SRAM commissioned 50 artists to create these amazing works of art out of the contents of a box of 100 parts from the SRAM family of brands. The 50 sculptures were displayed at Interbike in individual cases mounted on pedestals in two big displays on the street level lining the main aisle and in a space at the very front right corner of the upper level. A smaller group was set up in SRAM’s own booth.

The goal of the project is to raise funds for World Bicycle Relief at an auction of the pieces to be held in Chicago later this month following the exhibition in Las Vegas. Here are a three examples from the project. To see the invitation for the auction from SRAM, scroll down past these examples of the sculptures.  Follow the link below to the project’s website to see all of the pieces in higher resolution and learn more about the artists.

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JOIN US:

SRAM President Stanley R. Day and World Bicycle Relief Founder F.K. Day cordially invite you to join us for the grand finale of the SRAM pART PROJECT: A gala pART PROJECT exhibition and auction at Chicago’s Gallery 1028.

You’ll join leading figures in the cycling world in viewing the artwork, meeting the artists, and bidding on favorite pieces. You’ll also enjoy food, drink, and live entertainment. Best of all, simply by attending you’ll be directly supporting the mission of World Bicycle Relief.

Your $134 admission fee is the cost for World Bicycle Relief to donate one bicycle.

DATE: Wednesday, November 30

TIME: 6:00 pm CST

LOCATION: Gallery 1028 1028 North Hooker | Chicago, IL 60642

TICKETS: $134 (the cost for World Bicycle Relief to donate one bicycle)

Visit www.sram.com/partproject and click on Event for more information.

Gallery 1028 in Chicago where the auction will be held:

The men’s podium at the Providence Cross Fest, presented by Interbike

 While certainly not a new category, cross does seem to be steadily gaining consumer momentum as evidenced by the number of product introductions in the category and the growing quantity of racers. A good cross race has a certain epic quality to it, and a spectator element that is very appealing.

As I watched hundreds of riders compete on both sides of the country it occurred to me that cross events are helping accomplish the following…

Encourages more riding participation

Both events showcased race categories far beyond the elite men’s and women’s categories and included all sorts of enthusiast flights and even opportunities for children to get out and compete. I even saw a few costumed riders at Spooky Cross. Many riders told me that they are new to cross, and are riding more because of it.

Promotes use of cycling product

I was blown away by how much gear racers were using to participate at these events.  And I’m not just talking about cross bikes (although there were plenty) but trainers, racks, apparel, helmets, sunglasses, tubes and tires, heart rate monitors and more.  Many participants that I spoke to mentioned that they had just purchased new product to get ready for the race, and particularly forNew Englandretailers, late season sales are a beautiful thing. And of course cross season goes through the fall and into the winter months.

Cross exposes new eyes to cycling

while many spectators at both events were there to support a family member or friend racing, there were many more that were just there to enjoy the race. And what’s not to love? With speed, strength, endurance, grass, mud, obstacles and the occasional sand pit, cross is a great spectator sport and can help even non-enthusiasts get fired up about cycling.

More riders, more product sales, and an exciting way to introduce the non-ordained to our sport – sounds like the growth of cross is just what the industry needs.

Hats off to GSD events and Rock and Road Cyclery for making these events happen, and for all of the event promoters out there creating cross races across the country.

SRAM gave 50 artists a box full of 100 components and asked them to create something with them. The finished pieces will be put on display at Interbike and then at a gallery in Chicago in October after which they will be auctioned off to benefit World Bicycle Relief.

Here’s a video short of one of the artists working on his creation:

Look for the pART PROJECT display lining the main aisle on the Street Level of the show next week – make sure to check it out.

As soon as I heard about Circulus last year, I picked up the phone and called Dan at Portland Design Works. It’s not trivial shipping a velodrome 1,000 miles so it took a bit to iron out the logistics. But we knew we’d get it done. As PDW co-owner, Dan Powell, just wrote, “Circulus is going on a little road trip.”

Along with co-sponsors Paved magazine, All-City Cycles and Yakima, we’re super excited to have Circulus at the annual industry gathering this year. What do we have planned? We’ll have open riding sessions available at various times throughout each day of the show. You’ll be able to grab an All-City bike from the pit and hit the track.

We’ll also have a couple of featured events – one each on the first and second days of the show. On Wednesday we’ve got the PDW/Paved Pro-Am Classic at The Circulus. Described as “Quite possibly the first annual celebrity micro-velodrome pursuit world championships, featuring stars and others.” More details about the event (and about those stars we mentioned) are still to come.

Yakima’s got the reigns for the Thursday night festivities, and I hear that it might involve some form of bike roulette… Stay tuned for more on this as it develops.

And while the events are nominally competitive, we’re shooting to focus more on the fun than on hard-core racing. Look for MC’s Chris DiStefano and Stevil Kinevil to keep the feats of strength in check.

This last Saturday, PDW hosted a little get together up at their place featuring Circulus. Hers’a little write up by BikePortland.org.

And finally, here’s a little sneak peak at Circulus in action:

PDW Circulus Promo 1 from James Wilson on Vimeo.

Where will you find Circulus at Interbike? It’ll be on the street level of the show (this year’s show is on two floors of the Sands Expo, remember?). Walk through the Urban Lounge near registration, through the new Pub beer garden and you’ll run into it.

