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

Collateral damage? Tariffs force Light & Motion to move light production to the Philippines

September 24, 2018
Emerson, front, with employees at the Light & Motion factory.

MARINA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Daniel Emerson's heart sank when he saw that bike lights were exempt from the new tariffs that took effect today, while light components get slapped with the tariff. "Basically the U.S. government is providing a huge boost to our China-based competition. ... They are telling us very clearly we are not welcome in the U.S.," he told BRAIN on Monday.

Posted in Industry News

As Oregon tallies its first bike tax receipts, Hawaii and Colorado Springs are old hands

September 24, 2018
Colorado Springs' historic receipts on its $4-per-bike tax.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BRAIN) — Each time retailer Nick Ponsor looks out from his store’s new café, he sees a bike path that owes at least part of its existence to a bike tax his store and others here have been collecting since 1988.

Posted in Retail News

Industry lobbies for de minimis reform, but outlook is 'dim'

September 20, 2018
Margevicius at the seminar Wednesday.

RENO, Nev. (BRAIN) — In light of the new 25 percent tariffs approved by President Donald Trump this week, bike industry groups are ramping up their lobbying calling for a reform of the de minimis value — the minimum value of an imported shipment that is subject to U.S.

Posted in Industry News

Pioneer revamps its power meter line, brings pedaling metrics to Wahoo headunit

September 18, 2018
Pioneer's new head unit boasts a full-color 2.2" screen.

RENO, Nev. (BRAIN) — At Interbike Pioneer is announcing many changes across its line of power meters, including the launch of its own headunit, a mobile app, and the addition of its advanced pedaling metrics to Wahoo's GPS units.

Pioneer and Wahoo unveiled the changes at a preshow event Tuesday morning.

Posted in Product/Tech

Merlin's classic Newsboy is back, delivering style

September 18, 2018
Merlin will make just eight of the Newsboy frames, priced at $5,000 each.

RENO, Nev. (BRAIN) — Merlin Bikes is back, and just like in the 1990s, the brand has brought a crowd-pleaser to Interbike: the Newsboy.

Posted in Product/Tech

Trump approves tariffs on Chinese goods including $1 billion in bike products, effective next Monday

September 17, 2018
The tariffs will start at 10% and affect most bike goods from China — but not helmets or lights. On Jan. 1, they will increase to 25 percent.
The news came as Interbike's indoor expo prepared to open.

RENO, Nev. (BRAIN) — President Donald Trump on Monday said he had approved tariffs on roughly $200 billion of imports from China, including about $1 billion in bicycle products.

Posted in Industry News

Neil Quinn, former owner of Vermont's West Hill Shop, dies at 78

September 17, 2018

GUILFORD, Vt. (BRAIN) — Neil Quinn, who founded West Hill Shop in Putney, an epicenter of the cycling community, died Thursday at age 78 after a short bout with cancer.

Posted in Industry News

Bianchi's women ambassadors go beyond the brand to promote cycling

September 17, 2018

KILLINGTON, Vt. (BRAIN) — Beyond merely promoting the Italian bike brand, Bianchi's new U.S. women's ambassador program is designed to get more people into the sport — and into bike shops.

Posted in Retail News

Pedego shifts some e-bike production to Vietnam in response to tariffs

September 12, 2018
Don DiConstanzo

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — In May, more than a month before the Trump administration proposed a 25 percent tariff on China-made e-bikes, Pedego co-founder and CEO Don DiCostanzo went to Vietnam to look for factories to make e-bikes.

Posted in International

Osprey Packs aiming for No. 1 spot in IBD hydration market

September 10, 2018
The new Osprey Raptor.

CHICAGO (BRAIN) — With a president who is a former longtime leader of CamelBak, and a bike industry veteran brought on as a new bike-specific sales manager, Osprey Packs isn't shy about its ambitions.

Posted in Industry News

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