Apr
24
Sea Otter Video - GoPro Helmet Cameras
Filed Under Exhibitor News, Gear, Video | Leave a Comment
In my Sea Otter coverage, I really tried to stay away from the well-traveled territory of most of the cycling media, magazines and blogs: cool new gear. I know, “isn’t that what Interbike is all about?” Well, I could debate that, but, regardless, I can’t compete with Lennard Zinn and James Huang on their own turf. I can talk gear and tech all day and love a good Zinn tech article as much as the next bike geek, but I think I’d do better carving my own niche. I intended for this to be topics and subjects of interest to the industry including interesting new programs, how companies are using Web 2.0, advocacy, etc. I hope these have been of some interest.
So forgive me if this next video interview seems a bit tech heavy. While I think the tough and tiny GoPro is a cool gadget, I really only started to take interest in it after considering all the social media possibilities that it opens up. Think sharing point-of-view videos of your commute, trail, race course or group ride. GoPro have apparently sold a lot of cameras, but I don’t think the potential for sharing has been really exploited.
We’ll be getting a few cameras here for our office soon to film our rides, waves, powder, sails, rock climbs, etc. to share. I’d love to hear of some interesting uses for one of these.
After finishing this interview, I ran into the folks at Vholdr who make their own helmet/bike/gear-mounted POV camera. Look for that interview shortly.
For more info on GoPro, visit www.goprocamera.com
Mar
4
SRAM: “We Are Porsche” in Business Week
Filed Under Exhibitor News, Gear, Industry News, Interbike | 5 Comments
In another of my non-original posts here, I’m going to reference and plug another’s work again here in scooping this story. This article is right up our alley here at Interbike since it’s a great bike industry B2B story that is playing in the national non-endemic media. If there’s any way we can help promote or facilitate more of that for our industry members, we’re all over it. This is a little late - I was hoping to get this out last Friday when I first heard about it, but well, sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging. Still worth mentioning, though, in case our little site reaches some corner of the world that Bike Biz UK’s does not…
The article that appears on Business Week’s website is titled: “SRAM - A Bike Parts Tour de Force.” Stan Day, the co-founder of SRAM along with his brother and a friend, is the focus of the piece. Obviously written from a non-endemic point of view, there is still plenty of interesting background information about the company (I finally know where the name SRAM came from).
Not to call anyone out here, but there is an intriguing quote from a product manager at one of the major bike manufacturers about SRAM’s place in the OEM market:
“They are not really credible yet.”
While I understand that, from a sales standpoint, Shimano still dwarfs them, I don’t see how SRAM could not be considered a credible player at this point. Now I’m just a marketing guy and have no experience wearing a product manager’s shoes, but I’ve seen plenty of great brands spec’d by people I know and have great respect for with SRAM OEM componentry. [Shimano: I still love my Dura Ace pedals and shoes 
] Plus, they’ve got a beer vending machine in the office! Instant cred right there.
By the way, we’re big fans of BikeBiz UK here. Carlton Reid - a great friend of the industry, and burgeoning internet cycling media mogul - got wind of this Business Week article about SRAM’s emergence as a player in the bicycle components game. Definitely worth the read. Check it out here.
Aug
24
Tech Clinics and Seminars at Interbike 2007
Filed Under Attendee News, Exhibitor News, Gear, Interbike | Leave a Comment
Since I am having some technical difficulties with the main Interbike site’s Tech Clinic schedule page, I thought that I’d help promote them here at InterbikeTimes. I really wish I had time to sit in on all of these. Especially the Cervelo/FSA seminar on “Shop issues with carbon fiber. Maybe we will finally and definitively learn whether to grease carbon seatposts or not…
Here’s hoping you find the time to attend some of these great sessions organized by some of the best manufacturers in the industry. From what I hear over the cube walls here at the office, there may still be more in the works…
TECH SEMINARS
American Classic Hub and Wheel Technical Seminar
Casanova Room 607
Thursday: 10:30 - 12:00
SRAM, Rockshox, Avid, and Truvativ Technical Seminar
Casanova Room 601
Thursday: 8:00 - 9:30
Friday: 10:30 - 12:00
Hayes Disc Brake Technical Seminar
Casanova Room 505
Thursday: 10:30 - 12:00
Friday: 8:00 - 9:30
Manitou Technical Seminar
Casanova Room 505
Wednesday: 10:30 - 12:00
Thursday: 8:00 - 9:30
Friday: 10:30 - 12:00
Cervelo and Full Speed Ahead: Shop Issues with Carbon Fiber Frames and Components
Casanova Room 504
Wednesday: 10:30- 12:00
Thursday: 10:30 - 12:00
Friday: 10:30 - 12:00
Full Speed Ahead: Care and Feeding of FSA Components
Casanova Room 503
Wednesday: 10:30 - 12:00
Thursday: 10:30 - 12:00
Friday: 10:30 - 12:00
Fox Racing Shox 2008 Technical Overview
Casanova Room 606
Wednesday: 10:30 - 12:00
Thursday: 10:30 - 12:00
Shimano Technical Seminar
Casanova Room 603-605
Wednesday: 1:00 - 2:30, 4:00 - 5:30
Thursday: 8:00 - 9:30, 11:00 - 12:30, 3:00 - 4:30
Friday: 8:00 - 9:30, 11:00 - 12:30
Mar
2
About 10pm here on a Thursday night. Just bouncing around the cycling corner of the net from one blog to another. Discovering some good new sites as well as a few wacky ones that I’ll refrain from mentioning. Truly just browsing the internet. Found a neat place that sells some great cycling tee shirts for the real racing fan with a knowledge of some of the sport’s history. Check out this one with the famous Tom Simpson quote:
Is that a great shirt or what? It’s real “insider’s” shirt in that it wouldn’t mean much to you if, say, you didn’t know the significance of the word “Koppenberg“. Click on the image to see the other designs the seller, Cyclista, offers with quotes from Merckx and Hinault. Cyclista sells some neat stuff for the serious bike racing fan. Not the typical stuff you see available in the US.
Their site’s selection reminded me of my first trip to Colorado a few years ago. When I first flew into Denver’s new airport, I was shocked to see the kiosk that was stocked with cycling memorabilia right there in the terminal. I don’t remember the store’s name, but they sold really hard-core racing fan-oriented stuff. Not just Lance and LeMond items that any non-cyclist would appreciate. The thought that occured to me was that Colorado’s reputation as a destination for cyclists must really be true if a merchant like that could exist.
I was back in Denver last August for our Health+Fitness Business Expo and didn’t see the kiosk. Does anyone else know if it’s still there? I’ll be back in Denver this August for HFB again and would love to visit it if I have time while waiting for my flight.
Jul
7
Carbon nanotubes enter the Tour de France
Filed Under Gear, Industry News, Racing | Leave a Comment
News.com has an interesting article about nanotechnology being used in the Tour de France.
“If Floyd Landis wins the three-week Tour de France, it will be a victory for nanotechnology too. Landis, the leader of the Phonak team and one of the pre-race favorites, rides a bike that’s been enhanced with carbon nanotubes.” via [ News.com ]
What do you think?
Jun
19
Interbike Celebrates 25 Years!
Filed Under Cycling, Gear, Industry News, Interbike, Interbike's 25th Anniversary, Photos | Leave a Comment
Help Interbike celebrate 25 years as the place to be, see, touch and test the latest cycling innovations from more than 1,000 top brands from around the world. Share your favorite memories of the best or infamous products launched at Interbike, an inspiring moment with a pro racer, memorable conversations with a retailer or exhibitor, ground-breaking advocacy moment, most informative seminar or craziest moment - There are many to be sure.