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E-bike battery fire destroys inside of South Florida bike shop

Published April 19, 2022
by Dean Yobbi

CUTLER BAY, Fla. (BRAIN) — An e-bike battery charging unattended at a longtime South Florida bike shop caught fire and destroyed the interior and much of the inventory, but no injuries were reported.

Andante Bike Shop — located south of Miami at 20277 Old Cutler Rd. — was engulfed in flames shortly after closing on April 9. Mauricio Orozco, who has owned the shop for about 15 years, told BRAIN on Tuesday the fire started at about 6:15 p.m. after the shop closed at 5:30.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department said Tuesday an incident report won't be available until Friday.

He said Andante Bike Shop carries a lot of e-bikes, but the bike in question, from a brand he did not identify, was new but about 2-years-old when the shops sold it in December. It was returned two days later because the battery wasn't charging. The shop learned a replacement battery was unavailable, so it sent the battery to a company in Nevada to be rebuilt. After receiving the battery back from Nevada, the shop left the battery charging overnight before the fire.

"The firefighters said all the cells in the battery blew up," Orozco said.

Orozco said the shop does not have fire insurance and has started a GoFundMe page that had raised $11,307 by Tuesday morning. He said he spoke with a fire investigator Monday who represents the insurance company that covers the small strip mall where the shop is located. Orozco said other businesses in the mall suffered smoke damage, and firefighters broke down the door of a neighboring business so they could enter the bike shop.

He said he's grateful for the outpouring of help from the community. "We've been around for a long time, and we've tried to help a lot of people," Orozco said.

Lithium-ion batteries, especially those spec'd on low-cost e-bikes, can present a fire hazard and should never be charged unattended, e-bike exerpts say. Human Powered Solutions has published the Safe Lithium-Ion Battery Storage and Charging Procedures for the eBike Shop.

RELATED: Guest Editorial - Battery fires don't have to happen.


Utah cyclist sues Rad Power Bikes over loose stem

Published April 19, 2022

SALT LAKE CITY (BRAIN) — A Utah woman is suing Rad Power Bikes because she said her bike arrived with a loose stem that caused a crash that injured her hands and wrist.

Paulina Greaves said she read assembly instructions and watched an instructional video before riding her new RadMini Electric Fat Bike. She said the instructions did not tell her to check the tightness of the stem. But she said on her first ride, on April 25, 2020, she tried to turn right when the stem slipped on the steerer tube, causing the crash.

About a month late she received an email from Rad Power notifying her that she may have purchased a bike with a loose stem and telling her to take the bike to a shop to have it tightened at Rad Power's expense.

Greaves said the crash cost her about $30,000 in medical expenses and $100,000 in lost wages, with future medical expenses expected to be nearly $40,000.

A Rad Power spokesman said the company was aware of the suit. "Although Ms. Greaves was involved in an accident while riding her bike, the cause of that accident remains in dispute. Rad Power Bikes, through legal counsel, is responding to the lawsuit. Through the litigation process, Rad Power Bikes will be investigating the Greaves' allegations that their bike malfunctioned. Rad Power Bikes is committed to the safety and reliability of the products it sells."

On April 13 the company filed an answer to Greave's complaint with the U.S. District Court for the Central Division of Utah, where the suit is filed. In the answer, Rad Power denied Greave's claims and asked the court to dismiss the case.


Denver will issue residents rebates for e-bike purchases beginning Friday

Published April 18, 2022

DENVER (BRAIN) — The city has established a series of rebates for the purchase of an e-bike or e-cargo bike from participating bike shops that goes into effect on Friday as part of its Climate Action Rebate program.

A $400 instant rebate will be available for an e-bike, and income-qualified residents might be eligible for a $1,200 rebate. E-cargo bike buyers will receive a $500 rebate. All Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes are eligible — but not e-MTBs — if purchased from one of the following bike shops: Hardt Family Cycleries, Elevation Cycles, Good Turn Bikes, Fatte-bikes, SloHi Bikes, ebikes USA, Pedego Denver, Epic Cycles Denver, HUB Bicycles, and REI.

Qualified residents must be at least 16 years old. Income-qualified residents must be enrolled in one of seven programs or "have a household income below 60% of the state of Colorado's median income, below 200% of the relevant federal poverty level, or below 80% of area median income."

The rebate is for one e-bike per person, and the incentive can't exceed the total purchase price, and there is no minimum or maximum purchase price.

E-cargo bikes must have an extended frame to carry additional people or cargo, and have three of the following:

  • A published total weight capacity (rider, bike, cargo) rating of at least 400 pounds.
  • An extended frame designed to carry additional containers, bags, passengers, or has included as a standard component a cargo rack.
  • Additional attachment points (front and back) to support the addition of racks, baskets, seats.
  • Marketed or advertised as a "cargo" or "utility bike" beyond what would be typical for an e-bike used for commuting.

Democrats in the Colorado legislature also have proposed spending $12 million on an e-bike subsidy in next year's state budget.

Pedego Stretch e-cargo bike.

Injured rider sues Costco and e-bike brand over right-front brake lever setup

Published March 25, 2022
The Arizona woman lost an eye and had other injuries she blames on an illegal brake-lever setup.

By Dan Roe

SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — An Arizona woman is suing San Diego e-bike company Phantom Bikes and Costco Wholesale for $6 million. Carol Penkert's suit claims her bike came set up so the right brake lever operated the front brake, which caused her to flip over the handlebar and sustain serious injuries.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission mandates that bikes sold in the U.S. be set up so that the right brake lever activates the rear brake.

Phantom Bikes' marketing materials show The right-side front brake lever appears to be a design choice that affects an unknown number of Phantom Bikes Swirl step-through e-bikes, a BRAIN review of the company's marketing materials has found.

Reached by email, Phantom Bikes president and CEO David Toma did not reply to multiple requests for comment after initially acknowledging the existence of the November lawsuit. Phantom's attorney, Kyle Carroll of the Newport Beach office of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara, said he couldn't provide meaningful information at this point in the firm's investigation of the complaint.

Costco, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit for allegedly having sold the bike fully assembled without verifying its safety, filed a cross complaint against Phantom Bikes to indemnify itself from a potential judgment. Costco representative Muriel Cooper said the wholesaler's management would decline to comment on the suit. In court documents, Costco attorneys deflected blame to Penkert, claiming she was negligent in the face of "open and obvious" perils.

One month after the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the country, Penkert embarked on her first significant ride of her Phantom Bikes Swirl. She bought the bike in February 2020 online and fully assembled through Costco but hadn't ridden it past her driveway until April 15, her attorney told BRAIN. When she came upon a speed bump, Penkert instinctively grabbed the right-hand brake lever to slow down, thinking it would actuate the rear brake. Instead, the front brake locked up, throwing her over the handlebar in a crash that resulted in multiple facial fractures and the loss of her right eye.

Penkert's attorney, Nick Verderame of the Phoenix personal injury law firm Plattner Verderame, said the right-hand positioning of the Swirl's front brake violates federal law governing bicycle design. The law states a bicycle's front brake must be actuated by a control on the left side of the handlebar. Reversals are only allowed for custom bikes.

Penkert discovered the cause of her crash when a mechanic identified the right-hand front brake lever while servicing the damaged e-bike.

"They did not put a warning on the box. They didn't put a warning on the bike. They didn't put a warning on the manual. The only way anyone could ever find out about this would be to happen to stumble upon their YouTube page," Verderame said.

In a November 2018 YouTube video uploaded by Phantom Bikes, and now removed, a company representative identified the right-hand brake lever on the Swirl as the front brake. Instagram posts and other YouTube videos posted by the company between 2017 and 2020 show right-rear levers.

The lawsuit also includes the claim that even if Penkert had grabbed both cable-actuated disc brakes with equal pressure, the bike's improperly aligned rear brake caliper would have shifted the vast majority of braking duties to the front. A customer review of the Swirl on Costco's website also complained of a misaligned rear brake that couldn't be fixed at an e-bike repair shop.

Verderame said the bike required finishing touches when it arrived at Penkert's home in Scottsdale, including the installation of a front basket, but otherwise came fully assembled. In Costco's response to Penkert's complaint, the wholesaler also alleged Penkert had modified or misused the bike.

The Swirl is available for sale on Phantom-Bikes.com for $2,295. Costco still lists the bike for sale on its website. Walmart appears to have sold the bike as well, although it's currently out of stock. The number of Swirls sold in the U.S. is unknown, although Toma said in an August 2020 interview with his vendor platform, C2FO, that Costco had ordered $400,000 worth of Phantom e-bikes in November 2019. The Swirl is currently the only Phantom Bikes e-bike available for sale on Costco's website.

Phantom Bikes started out in 2009 in the shed of Del Mar, California, resident John King, according to a 2017 interview King gave to the San Diego Voyager. At the time, King was building gas-powered bicycles that looked more like motorcycles — Jay Leno's Garage even featured an early Phantom bike. Toma, a former Hollywood producer, came into the company in the mid-2010s and began pushing it in the direction of e-bikes. He bought the company from King in April 2019 and began selling e-bikes to Costco that summer. San Diego county court documents indicate King sued Toma for breach of contract in March 2020; the case was dismissed last April.

Today, Phantom Bikes sells the gamut of popular e-bike styles, including a beach cruiser, a fat-tire mountain bike, a hardtail mountain bike, a folding bike, and the motorcycle-styled Phantom 1910. The Phantom Vision, a $2,800 beach cruiser-looking e-bike, is also shown on the company's website with a front brake actuated by the right-hand lever. The orientation of the brakes on the company's other models is unclear from photos.

Tracing the 2020 bike boom, Phantom Bikes sales increased 500% between January and April 2020, Toma said in the interview with C2FO.

