WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The League of American Bicyclists, responding to the first U.S. pedestrian fatality involving an autonomous vehicle, is supporting changes to Senate legislation that would regulate the self-driving cars and trucks.

Uber's self-driving Volvo SUV hit and killed Elaine Herzberg Sunday night as she was pushing her bike across a street in Tempe, Arizona. 

The League on Tuesday expressed concern "that these vehicles are being deployed without having to first prove their ability to recognize and respond to people biking and walking in our streets." It urged LAB members to pressure Senators to add "vision test" wording to Senate Bill 1885: AV START Act, a bill attempting to bring some regulatory oversight to autonomous vehicle deployment.

"Our goal is to add a requirement to the AV Start bill to have a regulated 'vision test' for autonomous vehicles that would be third-party tested. The current version of the bill is lax on third-party testing. We hope our members and supporters ask their Senators to add safety performance standards that autonomous vehicles have to pass to be on the road," said Caron Whitaker, the Leagues' vice president of government relations. The League is adopting the "vision test" language proposed by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

In Europe, thanks to pressure from the European Cyclists Federation, cars wishing to pass the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) not only have to see a cyclist, but their autonomous braking systems must engage to avoid or minimize impact in third party testing. The ECF also is lobbying that autonomous systems limit vehicle speed to the legal limit.

"We also know that most data shows that detecting bicyclists is one most difficult problems Automated Driving Systems technology faces and testing for bicyclists lags behind other ADS technology tests," Whitaker added.

It should be noted that Herzberg was pushing her bike laden with shopping bags and was not darting in and out of traffic. And Herzberg is not the first cyclist to be hit and killed by an autonomous vehicle. Fred Heppell was struck from behind and killed while he was out cycling last November in High Shincliffe, U.K. by a Tesla Model 2 90D with autopilot and autonomous safety functions.

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — VeloPress has named Renee Jardine as its new publisher. Jardine was previously the company's editor and associate publisher and has worked in a variety of roles over her 16-year tenure with the company.

Jardine takes over for vice president and Ted Costantino, who retired on March 14 after leading VeloPress for 14 years. VeloPress is the book publishing division of Pocket Outdoor Media, which acquired it, along with VeloNews, Triathlete, Women's Running and other media properties last year.

Costantino said, "Renee has had a hand in every operation behind the scenes, from financial planning to marketing and promotion to royalties to sales support.

"I had always planned to turn over this busy enterprise to Renee and now is a great time to do so."

Under Costantino, VeloPress quintupled sales and revenue to become the top-selling publisher of books about cycling, triathlon, running, and swimming. The press's best sellers include The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel, Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald, Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance by Lennard Zinn, the Feed Zone Series of cookbooks for athletes by Dr. Allen Lim and chef Biju Thomas, and the Believe Training Journal Series for runners by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas. VeloPress sells books in over 40 countries and has sold audiobook and foreign language rights into a dozen territories.

Jardine joined VeloPress as managing editor in 2002 and became editor and associate publisher in 2005 when she overhauled the production process to emphasize improved design and higher production values. She was joined that year by Dave Trendler, who modernized the press's sales, marketing, and publicity efforts.

"Renee's keen eye for acquisitions was instrumental in building VeloPress," said Costantino. "And Dave's work to build a national presence for VeloPress helped us reach an audience that wildly exceeded our modest size. Our team set out to make VeloPress the world's top publisher of endurance sports books. We not only met that goal years before we expected, but we have increased our lead in the succeeding years."

LIVINGSTON, U.K. (BRAIN) — Endura has been acquired by Pentland Brands Limited, the British family-owned business behind global brand names such as Speedo, Mitre, Canterbury and Berghaus.

The Endura brand, established in 1993 in Scotland, expanded from mountain bike to road, commute, triathlon and other categories. The brand sponsors top athletes and teams including mountain biker Danny MacAskill, the Movistar WorldTour team and the Cervélo Bigla Pro Cycling Team.

The business will continue to be based in Livingston, Scotland, and the Endura founders and directors, Jim McFarlane and Pamela Barclay, will continue to lead and manage the day-to-day business. Operations in the United States will continue to be run out of the Plainfield, Indiana, office.

