend."

Additional Interbike VIP card benefits include a $25 per day food and beverage voucher for Interbike, VIP seating at the Interbike industry breakfast, Skip-The-Line Access at all Interbike events and functions, complimentary hotel upgrades at Mandalay Bay and "White Glove/VIP Registration" at Interbike.

The IBD Summit is April 8-10; retailers can register at the IBD Summit website.

ATLANTA (BRAIN) — When retailer Fred Boykin attended the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's annual Blinkie awards ceremony last month, he did not expect to receive an award—let alone have one named for him.

Boykin took home his namesake Inaugural Fred Boykin Lifetime Achievement Award. "It was totally unexpected, I had no idea," said Boykin. "The board created the award, named it after me, then gave it to me. It is such an honor."

Boykin was recognized for his dedication to numerous advocacy projects over the years, including his efforts to launch and grow the Safe Routes to School program in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta.

He spearheaded the Safe Routes pilot program in 2002 after procuring a $400,000 grant from the state of Georgia. The program is now run by the city of Decatur and has become the strongest Safe Routes to School program in the state.

Other projects Boykin has supported include the annual Ride to the State Capitol, which draws more than 2,000 people to ride from Decatur to the capitol building in Atlanta. He is also active in a local program to provide bicycle safety training to fourth grade students in Decatur, and currently serves as Decatur City Commissioner.

Boykin owns Bicycle South, the full-service shop he opened in 1972 when he was a junior in college. Bikes from Giant, Raleigh, Bromptom and Surly are sold at the 4,500-square-foot store in Decatur.

SAN FRANCISCO (BRAIN) — Strava has made a major update to its mobile app, making it more social and combining its running and cycling apps into one app.

The app is now available in 11 languages, with the addition of Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Traditional Chinese.

"Our mission is to motivate athletes all over the world," said Alex Mather, vice president of product and user experience at Strava. "This latest mobile app brings Strava's unique social experience like beautiful maps, Instagram photos and lots more to runners and cyclists everywhere."

New social features include increased integration with Instagram so that photos taken with Instagram during Strava activites are shown in the activity feed. One-tap icons also make it easy for friends to leave comments and kudos for activities. Activities involving more than one Strava member are grouped, showing which friends worked out together.

The Premium offering within the Strava app features enhanced real-time notifications. Audio updates are now delivered at the beginning, halfway point and end of Strava segments. "The updates help members understand when they've started a segment, providing instant motivation during a workout," Strava said.

Also, the app now allows members to select the running shoes or bicycle used during an activity. Strava uses this information to automatically log the mileage associated with each piece of athletic gear, helping runners to know when to replace shoes and cyclists to know when to service or replace components including tires, chains and brakes.

The Strava app is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app is free; a premium membership with enhanced features is available for $6 per month or $59 per year.

PHILADELPHIA (BRAIN) — Advanced Sports International says it contacted the operator of Saratoga Frameworks last year to object to its use of the Saratoga trademark.

Saratoga Frameworks, which is connected to the bankrupt Divine Cycling Group and which operated out of the former Serotta factory in upstate New York, shut down this week.

ASI, which owns Fuji, SE, Kestrel and other brands, has registered and used the Saratoga name on a Fuji bike model since 1987.

"ASI notified (Saratoga Frameworks owner) Brian Case of its ownership in November 2013 and formally objected to continued use in early 2014 when an agreement with Case was not met," an ASI statement released Friday read.

"Advanced Sports is making this information public to protect its trademark and inform any potential buyer (of Saratoga Frameworks) of the unresolved conflict."

ASI was in the news last December when it asserted that it owned the Roubaix trademark, which it licenses to Specialized. The issue came to light when Specialized attempted to force a Canadian retailer, Cafe Roubaix, to stop using the name.

In 2012, Fuji recalled about 10,000 Saratoga step-through cruiser bikes because of potential frame breakage. 

Editor's note: Ray Keener is a long-time friend of Bicycle Retailer and writes occasional columns, blogs and articles for the website and magazine. Ray's background includes stints as a bike retailer, executive director of the Bicycle Industry Organization, editor of a trade magazine, founder of Growth Cycle and now executive director of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association.

