Bicycle giant Specialized announced that it will not be on the tradeshow floor at Interbike and that it will also pull out of Eurobike for 2014. Specialized will reportedly continue to provide test bikes for the Outdoor Demo however.
[Via Bicycle Retailer: Specialized pulls the plug on Interbike and Eurobike]
This week cycling apparel maker Primal announced that it had donated more than a million dollars to the cycling community last year. The Denver, Colorado-based company said this is part of its ongoing commitment to the progression cycling and cause-related organizations. Through its dedication to sponsoring events and organizations that benefit people’s lives, Primal contributed more than $300,000 in cash and over $800,000 in product last year alone.
Primal has been a long standing supporter of organizations that include the League of American Bicyclists, Bike MS, NICA, IMBA, Tour de Cure, Bicycle Colorado, People for Bikes, US Military Endurance Sports, Rails to Trails, the Alliance for Biking and Walking and Trips for Kids, among many more.
“Giving back is a part of our culture here at Primal,” said Dave Edwards, founder and president of Primal, “and as we’ve grown we have been able to drastically increase our commitments and support of organizations that make a difference in the cycling community and around the world.”
A major part of Primal’s contributions come through the Primal Gives Back Program, which is open to all teams who participate in a charitable cycling event. For 2014 Primal has already announced several new and continuing sponsorships that will include partnerships with NICA, Bike MS, Tour de Cure, the National Bike Summit, Colorado Bicycle Summit, Sea Otter Classic and the Bicycle Leadership Conference.
While the Dutch are often associated with cargo bikes their cousins to the north know a thing or two about bicycles as well. Denmark’s Butchers & Bicycles has created the Mk1 cargo bike that can handle corners better than most. The bike is actually designed to “lean” in when making a turn, which is something that will no doubt turn heads as well.
The Mk1 features the designer’s proprietary Balance Point Tilting system along with a powder coated T6 aluminum frame, an infinitely-variable NuVinci N360 planetary hub transmission, an ABUS frame lock, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes on all three wheels, and Schwalbe puncture-proof 20- and 26-inch tires. The bike also utilizes an ABS cargo box, which has a front access door along with mounts for children car seats. It has a maximum load capacity of 100 kg (220.5 lb), so this thing can probably haul as much as the rider’s can handle. Continue reading Danish Cargo Bike Ready to Roll
This month Wahoo Fitness announced that it is now the official supplier of Turbo Trainers to Team Sky, winners of the 2012 and 2013 Tour de France. Through this exclusive partnership Team Sky will be provided with KICKRs for use during the racing season and each rider will be provided with an individual KICKR for “at home” training sessions. Team Sky will use the KICKRs for pre-race warm up and post-race warm downs.
“Wahoo Fitness is a young and innovative company, who has produced a fantastic product in the KICKR which will meet our requirements both in racing and training,” said Tim Kerrison, Team Sky’s head of performance support. “Team Sky and Wahoo share a common approach when it comes to innovation and continuous improvement. We believe they have developed a market-leading product and we are excited about using the KICKR in the team and working with Wahoo to continue to develop and improve their products. We love the wheel-off design and the big fly-wheel which gives an excellent, smooth feel. The ability to precisely control the resistance, whilst retaining the smoothness, gives us the opportunity to do great quality and high intensity training efforts on the KICKR.”
“It is awesome that Team Sky chose us to work with as it further validates our rapid growth and shows the world that Wahoo Fitness has created the best trainer ever,” added Chip Hawkins, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “This collaboration gives us the opportunity to develop future products while enhancing existing products in cooperation with an organization who understands the kind of training necessary to win. We look forward to a successful 2014 and Wahoo Fitness equipment quickly becoming synonymous with victory.”
The KICKR Power Trainer can connect to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ wireless technology, and offers full resistance during training sessions. While pedaling, users can increase or decrease resistance, structure interval workouts or even simulate real world bike courses all from their smartphone. Resistance adjustments are also instant, making it easy to replicate everything from a flat or rolling hill course, to the coast down a hill after a hard climb. The trainer also features a wheel off design and super flywheel, and the iPhone connected bike trainer is further engineered to provide a more ultra-realistic road feel, which is equivalent to the inertia of an actual rider on the road.
Cycling socks come in two varieties: there are the plain Jane socks that have no style and then there are the over-the-top patterns that could be considered a little too much. Donkey Label is offering something in between with its new Merino wool socks, which are constructed with high quality fabrics but in a flat-knit crew style.
