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

Boulder police recover stolen prototypes with help from local retailer

April 7, 2022

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Police have recovered stolen prototype bikes valued at $80,000, thanks in part to help from local retailer Full Cycle. The store's owner became suspicious when a man walked in with a $12,000 e-bike and a pair of bolt cutters.

Posted in Retail News

Kona’s new owners look for growth

March 18, 2022
Kona team rider Caleb Holonko.

SEATTLE (BRAIN) — Kona Bicycles, cheerfully independent for a third of a century, is now part of an Ohio-based outdoor sports group, Kent Outdoors. For about a year, Kent, a long time family-run business, has been in the hands of Boston-based private equity firm, Seawall Capital.

Posted in Industry News

Bike suppliers pull out of Russia

March 17, 2022
UPDATE: Pirelli halts operations in Russia; Orbea stopped operations the day after the invasion.

MILAN, Italy (BRAIN) — Most bike suppliers tell BRAIN they have stopped doing business in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision to end business there is due to the difficulty of operating under banking sanctions and the voluntary decision by some shipping companies to stop delivering in Russia. Or a happy coincidence of both.

Posted in International

Framemaker flees Russia, asks industry for support

March 3, 2022

TEL AVIV (BRAIN) — Dmitry Nechaev, the owner of Sochi, Russia-based Triton Bikes, is asking industry suppliers and customers to continue to do business with his company, which he is planning to re-establish outside of Russia.

Posted in International

Industry imported nearly $2 billion in bikes last year

February 8, 2022
Also: We provide a bit of a primer on data available in the industry. And look! A ship photo.

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Bike imports continued to skyrocket last year, as the industry brought in bikes with a customs value of $1.96 billion, a record that is 40% higher than in 2020.

Posted in Studies/Reports

In its centennial year, Shimano hits record revenues and earnings

February 8, 2022

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — In the year the company celebrated its 100th anniversary, Shimano Inc.’s sales and operating income hit an all-time record, driven primarily by its business in the bike industry.

Company-wide, Shimano's sales last year were up 44.6% over 2020, while operating income was up 79.3%.

Posted in Industry News

Mike Kalmbach, maybe the hardest working man in the business, is remembered

February 5, 2022
Mike Kalmbach

BREMERTON, Wash. (BRAIN) — In an industry of hard workers, Mike Kalmbach was among the most industrious.

Posted in Industry News

Industry fondly remembers Todson founder Alfred Todrys

January 25, 2022
Alfred Todrys.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Alfred Todrys, who launched the company that became Todson, died this month at his home here. He was 97.

Posted in Industry News

Mancini, investor charged with fraud, close to plea deal on criminal charges

January 24, 2022
Photo of an OCP promotion, from court filings.

DENVER (BRAIN) — Samuel J. Mancini, who was arrested last July for securities fraud and other charges related to a plan to invest in cycling companies, is close to a plea deal with prosecutors on some charges, according to court documents.

Posted in Industry News

Investors purchase, and combine, Colorado Cyclist and Planet Cyclery

January 19, 2022

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (BRAIN) — Two Colorado-based bike e-commerce retailers have merged.

On Dec. 9, Colorado Cyclist, based in Colorado Springs, merged with Broomfield-based Planet Cyclery. Both are now owned by Velo Operating, LLC., a new company now headquartered at Planet Cyclery’s facility.

Posted in Retail News

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