Fred Clements, executive director of the NBDA, recently asked this question on his blog: "Are casual bike consumers being frightened away from shops because of sticker shock?"

While Fred focused on selling used bikes as a way to serve lower-priced demand, that isn't every shop's option. Let's take a look at the new-bike numbers and see where the opportunity lies.

First the big picture. Looking at BPSA and Leisure Trends (an NPD Group Co.) stats for 2009-2013 we see IBD adult multi-speed sales in the $200-$300 price range dropping from 5 percent of units in 2009 to 1 percent in 2013.

And in the $300-$400 range sales plummet from 25 percent to 12 percent over that same period. Of course inflation, both monetary and spec, accounts for some of that but surely not all of it.

So our perceived prices are going up and guess what? Mass merchants are still pumping out shiny $99 dual-suspension BSOs (Bicycle Shaped Objects). The gap between mass and IBD is definitely widening.

A quick perusal of company websites in 2014 makes the current IBD bottom clear—$369, $379, $399 retail for a mountain or hybrid. That leaves a pretty big price gap between the mass top-end and the IBD bottom.

I'm going to stick to a mass-to-IBD comparison here. Sporting goods stores like Dick's, Sports Authority and their ilk do bridge the gap. Their market share has been around 10 percent for decades, so let's focus on the 70+ percent mass share.

Before we go any further into numbers, here's a key question for which we have no data: How much cross-shopping takes place between mass and IBDs? The industry consensus (useful, but not always to be trusted) is not much. And we wouldn't need much of that mass market share to grow our customer count and add sales volume.

The reason there's so little cross shopping: Consumers don't identify their needs by quality as much as they do by price. They buy bikes they think they can afford for the riding they want to do.

Studies have consistently shown that most consumers understand that if they want a quality bike, then they need to get them from an IBD. Mass buyers aren't stupid, they understand their limited needs and budget.

OK, enough pre-ramble. Let's take a look at both the obstacles and the opportunity from lowering the IBD bottom to, say, $299.

I speak from recent experience that a $300 retail bike is not a piece of junk. I spec'ed out a $160 wholesale bike for Community Cycles in Boulder from a major vendor. Steel frame, rigid fork, full braze-ons, steel bar and stem, seven speeds, cantis, QR alloy wheels. Nothing to write home about but a very functional bike.

It can be done. So who doesn't want to do it? That would be most retailers and most suppliers. And it's a total chicken-and-egg conundrum. Retailers don't want to compromise their standards of what constitutes an IBD bike. Suppliers are concerned that if they stock $299 price-point bikes dealers won't buy them.

It's easy to say to the suppliers, as retailers have on the BRAIN website in comments about Fred's article: "Hey, make those bikes and we'll buy them." (Full disclosure: I work for suppliers as executive director of the BPSA.)

The suppliers would take all the risk and lower their ASP in the process. That's not a strategy that keeps product managers employed. We're all hooked on the premise that "expensive is better"—unlike our low-end consumers.

If I were still an IBD, I would stock but try not to sell $299 bikes. It's a chicken-and-egg thing again. I'd put banners in all my ads: "Fully assembled and tuned bikes from $299!" And gently upsell to my $379/89/99 priced bikes. (Anyone remember Support-Suggest-Support from Selling Cycling 2008, it's on YouTube.)

I would gladly sell them the $299 bike if that's what they wanted. The key is the come-on price starts with a 2. Just like top-end mass-market bikes. You're in the game! If you want to be. And I realize, not everyone does, retailer or supplier. There are downsides for both to lower the bar.

Fred's other question: "Does the industry's need to appeal to a wider range of people include offering good products for less?" I say yes.

Concerns about IBDs financial health seem to focus on the Internet. NBDA surveys find that web competition are its members #1 worry
In my opinion, IBDs will never lose a $300 sale to the Internet in the near future. Retailers can't stop the erosion at the high-end, how about grabbing some share from the mass on the low-end?