McFarlane said, "Endura has been my life for 25 years, so I'm understandably protective of it and dismissed numerous other approaches in the past. Pentland stands out as an exceptional home for Endura, placing it within a family of world-class brands under the umbrella of a family owned company that is long-term in its outlook and aligned with our culture and values.

"It is very important to us that we continue to support our loyal dealer network and protect our brand and we know that we are aligned with Pentland on that front."

Pamela Barclay, Endura's director, said, "It is good news for Endura and for all our staff. With such flux and uncertainty about the shape of the retail landscape 10 years from now this is the right move for us to secure the future of the brand and jobs in Scotland. Pentland is passionate about brands and developing them over the long term. They're absolutely committed to preserving our attitude and our authenticity. This is essential to a community as rich and diverse as ours, so we can remain All Tribes, One Clan."

Chirag Patel, the COO of Pentland Brands, said, "We have a strong track record of nurturing brands that people love, so Endura is a great addition to our portfolio — we believe it has huge potential.

"There are so many opportunities in bringing Endura into Pentland Brands. We're both family-owned, so we understand the importance of people and culture, and our brands focus on innovation and bringing disruptive ideas to market. We're delighted to have the Endura team as part of our Pentland family."

Independent bicycle dealers in the United States will continue to be serviced out of the Indiana headquarters and will maintain dealer benefits including a stock rotation program, MAP pricing protections, Net150 split dating and free domestic shipping on all orders over $250.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — The redesigned Interbike Innovation Awards submission period is now open for exhibitors in the product categories. The Interbike Innovation Awards showcase excellence in product, retail, and advocacy, with a total 19 product-specific awards being distributed across the mountain, road, e-bike and triathlon categories.

Products considered will be for the upcoming 2019 sales season and will encompass those brands that are participating at Interbike or OutDoor Demo. All submissions must be made by no later than July 15. Interbike will once again partner with Hi-Torque Publications to evaluate and select the winners in mountain, road and electric categories. New for this year, all triathlon product award recipients will be selected by Triathlete magazine.

"The shift in our awards program was well-received and its value among our exhibitors is strong," said Pat Hus, the vice president of Interbike. "Our partners have done a fantastic job of evaluating and choosing the winners, and we look forward to continuing the program at our new home in Reno Tahoe."

Ten Retailer Innovation Award winners will be chosen via a submission process for shops that have implemented innovative ideas and strategies to their business with positive results over the past 12 months. Retailers that submit will automatically be entered to win a host of prizes, including round-trip travel and accommodations to this year's show, a press release template for use with announcing their award to local media, a store profile in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, an opportunity to present their innovative idea in a TedX format presentation at Interbike, and more. A panel of executives from BRAIN, The Mann Group, the National Bicycle Dealers Association and Interbike will choose the winners at the end of the submission process, slated to run during the month of May.

PeopleForBikes returns to lead the new Advocacy Innovation Awards, which will recognize three exhibiting Interbike brands or attending independent bicycle retailers that have worked tirelessly in the pursuit of creating safer places to ride on a local, regional or national level.

Booth innovation and design awards will return this year, but will now be led by editorial staff from Exhibitor magazine, the monthly business-to-business magazine featuring best practices in trade shows and events. Exhibitor staff will walk the show floor on Tuesday, Sept. 18 and award three winners based on booth size (up to 300 sq. feet, 400-900 sq. feet and more than 1000 sq. feet). Each of the three winning exhibitors will receive one All-Access Pass Scholarship to EXHIBITORLIVE 2019 (a value of $2,295 each). EXHIBITORLIVE is the educational conference and trade show for exhibit and event-marketing professionals.

A complete list of the award categories and criteria for submissions can be found on the Interbike website.

Interbike Marketweek will take place in the Reno Tahoe region beginning with the Northstar Free-Ride Festival in North Lake Tahoe, California, Sept. 14-16, with bike demos taking place on Sept. 15-16. OutDoor Demo will run from Sept. 16-17 for members of the trade, followed by the Interbike Expo in Reno on Sept. 18-20.

CALGARY, Alberta (BRAIN) — Calgary Cycle, which claims to be the oldest bike shop in the city, has opened a new, 12,000-square-foot store for the 2018 season.

Calgary Cycles has been in business 87 years and now has four locations. The newest will celebrate with grand opening events this weekend.

The new store is near the neighborhoods of Wildwood, Westgate and Rosscarrock and a five-minute bike ride from Edworthy Park. 