Verderame said Penkert's helmet broke in the crash that fractured her orbit, her jaw, and her nasal bones. With her right glass eye, she's relearning daily tasks due to her altered depth perception. The attorney said he hopes to settle the case quickly but is prepared for drawn-out litigation.

In December 2020, a group of New Yorkers sued Lyft — the owner of Citi Bike — after they claimed they were injured in falls caused by what they felt was excessive front braking force generated by the bike-share bikes' Shimano brakes. (Shimano was also named in the lawsuits.) Lyft and Shimano subsequently hired elite New York law firms Crowell & Moring and Eckert Seams Cherin & Mellott to defend against the complaints. The following summer, all of the riders dropped their suits.

Screen shot from a 2018 Phantom Bikes Youtube video, since removed.

Site of the Wright brothers’ first bike shop could be saved

Published February 22, 2022

A version of this article ran in the February 2022 issue of BRAIN. Subscribe to the magazine.

By Amelia Arvesen

DAYTON, Ohio (BRAIN) — When Matthew Tepper enters Dayton’s West Third Street Historic District, he looks for a two-story brick building as a waypoint. If it’s demolished, he says, its absence would completely alter the neighborhood’s cornerstone and historical context.

“It adds to the neighborhood’s character,” said Tepper, president of the nonprofit, volunteer-run Bicycles For All and a trustee for Preservation Dayton, Inc. “To purposely let something go and demolish it always needs to be a big decision.”

The building at 1005 West Third Street is of historic cycling significance because Wilber and Orville Wright brothers ran their first bike shop at the site for six months in 1892. According to the Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical Park, however, “Little, if any, of the structure (the bike shop) occupied is extant.”

However, other historians say the current building, called the Gem City Ice Cream Building, was built around the building that housed the shop. The building remains a stop on a guided historical tour of the district and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It also is one of Preservations Dayton’s “Top Ten Most Endangered Properties” in the city.

In November, Dayton’s zoning appeals board approved the city’s request for demolition of the building. But on Jan. 13, the city said it released a request for proposal, or RFQ, to attract a developer to either rehabilitate the building or raze it for new construction. Veronica Morris, the site’s project manager, said the city has owned the property since 2005 and it has been in disrepair since 1993. Plywood covers the windows. Caution tape lines the perimeter.

“The city wants to encourage historic preservation,” Morris said. “However, as keepers of the public trust, we have to make sure our residents can walk down the street and don’t have to deal with nuisance properties, and that we can bring some type of civic and community pride to our neighborhoods.”

Much of the Wright brothers’ history is preserved locally by the Wright Family Foundation, Wright Brothers National Museum, and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Historical Park Superintendent Kendell Thompson, in a letter to the city’s landmark commission, said the site was retrofitted in 1917, around the time it became the Gem City Ice Cream Building. Regardless, Thompson said it still “would have been a familiar part of the landscape in which Orville and Wilbur Wright continued to live, and travel to work, in the West 3rd Street area for the following five decades, respectively.”The building in 2021. Photo by Alex Jackson/instagram.com/dayton_architecture, used by permission.

Thompson, along with Monica Snow, president of Preservation Dayton, Inc., is requesting that the façade be saved in any future developer’s proposal. Snow added that the building could also qualify for tax credits, a major financial incentive for creative and successful developers. The city is slated to select a project from the submitted RFQs at the end of February.

“The whole idea of having a national, historic park is to tell the whole story of the culture and the economy and heritage of the people who lived there,” Snow said.

For Chris Tegtmeyer, general manager at Dayton’s Kettering Bike Shop, the building as it stands is an eyesore when he rides by, and he worries about bricks falling from above.

“I’m absolutely for getting rid of a lot of these dilapidated buildings, especially if it’s a hazard to citizens, to try to clean the lands and potentially make access for new development,” he said. But, he added that he might feel differently if he knew more about the building’s history.

Dayton, rich in history from the Wrights’ time period, is home to other notable buildings that have been fiercely protected by locals. The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park manages five structures within the West Third Street Historic District, including the Setzer Building owned by Aviation Trail Inc. Morris said the Setzer is the best example of a building that was modernized, but with the historic façade kept intact at preservationists’ urging.

Also part of the park is The Wright Cycle Company Building, a Victorian commercial shop built in 1886 at 22 South Williams Street. It’s where the brothers operated their printing and bicycle sales, repair, and manufacturing businesses from 1895 to 1897. And building upon their mechanical skills, it’s also where they began their aviation experiments.

That property and 1005 West Third Street are the last two remaining Dayton buildings related to the brothers’ bicycle business, according to Preservation Dayton.

The building during its Gem City Ice Cream era.

Washington state's King County decriminalizes helmet use

Published February 18, 2022

SEATTLE (BRAIN) — The King County Board of Heath repealed a 29-year-old mandatory bike helmet law Thursday, citing evidence of racial and anti-homeless bias in its enforcement.

Seattle has enforced the law since 2003, and the Cascade Bicycle Club originally advocated for the law until research put forth by Central Seattle Greenways' Ethan Campbell changed the organization's position. Cascade testified in favor of the repeal as part of a coalition of community organizations, including Real Change and Central Seattle Greenways.

Campbell's data showed Seattle's Black cyclists were ticketed at a rate nearly four times greater than white cyclists. News outlet Crosscut revealed that nearly half of Seattle's helmet tickets went to homeless people.

According to the Cascade Bicycle Club — which urges all cyclists who can afford a helmet to wear one and offers free and low-cost helmets to the public — no conclusive data exists showing that bicycling is safer in cities with helmet laws. Studies show that helmet use can be high even in cities without helmet laws. In Portland, for example, 81% use helmets even though there is no all-ages law, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

"Cascade is 100% pro-helmet, but the data is clear; this law was harming vulnerable populations," said Lee Lambert, executive director of Cascade Bicycle Club and its sister organization Washington Bikes. "A majority of riders in King County already wear helmets, but it's people who can't afford one that are being targeted for enforcement, and that's not just or right."

Cascade requires helmets on its group rides, provides them free of charge to kids in its programs, and sells helmets for $10 to anyone.

"Safety is the goal," said Vicky Clarke, Cascade and Washington Bikes policy director. "Government can and should do more to ensure universal access to helmets, but the way we build and rebuild our streets is far more important to the safety of people bicycling than helmet use.

"We call on public officials who care about preventing death and injury to people biking and walking to reduce street speeds, build separated bike infrastructure, and fund connected trails."

Cascade Bicycle Club addressed the repeal of the law in this blog post.


Fox and SRAM end 6-year legal battle over chainring and axle patents

Published January 3, 2022

DENVER (BRAIN) — Maybe 2022 will begin an era of peace, love and understanding in the bike industry, as Fox Factory and SRAM are starting the new year with a clean slate after agreeing to settle legal disputes dating to 2015.

Both sides filed documents with courts in Colorado and Illinois last Thursday saying they were dismissing claims and counterclaims, with each side to bear their own costs and attorneys fees.

According to a Fox filing with the SEC, Fox and SRAM agreed to dismiss their claims with no admission of liability by either. SRAM is granting Fox a non-exclusive license to make and sell products using SRAM's chainring-related patents in exchange for royalty rates. Fox is granting SRAM a non-exclusive royalty-free license to make and use products and services covered by Fox's axle patents.

In late 2015 SRAM sued RaceFace (which Fox had acquired in 2014) for infringing on two of its chainring patents. Several other brands offering similar chainrings had agreed to license the X-Sync technology from SRAM, but RaceFace took it to court and eventually challenged the patents' validity. In March 2021, a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office board sided with Fox on the chainring patent challenge, which may have encouraged settlement talks.

Separately, in 2016 Fox filed suit in California against SRAM, which owns RockShox, for infringing on several Fox-owned suspension and axle-related patents. That case was later moved to Colorado.

The litigation has cost both companies millions in legal fees. In 2020, Fox spent $1.96 million in patent-related litigation, down from $4.4 million in 2019 and $2.1 million in 2018.

In the first nine months of Fox's 2021 fiscal year, the company spent $900,000 on litigation, according to its third quarter report released in November.

Fox and SRAM are rivals for OE business on several fronts: most notably in suspension and dropper posts, where Fox and SRAM's RockShox are competitors, but also in road and mountain bike cockpit components and cranks (where Fox's Easton and RaceFace brands compete with SRAM's Zipp, Service Course, and Truvativ brands) and wheels (where Easton and Race Face compete with Zipp and SRAM).

Neither side had any comment on the settlement.

Related stories:

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office board sides with Fox March 2021
  • Appeals court sides with Fox, sends patent decision back to board Dec. 18, 2019
  • Court agrees to move Fox/SRAM suspension case to Colorado Jan. 8, 2018
  • Fox and SRAM suits continue in two states as costs mount Mar. 1, 2017
  • SRAM licenses X-Sync design to Accell and Chromag Jan. 8, 2014

Bianchi plans carbon frame factory and headquarters in Italy

Published December 9, 2021
Company says the new factory will be able to turn out 1,000 frames a day.

TREVIGLIO, Italy (BRAIN) — Bianchi has unveiled plans to build a new headquarters building and factory here. The 30,000 square meter (325,000 square foot) facility will have about 17,000 square meters devoted to bike production. Production is expected to begin in 2023 full capacity will be 1,000 frames per day.

Bianchi CEO Fabrizio Scalzotto went over the plans Thursday at the company's current headquarters in Via delle Battaglie – which has been home to the company for over 50 years.

The redevelopment project will stay within the Municipality of Treviglio and is intended to revitalize an historic industrial area. "Key to Bianchi's vision and strategy is the beginning of a re-shoring process, bringing back to Italy the technical and production capacities that had been outsourced outside of Europe in the previous decades," Scalzotto said.

