Just Riding Along

Giorgio Armani taps Bianchi for new bike

Noticed this little tidbit in the most recent Bike Europe Newsletter (go here to subscribe).

"Giorgio Armani  has designed his own Emporio Armani bicycle, which made its debut on the menswear catwalk last week.  Produced by Bianchi, it will go on sale in December."

Is it just me or does it seem like there's been a ton of fashion-related news in the bike world recently?

-- Cannondale buys Sugoi
-- Nautilus buy Pearl Izumi
-- Nike Launches 10//2 (and The Washington Post weighs in)

I hope all this fashion news means we'll finally start seeing more fashionable, yet functional bike clothing.  In my opinion, if this sport is to really cross over into the lifestyle realm of surfing or skating, we've got to start making more stylish, comfortable, and affordable bike clothing.  I think this company is really onto something and I hope more follow suit.

Salsa GM steps it up

There's a great post up over at the Salsa Blog by their GM, Jason Boucher.  I'm glad to see him use their blog to deal with a real issue and I respect the fact that Jason put his feelings on the table for everyone to see.  In my opinion, this is what blogging is all about...adding a human voice to a brand.

Posts about race and travel reports are great but if you want your blog to really get noticed and create interest from visitors, you have to give them something they can sink their teeth into.

So Jason, why not take the next step and allow your visitors to comment?  A blog without comments is like racing a bike with one leg.  You're limiting the potential of the medium and missing out on a great way to connect with your Salsa loving visitors.

New "magalog" debuts

This just in from Bicyclenewswire:

There's a new magalog hitting mailboxes nationwide in the next few weeks.  Part catalog, part magazine, Preem is yet another player looking to capture a part of the lucrative high-end road market.

It will be published quarterly by Alan Friedman, a long-time bike industry marketing veteran who has worked for Carb-BOOM! among others.  According to Friedman:

"Preem showcases innovative road cycling products that aren't in wide-spread retail and catalog distribution. It is mailed to a list we've developed of road cycling enthusiasts who have the interest and income to buy high-end products."

I like what these guys are doing.  They're providing a valuable service to an underserved market.  Is this a sign that the uber high-end, obscure, weight weenie market is starting to mature and become more mainstream?  Is there no stopping this trend of high-priced bikes? 

Look for Preem at Interbike in booth 206.

Tweaking JRA and getting busy

You may have noticed I'm playing with the design.  I decided to go to a three-column layout so I can display more information above the fold.  I'm also going to add a banner graphic real soon. 

You also may have noticed fewer posts lately.  Things have heated up, both with business and temperature.  I've been working on some new projects and with the summer weather finally kicking in I'm getting back on the bike a bit more too.  Oh, and my wife Juli is about 4 weeks away from baby #2 so that's been weighing in the mix as well.

Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled program...

New Google map tool great for bikes

Just came across a new mapping tool based on Google Maps.  It's perfect for cyclists because you can create any route and find out precise mileage and then switch over to satellite view just for fun.  Then, once you've finished recording your route, you can get a permalink to the map so you can share it with friends.

Here's an example of a ride from my house to a fountain I like to take my daughter to in downtown Portland.

If I owned a bike shop I would record all the best local rides and put the links on my website or blog. 

[via Cleverchimp]

Cannondale blogs

Cannondale has launched two corporate blogs;  The Brad Blog and the Cannondale Race Blog.  They're both powered by a content management/corporate blogging platform from iUpload.

The Brad Blog has been around for several months and I'm excited to have finally stumbled across it.  "Brad" is doing some great things and it's an excellent example of how a corporate blog can help build community and establish brand credibility.  The blog has a cool photo upload utility and an "Ask Brad" section, which is just a post followed by comments and responses.  It even has a bit of opinion and ranting going on which is great to see on a corporate blog from such a major player in the bike biz.

The Cannondale Race Blog is just getting off the ground and so far is just reporting on the Tour de France.  But I noticed this nifty post that lets visitors view the live biometric data of their sponsored rider,  Salvatore Commesso.

They've also set up RSS feeds for posts, photos, and for each individual category.

These two blogs are a great start, but now that Cannondale is officially a publisher, why not keep it going and start a blog for each niche they operate in?  I think they could do well with blogs for their cyclocross, touring, and tandem lines.

A Lance backlash?

I previously posted that perhaps all the Lance-mania is getting a bit out of control.  Don't get me wrong, Lance has been a boon for the bike industry and will be for many more years.  I'm just as happy as anyone that he's driving sales and awareness for cycling into the stratosphere in America.

It just seems to me like Brand Lance is getting too much exposure and is at the risk of inflicting the masses with marketing fatigue.  He's literally popping up everywhere, all at once.

Neal Pollack writes in Slate.com that even his gym has been ruined by Lance.  Here's an excerpt:

"As I left the gym the other night, I noticed yet another maxim, splayed across 20 feet of door space: "I don't have bad days. I have good days and great days."

Well bully for you, Lance, I thought. But some of us really do have bad days, and we like it that way. In fact, my day just got a little bit worse. Here's my $63 a month. Now let me schvitz in peace."

I know Lance can do no wrong in the eyes of the bike industry (and the world for that matter) but I'm really just bringing this up for our own good.  It's in all the marketing textbooks; when you hype something (or someone) too much (like Krispy Kreme donuts, Britney Spears, blogs) people will start to turn away, regardless of the product's merits. 

I just hope we don't see a Lance backlash in the media and in public opinion.  If he does a Christmas Album, it's all over.

Looking for contributors

I'd like to extend an invitation to anyone out there in the bike industry who'd like to dip their toes in the blogging water and join me as a contributor to Just Riding Along.

It's been exciting to see this blog grow and I think some new perspectives could really help keep the momentum moving in the right direction. 

If you're interested, send me an email and I'll go into more detail.

Welcome Dirt Rag readers

I just realized the Dirt Rag E-Newsletter had a link to this blog.  But I also noticed they didn't give any description of what this blog is all about.  So, here goes.  Along with being a rider and contributor to Dirt Rag, I'm also a bike industry geek.  I started this blog because we only have one magazine devoted to covering bike industry news and I wanted to get some coversation going about topics I feel are important. 

One such topic you might like to read about is how bike makers are promoting irresponsible trail use in their advertisements.  I don't think this is cool  What do you think?

This blog is read by people that work at bike companies, write for bike magazines, and work at bike shops.  If you have any thoughts or opinions you'd like to share with them, I'd encourage you to leave a comment.  Now's your chance, use it wisely.

Blogging Interbike

Just received my first, "I'll see you at Interbike" in an email.  I know it's hard to believe, but people are already starting to talk about The Big Show.

I've been to the show as an exhibitor rep several times, but this year I decided to send in my application for a "Working Media" badge and see what happens.  According to their requirements it looks like it should be no problem...but I'm still curious what their response will be.  I think it's interesting that the requirements didn't even mention the word "blog".  As far as I know, they've never granted a media pass to a blogger. 

I submitted the application (PDF) to the PR firm handling the show last week.   I'll let you know when/if the badge shows up.