"We've taken the winter to shake out the bugs and we're ready for a great summer," said Derek Lee, the store's owner. "This shop is what I think a bike shop should be to a community — supporting healthy living and making our sport more accessible."

Attached to Calgary Cycle is The Hub cafe. The Hub features locally roasted Phil & Sebastian coffee, light meals and pastries. The Hub is licensed to serve beer and wine and is intended as an evening spot for the local community, commuters and shoppers.

The location also features a fitness area attached to The Hub that will be used to host community programs.

"A special thanks has to go out to our amazing design firm 54Blue," the store said in a press release this week. "Without their attention to detail and ability to take our idea of a dream bike shop and make it into a reality this never would have come to fruition. Thank you all again for the efforts and please come join us for our grand opening!"

"The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France," will be published in hardcover in June. 

The book by Daniel de Vise chronicles the life of one of America's greatest athletes, from his roots in Nevada and California to the heights of global fame, to a falling out with his own family and a calamitous confrontation with Lance Armstrong over allegations the latter was doping.

"With the kind of narrative drive that propels books like Moneyball, and a fierce attention to detail, Daniel de Visé reveals the dramatic, ultra-competitive inner world of a sport rarely glimpsed up close, and builds a compelling case for LeMond as its great American hero," the publisher said. 

The 432-page book is being published by Atlantic Monthly Press. It will retail for $27. 

De Vise will be making appearances at bike shops and book stores around the U.S. starting in June. The full schedule is on his website. 

More information: amazon.com/Comeback-LeMond-American-Cycling-Legendary.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (BRAIN) — WD-40 Bike has launched a sweepstakes promotion that will award a custom painted Squid Bikes Shred to Ed's model to a lucky winner, as well as another bike to the winner's chosen bike shop.

"Starting with one bare 'Shred to Ed's' frame, a couple cans of Spray.Bike paint, masking tape, some razor blades and a can of WD-40 Multi-Use Product, we've custom built the perfect roll-around-town bike," the company said.  

Consumers can enter the sweepstates online with an entry form that requires them to include a photo showing them using a WD-40 Bike product. Or they can enter by mail. Entries are due by June 30.

The winner will be chosen by random and notified around July 11. The winner will be asked to identify a retailer where he or she has purchased WD-40 Bike products, and that retailer will receive a Squid bike as well. The bikes are worth about $2,000. 

Entry is at wd40.com/squidsweeps.

PETALUMA, Calif. (BRAIN) — The clothing brand Kitsbow has announced its inaugural Trail Advocate Program and its first Trail Advocate of the Year recipients: Joe Lopresti (Homer Glen, Illinois), Tim Kugler (Gunnison, Colorado) and Erik Mickelson (Northvale, New Jersey).

"Community is vital to the mission of Kitsbow — communities create and maintain our trails, and without trails we have no mountainbiking. We have taken that fellowship on the road with us wherever we travel, whether it be for work or play," said Zander Nosler, founder of Kitsbow. "In recognizing important members who serve their local communities, we're bringing our message back to the two things that make our company a reality: the people and the trails."

The three Trail Advocates were nominated by their peers in February, with over 800 total votes online. All are allied with trail organizations in their respective communities with a passion for trail advocacy and building. The three recipients will receive a selection of technical gear from Kitsbow, as well as Kitsbow's help in spreading the word about trail advocacy in Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey.

Lopresti is a board member and trail coordinator with Chicago Area Mountain Bikers. He discovered a passion for mountain biking as a child in Idaho and Washington. Upon learning that a local bike park was on the brink of being shut down, he championed a group of fellow riders to rally and preserve the bike park. He later became a CAMBr's new park coordinator, board member and has served many other trail associations.

Kugler is the executive director of Gunnison Trails and a member of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association. Both entities maintain, educate and build trail in the Gunnison Valley. 

Mickelson works for the New York New Jersey Trail Conference and with JORBA and Palisades MTB. He also works and volunteers with Tahawus trails, CLIMB and NYNJTC. Mickelson found his way into trail advocacy through his involvement with San Diego Mountain Biking Association and has coined the word "trailology" to describe his passion for trails.

Kitsbow will start accepting nominations for its 2019 Trail Advocate program early next year. 

Editor's note: This anonymous guest editorial first appeared in PBMA Mechanics Minute, a weekly newsletter from the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association. You can subscribe to the newsletter at probma.org/newsletter-archive.