Salvatore Grimaldi, the president and owner of Bianchi, said, "Growing and developing companies is the challenge that fascinates me more than any other, and today we are embracing a new one: creating at Bianchi one of the most advanced bicycle manufacturing plants in the world/

At full capacity, the new site will employ more than 250 people including clerks, technical resources and production personnel.

The new Bianchi venue also will host a Bianchi Museum. The overall investment in the project is more than 40 million euros ($45 million). Work began last month.


SVETA NEDELJA, Croatia (BRAIN) — Porsche will acquire a majority interest in the Greyp e-bike brand. The sports car manufacturer's venture capital segment, Porsche Ventures, has held about a 10% stake in Greyp since 2018.

Mate Rimac and other Greyp founders will retain minority shares in the company, and the transaction will be completed on Dec. 18.

Greyp opened its U.S. operations in San Pedro, California, last year. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Porsche acquired the initial stake at the same time as its investment in Rimac Automobili.

"Greyp will have a very strong and growing presence in Croatia," Rimac said. "We want to do big things, otherwise, Porsche and us would not be doing this. This will secure a great future for Greyp employees and bring tremendous value for Croatia as another proof of being an electric vehicle R&D hotspot."

Porsche's investment will further its e-mobility advancement, the company said.

"Porsche is a pioneer of sustainable mobility and is consistently driving forward its e-mobility strategy," said Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman of the Porsche AG Executive Board. "Our activities in the e-bike sector underline our consistent approach. Porsche has been a leading provider of plug-in hybrids for years."

In 2019, the company launched its first all-electric vehicle — the Taycan — and last year, one in three of the vehicles was electric powered. "Our ambitious goal is to have a CO2-neutral balance sheet across the entire value chain by 2030," Meschke said.

Porsche said it will invest 15 billion euro ($17 billion) in new technology in the next five years, with 6.5 billion euro ($7.3 billion) for the development of electric vehicles.


MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycle Components announced Monday it has acquired the BikeSource retail chain, which has stores in Colorado, Ohio, and North Carolina.

The company said the stores will retain the BikeSource name and current employees. Founder Marc Eisenberg said he will continue with the company.

Eisenberg, who founded the first BikeSource in 1985 in Columbus, Ohio, said as the industry emerges from the pandemic-driven sales surge, he could see the writing on the wall.

"While bicycle retail, like all other retail, has been steadily evolving, COVID really accelerated things," he said. "Ultimately, I see the current bicycle retail model as one that has been failing for quite some time, but within a disciplined business, was sustainable. After getting over the euphoria of success we had during the pandemic, I realized two things: First was that we were at the top of our game and that is always the best time to get out. Secondly, I realized that the model is broken and that the 'new normal' would be far more challenging if not perilous. We need to have better resources at all levels which are not affordable for small independent operators."

BikeSource has had a long relationship with Specialized and Eisenberg said the decision to sell to the company was easy.

"I have had other opportunities to sell the company to other bike chains or to the rich hobbyists wanting a slice of the bike shop dream, but none made sense for me, my employees, or my customers. I see where the industry is going and Specialized is going to have a big dog in the fight," he said.

Eisenberg expanded from the Ohio location to add stores in the Denver, Charlotte, and Kansas City area. He sold two locations near Kansas City to Erik's Bike Shop in 2016. Currently BikeSource has four locations in the Denver area, one store in Columbus and one in Charlotte.

"I also see 'scaling' as the key to success in the bicycle business," he said. "We need to have better resources at all levels which are not affordable for small independent operators."

Specialized has added several new locations recently, while Trek continues to buy up stores at an even faster rate. Last month, for example, Trek acquired the BikeBarn chain, with eight locations in the Houston, Texas, area. Over the summer Trek also acquired Big Ring Cycles in Golden, Colorado, and Golden Bear Bikes in Broomfield, Colorado.

Pon Holdings, the parent of Cervélo, Santa Cruz, and other bike brands, also recently acquired the Mike's Bikes chain in California's Bay Area.


Shimano warns that 'clearance' web store is fake

Published October 22, 2021

OSAKA, Japan (BRAIN) — Shimano says a website that appears to be offering clearance Shimano bike and fishing gearing is not legitimate.

The company said consumers should beware of shimano-clearance (dot) store.

"The website is using the Shimano logo, product pictures and other content without our authorization.

"At present, we are petitioning to have the website shut down.

"Shimano is not responsible or liable for any trouble that arises from the use of a fake website.

"We ask that customers take ample care."

The site's "About Us" page gives little hint about its operators. "shimano-clearance.store is an eCommerce company that sells items—but we’re much more than just a website. We’re a team of great people who win and lose together (we prefer winning!)," the page reads.


Patent Watch: Trek, Canyon and others patent bike boxes for the D2C market

Published October 14, 2021

A version of this article ran in the Oct. 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

By Alan Coté

Bike boxes might only be outdone by empty coffee cups as the most common clutter in the work areas of shops. While the enormous cartons don’t get much attention — particularly compared to what’s inside them — bike boxes and related packaging use significant amounts of cardboard and other materials. Recently, there’s been consideration of minimizing and optimizing packing materials used on shipping new bikes from brands Trek and VAAST. On a different front, manufacturers are re-thinking box designs to make the packaging easier for consumers to unpack and assemble a new bicycle.

A box designed for consumers is precisely what Trek has targeted in a recent patent application, Bicycle Packaging System. The Detailed Description section of the patent filing is surprisingly clear (unlike the broad language common in patent descriptions) about this: “Described herein are methods and systems for packaging bicycles that are to be directly delivered to end users. The proposed packaging systems are designed to be user friendly, and do not require the user to lift the bicycle frame or other bicycle components out the top of the box.”Trek's patented box includes a fold-down to protect the floor from bike grease.

A box that opens on the side, not at the top, is the difference that jumps out most between Trek’s box design and a conventional bike box, as seen in the above drawing from the patent application. In addition to eliminating the awkward lift-it-out-of-the-box maneuver that every shop mechanic knows so well, Trek touts another advantage: “The folded down front of the packaging system also acts as a work surface that provides the user with an area to assemble the bicycle, while protecting the floor from scratches, grease, etc.”

The design may include a visual clue like footprints (indicia 170 in the patent drawing), to further drive the idea home to consumers. Such a built-in work surface may serve consumers well – but not shops. While new a new bike typically goes straight from box to repair stand in a shop, space constraints in assembly areas could make side opening boxes cumbersome for mechanics. That means Trek would need to warehouse boxed bikes in two categories: those going to shops, and those shipping consumer-direct.

Perhaps you’re wondering how it’s possible to patent a side-opening box. The broad idea of a side-opening box has been done before, and is therefore “prior art” in patent terms. It’s the claims of a patent that define the intellectual property protected – and often very particular details must be included in patent claims to work around prior art. In Trek’s case, including a tire wedge with a slot within the rear wheel support, in combination with other box features, seems to be key to patentability (Note: at press time, the patent application had not received an Allowance Notice, so this is speculative based on patent documents examined).

Canyon's patent includes an integrated inseam measurement feature.

Consumer-direct brand Canyon has filed numerous patent applications for bike boxes, both in the U.S. and Europe. A common element to some of Canyon’s patent filings is the inclusion of particular “fixing” or “stabilizing” elements within the box — these for securing the rear wheel, stem (attached to the fork, rather than removed or affixed to the handlebars), and more. One aspect claimed is for a small parts container as part of the stabilizing elements for the rear wheel. These patent claims seem equally as applicable to cartons for shop-bound bicycles as for consumer-direct bikes.

In other patent applications, Canyon shows a box that opens at its end, with the bicycle mounted to a base element that can be slid out of the box — like Trek, seeking to avoid the lift-out-the-top operation. As anyone who’s ever unpacked a bike knows, such a lift may even require two people: one to raise the bike, another to hold the box down – especially for a first-timer. This becomes more relevant with ebikes, which in most cases are substantially heavier than acoustic bikes.

Canyon’s patent application titled Bicycle Transport Container and Inside-Leg Measurement System brings a new use to the common carton. The design includes an inseam measuring system that’s printed on to cardboard, and can be included as part of the base element, or elsewhere. Also included are a slot and a projection element. The projection element is placed in the slot, and the rider straddles it to measure inseam. Corresponding measurements are marked on the seatpost.

Giant also received a patent in 2018 for a packaging structure that allowed a bike to "be directly exhibited through the exhibition opening and be sold to eliminate conventional complications of box opening and assembly for exhibition and post-exhibition re-boxing. The bicycle frame is placed in the exhibition box for carrying outdoors to achieve objects of recycling and reducing costs and burden on the environment." The Giant patent appears to be more concerned with minimizing waste than consumer bike assembly, although it does claim to make it easier to get the bike out of the box, which is a feature anyone can appreciate.Giant's 2018 patent emphasizes ease of re-use and recycling.

A brief patent search shows numerous patent filings over the last 20 years for reusable travel-style bike cases and bags, but very little in the area of bike cartons for OE shipping purposes. The common bike box would seem to leave little room for patentable inventing, and the cost of obtaining a patent is in the low five figures at a minimum. But Trek and Canyon have decided the juice is worth the squeeze in pursuing intellectual property for bike packaging.

Editor's note: On Oct. 11, the consumer site WheelBased.com published an article about Trek's patent application. Trek Bicycle responded to that article on WheelBased's Instagram account, saying, "Here's some background information that might be helpful. This is a bike box that we have been shipping in China for around three years. We use this box in China so we’re able to provide access to Trek products across a huge region with a smaller retail presence for a market with 1.4 billion people. It’s helped us get our products to remote areas where in some places there is little to no bicycle retail. We’re not currently planning on expanding its use beyond China."

