News
BY MATT WIEBE
SUWANEE, GA—As the price of steel, butyl and carbon black—the three fastest appreciating raw materials—goes up so do prices on everything from inner tubes to tubeless tire linings to drivetrain components.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Specialized Bicycles has a secret ambassador stashed in Asia. They call him “Bob-boo” or “Big Ring Bob” and he’s treated more like family than a customer.
MORGAN HILL, CA (BRAIN)—Camelbak's vice president of research and development Robert Choi is no longer with the company.
After 10 years heading up Camelbak's research and development department, Choi left along with designer Barley Forsman, who was Choi's right hand man at Camelbak, according to Choi.
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—Leisure Trends Group, a full service market research company, hopes to fill a major gap in bicycle industry retail sales data.
SANTA FE, NM (BRAIN)—In May of 1993 two bike industry guys got together and decided to start a parts and service company in Ashland, Oregon. Unlike most distributors at the time, BTI chose to focus on one aspect of the market and to do it well—bicycle suspension components.
Congrats to Fuji's Pat Cunnane who won the Philly Commuter Challenge. Click on link for full story.
KEELUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—After a long day dodging heavy trucks, cars and scooters, the A-Team rolled through a half-dozen tunnels into Keelung, Taiwan’s second largest seaport, after 10 days of pedaling around the island.
TEMPE, AZ (BRAIN)—Titus Cycles has launched a brand new line of TRX cyclocross frames.
RALEIGH, NC (BRAIN)—Edwin Flythe, founder of Flythe Cyclery in North Carolina, died last week. He was 94.
Flythe retired in the early 1970s, turning the business over to his son, Skip Flythe. Today, Flythe Cyclery is a fourth generation family business.
WESTPORT, CT (BRAIN)—Sales at Fox Racing Shox jumped 47.5 percent in the first quarter of 2008, although the company posted an operation loss of $198,000.
IMBA's Mark Eller welcomed into the world last week, Sam Eller. Sam weighed in at a stout 8 pounds, 3 ounces. "He's looking forward to his first epic singletrack rides, but for now he's concentrating on eating, pooping and sleeping," said the proud papa.
Congrats Eller family!!!
JHIHBEN, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Voxa “Vincent” Chen is president of Liow Ko, a company most U.S. retailers have never heard of. But Chen’s company, founded by his father in 1965, has made and finished parts for some of the industry’s best known brands including Specialized, Trek, Giant, Easton and others.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Topeak has inked an exclusive distribution deal with Norco Products for the Canadian market. As of September 1, Norco will distribute the complete line of Topeak accessories, Allay saddles (by Topeak) and Jango bicycles (by Topeak) to specialty bicycle retailers.