Next time I'll look in more depth at selling used bikes with a case-study from a great shop, Penn Cycle in Minneapolis, that's doing it well, and why I WOULDN'T do it if I were still an IBD.

BOSTON (BRAIN) — Stromer is recalling about 1,300 Stromer ST1 women's and men's e-bikes, models M33 Elite and P48 Platinum, because the fork can break during use. The company has received one report of a fork breaking, resulting in minor scrapes and bruises to the rider.

The 2013-model year bikes were sold in black, red and white. They have an integrated lithium battery located inside the down tube, motor on the rear hub and a three-button LCD system display on the handlebars. "Stromer" is printed on the top tube of the bicycle frame and on the seat and chain guard. The fork's serial numbers for the recalled bikes start with: ST1S2F, ST1S2G, ST1S2H, ST1S2I, ST1S2J, ST1S3A, ST1S3B, ST1S3C, ST1S3D and ST1S3E. The serial number is etched at the bottom of the chainstay.

Stromer sold about 1,300 of the affected models in the U.S. and 11 in Canada. 

Consumers are being advised to immediately stop riding the bicycle and take it to an authorized Stromer dealer. Consumers with a recalled bicycle will receive a free replacement fork and have it installed at no cost.

The bikes were made in Switzerland and sold nationwide and online from January 2012 to May 2013 for between $3,500 and $4,000.

Consumers can contact distributor BMC-USA at (800) 819-4262 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, online at www.stromer.ch or email andrew.gelles@bmc-switzerland.com.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BRAIN) — The 10th edition of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show wrapped Sunday with the naming of the Best of Show bike and the location of next year's show: Louisville, Ky. 

NAHBS founder and president Don Walker, a Louisville native, said next year's show will be "huge."

"I'm on the ground there 365 days a year, so we have 12 months to make Louisville the best NAHBS ever," he said. The show did not announce exact dates for the 2015 event, which is planned for the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville. The convention center is connected via skywalk to 2,300 hotel rooms, with an additional 1,800 hotel rooms located within six blocks. 

Portland, Ore.-based Argonaut won the "Best Layup" prize for its Di2 Roadbike, which went on to win Best in Show. 

"I can't tell you how excited I am," said Argonaut's Ben Farver. "I've been following the show for years and I've always paid attention to the awards — particularly Best in Show. To be included in the select pool of people that have taken this award home before me is insane. It's an honor. I can't even describe how it feels."

Watch for more coverage of NAHBS in the April 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer. 

The 2014 NAHBS Award winners are:

• Best City or Utility Bike: Cykel Mageren
• Best Road Bike: Kent Eriksen Cycles
• Best Mountain Bike: Breadwinner Cycles
• Best Cyclocross Bike: Retrotec & Inglis Cycles
• Best Track Bike: Six-Eleven Bicycle Co.
• Best Tandem Bike: Co-Motion Cycles
• Best Fillet Frame: Ellis Cycles
• Best Tig Frame: Kent Eriksen Cycles
• Best Layup: Argonaut Cycles
• Best Finish: Independent Fabrication
• Best Theme: SyCip Bicycles
• Best New Builder: Harvey Cycles
• President's Choice: Peacock Groove
• People's Choice: Six-Eleven Bicycle Co.
• Best in Show: Argonaut Cycles

TORONTO (BRAIN) — Start-up Canadian bike brand No. 22 Bicycle Company has hired four former employees of Saratoga Frameworks, which closed last week, and plans to open a production facility in upstate New York.

The team will be led by Scott Hock and includes Frank Cenchitz as head welder, Caleb Sesselman as welder, and Bill McDonald in finishing and paint. The four former Saratoga employees have a combined 53 years of titanium building experience at Saratoga, Serotta and elsewhere. 

The team will produce all of No. 22’s models, including the recently revised Great Divide road frame, as well as frames under contract to other high-end brands. No. 22 had contracted with Saratoga to build some bikes before Saratoga closed.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to work with this team as the long-term manufacturing home for our bikes,” said Mike Smith, co-founder of No. 22. “We have been building our brand around the resurgence of North American craftsmanship, and the frames that Scott, Frank and their colleagues are able to build have us thrilled about this relationship. We feel privileged to be working with them to produce bikes that we can all be proud of.”