Alan Coté is a Registered Patent Agent and principal of Green Mountain Innovations LLC. He’s a past contributing writer to Bicycling, Outside, and other magazines, and is a former elite-level racer. He also serves as an expert witness in bicycle-related legal cases. Nothing in this article should be considered legal advice.

An image from Trek's patent application.
File Attachment: 
Trek Patent Application 16/803,553 PDF
Canyon Patent Application 16/931,580 PDF
Giant Patent US 10,144,578 B2 JPG

Handmade bike show returns in September 2022, in Denver

Published September 30, 2021

(BRAIN) —The North American Handmade Bicycle Show will return from its pandemic hiatus next September. The event will be held at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colorado. show founder Don Walker announced Thursday.

In a Facebook video (below) Walker said the event will honor registrations made for the canceled 2020 event, which had been planned for Dallas, Texas.

"If you signed up for Dallas in 2020 your registration will moved forward and you are covered for the 2022 show," he said. 

Walker said more details will be released soon. The show will be Sept. 23-25.  

Denver last hosted NAHBS in February, 2013. That year the event was held at Denver's Colorado Convention Center.

The National Western Complex is traditionally the venue for the VeloSwap event.

BANG PU, Thailand (BRAIN) — The Vittoria Group will invest $20 million into building the world's first carbon-neutral bicycle tire facility that will open at the end of next year.

Vittoria's tire production capacity will double at the Lion Tyres Thailand factory in the Bang Pu industrial district, which will employ 400 additional workers. The Lion Tyres Thailand factory premises also will grow to 560,000 square feet and be near the current headquarters. The facility is designed with sustainability in mind with solar panels, intelligent climate control, and increased use of biodegradable and recycled materials.

"We are very pleased to further invest in Thailand, the world's premium place for development and production of high-quality bicycle tyres," said Vittoria Group President and CEO Stijn Vriends. "The new factory is an important milestone in our journey toward sustainable and carbon-neutral manufacturing."

The 172,000-square-foot facility will feature product testing and research capabilities. Ground was broken Thursday.

"The new Lion Tyres Thailand greenfield factory is a much-needed investment to match the bicycle industry demand for speed of supply and high-quality products," said Vittoria Group Chief Operations Officer Massimo Zanco.

The relationship between Vittoria Group and Thailand began in 1988 with the opening of the first factory in Bangkok. The current operations are spread over five buildings in Bangkok and Rayong, including Vittoria's graphene compound research and production facility and the 4C technology that merges four compounds in a single bicycle tire tread.

Vittoria sells through subsidiaries in Asia, Europe, and North America. It develops tires for all performance levels in road, off-road, and urban use. Vittoria Group is owned by its managers and the investment fund Wise Equity.


TerraTrike introduces E.V.O. e-assist trike

Published September 22, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (BRAIN) — TerraTrike's newest e-assist trike features a high-torque Bosch Cruise motor, which produces nearly 50% more torque than the brand's previous e-trikes.

The E.V.O. also features a full-color Kiox display, Bosch PowerPack 400Wh battery, and a 10-speed drivetrain.

The chromoly frame has been upgraded with the same one used with TerraTrike's high-end touring model, the Gran Tourismo. It also integrates with TerraTrike's Storage Solutions line of proprietary, trike-specific racks, bags and panniers.

The E.V.O. comes standard with 24-inch wheels and with Rapid Axles, similar to the thru-axles, allowing for easy removal of the front wheels, while increasing strength and rigidity for more responsive steering and braking.

For dealer inquiries, contact Steve Tanaka at stevet@wizwheelz.com. For more info, go to terratrike.com. To connect with a community of trikers, join the TerraTrike Isolation Riders club on Strava.


NEW YORK (BRAIN) — Peloton Interactive's fourth-quarter revenue grew 54% over last year's final quarter, to $937 million, as the company's fiscal year revenues topped $4 billion for the first time.

However, although the quarterly sales total was ahead of estimates, the company lost $313 million in the quarter and the growth rate declined from last year's growth of 172%.

Last week Peloton announced a 20% price cut to its original Peloton Bike. The Peloton Bike now retails for $1,495 or $39 a month with a financing plan.

The company's subscriptions rose 114% year over year to 2.33 million. Average monthly workouts per user declined from 24.7 last year to 19.9 this year, which Peloton said it expected.

The company said improved weather over last year, as well as increased consumer mobility, contributed to the numbers. The company provided guidance for full-year fiscal 2022 revenue of $5.4 billion.

The quarterly loss resulted from Peloton's recent voluntary recall of its treadmills and higher supply-chain and logistics expenses.


Fox Factory: We're 8-10 months from fulfilling current orders

Published August 9, 2021
The company's bicycle-product division just recorded its sixth consecutive record sales quarter.

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Fox Factory's sales in its Speciality Sports Group, its bicycle-product division, were up 64% in the second fiscal quarter and 73% for the first half, compared to the same periods last year.

Bike-related sales, through the Fox, Marzocchi, Easton and RaceFace brands, totaled $138.7 million for the quarter and $257.2 million for the half.

The company said it was seeing strong demand especially in the OE channels for its bike products. The second quarter was the 6th quarter in a row to hit record sales in the SSG.

On an investor call, CEO Mike Dennison said that at the current pace, it will take 8-10 months for Fox to fulfill pre-orders for bicycle products and another 12-18 months to replenish depleted inventory channels at the distributor and retailer level.

Australian distributor acquisition

On May 21, Fox's Australian subsidiary paid $486,000 for Sola Sport Pty Ltd., which had been the distributor of Fox's bicycle suspension in Australia since 2008 and also distributed Marzocchi, RaceFace and Easton Cycling products.

Dennison told analysts on an investor call that the purchase was "more strategic than financial."

For the first time, Fox Factory, company-wide, crossed the $1 billion sales threshold on a trailing 12-months basis.

He said Sola, based in Sydney, "gives us a foothold in Australia, which we believe is an important market for Fox, in both for SSG and PVG (Powered Vehicle Group) going forward."

Company-wide sales

In the first half, the SSG provided 42% of the company's sales, with PVG providing the remainder.

Company-wide, Fox Factory first-half sales were $609.3 million, an increase of 65.8% over the first half of 2020.

For the first time, Fox Factory, company-wide, crossed the $1 billion sales threshold on a trailing 12-months basis.

Company-wide gross margin increased 110 basis points to 33.9%, compared to 32.8% in the same period last fiscal year. Net income was $44.3 million, or $1.05 of earnings per diluted share.

E-SUV sales stand out

Dennison told analysts that he was bullish on what he called the market for "E-SUVs", which he described as "more burly e-bikes that can carry kids and groceries and surfboards and everything else.

"That category has been on fire and it continues to be on fire .... people are thinking about other ways to be mobile ... they are thinking about electric cars for sure, but also thinking about electric bikes."

A slide from Fox's Q2 investor presentation.

Continental reissues cream sidewall on Grand Prix 5000

Published August 3, 2021

KORBACH, Germany (BRAIN) — Continental announced the return of the cream sidewall Grand Prix 5000 road tire to celebrate the Tour de France last month. It joins the transparent sidewall and traditional black tires to form a new color range.

Initially available as a special edition for the Tour de France 2020, Continental has responded to customer demand for the cream wall color by making it a permanent feature in the expanding Grand Prix 5000 lineup.

The new range is designed to offer more aesthetic choice for road riders and racers.

The Grand Prix 5000 line features Active Comfort Technology to reduce vibration, Vectran Breaker for puncture protection, and LazerGrip for cornering. Continental's Black Chili compound balances grip, mileage, and low-rolling resistance.

Cream sidewall
Weight — 255g/265g
Dimensions — 25-622/28-622

Transparent sidewall
Weight — 230g/245g
Dimensions — 25-622/28-622

Black
Weight — From 205g
Dimensions — From 25-584 to 32-622

Pricing and availability
Cream sidewall, black, and transparent sidewall Grand Prix 5000 tires are available for €64.90 ($77) per tire worldwide.


Ohio's Recumbent Cycle-Con postponed over COVID concerns

Published July 30, 2021

DAYTON, Ohio (BRAIN) — Organizers of the 2021 Recumbent Cycle-Con have postponed the event, which had been scheduled for Oct. 8-10, because of COVID-19 concerns. The 2020 event was also postponed.

"With the current surge in COVID cases, and so many unknowns about what may happen in the next two months, postponing seems like the most responsible thing to do at this point in time," organizers said in a statement Friday.

The Recumbent Cycle-Con has been rescheduled for Oct. 7-9, 2002, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton. The Recumbent Cycle-Con is part of Cycle-Con Weekend, which includes the Adaptive Cycling Expo, Bicycle Tour & Travel Expo, and the Electric Cycle-Con.

More information at www.recumbentcyclecon.com.

Topics associated with this article: Coronavirus

Specialized recalls about 2,500 e-bike battery packs

Published July 30, 2021

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycle Components is recalling about 2,500 first-generation Turbo Levo and Kenevo electric mountain bike battery packs. Water can penetrate the seal around the LED control pad on the bicycle's lithium-ion battery pack and cause the battery to short circuit, posing fire and burn hazards.

Consumers can contact Specialized at 800-772-4423 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, email ridercare@specialized.com, or go online at www.specialized.com and click on "Safety Notices" or contact an authorized Specialized retailer for more information.

The recall involves Specialized first-generation 2016-2018 model year Turbo Levo FSR, 2018-2021 model year Turbo Levo HT, and 2018-2019 model year Turbo Kenevo FSR electric mountain bikes with Specialized M1 battery packs that came as original equipment on the bikes, or Specialized M1 battery packs that were sold as aftermarket equipment for use with the bikes.

