Toby Hill

Toby Hill

A writer and editor with more than 20 years of publishing experience, Toby is one of the newest members of the BRAIN editorial team. His resume includes several years on the news and business copy desk at Southern California's Orange County Register before moving on to edit several entertainment and business trade publications, including Showbiz Daily and The Hollywood Reporter. As a longtime, though still woefully unskilled mountain biker, he is a frequent patron of the emergency rooms and urgent care facilities near BRAIN’s home base of Laguna Hills. And while his medical payments have helped adorn the schooners and yachts of several prominent orthopedic surgeons in the community, Toby has never been invited for so much as a harbor cruise. He lives in the mountain bike mecca of Fullerton—home of the famed and deadly Fullerton Loop—with his wife, daughter and two dogs.

All articles by Toby Hill

August 26, 2015

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (BRAIN) — For years now, Rotor has marched to the beat of its own drum in road drivetrain components, whether it’s offering oval Q-Ring chainrings or eschewing carbon cranks in favor of aluminum ones because it believes the material offers superior performance for the application.

Posted in Product/Tech
July 21, 2015
The Deadwood 29-plus off-road touring and bike packing model

SNOWBASIN, Utah (BRAIN) — Is it really necessary for one brand to offer not one, not two, but THREE different drop-bar 29er bikes? Oh yeah, says Benton Hunt, global sales manager for Salsa Cycles. It’s all about the individual experience and where the bike can take a rider, he said during the Salsa 2016 model year presentation QBP’s SaddleDrive dealer event in Snowbasin.

Posted in Product/Tech
July 20, 2015

SNOWBASIN, Utah (BRAIN) — Dubbing this the “Year of the Stocking Dealer,” Surly Bikes has overhauled its sales program in an effort to recognize local bike shops for their role in building the QBP-owned brand.

Posted in Industry News
July 20, 2015
Swiss brand touts merits of new wheel standard at media launch.
Scott Genius LT Plus

PARK CITY, Utah (BRAIN) —Scott Sports announced in June that it would be launching five 27.5-plus bikes in the U.S. and 11 in Europe this year, including an electric model for the international market. But the enthusiastic dealer response to the initial announcement spurred Scott to quickly add a trio of bikes to the U.S. launch. So the three-model Genius LT Plus range, with 160 millimeters of adjustable rear travel via a Fox Nude rear shock, complements Scott’s three Genius Plus 140-millimeter full-suspension rigs and two Scale Plus aluminum hardtails.

Posted in Industry News
April 9, 2015

MURRIETA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Turner Bicycles has begun selling factory-direct to consumers in areas of North America where there is no authorized Turner dealer, the company said Thursday.

Posted in Industry News
March 20, 2015

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Industry veterans Steve Metz and Rafe Schlager are at Taipei Cycle not only to promote a new aftermarket product, but to sell what they see as a valuable technology for both OEs and cyclists.

Posted in International
March 19, 2015
The Zeta road post has 25 millimeters of drop.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Getting road riders on board with a dropper post is no small challenge — off-road riders accept change much more readily than the pavement crowd, KS Suspension’s Rick Taylor believes. 

Posted in International
March 18, 2015
Praxis Works’ 10-40T 10-speed cassette will retail for $129.99.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Praxis Works’ Adam Haverstock believes you shouldn’t have to cut a fat check to SRAM or Shimano or Frankenstein your existing 10-speed mountain drivetrain to get a wide-range 1-by setup.

Posted in International
March 18, 2015

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Taking on a category-defining brand like Garmin may sound like a risky move, but Lezyne owner Micki Kozuschek figures his accessory brand’s strong background in LED lights — currently 45 percent of the company’s overall turnover — gives it a leg up.

Posted in International
March 17, 2015

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Although Taipei Cycle has been displaced by Taichung Bike Week as the premier OE spec show, the March expo remains an important event for international distributors to get a jump on next-model-year aftermarket product — and exhibit space is once again sold out.

Posted in International

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