So ... who got my cost of living wage increase this year? Was it the landlord who raised the shop rent by more than the rate of inflation? Was it the VIP who got discounts on high ticket items and then made fun of his friends for paying full retail price? Was it the customers who were rewarded with free installation when purchasing a pair of tires at MSRP, and the profit made on the tires was less than the cost of the labour given away? Was it the customer who bought a defective bike computer with a 25% margin at 15% off, and then required 6 hours of troubleshooting before the supplier would issue a return authorization? Was it the industry employee who sold a current-model EP bike at below retailer cost to a customer who had previously purchased 5 bikes over the past 10 years at full price in the same shop? Was it the hidden costs of implementing the new point-of-sale system? Was it the manufacturer's new direct-to-consumer closeout site that rendered a big chunk of inventory unsellable? Was it the "customer" who repeatedly called asking for technical advice and estimates, and then bought the groupset online?

I have no idea what combination of events resulted in my employer not offering me an automatic cost-of-living raise. This year I decided that I would rather answer recruiting emails from other shops than ask. I get a lot of offers, and I decided I just didn't feel like initiating the conversation with my manager about why my work is worth less to him this year than it was last year, despite the fact that I had never received any negative feedback about my performance. I decided that I'd rather work for someone who knows what milestones need to be met in order to be able to give employees raises, and who is willing to communicate that information to the employees.

I could live with not getting a cost-of-living raise in lean years, if my employer had the decency to call me into his office to tell me that he appreciates my work, but there's no money for a raise this year because things are tough, and that he needs my help executing a plan that will result in everybody getting raises next year... or that he needs my help coming up with ways to make the shop the specific amount of profit that he knows we need to earn in order to give everybody raises.

Perhaps he could show his appreciation by offering another kind of new low-cost benefit, or incentive, in lieu of a raise. How about a well defined productivity bonus, commission on sales of dead stock, a better work schedule, paid PBMA membership (which happens to include access to a wide variety of employee discounts), paid training opportunities (in my area, the government gives small business grants for training), exclusive access to a demo bike, use of the shop vehicle, better prices on employee purchases, group grocery buying club or gym membership, paid vacation in the off-season, flexibility to take time off to work paid races, industry demos or charity rides, etc, etc...

Most mechanics truly want their employer's business to thrive. We show a lot of solidarity and respect for the struggles of the small business owners who employ us, and we make a lot of sacrifices in order to be able to work in this industry. Being fair and organized, showing us recognition of our labour and our sacrifices, and treating us as partners in the creation of our working conditions is the least our employers can do in return.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BRAIN) — Retailer Kent Cranford has announced plans to open a third Motion Makers Bicycle Shop later this spring. The store will be located in Cherokee, a small town about one hour west of Asheville that serves as a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The completion of a new mountain bike trail system last year piqued Cranford's interest in opening a bike shop in Cherokee. The 10.5-mile Fire Mountain trail network had been in discussion for several years, and the $350,000 project moved forward in 2017 when the Cherokee tribe hired Trail Dynamics, a company that also built many of the trails in Dupont State Forest near Brevard.

"They quietly made a move on it last year and opened in May. Everyone began asking about a bike shop in Cherokee, even though our store in Sylva is 20 miles away," said Cranford, who purchased Motion Makers' Sylva location in 2007 and opened a store in Asheville in 2009. "It was worth considering and I understood the need, but it was on the back burner because it was something that didn't need to happen tomorrow. I was watching to see if maybe someone else would do it."

But when an offer on an affordable lease was put on the table, Cranford decided that someone would be him.

"A local business owner is really excited about how the outdoor trend is affecting not only his health, but the health of the Cherokee community as well. He came to me and told me he wanted an outdoor-oriented business to move into a building he owned that had come available," Cranford said. "He made it really easy and affordable for us, so I decided to go for it."

The building is a bright yellow 3,800-square-foot old colonial house situated at the first stoplight in Cherokee as visitors exit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One of the three bike-legal trails in the park is easily accessed from the shop, and the Fire Mountain trail system can be seen from the store's front porch. Out the back door lies the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the starting point for several popular gravel bike routes into the National Park.

Motion Makers will occupy the 2,000 -quare-foot first floor of the building, and an existing local outdoor store has plans to set up shop on the second floor.