Turbo Levo, Turbo Levo HT, or Turbo Kenevo FSR are printed on the bicycle's top tube. The following Manufacturer Part Numbers (P/N) and Made Dates are printed on a label on the recalled batteries. The battery pack must be removed from the bicycle using a 6mm hex key in order to read the label. Visit www.specialized.com/safety-notices for more information on how to remove the battery pack and determine if it is included in this recall.

Manufacture P/N Made Date
B9JE2045F K7 L7 A8 B8 C8 D8 E8 F8 G8 H8 I8 J8 K8 L8 A9 B9 C9
B9JE2056F K7 L7 A8 B8 C8 D8 E8 F8 G8 H8 I8 J8 K8 L8 A9 B9 C9
B9JE2065F K7 L7 A8 B8 C8 D8 E8 F8 G8 H8 I8 J8 K8 L8 A9 B9 C9
B9JE2076F K7 L7 A8 B8 C8 D8 E8 F8 G8 H8 I8 J8 K8 L8 A9 B9 C9
B9JE2098F K7 L7 A8 B8 C8 D8 E8 F8 G8 H8 I8 J8 K8 L8 A9 B9 C9

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled electric mountain bikes and contact Specialized Bicycle for a free repair. Specialized is contacting purchasers directly about the recall. Consumers should not charge the recalled battery pack or expose it to wet conditions until it has been repaired by an authorized Specialized retailer. Dealers are re-gluing the control pad on the battery to seal it better.

No injuries have been reported,

The bikes with the relevant batteries were sold by authorized Specialized retailers nationwide and online from November 2017 through May 2021 for between $3,400 and $10,000. Specialized M1 Battery Packs were also distributed individually under warranty claims or sold by authorized Specialized retailers and online at www.specialized.com from November 2017 through March 2019 for about $900.

The batteries were made in Taiwan.

According to Specialized:

For the small number (estimated less than 15%) of battery packs, if conductive water (e.g., salt or chlorinated) penetrates the seal around the Control Pad, e.g., through repeated pressure-washing, and reaches a specific very small area of the battery pack’s protection circuit board, it can in very rare cases trigger a short-circuit that would bypass the multiple layers of protection built into the battery pack. In sufficiently charged battery packs, this can potentially lead to a thermal runaway event, posing fire and burn hazards.


Interview July 18 th 2021 - 20:28

Tadej Pogacar: "It's just crazy to be here again"

"It is just crazy here on the Champs Elysées, coming in the yellow again with an incredible team. We enjoyed today and now it’s time for celebration. We will have a good time and that counts as a celebration. The start of the stage was nice, taking it easy. We enjoyed chatting with each other. Then we came here on the cobbles and it was full-gas racing again, like every day. I cannot express my feelings of how happy I am. With the people I have around… it’s another level. I will remain motivated in the coming years, but what come next will come next… I’m not stressed about it. It’s quite different. Last year, I felt strong, incredible emotions. This year I’m again here, standing atop the podium, but the feelings are quite different. The new Cannibal? I don't like to compare myself to other riders. Each rider has his own style and personality. Every rider is unique. I don’t think there is anything left. I just enjoy life, I work hard, I love cycling - and those are the most important things."

Little cannibal image

Little cannibal


Academy Sports + Outdoors recalls Ozone 500 girls and boys Elevate bikes

Published July 16, 2021

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Academy Sports + Outdoors is recalling some Ozone 500 girls and boys Elevate 24-inch bikes because of a fall and injury hazard.

The hazard involves the rear shock spring, which can become stuck and create a pinch point between the spring and the seat, posing an injury risk, or causing the bicycles to stop unexpectedly and creating a fall hazard to the rider. The retailer has received one report of a person injuring their hand under the seat when the rear shock spring compressed.

The recall involves about 3,860 bikes that have "Ozone 500" printed on the frame. The girls bike is fuchsia with black script, and the boys bike is black with red script. The following style numbers are on the seat tube: 164538 (girls) and 164540 (boys). The bikes were sold at Academy Sports + Outdoors stores and online at www.academy.com from October 2020 through May 2021 for about $300.

Consumers immediately should stop using the bikes and bring them to any Academy Sports + Outdoors store for a free repair or full refund. Consumers also can contact any Academy Sports + Outdoors location for a replacement shock and repair instructions or to receive a prepaid shipping label to return the bike for a full refund.

CPSC recall notice: Academy Sports + Outdoors Recalls Ozone 500 Girls’ and Boys’ Elevate 24-Inch Bicycles Due to Fall and Injury Hazards.

Ozone 500 girls Elevate 24-inch bike.
  • Ozone 500 boys Elevate 24-inch bike.
    Ozone 500 boys Elevate 24-inch bike.
  • Ozone 500 boys Elevate 24-inch bike.

Tannus introduces gravel tire insert

Published July 14, 2021

SPANISH FORK, Utah (BRAIN) — Airless tire manufacturer Tannus enters the gravel tire insert market with an emphasis on flat prevention, rim protection, shock absorption, and sidewall support.

The Armour Tubeless Gravel insert weighs 70 grams, allowing riders to run lower pressures while still offering rim protection, increased bump compliance and increased traction.

While offering 20mm of rim protection, the inserts also allow riding while flat. The insert design provides sidewall stiffness to reduce the chance of rolling the tire.

MSRP is $49.99 for one insert. A rim with a minimum inner width of 19mm is required.


Picture

Brest

26/06/2021 - Stage 1 - 197,8 km - Hilly

30 previous stages

Sub-prefecture of Finistère (29), Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic

Population: 140,000 (Brest residents) and 210,000 for the 8 communes of Brest Métropole.

Personalities : Paul Deschanel (former president of the Republic), Yann Tiersen, Christophe Miossec (singers), Olivier de Kersauzon (sailor), Alain Robbe-Grillet, Yann Queffelec (writers), Béatrice Dalle (actress), Irène Frachon (doctor, whistleblower), Benoit Hamon, Jean-Jacques Hurvoas (former ministers), Charlotte Bonnet (swimming), Corentin Martins (soccer), Eric Berthou, Valentin Madouas, Olivier Le Gac (cycling)

Specialties: pancakes, seafood, salted butter caramel, kig ha farz, strawberries, beer

Sports: Stade Brestois 29 (soccer, League 1), Brest Bretagne Handball (Division 1 women), Brest Bretagne Nautisme (1st nautical club in France), Pôle France Voile olympique. Events : Brest is the port of records for round-the-world sailing.

Culture: Brest 2024 International Maritime Festival, European Short Film Festival, Astropolis (electronic music, July-August)

Economy: sea, health, banking/insurance, agriculture/agribusiness, digital. The tertiary sector represents 75% of the activity: headquarters of the Arkéa banking group, B&B hotels, the Eurodif group, the Kanabeach surfwear brand. France's ninth largest commercial port. Europe's leading center for science and technology related to the sea: 60% of French research in the maritime field is based in Brest. DCN, Direction des Constructions Navales (manufacture and repair of submarines and aircraft carriers). Brest airport, the leading airport in Brittany for passenger traffic (over 800,000). Thomson-Thales (generator sets), Cabasse (high-end loudspeakers), Saveol (strawberries, tomatoes), Sill (fruit juice). French Navy (15,000 military jobs). Slogan: "North, South, East... Brest

Labels: City of Art and History, Active and Sporting City (3 ears of corn)

Websites : www.brest.fr / www.brest-life.fr / www.brest-metropole-tourisme.fr / www.brest-terres-oceanes.fr / www.finistere.fr / www.bretagne.bzh

Le Jardin Académique lors du Festival Astropolis © Mathieu Le Gall/Brest métropole
Grande Régate © Jacques Vapillon/Brest Evénements Nautiques
Plage du Minou © Franck Betermin/Brest métropole
Le téléphérique au dessus de la Penfeld © Mathieu Le Gall/Brest métropole

BREST, A STORY  

A new city… and a lasting perspective  

At the end of the war, Brest was no more. Today, the city has been rebuilt and reinvents itself every day.

You can feel this energy pulsating in this part of downtown that has grown on the banks of the Penfeld, near the famous Recouvrance district: the Plateau des Capucins. The former "Forbidden City", as it was called before the French Navy withdrew from it, has undergone a transformation and a whole new district has emerged on its heights, with the Ateliers as its figurehead, where generations of Brest residents have manufactured the parts of warships. A place of life, culture and innovation, the Ateliers des Capucins and the cable car that links them to the historic city center have become the symbol of a metropolis on the move.  

"Cities where the sea and the horizon are part of the urban furniture are rare. "Yann Queffelec wrote. Brest is one of them. A military, scientific, commercial and leisure port, and a port of records, Brest's harbour is home to a concentration of maritime expertise very rarely found elsewhere. Home to the World Sea Campus and Ifremer, for Brest and its partners the oceans are both a subject of study and a breeding ground for innovation. As the French Tech capital, Brest will host the future coordination centre for maritime cybersecurity. Finally, Brest and the Brittany region are committed to the development of renewable marine energy and have invested heavily in the construction of a terminal where the foundations for wind turbines in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc are produced.

Le téléphérique de Brest © François Lehmann

BREST AND CYCLING

Almost an obligatory stopover for the pre-war Tour, since the race went there 23 times between 1906 and 1939 (Gustave Garrigou and Henri Pélissier each winning three times), Brest has been back on the map of the Grande Boucle since 2008 after a long 34-year hiatus. The second most populated city in Brittany will have the privilege of being the launch pad for the Tour de France for the fourth time since the Second World War. In 1952, it was the starting point of the first stage to Rennes, won by Rik Van Steenbergen. In 1974, it was Eddy Merckx who won the prologue of his last Tour victory. Finally in 2008, Alejandro Valverde won the first stage in Plumélec, starting from Brest. Considering the pedigree of these riders, all three world champions, we can expect a worthy winner in Landerneau! In 2018, for the last departure of a stage of the Tour in town, it was Dan Martin who won in Mûr-de-Bretagne. 