But first, you’ve got to register for the show. You have registered already, right? www.interbike.com/register for those in the business of bikes.

Courtesy of the Elevation Outdoors Magazine newsletter, I learned about this cool concert series presented by Banjo Brothers Bag Co. The first stop was held at Calhoun Cycle in Minneapolis this past March. Looks like they streamed it live, so it’s a shame I didn’t know about it until now. Click the image below for some more photos of the event featuring singer Brianna Lane.

Mike Vanderscheuren, one of the founders of Banjo Brothers, came up with the concept.

From the Elevation Outdoors article:

Called the Tiny Bikeshop Concert Series, the concept was created with a goal to offer “free live music shows held in the world’s best bike shops.” Sponsored by Banjo Brothers International, a Minneapolis maker of messenger bags, packs and bike accessories, the series was built on the premise of local culture, bikes and music coming together as a natural fit.

About 100 enthusiasts showed up for the “seminars, swag and good times.”

For ten years, the Summit has made the case to the Federal government that cyclists are deserving of more transportation infrastructure funding and other bicycle friendly legislation. The bicycle is an efficient mode of transportation, we say, and it can have a positive impact on many of the greatest challenges that we face: our health, the environment and energy usage among them. But with the economy recently joining this unfortunate list, some in government see investment in cycling infrastructure as frivolous or a spend we can’t afford right now. Add to this the fact that most of the recently elected officials would more readily describe cycling as purely recreational and would not consider cycling a legitimate form of transportation, a change in tactics was in order for this edition of the Summit.

This reality was not lost on Summit organizers, the League of American Bicyclists. There was an enlightening moment at this year’s Summit during one of the final sessions prior to unleashing us all on Capitol Hill. With all of the nearly 800 delegates gathered, League executive director, Andy Clarke, asked members of the bike industry to begin speaking and pure advocates to remain quiet. To me it seemed as if nearly half the audience was talking. While an impressive display of industry support for advocacy, Andy’s next statement made his point. He suggested that this was exactly how the meetings with Congress should go: let the delegates in the business of bicycles lead the conversation to describe the economic impact of cycling in their district. Let the bike industry make the economic case for cycling.

The League provided us with reports with the number of bicycle related retail businesses, jobs and sales in each district. While a powerful resource, I believe they fell short by leaving out the impact from other economic sources such as bicycle manufacturers, events, tourism and reduced health care costs. I was proud to tell my congressman of the importance of the bicycle industry in his district, home to brands like Electra, Haro, Canari Cyclewear, RavX and some 48 retailers. As an industry, we can do a better job making our importance felt by our elected officials.

USA Triathlon recently reported that the annual impact of their sport on the US economy was $2.4 billion. That’s an impressive number, yet cycling could dwarf that. Sales of bicycles and related gear through specialty retailers, alone, is nearly $6 billion. The Wisconsin Bicycle Federation made news last year by reporting that the bicycle adds $1.5 billion to their state’s economy each year. Congressmen are famous for doggedly supporting the military, tourism, corn, steel industry or other interests in their districts. We can do a better job convincing our government officials that the business of bicycles is worthy of the same support and have the numbers to prove it.

If you’ll be at the show, you should really come down to see this. It’s before the show floor opens and we’ll be serving coffee. Think of this as bringing a small slice of the National Bike Summit to you.

Here’s the full press release:

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – Interbike today announced that it will open its 2010 International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas with a special press conference featuring keynote speaker U.S. Representative and Congressional Bike Caucus founder Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. Interbike Show Director Andy Tompkins and Bikes Belong Coalition (BBC) President Tim Blumenthal will introduce the congressman and make a few brief remarks.

The purpose of the press conference is to welcome the industry to Interbike 2010, share information about the industry’s show and its future direction, and hear from Blumenauer and Blumenthal on the state of cycling legislation and future government activity on behalf of bicycling.

Blumenauer’s visit comes at a critical time as the U.S. government continues to work on the next transportation bill, which will set the tone for cycling infrastructure investments during the next six years. The Congressman will outline where bicycling stands, and where it’s going. He will pinpoint what the industry can do to support the cause. Following the press conference, Blumenauer will spend the day at Interbike visiting with the industry.

The press conference will be held Wednesday, September 22, 8:00 a.m. in Casanova Room 603, which is on Level One of the Venetian Las Vegas. All show attendees are invited to attend.

Blumenauer will also be the guest of honor at the BikesPAC fundraising reception hosted by Bikes Belong on Tuesday, September 21, the night before the press conference.

Blumenauer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, where he quickly established a unique role as a leading proponent of Livable Communities–places where people are safe, healthy, active and economically secure. He continues to lead the Congressional Bike Caucus and he makes most of his daily trips in Washington by bicycle.

Before moving to Washington, Blumenauer was the Commissioner of Public Works in Portland, Ore., and helped the city earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable and cycling-friendly cities.

Well, the sponsors of the rail jam at Interbike (S&M Bikes, DC Shoes and the Shadow Conspiracy) just announced the final rider list for the event. It’s by invite only, so you can expect to see some top riders at the show.

Check it out:

Have you registered for Interbike, yet? It’s not free anymore, but still more than worth the price of entry. Register here online to save time at the convention center.