Just Riding Along

Boulanger launches Skidstrong

"Skidstrong" is a new brand of fixed gear bikes and accessories that will target the messenger crowd.  Gary Boulanger - Cycles Gaansari founder and former PR guy for Pacific Cycle - is launching the brand to:

"raise awareness and funding through the promotion and sales of fixed-gear bicycles, accessories, components and clothing, for the Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund (BMEF), a nonprofit organization established in 2001 to provide financial assistance to injured bicycle messengers around the world."

Proceeds from the sale of all products will benefit the BMEF and the bikes will be made in Ohio.

More info at Gary's shop blog, The Bike Evangelist.  The Skidstrong website is coming soon.

Ibis Cycles flies again

Here's the word from Scot Nicol on the Ibis website:

"Long time no chat. You see, Ibis has been taking a little break. But we're coming back soon to a trail and to a road near you. Our vacation is over and we’re on our way back. We missed you.

Where have we been? Sequestered in a secret location working to unleash some fresh new radness on the bike world. Velo Club Ibis returns in September 2005."

The Ibis brand is beloved by many folks in the bike business.  My personal connection is that I almost rode for their grassroots MTB team back in the 90s.  David Peoples, a rep for them in California (now with Castellano), teased me with the idea and I thought it would happen, but it fell through for some reason or another.  I was just a wide-eyed, up and coming Expert racer...and like many of us back then, I revered the simple elegance and mystique of Ibis bikes. 

I can't wait to see what they've got in store.

[via the Salsa Blog]

Adidas Bicycles coming soon?

Last month I posted about how Reebok will enter the U.S. market with their own line of bikes.  Now Adidas has purchased Reebok.

I wonder what the fate of the Reebok bikes will be?  And I wonder how much (if any) committment Adidas will make to entering the cycling industry with either bikes, clothing, or shoes.  And, given Nike's success with Lance, it seems like a no brainer that Adidas would jump onto the cycling bandwagon and look for an athlete of their own to sponsor.

Trek's Burke new Secretary of Commerce

As if Trek needed any more help in global bicycle domination.

Mary Burke, daughter of Trek founder John Burke, is the new Secretary of Commerce for the state of Wisconsin.  While at Trek, Ms. Burke was in charge of forecasting and planning.

There is more information, including a Q&A with Burke in this article by the River Valley Business Report.

[According to a recent report, the cycling industry in Wisconsin contributes an estimated $835 million dollars to Wisconsin's economy.]

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.

Reebok enters the bike biz

From a story in The Patriot Ledger:

Reebok Gears up to Peddle Pedals

"All of our research tells us it (cycling) continues to grow in terms of participation,'' said John Frascotti, Reebok's senior vice president of licensing.

Will they succeed?  Here's what Trek's Zapata Espinoza had to say:

"We wish them success, but we're not too worried about them right now, we've seen plenty of people come into the market and go away.''

And Megan Tompkins of BRaIN chimes in:

"I could see them doing well with a Reebok-branded line in sporting goods stores.  That would be a better distribution channel than the specialty market, as it would probably reach an audience that already buys Reebok in other categories.''

The big question is will they go to the mass merchants, sporting goods stores, or to real bike shops.

Whatever happens, it's another sign that the sport of cycling is alive and well in the U.S.  Having a company like Reebok committ to the bike biz is like seeing a Starbucks pop up in your neighborhood.  You have to know that they did some research before jumping in.  Guess we'll know more come Interbike.