Among the many riders born in Brest, must be mentioned Jean-Pierre Genet, who finished last in the 1967 Tour, wore the Yellow Jersey the following year and won three stages in 1968, 1971 and 1974, Christian Seznec, who won two stages in 1978 and 1979, the whimsical Erwan Menthéour, Camille Le Menn, Arthur Bihannic, Gérard Kerbrat, all of whom took part in the Tour de France, or Eric Berthou, and among the riders still in the race Valentin Madouas and Olivier Le Gac, both riding for the Groupama-FDJ team

Alejandro Valverde vainqueur de la 1ere étape Brest/Plumélec du Tour de France 2008 © Presse Sports/Yuzuru Sunada
Dan Martin vainqueur de l'étape 6 du Tour de France 2018 Brest/Mûr de Bretagne Guerlédan © Presse Sports/James Startt/Agence Zoom
Henri Pelissier vainqueur de l'étape 3 Cherboug/Brest du Tour de France 1920 © PRESSE SPORTS

SIGHTS  

Ateliers des Capucins and cable car
The Capucins is the new cultural and living place of Brest. These huge buildings once housed the Arsenal's mechanical workshops. They have been transformed to become the largest covered public space in Europe (10,000m²), dotted with testimonies of the past: the Emperor's canoe, the propeller shaft of the Jeanne d'Arc... It can be reached by car, by streetcar and even by... cable car. Soon, the public will be able to visit the "70.8", a scientific culture center dedicated to sea technologies.

www.ateliersdescapucins.fr

Océanopolis
In the Moulin Blanc marina, this immense park is a model for both scientists and sea lovers, who can discover the ocean in all its aspects in the three thematic pavilions that make up the complex. The temperate pavilion, the first one installed at the opening of the park in 1990, is of course dedicated to Brittany, and also houses a seal colony. The polar pavilion is the kingdom of penguins, and the tropical pavilion allows you to discover all sorts of species in a whirlwind of colors. With its extension in 2000, the park has gone gigantic: 8,000 m2 of visiting space, 42 aquariums, 3.7 million liters of sea water and more than 10,000 animals, representing more than a thousand species.

www.oceanopolis.com

Garden of the national botanical conservatory
In the heart of the Stang-Alar valley, a stone's throw from the city center, it invites you to discover the world of plantswith your family. Built in a former quarry, this 30-hectare site was chosen for its mild climate, its steep slopes and the presence of water, which make it a place where plants from all over the world can grow. It is the first institution, created in 1975, dedicated to the preservation of endangered wild plants. The tropical greenhouses allow visitors to travel among the world's rarest and most endangered plants, of which nearly 1,800 would be extinct or endangered without it. They attract over 350,000 visitors each year.

www.cbnbrest.fr

National Navy Museum
Within the recently renovated castle of Brest, rich with seventeen centuries of history, the National Museum of the Navy traces the history of the arsenal and the great fleets of the high seas from Primauguet and Richelieu to the present day, and confirms the close and age-old ties between the city of Brest and its maritime history. While walking through the different rooms of the castle, the historical heart of the city, and one of the rare vestiges of its past, one discovers a collection of models of ships, paintings, sculptures, a pocket submarine, the evocation of the old Brest, the memories of the prison... all related to the great naval adventure. It also bears witness to the courage of the intrepid sailors and explorers who set out from Brest towards the unknown, such as Lapérouse or Bougainville.

www.musee-marine.fr/brest

The Brest Museum of Fine Arts
A place of sharing and openness to art, its visitors can admire various collections of works (painting, sculpture, graphics, musical instruments...) dating back to the 16th century. Resolutely involved in a process of dissemination of art to the general public, it has established an art library that allows everyone to borrow and enjoy a real work of art at home.

www.musee.brest.fr  

The American Monument
It was in Brest in 1917 that Europeans heard jazz for the first time. Brest was indeed the port of landing and return of 1,200,000 GI's who came to fight in the First World War. The monument erected in their memory in 1932, destroyed and then rebuilt in 1957, is a symbol of the ties of friendship forged as early as the Revolutionary War when Lafayette's forces from Brest supported the Patriots against the British crown.

Le canot de l’Empereur © Damien Goret/Brest métropole
Le bassin des requins à Océanopolis © Francois Lehmann
Jardin du Stang Alar © Franck Betermin/Brest métropole
Le Château de Brest © Mathieu Le Gall/Brest métropole
Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Brest © Creative Commons 3.0/Philweb
The World War I Naval Monument at Brest, France stands on the ramparts of the city overlooking the harbor which was a major base of operations for American naval vessels during the war. The monument is located in Cours Dajot public garden, Brest, Brittany © Getty/Lisa Strachan

TO EAT :  

Cod à la Brestoise
Although Brest has adopted most of the Breton specialties (galettes, far breton, brandies and even strawberries from neighboring Plougastel), the city has a few typical recipes, the most famous of which is undoubtedly cod à la brestoise, which is as simple to make as it is tasty to eat. Leeks, potatoes and onions, all sliced like the cod itself, are necessary for this dish halfway between the gratin and the brandade, as tasty as it is hearty.

Fragrant homemade casserole with cod and onion in cream sauce with horseradish under a cheese ruddy crust in a form on a gray background with crispy grilled toast. Top View © Getty/Annalleysh


Valued Business Partner, 

As you may have already heard, there has been a surge in Covid cases in Southeast Asia, which has prompted government officials to close businesses to try to prevent the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, our factories in Malaysia are not exempt from these closures. We support the local government’s efforts to help protect the health of the Malay people and Team Shimano members. 

At this point, team SHIMANO’s Malaysian factory operations will be closed through June 28, per government orders. At that time, the government will review the status and determine if things can open back up or will need to remain closed. The primary product impacts will be to component series below 105/SLX, Pedals, and Wheels. Other product groups may also be affected. 

In addition to this, we have seen closures and or severe restrictions in some ports in China. These closures will have direct impacts on some chains as well as Lazer helmet categories. In addition to causing additional strain on global logistics, which has been challenged for much of this year. Link to some insights on global effects here. 

Unfortunately, this pause in factory production will delay future deliveries globally, including North America. At this time, it is difficult to determine the full impact of these delays. As we get more clarity, we will update our B2B to clarify when you may receive existing backorders and new orders.

Thank you for reading. The bike industry has been relatively fortunate and benefitted from more people getting outside but has by no means been easy to manage. Thank you for your business and continued efforts to support the new and existing cycling consumers. 

Sincerely, 

AVP SHIMANO North America Bicycle, Inc. 

CamelBak recalling some Podium and Peak Fitness water bottles due to faulty valve

Published June 9, 2021

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — CamelBak is recalling about 60,000 of its Podium and Peak Fitness water bottles because the cap's silicone valve can loosen and detach, posing a choking hazard.

The recall involves about 46,000 bottles sold in the U.S., and about 13,000 sold in Canada. The affected bottles have date codes of H19039, H19063, and H19175 on the underside of the cap. The bottles were sold at sporting goods stores nationwide and online from February 2019 through January 2021 for between $10 and $25, depending on the bottle.

They also were sold in a variety of colors in 17-, 21-, and 24-ounce sizes. CamelBak and Podium or Peak Fitness are written on the bottles. Consumers should stop using and contact CamelBak for a free replacement cap.

CamelBak has received 14 reports of valves loosening and detaching. No injuries have been reported.

More information: CPSC recall notice.

CamelBak is recalling its Podium and Peak Fitness water bottles.
  • Date code can be found on the underside of the cap.
    Date code can be found on the underside of the cap.

ATLANTA (BRAIN) — The new Elemnt Bolt from Wahoo Fitness features a color display and expanded navigation features while maintaining its previous interface and connectivity.

The Bolt has been upgraded with a 64-color high-contrast screen. The 2.2-inch screen is made of scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. Now featuring Smart Navigation — previously available only on the Elemnt Roam — the Bolt automatically reroutes riders who stray from their planned route, lets riders change destinations, route back to the start, and retrace their rides from the computer, without having to use their phone.

An updated user interface offers customizable, color-highlighted fields. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the screen backlight. Quick view LEDs on the top of the screen provide turn-by-turn directions, signal approaching Strava Live segments, and provide notifications.

The Bolt has a 15-hour run time with onboard memory increased to 16GB. When paired with the Wahoo Elemnt app, riders can customize data screens, sync routes, and analyze data.

The new Bolt has an MSRP of $279.99 and is available for purchase at Wahoo dealers and at Wahoofitness.com.


Trek recalls 300,000-plus Bontrager pedals that can be difficult to install correctly

Published May 26, 2021

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Trek Bicycle is working with government officials to recall about 316,500 pedals in the U.S., and another 28,650 in Canada, because the pedals can fall off if installed incorrectly.

The Bontrager Satellite City Bicycle Pedals were original equipment on Trek Allant+, Dual Sport+, FX 2, FX 3, Verve 2, Verve 3, and Verve+ model bicycles.

Trek has received 132 reports of the recalled pedals loosening, locking up or falling off, including seven reports of riders falling and experiencing injuries, including scrapes, bruises and road rash. Consumers are being told to stop using bikes with the pedals and contact a Trek dealer for a pedal replacement.

A Trek dealer told BRAIN that the pedals have a shallow 6 mm hex socket on the inside of the spindle, and no 15mm wrench flats.

Because of the shallow socket, a wrench can pop off easily, the dealer said.