Smith and Bryce Gracey founded No. 22 in 2012. The brand offers a line of titanium frames and complete custom bikes. They are sold both direct and through dealers, working with Stage Race Distribution as its U.S. distributor and VAM Performance as its distributor in the U.K..

Gracey told BRAIN on Monday that company is looking for production space in the Saratoga area and expects to "be up and running and making bikes again in early April."

"Hopefully this will be a silver lining for these guys," Gracey said.

The brand’s lineup consists of road and track models, with a cyclocross model to launch later this season. 

KENT, Wash. (BRAIN) — Greg Blackwell, who took over as president of Seattle Bicycle Supply last year after the retirement of longtime leader Chuck Hooper, is leaving the Accell North America-owned distributor due to a reorganization, Accell N.A.'s Steve Meineke told employees Monday.

"The new consolidated ANA structure no longer requires the position of president for SBS," Meineke told employees in an email. "Greg Blackwell will be leaving the company. We want to thank Greg for his time and service to SBS and Accell North America."

Besides Blackwell's departure, Meineke announced a restructuring as Accell seeks to establish SBS as a bigger player across the U.S.

"Our competitors continue to invest in their businesses and leverage their scale to drive growth — and we must do the same if we want to grow and stay relevant to our customers," he wrote. "It is time to elevate Seattle Bike Supply's identity to the market as great national distributor of gear, parts and accessories for cycling."

The changes include continued investment in warehouse technology, enterprise operating systems and its business-to-business website; more development of its proprietary parts and accessory brands, and more "complimentary brand partners"— including more cooperation between SBS's P&A products and Accell's bike brands, which include Raleigh, Diamondback, Redline, Lapierre and Torker.

"One year ago, ANA let the industry know our intentions to be the best, most flexible and friendly partner at the BLC and Sea Otter. ... With this announcement we took on a huge commitment together. As your leadership team, we are 100 percent committed to seeing our company's vision through and giving you all the resources to do the same."

TEMECULA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Almost two years after debuting its aluminum Tracer 27.5 in the then-novel 650b wheel size at Sea Otter, SoCal's Intense Cycles launches a new refinement of the enduro/trail bike with the Tracer T275 carbon.

It has 145/160 millimeters of adjustable VPP suspension, monocoque front triangle, ISCG 05 mounts, internal cable routing and 142x12 dropouts. Frame weight is 5.6 pounds for a medium.

"This bike is our biggest achievement since the M1 (Intense's flagship downhill bike)," said Intense Cycles founder and designer Jeff Steber. "We combined our extensive experience in designing 27.5 bikes with cutting-edge technology to deliver a really magical bike."

The Tracer T275 carbon frame retails for $3,199, and builds range from the $5,999 Expert level — with 34 Fox Float Evolution fork, XT drivetrain and brakes, Stan's NoTubes ZTR Flow wheelset and Fox Evolution Float CTD rear shock — to a $9,999 Factory-level build with RockShox Pike RCT3 fork, SRAM XX1 11-speed drivetrain, XTR brakes and Enve/DT Swiss wheels. The builds come standard with a RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post.

LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (BRAIN) — Retailer Don Van Cleave, better known to many as "Bicycle Don," died Sunday at age 56 of bladder cancer.

Van Cleave started work at Al Petri & Sons Bicycles when he was 14 and became a part owner in the business in 2005, along with his wife Debbie, his father-in-law Al Petri Jr. and his brother-in-law Al Petri III.

"Don has always had a love for bikes. His knowledge in the bicycle world goes above and beyond most ranging from the most classic to the most current bike models. He would spend hours tinkering with them and loved making one of a kind creations for all types of customers," a store statement read.

"People from all over Michigan and nearby states would love to stop in the shop and visit with Don.He made sure to attend his final Interbike show in Vegas this past September with the whole full time staff and made the best of it!"

