Just Riding Along

VeloNews seeks web brand manager

Inside Communications (publisher or VeloNews, VeloNews.com, Inside Tri, etc...) is looking for a tech-savvy "Interactive Brand Director."  Whoever gets the job should get them blogging ASAP.  They've got a ton of talent on their masthead and I think they could really extend their brand online by empowering their staff with blogs.  Here's more from the job description:

...to manage its high-profile Web sites and interactive businesses. The successful candidate should have experience in creating interactive media concepts, managing multiple interactive projects, e-commerce, budget development and implementation specifically geared toward controlling costs and optimizing profitability within the brands...Must have strong Internet, emerging technologies and computer knowledge. HTML programming skills required. Additional programming skills (php, Flash, etc.) a plus. Cover letter and resume to: Human Resources, Inside Communications, Inc., 1830 N. 55th St., Boulder, CO 80301-2700. E-mail: [email protected].

Read the full description here.

"Conserve by Bike" in the Energy Bill

[I received this information from an inside source in the Oregon bike advocacy scene, I will post a link to the full press release when it is available online.]

This just in from the office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore):

'Conserve By Bike' Provision Included in Energy Bill
$6.2 Million Pilot Program Designed to Spur Bike Use

WASHINGTON, DC - A new pilot program designed by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D - Ore) has been included into the final version of H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  The initiative, called "Conserve By Bike," establishes within the Department of Transportation a program to oversee up to 10 pilot projects across the country designed to conserve energy resources by providing education and marketing tools to convert car trips to bike trips...

...Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved the legislation, and the Senate followed suit this afternoon.  It is widely expected that the President will sign the legislation in the coming days.

The sad truth about the Lance Effect

For anyone in the bike industry with grand visions of Americans taking up cycling in droves and becoming real enthusiasts, read this sobering article that tells the sad-but-true-truth about the Lance Effect.

It starts out like this:

"I was so inspired by Lance Armstrong's seventh consecutive Tour de France victory that I decided to take up cycling.

7:30 a.m. -- Bravely enter garage in search of ancient Schwinn bicycle that I had not ridden in at least 20 years.

7:40 a.m. -- Locate something that looks like a bicycle behind 20 tons of Christmas decorations, unused lawn tools, spider-web-encrusted paint cans and several half-filled bags of fertilizer that long ago turned to concrete.

8:05 a.m. -- Extract bicycle from pile, a task that leaves me so winded that I have to adjourn to the couch for a short, restorative nap...

Continue reading article...

Specialized invests in web analysis

Specialized Bicycles has hired Portland-based WebTrends to help them gain a better understanding of their site's visitors.  Here's a quote from the press release:

"The top goals for the Specialized web site are to improve its customer's brand experience and deliver those customers to Specialized Dealers, and the company is intelligently utilizing web analytics to further those initiatives."

Those are certainly fine goals, but I think Specialized should consider coming up with a blogging strategy.  People want to become involved with brands and make them their own.  They are not just passive receivers of information, waiting to be analyzed and "converted."  A properly executed blog would give Specialized more ROI than any amount of tweaking to their website and it would give them an opportunity to engage their customers in a constructive dialogue.  Isn't that the kind of experience customers deserve?

 

Guest Editorial in Bicycle Retailer Mag.

Just a reminder to make sure you read the guest editorial in the August 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News Magazine (BRaIN).  The topic is blogging and it was written by yours truly.

It's not the greatest bit of writing I've ever done, but if it gets just a few more folks in this industry to start blogging, I'll be happy.

If you don't get the magazine, here's a link to the article on my web site.  (Unfortunately BRaIN doesn't release any of the content from their magazine on the web so I can't link to it directly).

NY Times photo faux pas

In the latest example of the mainstream media looking silly while trying to cover cycling, the NY Times pulls out this dorky photo from the Corbis archives to accompany their story on (and here's the irony) how cyclists are using new tech gadgets.  You've got to love the helmet cover, LeMond-era aero bars, and downtube shifters.  I'd say this bike is early-mid '90s at the latest!

Reality sets in for Cadillac Bicycles

I just read the recent story on the AP wire about Cadillac Bicycles.  It seems their tone has already changed a bit from their launch back in May. 

They went from this:

"Cadillac Bicycles will be the benchmark for all bicycles with its advanced characteristics...we believe Cadillac Bicycles will stand out in a league of its own."

To this:

The decision [to sell bikes] was based largely on GM's desire to reach younger buyers, an executive said.  Dealers will be able to add a bicycle to help close a sale or to give them away to show appreciation to customers or sales personnel...GM employees get a 25 percent discount on the bikes and account for most of the sales so far.

That sounds like backpedaling to me.

Unlike other licensed brands that are sold in big box stores, I thought Cadillac was actually serious about their bikes; they advertise in Bicycle Retailer Magazine and they even showed up at Interbike last year.  However, now it's apparent that their play in the bike industry is little more than a branding exercise and I don't think I'll be seeing a Cadillac on the local group ride any time soon. 

Lance in a NY Times op-ed

Noted author and columnist for the NY Times, Thomas Friedman, wishes America's leaders were more like Lance.  I couldn't agree with him more.

"What I find most impressive about Armstrong, besides his sheer willpower to triumph over cancer, is the strategic focus he brings to his work, from his prerace training regimen to the meticulous way he and his cycling team plot out every leg of the race. It is a sight to behold. I have been thinking about them lately because their abilities to meld strength and strategy - to thoughtfully plan ahead and to sacrifice today for a big gain tomorrow - seem to be such fading virtues in American life."

Trek engineer to speak at design conference

Michael Sagan, one of Trek's main tech gurus, will speak at the upcoming conference of the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America).

Here's a blurb from the press release:

"Michael Sagan, senior designer and technology principal, Trek Bicycles, will speak on Saturday, August 27. Sagan is continuing his eighth year with Trek Bicycle's Advanced Concept Group. In that time, Sagan has been the industrial design lead on the Discovery Channel Team (and previously the US Postal Team) projects for the past six Tour de France victories. Using think3 as well as other industrial design tools..."

Great to see Trek finding creative opportunities to promote their affiliation with Lance.

New pro team is a good omen

The day after Lance retires and the beat goes on.

Kelly Benefit Strategies, a group insurance broker and consultant specializing in healthcare...has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Circuit Global Sports Management to be the title sponsor of the KELLY Professional Cycling Team.

See full release here.