"We want to be a hub for people. We can tell them where to ride and rent them bikes. There is riding right here but trails are all around us, including the Western Carolina University trails," Cranford said. "One hour from here, you're at the entrance of Pisgah (National Forest) and another half an hour you can be in Dupont. And of course, we've got the National Park, too."

Cranford said the Cherokee store will be a bit more focused than his other stores, but will carry the same brands, including Specialized, Moots and Surly. But because there is a local skatepark that allows bikes, Cranford plans to also sell BMX bikes and skateboards. He'll also stock gravel bikes and e-MTBs, which are legal on the Fire Mountain trails. The store is currently undergoing a mild renovation. Cranford is in the process of hiring employees and hopes to open May 1.

REHOBOTH, Mass. (BRAIN) — LOOK Cycle is a new co-title sponsor of NRS & Events, an event support program that provide technical support at races and other events, as well as custom events at Look's retailers. The program is run by longtime race support organizer Butch Balzano.

Other title sponsors for the 2018 season include Volvo, SRAM and Thule. The program will support more than 100 events this year, including road races, gran fondos, gravel events, and cyclocross races. The events include the Killington Stage Race, Hotter 'N Hell and Fitchburg Longsjo, and Interbike's Outdoor Demo. The program's fleet of Volvo V90s will be equipped with a selection of Look road bikes, including the 795 Light RS, 785 Huez RS, and the 765 Optimum Disc All-Road, among other models, and pedals including the new KÉO 2 Max Carbon road pedals and X-Track off-road models.

LOOK Cycle, in partnership with Hawley, will offer its dealers the opportunity to host shop rides and consumer event nights at which professional mechanics will provide clinics on the brand history, innovations, and technical aspects of LOOK products. LOOK dealers can contact their Hawley rep for details and availability.

Mike Gann, LOOK's VP of sales and marketing for the U.S., said, "Sponsoring NRS was an easy decision for us, in that it supports the sport of cycling in the U.S., and it helps us to further knowledge of the LOOK brand, technologies and products through our retailers, demo opportunities and industry events. We place a high value on supporting our partners in this way, and in having this type of connection to our retailers and their customers."

Pat McGinnis, Hawley-Lambert's VP of commercial, said, "As LOOK's exclusive North American distributor, we're, of course, excited to support this program and see it implemented this spring. It's a great way to showcase the brand's heritage and its exceptional 2018 offerings in the pedal and bicycle categories."

TAMPA, Fla. (BRAIN) — Ironman has developed a new brand that it says extends the Ironman brand to a wider audience: Ironsport. The company, now owned by Wanda Sports Holdings, plans to license Ironsport to "best-in-class partners from apparel to healthy food alternatives and beyond."

The company worked with Graj + Gustavsen, a branding and licensing agency, to create the new brand.

"Ironsport is about discovering your best self. We are looking forward to the new product offerings that will be born from a culture of endurance sport but are designed for everyday performance," said Nathalie Wolderling Bishman, the senior director of global licensing at Ironman.

"As we continue to expand our brands globally and across product categories, the G+G team is helping us create new and innovative ways to bring our unique philosophy to consumers across all athletic levels. They are known for their out-of-the-box thinking, strategic partnerships, and tremendous creative capabilities and we look forward to what we can do collectively to bring this new brand to life," Bishman said.

G+G will serve as the exclusive licensing agency for the brand in the United States and Canada.

Since the 1986 launch of the Timex Ironman watch, Ironman has developed a licensing program that generates more than $300 million annually in global retail sales. Today, Ironman is the 72nd largest licenser in the world as reported by Global License Magazine.

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. (BRAIN) — Early figures from the 2018 edition of the National Sporting Goods Association's Sports Participation in the U.S. report shows participation in the study's "Wheel Sports" category, which includes cycling, remains flat, up just 0.1 percent over the prior year. NSGA will release more detailed data on bicycling participation later this spring. 

Last year, NSGA found that bicycling participation was up 0.5 percent over 2015, while the larger Wheel Sports category was down 0.5 percent. 

The NSGA report is one of the largest and longest standing participation studies in the sports industry. The study has tracked cycling since 1984, and defines participants as those Americans age 7 and up who have ridden a bike six or more days per year.

NSGA sells its full reports for about $400 for members and $600 for non-members. The organization releases a limited amount of data publicly.

