MARIETTA, GA (BRAIN)—BMX legend and master wheel builder John Kovachi passed away on Wednesday morning from kidney failure. He was 46. The former BMX racer started Kovachi Wheels in Georgia in 1989. “Kovachi wheels and hubs have been legend in our sport for decades, and it was rare not to see John and the Kovachi …
PORTSMOUTH, UK (BRAIN)—Former Olympic cyclist Derek Bouchard-Hall has been hired by Wiggle as its head of performance development. “I am very excited to be joining a company with a real passion for cycling and is at the forefront of the rapidly changing cycling and tri-sport equipment industry,” he said. Despite no longer racing for a …
FORT COLLINS, CA (BRAIN)—Big Shot has hired Jason Jones as national sales manager to help launch its new wholesale division. The new hire will allow Ryan Clark, the former head of sales, to focus more on retail and administrative duties as the company’s new operations manager. “We started shipping to shops after Interbike, so we …
CENTRAL POINT, OR (BRAIN)—South African-made Morewood Bikes is now available in the U.S. through Oregon based distributor Unique Sports Co. Unique Sports already has stock of frames and spare parts to support 2011 and prevous model year frames, and will offer the full line of next year’s bikes including the Makulu DH and Sukuma all …
MORGAN HILL, CA (BRAIN)—In a letter Specialized emailed Wednesday, company founder Mike Sinyard told Specialized dealers that as more brands turn to mass merchants and sporting goods stores, bike shops must decide whether it makes sense to carry certain brands. “Easton-Bell Sports recently sued Specialized, saying our company had ‘crossed the line’ by asking retailers …
“I am delighted to lead this small group on a tour around some of my favorite roads in the whole world. This is my backyard. I love it, and I’ve called in a quite a few favors to make this day absolutely unforgettable.” —Levi Leipheimer, commenting on the first-ever Napa Bike Wine Tour on Friday, …
LOS ANGELES, CA (BRAIN)—Tern Bicycles is showing support for the California Bike Summit and the relaunch of the California Bike Coalition. Tern’s sponsorship of the November 5-7 summit in Los Angeles will help bring together advocacy leaders who will work on an ambitious plan for the state’s cycling future in 2012 and beyond. “Our passion …
DENVER, CO (BRAIN)—The USA Pro Cycling Challenge brought $83.5 million into Colorado in late August, according to IFM, a sports research firm that race organizers hired to gauge the race’s benefits. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t—at least if you get a beer in them—confess it was bigger and better for a first-year event than …
SAN DIEGO, CA (BRAIN)—The Triathlon America Conference will again take place in San Diego early next year. “This is truly the only event for the triathlon industry that addresses the business of our sport, and we look forward to raising the bar even higher at the 2012 conference,” said Jack Caress, president of Triathlon America. …
SARASOTA, FL (BRAIN)—Fulcrum North America has opened its Sarasota, Florida headquarters. Fulcrum will be taking care of small parts and servicing from this location. Fulcrum has also brought on Darren Dowling as technical services manager. Dowling will handle technical questions from dealers and distributors along with all servicing including OE customers. The new headquarters will …