"Plus, you can't use just any 6mm Allen; most are much too short to get tight enough. And finally, because it's difficult to maneuver around to install them when the bike's on the floor, you try to tighten it while it's in the bike stand, and it's hard to get it tight enough that way. When you have the bike on the floor, you've got a sense of the torque being applied because you're essentially pushing against the ground," the dealer explained.

Consumers can contact Trek at 800-373-4594 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or online at www.trekbikes.com and click on "Recalls" under "Legal" at the bottom of the page for more information. According to Trek's consumer notice, those who bring back the pedals to be replaced will receive an in-store credit of $20 to use toward any Trek or Bontrager merchandise.

The recalled pedals have "ZTR02" stamped on them as shown in the image below. The Chinese-made pedals were sold from January 2018 through April 2021 on bikes selling for between $600 and $6,000. The pedals were also sold separately for about $30.

More information: CPSC recall page | Canadian recall page | Trek recall page (pdf).


    Fire destroys Pro Bike + Run Monroeville inventory, closes location

    MONROEVILLE, Pa. (BRAIN) — A four-alarm fire destroyed Pro Bike + Run's entire inventory of bikes and accessories at its Monroeville location Tuesday and closed the store indefinitely.

    No employees or customers were injured in the afternoon fire.

    "Seeing the interior pictures of the shop, I think it's pretty much a total write-off," Chuck Kininmonth, Pro Bike + Run sales manager, told BRAIN on Wednesday. "We had around 300 bikes in there and all accessories and running shoes, the whole nine yards."

    Kininmonth, who was not at the shop when the fire started, said it's believed it originated in the second-floor utility room of the two-story prefab glass and steel building. He said it quickly spread outside to the shoe closet, up a wall where tire stock is stored, down to the plywood flooring, and then throughout the store.Photo credit: First Due Photography

    "When I pulled up there yesterday, I counted 14 fire trucks," Kininmonth said. "The fire was out in an hour and a half. It went up really quick."

    Eight employees and about a half-dozen customers were in the store at the time when smoke was noticed right before the fire alarm went off. Building inspectors will determine if the structure is safe to rebuild, Kininmonth said. Pro Bike + Run, which has four locations in the Pittsburgh area, shares the first floor with a GNC and AT&T store.

    With the nearest location about 12 miles away, Kininmonth said plans are to open a temporary location nearby.

    "The No. 1 good thing about it was we got everybody out of there, the employees and customers, and everybody's safe and sound," he said.

    Photo credit: First Due Photography

      Peloton plans factory for Ohio

      Published May 24, 2021
      Factory will start turning out stationary bikes and treadmills by 2023.

      NEW YORK (BRAIN) — Peloton Interactive, Inc. has selected Troy Township in Wood County, Ohio, for its first U.S. factory. The factory will begin producing Peloton's Peloton Bike, Bike+ and Peloton Tread starting in 2023, the company said. It said Peloton will commit approximately $400 million to the facility over the coming years.

      "We are thrilled to bring a good portion of our manufacturing to United States soil and proud that it will be in the great state of Ohio," said Peloton's CEO and co-founder John Foley. "While we will continue to invest in our Asian manufacturing footprint as well as our existing facilities in the U.S. via our Precor sites, the new Peloton Output Park gives us a massive strategic lever to make sure we have capacity, quality, and economies of scale in our bike and tread product lines, to support our continued growth for years and years to come. We are incredibly excited to meet and welcome the Troy Township community into the Peloton family fold."

      Peloton Output Park is expected to sit on over 200 acres and have more than one million square feet of manufacturing, office, and amenities space. The facility will be built from the ground up in the center of Troy Township. On campus, Peloton plans to incorporate renewable energy sources to power its operations.

      "The pandemic has demonstrated the need to on-shore manufacturing and rebuild supply chains, and Peloton's decision to build its first North American manufacturing facility in Ohio is a great example of an American company stepping up and leading that effort," said Ohio's Gov. Mike DeWine. "Ohio is excited to partner with Peloton's forward-looking leadership team in developing a new, state-of-the-art facility using connective technology, and creating 2,174 new manufacturing jobs in Wood County."

      Peloton expects to add more than 2,000 jobs to the Troy Township area across executive, managerial, and entry-level opportunities. Positions will span corporate, manufacturing, assembly and quality assurance functions, it said.


      Smart Tire also will target road, gravel, and mountain bike applications with the guidance of Felt Bicycles.

      CLEVELAND (BRAIN) — The Smart Tire Company announced in March plans to manufacture an airless bike tire in partnership with NASA, and while the space-age tie-in grabbed the headlines initially, it’s Smart Tire’s partnership with micromobility company Spin and Felt Bicycles that might have a most lasting impact.

      Owned by the Ford Motor Company, Spin operates dockless e-scooter mobility fleets in U.S. cities and university campuses. It also has fleets in Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain.

      That’s a lot of rubber in need of inflating, maintenance, and eventually replacing. And Smart Tire thinks it has the answer with the METL tire while at the same time manufacturing a recyclable product and reducing rubber waste.

      “If you work with a company like that, they understand total cost, and they’re looking at it from a different view than a consumer,” said Smart Tire co-founder Brian Yennie about the Spin partnership.

      A Spin spokesperson said the METL is an ideal fit for its fleets, combining the durability of solid tires with the supple ride of pneumatic. “The implications of this new technology are potentially transformative, with flat and worn-out tires becoming a thing of the past,” the spokesperson told BRAIN.

      It’s all about Shape Memory Alloy

      The METL, expected on the consumer market in the spring of summer of 2022 with the MSRP to be determined, came to be from the collaboration with NASA, which needed an airless tire for its Lunar and Mars Rover missions. Shape Memory Alloy — think inner tube — makes up the tire skeleton with rubber encasing it. It has the added benefit of allowing retreading.

      The METL is manufactured in Cleveland, which is also home to the NASA Glenn Research Center, Goodyear and Cooper Tires.

      “The other advantage we have there is because it’s not pneumatic and the rubber is not structural, we can just focus on the tread element,” Yennie said. “We can potentially make that thicker. We can potentially get into chemical engineering a little differently there.”

      That would appeal to bike-share fleets and e-bike commuters who don’t want to worry about flats and inflation, Yennie added.

      “Because the structural element is meant to last the lifetime of your bike, we’re trying to pair that with the longest lasting tread we possibly can,” Yennie said. “One of our NASA team members is out of Goodyear, so we have that automotive experience.”

      That wire structural element is good at resisting deformations, Yennie said, but if it is damaged beyond repair, it can be melted and recycled.

      Yennie said Smart Tire’s goal is for the consumer to buy one set of tires for the life of the bike.

      “The pessimist will say there’s always ways to damage it,” he said. “We didn’t re-invent rubber; however, given all of our advantages, the goal here is to have the closest thing to a no-maintenance tire as we possibly can.”

      While micromobility applications seem limitless, Smart Tire isn’t ignoring retail applications in the road, gravel, and mountain bike markets, and that’s where Felt Bicycles enters the picture. Felt is providing research and development (weight and rolling resistance) for the METL and providing bikes to test prototypes.

      Felt Bicycles’ involvement

      Yennie added there’s potential to form an OEM partnership with Felt down the line, “but the actual relationship there now is on the R&D side.”

      Eric Sakalowsky of Felt said the benefit of the METL technology for bike-share companies and the e-bike industry on the whole is immense. “We suspect that weight will come down as the development progresses,” Sakalowsky said. “And, there could be other advantages that outweigh — pun — the negatives. It’ll be exciting to see this proceed.”

      Sakalowsky said the METL’s potential benefit to the industry piqued Felt’s interest in the project, despite naysayers who might argue an airless tire will have trouble gaining market traction.

      “There's always push back with disruption, as people get set in their ways,” Sakalowsky said. “But we should never stop innovating to find new ways in making cycling better and safer. This is an exciting application of an innovative technology used in space and that alone inspires us.”

      Competitive road cyclists will no doubt look warily at the METL, but Yennie said he expects the gravel and mountain bike tires to be comparable in weight to traditional rubber. “Over time, I see us continuing to optimize and dropping that weight depending on how much demand there is.”

      To achieve different ride characteristics with a regular tire, air pressure is manipulated. With the METL, different tire compounds will be available. “We’re actively researching mechanisms to be able to adjust that on the fly,” Yennie said. “I can’t speak to the specifics on that right now. If you look at the structure of the tires, if you look at that skeleton, you can imagine ways to tighten and loosen what you’re running on there.”

      The METL initially will be available direct-to-consumer, but Yennie wants to eventually reach retailers.

      “I think there’s a challenge there in terms of customer education and things like the retread program,” he said. “Rolling that out to say 4,000 specialty retailers, operationally, that would be pretty complex for us. We obviously want to be everywhere, but B2C allows us to control the narrative and talk to the customer. We’ll definitely be exploring the retail aspect.”


      BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Skratch Labs' Sport Vegan Recovery Drink Mix is a plant-based version of their popular milk-based Sport Recovery Drink Mix.

      Sport Vegan Recovery Drink Mix is designed for vegan athletes.

      "When you shake up this frothy, smooth drink, its chocolatey aroma may just conjure up memories of opening your favorite candy bar as a kid," said Skratch Labs founder, Dr. Allen Lim. "You'll taste the robust cocoa flavor that comes from real chocolate and the delicious sweetness of cane sugar — the taste is incredible." Sport Vegan Recovery Drink Mix does not contain any artificial sweeteners or flavoring agents.

      Sport Vegan Recovery Drink Mix has a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. The 10 grams of pea and rice protein provide the complete essential amino acid profile, plus 1 billion probiotic cultures to support digestive health. It comes in one flavor: Chocolate. It can be purchased in a 12-serving, 708g bag.

      More information: skratchlabs.com.


      BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — Allied Cycle Works, the manufacturer of carbon fiber gravel and road frames, is launching GRAX, a new chain lubricant and drive train cleaner system. GRAX is formulated to shed moisture, mud, slop, and goo in extreme conditions of endurance gravel races.

      Allied said the company was looking for a chain lube that caters to Bentonville's highly variable dirt conditions and the long miles being put in by gravel racers including Allied-sponsored pro Colin Strickland, who won the 2019 Unbound Gravel 200 race.

      Allied said a chance meeting with Dr. Samuel Beckford set things in motion. An expert in surface technology and product development in other categories like ski wax, Dr. Beckford already had a concept of testing experimental hydrophobic lubricant formulas for bicycle chain use. Dr. Beckford and Allied product development and engineering lead, Sam Pickman, piloted the concept. The team weeded down test samples to a few formulas in the lab that really stood out over competitor products before the Allied crew and Strickland tested them on their bikes for over a year. The end result is GRAX.

      GRAX is short for "gravel wax." Allied said it differs from anything on the market due to its ability to repel water and wattage expenditure both in dry and muddy conditions. 

      For GRAX to work it needs to be applied to a drive train free of dirt, debris and other lubricants, the company said. "Many degreasers on the market are very harsh and not designed for practical home use so the team developed GRAX OFF, a non-toxic, biodegradable and easy/safe cleaner. The GRAX OFF formula is specifically tuned to remove GRAX chain lubricant."

      The GRAX High-Performance Chain Lube in a 4-ounce bottle retails for $20; a 16-ounce bottle of GRAX OFF drive train cleaner also retails for $20. A "GRAX Pack" with factory-treated Chain retails for $75.

      The factory-treated chains will be available in several models of SRAM and Shimano 11- and 12-speed chains.

      Allied will sell the products at wholesale to shops and consumer-direct.

      More information at AlliedCycleWorks.com


      (BRAIN) — Tubolito is launching some new mountain bike tubes that have an NFC chip inside, allowing riders to check their tire pressure with a smartphone app.

      The chip, which has no battery, can communicate with phones using NFC. It requires the phone to be placed in contact with the tire, near the chip, which is near the valve stem. The TPU tubes will be available in 27.5" and 29" sizes. Information on how the tubes work is on YouTube. Their model name is the Tubo MTB PSENS, MSRP is $44.90.

      Tubolito also is launching what it calls the lightest and most packable spare tube for gravel and cyclocross. The S-Tubo CX/Gravel All weighs 35 grams and is cross-compatible with 650b and 700c tires. They are available with 42mm or 60mm valve stems and retail for $37.90.

      Tubo's standard weight gravel/cyclocross tube, now called the Tubo-CX/Gravel All is now intended to be used with either 650b and 700c diameters from 30mm-47mm widths. 

      Finally, Tubo is launching its first BMX tubes, available in 20" and 22/24" models and retailing for $34.90.

      More information: tubolito.us/products/tubo-mtb-psens.

      • The S-Tubo Gravel CX tube.
        The S-Tubo Gravel CX tube.
      • Packaging for the P-Sens tube.
        Packaging for the P-Sens tube.
      • The P-Sens tube has an NFC chip inside.
        The P-Sens tube has an NFC chip inside.

      WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Brompton, which in March announced a recall independently, is now working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to conduct a recall of 600 bikes sold in the U.S.

      The company is recalling some of its e-bikes because a firmware problem can cause the motor to keep powering the bike when the rider is not pedaling. According to the CPSC, the company has received one report of this happening and there were no injuries reported.

      The recall affects bikes that were manufactured, or had firmware updates, between May 2020 and February 2021.

      The bikes were sold at the Brompton Junction Store in New York and by authorized Brompton Electric dealers nationwide from June 2020 through March 2021 for between $3,500 and $3,800.

      Consumers are told to visit us.brompton.com/recall to check if their bike is affected, and for full information on how to update their firmware.

      More information: CPSC recall notice.


      SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (BRAIN) — Utah and North Dakota became the latest states to adopt the controversial Idaho Stop law, allowing cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign.

      Rep. Carol Spackman Moss (D-Utah) submitted that state's legislation five times in the past 10 years, with cycling advocacy group Bike Utah supporting it each time. North Dakota also had been trying for several years to get the legislation passed. The law takes effect May 5.

      Utah and North Dakota join Idaho, Washington, Delaware, Arkansas, and Oregon. In addition, a California coalition is backing another legislative attempt this year to adopt the Idaho Stop, also known as the safety stop law. In addition, the Oklahoma House of Representatives recently passed the legislation.

      "Intersections are one of the most dangerous places for a cyclist to be," said Crys Lee, Bike Utah executive director. "This law should increase bicycle safety at stop-signed intersections as it has in places with similar laws like Delaware, where they saw a 23% decrease after enacting their stop as yield law in 2017."

      Lee said Bike Utah will work with partners to collect data to prove why safety stop laws are effective in making intersections safer for cyclists. Critics of the safety stop say it's better to have an unambiguous set of laws that apply to all road users and having cyclists following separate rules makes their actions less predictable to motorists.

      "As other states follow suit, they need to gather data and gather as many people and supporters as possible, and get yourself a champion like Rep. Spackman Moss," said Lee, who said Utah's passing of the law was a collaborative effort among many.

      North Dakota Active Transportation Alliance Executive Director Justin Kristan thanked the state’s department of transportation in a blog post for its “forward-thinking efforts to make roadway design and roadway laws more equitable for bicyclists.”

      Like Lee, Kristan highlighted the efforts of officials like Rep. Corey Mock (D-N.D.) for his bicycle advocacy efforts. Kristan also noted James Wilson, Bike Delaware executive director, “for providing insight into the Delaware yield law. … The future of transportation in North Dakota is bright.”

      Photo by Untitled Photo on Unsplash.com.

      SRAM claims that PCW is infringing on its patent for a rim shape inspired by a humpback whale flipper.

      CHICAGO (BRAIN) — SRAM Inc. is suing Princeton Carbon Works, Inc. for patent infringement. SRAM says that the wavy rim shape on Princeton's carbon road wheels infringes on its patent for a rim shape inspired in part by a humpback whale flipper. SRAM uses that design on its Zipp 454 Carbon NSW wheels, which retail for up to $4,000 per pair.

      SRAM's wheels rely on two patents from inventor Dimitrios Katsanis. The first patent was issued in 2017 and a related patent was issued in 2020. Katsanis assigned both to Metron IP Limited, a Nottingham, UK, company, who in turn assigned them to SRAM. It's not clear when the patent was assigned to SRAM.

      The patents describe a rim or spokes with an "undulating configuration" that is said to reduce aerodynamic drag, especially in crosswinds. Among the publications cited in the patents is "Hydrodynamic Design of the Humpback Whale Flipper," published in the Journal of Morphology in 1995.

      Princeton, which entered the market in about 2018, offers wheels with a rim shape that it has said resembles the Zipp design only superficially. Princeton says its design is sinusoidal. The Princeton undulations appear symmetric, while the Zipp shape is more like a sawtooth.

      Many consumer reviews of the Princeton wheels have remarked on the resemblance.

      "Princeton CarbonWorks has had a bit of an uphill battle to ensure riders understand there’s a major difference between its sinusoidal rim shape and the biomimicry shape that Zipp touts on its 454 NSW wheels. Aesthetically, the two designs look similar, but according to Princeton, they work vastly differently," a Sept. 2020 review on VeloNews.com began.

      In a 2018 CyclingTips review, Princeton co-founder Paul Daniels is quoted hinting that he might be open to licensing the design. “It’s in Princeton CarbonWorks’ interest to spend our resources developing next-level product that surpasses our competitors. If we have to pay a royalty along the way because economics dictate that’s a better decision than litigating patent law, then so be it," Daniels said in the article.

      SRAM's complaint charges that Princeton was aware of SRAM's patent and continued to market its wheels. It's asking for tripled damages for willful infringement and for Princeton to be ordered to deliver up for destruction any remaining inventory. The civil complaint was filed Friday; SRAM's lawyers asked the court to issue a summons for Princeton, which hadn't been granted by the end of the day.

      A photo of a Princeton Carbon Wheelworks wheel from the SRAM complaint.
      • A drawing from the Katsanis patent that has been assigned to SRAM.
        A drawing from the Katsanis patent that has been assigned to SRAM.
      • A drawing from the Katsanis patent that has been assigned to SRAM.

      By Ben Delaney

      (VELONEWS) — German bike brand Canyon has asked owners of its new Aeroad CF SLX and CFR aero road bikes to stop riding them following Tuesday's incident at the Le Samyn race, when a portion of Mathieu van der Poel's handlebar broke and fell off during the race.

      Canyon-sponsored teams have discontinued riding and racing the Aeroad as well.

      Van der Poel had not crashed during the race, so there was no obvious immediate cause to the failure.

      The bar break was particularly notable because of the handlebar design of the bike: The new Aeroad CF SLX features a multi-part carbon bar that can adjust for width. There are two bolts on either side of the bar that, when removed, allow for the bar to be widened or narrowed.

      Further, the ends of the bars can be pulled fully out for travel, allowing the hood and drop portion to hang down loosely.

      When many race fans saw the portion of the broken bar dangling, they assumed that it was this width-adjustable portion that had failed.

      In fact, the bar was broken near where the shifter clamps onto the bar.

      Canyon did not comment in a detailed manner on the failure, beyond issuing a statement that said the brand "immediately began analysis and testing to understand the cause of this incident."

      "Mathieu fortunately did not fall. We want to ensure with absolute certainty that no one comes to harm before we have fully understood the root cause," Canyon founder Roman Arnold said in a statement.

      To that end, Canyon is therefore asking all Aeroad customers to stop riding their bikes for the time being.

      More on our sister site, VeloNews.

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