The public data released this week shows mixed performance among the ten segments tracked by NSGA. In total, 2017 saw five segments increase in participation, four segments decrease, and one segment remain flat versus 2016.

Segments experiencing growth included Open Water Sports (+2.7%), Outdoor Activities (+2.5%), Snow Sports (+1.4%), Personal Contact Sports (+0.6%), and Individual Sports (+0.5%). Segments declining included Team Sports (-0.6%), Fitness Activities (-1.3%), Shooting Sports (-1.9%), and Indoor Games (-1.9%). As noted, the Wheel Sports segment was essentially flat. 

"While the percent changes among the different segments in recent years have not been drastic, the industry has not seen the kind of sustained growth that is beneficial to all organizations" said NSGA's president and CEO, Matt Carlson.

More information at nsga.org/researchofferings.

ST. LAURENT, Quebec (BRAIN) — Outdoor Gear Canada's BMX division, OGCBMX, has been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor of Cinema. OGCBMX has received inventory and is ready to start delivering to dealers immediately.

"We're excited to be distributing a brand with such a legendary team and staple wheelsets/ parts," said Jeremy Deme, the BMX manager at OGC. "Cinema have been a staple on the BMX scene for many years and they are a great fit for our vision of OGCBMX as the key partner for dealers to have access to the brands consumers are asking for."

Zack Phillips, the owner and CEO of Cinema, said, "the entire Cinema BMX family is really excited to be working with OGC.

"OGC is the perfect fit for Cinema with their high quality customer service and attention to details match's our brand's work ethic and beliefs."

Cinema offers components, wheels and apparel. It will be added to OGCBMX's current line-up that includes We The People, Fit, Eclat, Fiend, S&M, Merritt, Tall Order, Federal, Kink, Radio, Salt, Salt Plus, and Fuse products.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (BRAIN) — The third episode of Interbike's podcast is looking at recent growth in the BMX category.

The podcast guests include Rickey Strawn, the director of sales for HARO Bicycles; Phil Cohen, the owner of Chain Reaction Bicycles, a specialty bike retailer in Evans, Georgia; and Zack Phillips, the owner of Kink BMX. The podcast is hosted by Fred Fishkin.

The BMX category was one of the few bike segments to show growth last year, according to industry statistics from the Bicycle Product Supplier Association. According to the BPSA, BMX bike sales grew 18 percent in dollars and 25 percent in units last year. 

The podcast is available through most podcast apps including iTunes and SoundCloud, or you can listen to it directly at interbike.com/podcast.

WASHINTON, D.C. (BRAIN) — President Trump announced Thursday he was beginning to take steps toward imposing tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports. The move is motivated by the administration's belief that China has a history of forcing U.S. companies to surrender intellectual property and trade secrets to do business in China. The punitive tariffs are an attempt to redress this balance.

Trump has tasked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to announce over the next 15 days the list of products to be hit with the tariff increases and to allow public comment. Without seeing a list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes — the 10-digit import classification system — that will receive the additional tariff it is hard to know what bicycle-specific goods are targeted, if any.

The Outdoor Industry Association and 16 other trade associations sent a letter to Trump expressing "our very strong opposition to any tariff increases on U.S. imports of consumer products, such as clothing, shoes, home goods, fashion accessories, or travel goods from China." At the time the letter was published no bicycle industry associations had signed on.

Most bicycle parts and components are low-tech and would seem to be outside of retaliation for stolen U.S. technology. However, composite bike frames, forks and parts are arguably a U.S. invention, with a long manufacturing history from the 1960 Bowden Spacelander, Steve Bishop's work at Huffy, Exxon Graftek, Kestrel, Craig Calfee and others. A similar argument could be made for electric cyclocomputers launched by Avocet.

The administration's 25 percent steel and 10 percent aluminum tariffs that are to be put in place on Friday, seem to be weakening. Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee today that certain countries will receive temporary tariff exemptions while they argue for permanent tariff exemption. These countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea and members of the European Union. Trump had already granted exemptions to Mexico and Canada when he signed the tariffs earlier this month.

MONTRÉAL (BRAIN) — The liquidation of Toys "R" Us has forced Dorel Industries to issue a new audited financial report, now showing a charge of $3.8 million due to the toy store chain's closure. $3.1 million of the charge is from Dorel Sports, which includes bicycle sales. The rest is from Dorel's juvenile segment.