These also feature a single stripe of color that runs along the heel, providing an eye-catching accent. In addition these are designed to control bacteria and prevent odor for repeated street and office wear.
Former professional cyclist Louis Garneau has launched a successful bicycle apparel business and he apparently knows a thing or two about art. He creates paintings that he sells so that the proceeds can be donated to charities. In the past he raised more than $200,000 for the Quebec Museum, and that money was reportedly used to expand and renovate the building – one of the oldest in Old Quebec. Now he’s back to the brushes to benefit Team Rwanda. He’s producing around a dozen canvases and the money will be used to help support the Team Rwanda Cycling program.
Team Rwanda Cycling Official Website
Louis Garneau Official Website
From BikeRadar: The History of Mountain Biking released this week
The History of Mountain Biking is a special edition publication that charts mountain biking’s rise from the dying embers of the 1960s hippie movement in California to the tech-driven super sport it is today. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (01.25.2014): History Lesson, Flying Surf Boards, Sports DNA, Old Time Skiing
Swedish helmet and eyewear maker POC is all blue over Garmin. The company has signed on a sponsor for the Garmin-Sharp Pro Team for the next three years, and as such will supply helmets and eyewear to the team. Riders will reportedly be outfitted with Octal, Octal Aero and Tempor TT Helmets, and will be able to choose from a variety of POC’s different eyewear frames. This is a big move for the helmet maker, which first released a ski and snowboard helmet in 2005.
Can you ever be too young to want to ride in the snow? Given that winter seems in full gear and with two months (at least) to go the young ones can hit the snow with the Snow Ski kit for the Strider scoot bike. The company unveiled the new kit at this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show.
Cervélo is tri’ing something new. The company updated its venerable P2 triathlon bike, and this year’s new model has a wider range of fit options along with the new P-Series geometry. Sizes range from 45cm (with 650c wheels) and 48 to 61cm with 700c wheels.
The new model features Cervélo carbon, aero, rail-adjust seat post with 75mm of fore/aft adjustment. The bike also is spec’d with the Profile Design T2 Wing base bar and T4 Plus aero bar and a 1 1/8-inch steerer, which the company said allows for a wide range of aftermarket cockpit options. There are integrated storage and hydration options in the toptube and downtube accessory mounts, and even an integrated seatpost accessory receiver. The company has said that these mount specs will be shared with aftermarket makers as well.
In addition the P2 aero offers features that seem borrowed from the top-of-the-line P5 model, and these include aero cable management, a dropped down tube that reduces the gap between it and the front wheel, flattened down tube mounts to decrease wind drag on bottles, and an extended seat tube cutout design. The new P2 is designed to be stiffer than the classic version, but with no increase in weight. Head tube stiffness increases by 16.4 percent and bottom bracket by 6.5 percent. Continue reading Cervélo Tri’s Again
There’s talk about the need for a list of ICE contacts, or In Case of Emergency contacts on your phone so emergency crews know who to contact if something should happen. But what if you need to contact your ICE list to get emergency crews to come look for you? We hope that never happens, but if you’re like us and go for bike rides, hikes, climbs and other activities in the outdoors, you may want to set up a safety net. Continue reading Crash on ICEdot
Volvo Car Group announced this month that it had established a partnership with Swedish sports protective gear maker POC to develop ways to create communication between cars and cyclists.
“Communication with cyclists around the car is a possible extension of our groundbreaking Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection technology. Providing the cyclist with confirmation that he or she is seen by the vehicle can make interaction between cars and cyclists smoother and safer in urban areas,” said Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager, Safety Strategy and Requirements at Volvo Cars.
Finding a way to help alert drivers and avoid accidents would come as good news to cyclists.
[Via GizMag: Volvo teams with POC for car-to-cyclist communication system]
[Via Volvo: Volvo Car Group explores new safety and design ideas by partnering with high-tech sports gear developer POC]
Many cyclists may be of the “Weekend Warrior” variety – as in they only get out for a ride on the weekends. Whether that is you or not, the Podium Cycling Weekend Warrior jersey will have you covered. It features a 140 gram polyester material, and offers UPF25 sun protection, has three rear pockets, and a hidden YKK zipper.
This jersey also features a digital camouflage pattern – much like the kind that the military is now moving away from – but instead of helping you blend in on the road or the trails it might help you stand out.