Apr

29

Mia & Laura of Momentum Magazine Interview

Filed Under Cycling, Industry News, Interbike, Video | Comments Off

You meet all kinds of people walking the aisles at the Sea Otter Classic. One of the good ones I ran into – literally, into the arms of a big hug from her – was Mia Kohout, publisher of Momentum Magazine. Mia was visiting Sea Otter for the first time with her coworker Laura Brennan and the two of them were enlightening the racing masses about the self-propelled lifestyle. On the way (through San Jose) to Monterey, they managed to entice Gary Fisher to share a campsite with them at Laguna Seca, and the three were seemingly inseparable the whole event. Read Laura’s take on the event here.

If you’ve been living under a rock, Momentum is the “Magazine for self-propelled people.” They celebrate urban, transportation and utility cycling and generally promote a fun and practical cycling lifestyle. Partnering with Momentum, we were able to put on the awesome Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show at last year’s Interbike.

Since we happened to be standing next to a pair of purple comfortable and stylishly fuzzy chairs in the Cannondale team tent, I thought this was a perfect spot to capture Mia and Laura’s thoughts on the magazine, Sea Otter and whatever cycling thoughts were passing through their minds at the time. Good stuff. Enjoy and read the magazine.


TALES FROM SEA OTTER 2009 – Momentum from CYCLEFILM on Vimeo.

Oct

8

Urban Legend Fashion & Art Show Video

Filed Under Attendee News, Cycling, Events, Exhibitor News, Gear, Industry News, Interbike, Video | 2 Comments

In case you missed this awesome event at this year’s Interbike. A lot of hard work went into producing the first Urban Legend fashion and art show by the Interbike operations and Momentum magazine teams in a few short weeks leading up to the show. Bravo!

Aug

29

Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show

Filed Under Attendee News, Cycling, Exhibitor News, Industry News, Interbike | 5 Comments

So in a last minute flurry of creative activity here, we’ve managed to put together something that we’re really excited about. Check out the blurb below that was sent out to retailers yesterday by email as the first official announcement of our brand new “Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show” at Interbike this year:

Urban Legend

Presented by Momentum Magazine

Bikes, Art and Fashion in motion. A self propelled cycling art and fashion show that brings the cutting edge of urban bicycle culture to life. Cycling for transportation is one of the hottest sectors in the bike industry today. A change is happening on the streets and people are integrating bikes into their everyday lives. Urban Legend is about expanding our perceptions of what it looks like to ride a bike. Immerse yourself in the trends of the urban cycling category and join us for a unique preview of the latest products designed for practical cycling style and function. Witness the evolution of urban transport, enjoy a cold beer, some dj-spun tunes and take in art inspired by a passion for bicycles. This fashion show will highlight a range of stylish, smart, sexy and professional looks that fit into everyday life and work great on a bike.

“The urban cycling market is different than the ‘Ricky Racer’ crowd – the typical lycra scene is not exactly what appeals to the urban rider. The Urban Legend fashion show highlights the more accurate wants and needs of the urban cyclist and helps spotlight ideas to help retailers provide those items to the urban riders who are walking into their stores.” – Tim Jackson, Brand Manager, Masi Bicycles

Location: Venetian Ballroom G

Time: Thursday, September 25th, 5pm

For the last few years we’ve talked here in the office about trying to put on a fashion show at Interbike, but could never really come up with the right format. The traditional runway style with models in bike apparel walking a catwalk never seemed appropriate. We’ve also been talking about ways to feature all the great gear and bikes that have been cropping up for urban and transportation cycling, with no real success.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I read on Tim Jackson of Masi Bicycles blog that he was planning a trip up to Vancouver which would include a visit with the Momentum Magazine team. It had been a while since I had checked in on Momentum and after reading about a small fashion sow they had done, I was really impressed with the format they came up with and thought it was perfect for both those things we had been wanting to put together in Vegas. I called up Mia at Momentum and introduced myself and we chatted for a bit about the concept she said they were interested in helping us do it on a bigger scale in Vegas.

So what’s the big deal about this fashion show? Well, for starters the models will be riding urban, folding, utilitarian and commuting bikes. Second, the outfits that Momentum will be selecting (not us – we trust Mia and her team’s eye for style more than ours) from industry apparel companies will be urban and casual cycling wear – not the enthusiast and racing-inspired attire like lycra shorts and euro-pro jerseys. We love those styles, but in the current climate of growing acceptance and use of bikes in everyday life, we believe that retailers and manufacturers would benefit most from seeing the latest in these styles and how they look in action.

OK, so the apparel theme is a bit different…what else? This is the coolest part, to me. Instead of a typical runway setup, there will be a course laid out on the floor of the ballroom in a loop. The attendees to the show will be standing in and around the loop and the models will ride essentially among the audience. This way, it shows the outfits in their designed-for use and allows most everyone there to have a front row seat. With the addition of the bicycle-inspired artwork displayed throughout the room, the feel should be very reminiscent of an art gallery showing – truly enhancing the presentation of the bikes and the fashion to a higher level that they deserve. There will be drinks served and a dj spinning tunes.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Since this really is a late addition to the schedule, expect more info and news very soon and as we get closer to the show. I think this will be an awesome addition to the show and a resource to the industry for this important and growing category. We’re really glad to have Momentum partnering with us on this and thankful for their inspiration. After the show, we can all head down to Mandalay Bay for some fast and furious (sorry) crit racing that night. What a week we’ve got ahead of us, huh?

Note: In his quote above and in our collateral about the fashion show, Tim followed his “Ricky Racer” comment with a “not that there’s anything wrong with that” type qualifier. I took it out for better flow, but just wanted to help Tim avoid any angry emails or digs directed at him from the Ricky Racer crowd, of which I am a proud member. I’m looking forward to the fashion show myself for some ideas on how to broaden my bike attire from all the primary colored polyester that fills my bike drawer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, right?