The charge is Dorel's best estimate of potential losses arising from non-payment from the chain; the actual loss may be different.  

Dorel recorded sales of $13.4 million to Toys "R" Us in its first quarter this year. As of Wednesday, Dorel had accounts receivable from Toys "R" Us of $17.2 million, including $2.8 million from Dorel Home, $5.2 million from Dorel Juvenile and $9.2 million within Dorel Sports.

As a result Dorel revised its financial results for the fourth quarter and year that ended Dec. 30, to reduce its net income for the quarter and the year by $3.1 million.

In 2017, Toys "R" Us accounted for approximately 3 percent of Dorel’s total revenue.

LEVIS, Québec and LEXINGTON, S.C. (BRAIN) — Hawley-Lambert has reach an agreement with Promovec, a Danish e-bike brand, to distribute Promovec-made e-bikes in the U.S. and Canada, under the distributor's EVO brand. Available next month in Canada and May in the United States, the EVO e-bikes will retail between $1,500 and $2,000. 

"Our mission is to equip retailers for success and that includes giving them products that make sense for their business," said Pat McGinnis, the vice president of commercial for Hawley-Lambert. "The beauty of the Promovec system is in its simplicity — there are very few parts, the parts are engineered for durability and the entire system can quickly and easily be serviced right in the shop – that's a win for the retailer."

The agreement gives Hawley-Lambert access to a host of Promovec e-bike products to use under its EVO brand.

Steven Harad, the EVO product manager for Hawley-Lambert, said, "Promovec delivers a lot of thoughtful, well-designed products that we believe will appeal to North American retailers and consumers – the durability and serviceability of Promovec products will give them peace of mind."

Jesper Lundqvist, Promovec's CEO, said, "At both Hawley-Lambert and Promovec we have a common perception of how a bicycle should look. Also, at Promovec we have extensive experience manufacturing e-bikes and Hawley-Lambert has the knowledge and the distribution set-up required to market the e-bikes in the massive North American market."

For 2018 EVO is launching four Promovec-equipped models: a casual city/path model, a performance hybrid, a folding city model and a mountain bike. All have Promovec hub-drive systems. 

Promovec, based in Aarhus, was founded in 2001 and employs 34 people with locations in Denmark, Germany, U.K. and China. 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BRAIN) — The North American Bikeshare Association has expelled Ofo US Limited from its membership. The company is the U.S. operation of China's Ofo, one of the world's largest dockless bike share companies. In the U.S., Ofo operates dockless systems in several cities, including Miami and San Francisco.

The organization said Ofo failed to comply with its code of conduct, specifically by lobbying for passage of Florida legislation that the NABSA opposed. The legislation, which was defeated, would have given the state, rather than local communities, control over bike share programs. 

"As the leading authority for the bikeshare industry, our Code of Conduct encompasses the values that are most important for the success of systems across the U.S.," said NABSA's executive director, Samantha Herr. "All members are expected to adhere to these guidelines to keep bikeshare systems safe, equitable, reliable and supportive of the existing transportation landscape."

In a statement to BRAIN, Ofo said it voluntarily withdrew from the organization.

"Ofo has decided to voluntarily withdraw its NABSA membership. Our commitment to bike share that is more inclusive, affordable and accessible to all is incompatible with NABSA’s current agenda. We cannot continue to support an organization that does not embrace these values, but rather seeks to insulate incumbent bike share systems from competition."

According to NABSA, a member complained to the organization in January regarding Ofo's lobbying efforts in Florida. NABSA said ofo's lobbying activity was in violation of its code of conduct "because the bill pre-empted local control over bikeshare implementation, undercut years of hard work, investment and success of current bikeshare programs in Florida, as well as could have subjected the public to unnecessary safety hazards."

After an investigation and review by NABSA's board of directors, Ofo was sent a letter of notification including disciplinary action measures in February. NABSA said the company has not complied with the code of conduct.

"NABSA does not tolerate any member whose actions have the potential to harm other bikeshare operators or remove local control," said Herr. "It's unfortunate that Ofo chose not to comply with our guidelines, however we will continue to support the efforts of all members who uphold the ideals of the Code of Conduct."

The organization said Ofo could re-apply for membership after a year, if certain conditions are met.

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