Steve Frothingham

Steve is in his second stint at BRAIN. He was here at the beginning in 1992 while still working for a bike shop in Santa Fe, N.M. He wrote several articles for BRAIN's first issue and later joined the staff, eventually becoming managing editor and then executive editor.

After leaving BRAIN in 1997 he worked for several news organizations including The Associated Press and VeloNews before rejoining BRAIN as web editor in 2011.

He is based in Longmont, Colorado, and is an enthusiastic (and slow) road, mountain bike and cyclocross rider.

sfrothingham@bicycleretailer.com
/twitter.com/#!/stevefroth

All articles by Steve Frothingham

Bi-partisan lawmakers introduce bill that would boost US assembly and manufacturing

June 11, 2025

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Legislation introduced in Congress this week would eliminate tariffs on components used to assemble complete bikes in the U.S., long a major concerns of bike brands looking to add value in the U.S. without making the full step toward frame manufacturing.

Posted in Industry News

Chinese-made helmets and some bike trailers maintain tariff exclusions

June 6, 2025

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — China-made helmets and bike trailers with aluminum frames will remain exempt from a 7.5% Section 301 tariff until at least the end of August.

Posted in Industry News

Giant's China sales grow as US sales decline in recent years

June 5, 2025
A deeper dive into Giant's annual report.
Giant Group American vs. Asian sales, 2019-2024.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Giant Group's sales to America — under its own brand and to its original equipment customers — have declined steeply since the pandemic even as sales in Asia, China in particular, have grown significantly.

Posted in International

Specialized expands Morgan Hill footprint, relocates Colorado employees

May 29, 2025

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Specialized said it is expanding its facilities in Morgan Hill and relocating employees from Colorado to its longtime headquarters. 

Posted in Industry News

Kent tells state it will lay off 64 factory workers next month

May 29, 2025

MANNING, S.C. (BRAIN) — Kent International will lay off 64 workers at its Bicycle Corporation of America facility here, effective June 25. The company has filed a notice with the state of South Carolina on the layoffs, saying it was due to the "permanent closure" of the facility. 

Posted in Industry News

Canyon sales inch up in 2024, GBL depreciates value of investment

May 29, 2025

KOBLENZ, Germany (BRAIN) — Canyon Bicycles’ sales grew by 1 million euros last year, from 791 million euros in 2023, to 792 million euros ($900 million at today’s exchange rate) in 2024, according to an annual report from Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, which

Posted in International

Some sneak peeks from Bentonville

May 27, 2025
Posedla co-founders Jiri Duzar and Martin Rípa at the AGCA headquarters.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — Last week BRAIN was in Arkansas for the NBDA Dealer Summit as well as the Bentonville Bike Fest and the conclusion of the inaugural Arkansas Global Cycling Accelerator program. BRAIN is preparing stories for our July magazine about each of the 10 startup companies in the AGCA, but we thought we'd share some sneak peeks of some of the participants, as well as a few other new products on display at the festival and at the Summit.

Posted in Product/Tech

‘OEM rebound’ fuels Giant Group revenue growth

May 13, 2025

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Giant Group says a “significant rebound in OEM orders” fueled a 4.9% increase in group revenues in the first quarter compared to the same quarter last year. 

Posted in International

Fox Factory sees growth in bike-product sales, but it’s ‘too early for a victory lap’

May 9, 2025

DULUTH, Ga. (BRAIN) — Fox Factory saw first-quarter year-over-year sales growth across its three divisions, including a 6.6% increase in sales in its Speciality Sports Group, which contains its bicycle and baseball/softball brands. Company-wide the growth exceeded estimates.

Posted in Industry News

Tariff price adjustments: Are you Team Surcharge or Team Price Increase?

May 8, 2025

(BRAIN) — Halfway into the Trump administration's 90-day grace period, U.S. retailers and suppliers are grappling with how to account for their increased import costs.

Posted in Opinion/Analysis

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