Outside of work, Van Cleave was active in the city of Lincoln Park. He was on the Downtown Development Authority and the exchange club. He took part in the city's annual Christmas Exhibit where he dressed as an elf to entertain the children. He organized a bicycle show at the city's annual Lincoln Park Days festival. He helped many charities, including P.E.A.C., an organization to help riders of all abilities enjoy riding. He enjoyed designing custom bikes for those with special needs through P.E.A.C.

He also was involved with many schools, helping students receive scholarships and was active in child abuse prevention.He loved hosting get-togethers. From family holidays to summer bike rides and barbecues, he loved to entertain.

Visitation was planned for March 19 at the R.C. Aleks & Son Funeral Home, 1324 Southfield Rd., Lincoln Park from 2 to 9 p.m. A service will be held at the funeral home on Thursday at 11 a.m.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Big Shot Bikes is expanding its shop and distribution center from 7,000 square feet to just over 12,000.

"This expansion will effectively double our capacity and allow us to continue to grow while better serving our customers," said owner Matt Peterson. "The new space will allow us to streamline production, fulfill our orders in a more efficient manner, ultimately allowing our bikes to reach the customer more quickly."

Big Shot Bikes, founded in 2009, sells custom fixies, single-speed road bikes and cruisers.

"By introducing our cruiser line last year we created a need for more space to accommodate our growth. This new space will allow us to expand our inventory without hindering production," Peterson said. 

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. (BRAIN) — Liv/giant has hired Amanda Schaper as its global product marketing specialist. Schaper will work with Liv/giant's global marketing and product development teams on product strategies, positioning, messaging and launch plans for Liv/giant bikes and gear.

"It has been exciting to watch Liv/giant gain momentum over the last year," Schaper said. "The brand is truly committed to the women's market, providing everything from fantastic looking apparel to World Cup-worthy race bikes. Female cyclists are ready for great products tailored to them, and I believe in Liv/giant's approach and philosophy. Not only is Liv/giant making amazing products, but the brand is also breaking down barriers and providing a great avenue for women to get into the sport. I couldn't be happier about the opportunity to work with Liv/giant."

Schaper comes to Liv/giant after a four-year stint at Crankbrothers, where she was responsible for developing, executing and evaluating global marketing plans. She also founded and directed an amateur cyclocross team in Los Angeles and has been involved with advocacy and promotion for women's cycling.

"Earlier this month I had the opportunity to help lead a group ride with the Women's Cycling Association," said Schaper. "And I was really impressed by the number of women that came out to participate—from beginners to advanced riders. It's clear that women make up an important and growing segment of the market, and Liv/giant will pave the way, inspiring more women to make cycling a part of their lives."

"Amanda brings great new energy and expertise to Liv," said Bonnie Tu, founder and CEO of the Liv/giant brand. "Her passion for cycling, and for women's cycling in particular, will fuel Liv's mission to make riding more approachable and appealing to women."

Schaper will be based at the Liv/giant global marketing office in Newbury Park, Calif. starting April 7.

Editor's note: This blog post was written by Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Clements' previous blog posts can be read on bikedealerblog.wordpress.com.

In bicycle retail, professional mystery shoppers are sometimes used to evaluate a store. They visit in person to buy something. They phone and ask for help. They engage with the website. Then they rate the store's performance based on pre-established and detailed criteria. The completed scorecard can be a great tool for retailers who want a view of their business through fresh eyes, and with all key aspects of the business examined.

"When we deal in generalities, we shall never succeed. When we deal in specifics, we shall rarely have a failure. When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates."— Thomas S. Monson, with additional citations attributed to others.

For the supply side of our industry, this kind of feedback has not been as easy to come by. There are no mystery shoppers for cycling brands. Feedback from consumers is difficult to assess, and Internet chat is often troll-laden. Feedback from dealers has been mostly informal, general and sometimes emotional if there are issues. Is there a better way for brands to receive meaningful feedback?

There is now. The new NBDA Supplier Scorecard is now collecting detailed ratings on specialty brands from dealers nationwide. Dealers are asked to visit nbdasupplierscorecard.com, create a user I.D. and password, log in, and start scoring their suppliers with letter grades from A to F. When enough scores have been received, the results will be tabulated and made available to the industry in various levels of detail.

