Industry News
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Accessories brand XLAB is pledging its allegiance to the IBD by enacting a "XLAB Loyalty Program." The company, which makes hydration, nutrition and repair storage products for bicycles said it will now sell only to authorized dealers and distributors in the bike industry.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BRAIN) — New Mexico-based distributor Bicycle Technologies International is the new exclusive U.S. distributor of Rivet Cycle Works leather products.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Industry veterans Steve Metz and Rafe Schlager are at Taipei Cycle not only to promote a new aftermarket product, but to sell what they see as a valuable technology for both OEs and cyclists.
MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — The Sea Otter Classic will literally show attendees how to get to a brand's booth, where the daily morning yoga sessions are and the closest route to the beer garden with a new smartphone app.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — By mid-morning Thursday, SRAM’S booth at the Taipei Cycle Show was bustling with visitors as Stan Day — the company’s co-founder, CEO and president — stood nearby greeting friends and customers.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Kask, the Italian helmet company, will soon boost its presence in the mountain bike market, showing off samples of a new helmet at Sea Otter.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Getting road riders on board with a dropper post is no small challenge — off-road riders accept change much more readily than the pavement crowd, KS Suspension’s Rick Taylor believes.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Just over a year ago, Dahon announced its partnership with Ford Motor Co. to develop a line of bikes inspired by the automaker’s classic cars.

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Professional cyclist Tim Johnson is once again leading a long group road ride to benefit PeopleForBikes and increase awareness of bike advocacy efforts.

LONDON (BRAIN) — Zwift has appointed Steve Beckett as VP of marketing and customer acquisition. Beckett will begin immediately and will be based in London.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Despite the uncertainty over how the high-priced dollar will impact sales in Europe, the merger of COLIBI and COLIPED, two longtime European trade associations, unites European bicycle manufacturers and component makers for the first time.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Praxis Works’ Adam Haverstock believes you shouldn’t have to cut a fat check to SRAM or Shimano or Frankenstein your existing 10-speed mountain drivetrain to get a wide-range 1-by setup.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Taking on a category-defining brand like Garmin may sound like a risky move, but Lezyne owner Micki Kozuschek figures his accessory brand’s strong background in LED lights — currently 45 percent of the company’s overall turnover — gives it a leg up.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — While exports of Taiwan-made bicycles took a minor dip in 2014, the export of LED cycling lights registered a 41 percent increase as cyclists paid more attention to their safety, according to government data released at the opening of Taipei Cycle on Wednesday.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (BRAIN) — Supacaz has opened a facility here to service retailers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (BRAIN) — DT Swiss has opened a sales office in Temecula, Calif. The company said the new office was a "logical and planned next step in our further globalization efforts."
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (BRAIN) — Life Time Fitness, Inc. has agreed to be purchased by the private equity firms Leonard Green & Partners and TPG in a deal valued at more than $4 billion. Other key investors include LNK Partners and Bahram Akradi, Life Time's chairman, president and CEO.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Although Taipei Cycle has been displaced by Taichung Bike Week as the premier OE spec show, the March expo remains an important event for international distributors to get a jump on next-model-year aftermarket product — and exhibit space is once again sold out.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Components’ facilities near Taichung surround a peaceful expanse of green grass, open spaces and awesome dirt jumps — a welcome oasis in this industrialized region.