The plan is to build the Supplier Scorecard into an important resource to help dealers assess the brands they do business with, as well to encourage improvement in the performance of the brands themselves.

The scorecard criteria were created by a group of bicycle dealers working together. The scorecard incorporates the attributes that are important to them in working with the companies that supply them with products for resale. The categories are separated into five main categories.

1. Profitability related to inventory management and turns. This includes product availability and whether shipping is on time. Order accuracy is assessed, as well as shipping quality (any damaged goods?). The return policy is evaluated, as well as pre- and back-order management.
2. Profitability directly related to margin. The strength of brand programs is assessed, as well as shipping terms (free freight or reasonable minimums). Credit terms are scored, as well as whether published profit margins are considered to be sustainable from a dealer's perspective. A brand's IBD channel support is graded, including MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) and distribution policies. Warehouse flexibility is also analyzed, with an eye for policies that do not penalize a dealer for using an alternate warehouse if the first is out-of-stock.
3. Brand performance in servicing the dealer. Friendliness and professionalism are graded, as well as the availability of education and information. Availability and responsiveness are rated as well, and a company's overall operating style (cooperation vs. coercion) is also assessed. Use of technology and warranty support are also scored.
4. Customer value, or how dealers perceive the brand's value to the cycling public. This includes product quality, warranty, visual appeal, and how the brand stacks up compared to competitors. A brand is also scored based on its rate of change and cross-compatibility (products that work well with other manufacturers and don't unreasonably create new standards or proprietary designs that annoy dealers and customers.)
5. Brand value. This assesses a brand's public reputation and public web site. Captive marketing is evaluated (marketing to cyclists) as well as mass marketing designed to drive a broader array of business to the dealer. Point-of-purchase displays are rated, as well as a brand's efforts to control distribution of its products and enforcement of distribution policies if they are in place.

All in all, there are 30 criteria per brand, and each is rated "A" to "F" by the participating dealer. Only the average grade for each will be released to the trade (individual answers will be kept confidential). Participants will be reviewed and qualified as legitimate bike dealers. It is expected that a dealer can rate a given brand in about three minutes, and there is a database of nearly 800 individual brands pre-loaded on the site that will make it easy for dealers to complete the scorecards.

As change continues to challenge the bicycle industry to adapt quickly and improve, the Supplier Scorecard can become an important tool for improving the industry's performance to serve the cycling public better. As of this writing, the NBDA already has received nearly 300 completed brand reports. Dealers: please participate today. Brand companies: stay tuned for developments.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (BRAIN) — Fatback Bikes has hired mountain bike racer and industry vet John "Fuzzy" Mylne as brand manager.

"Fuzzy brings years of racing, riding, and industry expertise to the table," said Fatback owner and designer Greg Matyas. Mylne most recently worked for Niner Bikes.

"It's an exciting time to join the Fatback team," Mylne said. "Their passion not only for the bikes, but the adventures fat tire bikes lead to are inspiring. I'm looking forward to working with another exciting brand almost as much as the adventures I'll have on these bikes."

Fatback started producing Titanium Fatbacks in 2007. The company said it developed many of the designs seen on bikes marketed by major brands, including the symmetrical 170 drivetrain and the new 190mm drivetrain. Fatback worked with e*Thirteen and FSA to develop crank sets specifically for the bikes, and with its own line of Uma rims, working with Stan's NoTubes, Fatback has been running tubeless fat tires since 2009.

SANTA FE, N.M. (BRAIN) — Bicycle Technologies International is starting distribution of HED Cycling products this week, the companies announced Tuesday.

"HED carbon fiber wheels are legendary in the world of racing," said BTI's John Salomonsen. "For 2014 their new wider platform Ardennes wheels are receiving tons of accolades for their ride quality, they are perfect for classic Belgian racing, cobbles and hard training. We think BTI's dealers are going to be excited to have access to this level of premium technology." 

Shoreview, Minn.-based HED Cycling has been making wheels since the mid-1980s.