BikeRumor.com

These ghost bikes were placed at the scene of the accident in North Carolina.

The insurance company of a woman who struck and killed two cyclists as they completed a cross-country fundraising ride has agreed to pay a $5 million settlement to the family of one of the victims. Tom Hoskins was riding with fellow cyclist Lee Anne Barry in Lancaster County, North Carolina when the pair was hit by a vehicle from behind, killing the two cyclists. The driver, Sharon King of Greensboro, N.C., was charged with reckless homicide but later pleaded guilty to reckless driving in the incident.

Hoskins and Barry were completing the last leg of what they called the B.I.G. Ride, for Brain Injuries Greatest Journey, a cross-country fundraiser ride conceived by Barry and aimed at raising awareness of brain injuries. The pair were accompanied by Barry’s husband at the time of the accident, and were just miles from the finish of what would have been Barry’s fourth B.I.G. Ride. The $5 million settlement was approved by the judge for Hoskins’ family. A $2.5 million settlement was already reached and approved in civil court in Barry’s death.

If you consider yourself a “roadie,” chances are you get a lot of strange looks from your friends, family, and coworkers when you don your Lycra skinsuit or they see the 15 bikes hanging in your garage. The cycling world can get pretty weird at times. Unless you are a rider, there is a lot of stuff that the general public just doesn’t get. Why do we shave our legs? What’s with all those wheels you have laying around? You spent HOW much on your last bike?

We are faced with these questions almost inevitably when we are in the presence of an “outsider,” and it can be tiring repeatedly explaining why we rabidly raid the refrigerator in search of calories or spend hours on end in a dark, damp basement counting watts on the trainer.

Enter Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer, by veteran race announcer Jamie Smith. After spending years explaining the little idiosyncrasies of being a bike racer, Smith decided to write a book to bring understanding to the masses. Roadie acts as a complete guide to the life of a bike racer, written for those confused friends, family, and coworkers in your life who have never driven two hours to race a 45 minute criterium, and have no idea what a 5 hour solo training ride feels like. Everything they ever wanted to know but never understood is covered in the book; training, equipment, racing, lifestyle and everything in between. The best part? It’s engaging, entertaining, and down right fun, from front cover to back.

Although written with the non-cyclist in mind, those more familiar with the way of the bicycle will get a kick out of the book also, as Smith captures every little intricacy of being a bike racer; a fantastically interesting self examination of cyclists. Each chapter, lesson, and story is dead accurate, but simple enough for your next door neighbor to understand. I found myself nodding in agreement with each page, as Smith picked apart everything it means to be a bike racer in a way that only a true roadie could.

The book is published by VeloPress and available online here for $21.95 or at most book retailers (editor’s note: Amazon = $14.93). You can also follow Smith’s blog here, where he keeps some hilarious commentary on various topics around the cycling world.

I took the family to the Lego Store at Concord Mills near Charlotte, NC, yesterday and found this nifty little Lego plaque for the 24 Hours of Booty.  Booty started out in Charlotte on the famed ‘booty’ loop, so called for the sightseeing available throughout the upper crust neighborhood as one rides or jogs through.  The event is the only 24 hour bicycle event (road bikes) affiliated with the Livestrong Foundation and now has two other events in the U.S. that have raised a combined $3.7 million since 2002.

The signatures on the bottom are Spencer Leuders, Booty’s founder, and Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, Lego’s President / CEO from 1979 to 2004.  Aside from the plaque, check out the DJ rave dancehall scene.  That’s Luke Skywalker doing the Rockette line with a bunch of Sandpeople.  Classic.

A Black Bike, Inc., a small bike dealer in New York City, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Southern New York this week against a clothing company, Club Monaco, and a Dutch bicycle company, Koninklijke Gazelle. The suit is centered around an advertising campaign run by Club Monaco in the Spring of 2009, which featured what A Black Bike alleges is one of it’s bicycles, without their permission.

Club Monaco, an affiliate of Ralph Lauren, partnered with Koninklijke Gazelle during the Spring to sell Gazelle bicycles in Club Monaco stores, joining the ranks of several fashion companies who joined forces with bike companies to promote the bikes in their advertising last year. However, in some Club Monaco’s promotional material for their Spring campaign, A Black Bike alleges that their bike was used instead of a Gazelle, confusing consumers.

A Black Bike and Koninklijke Gazelle are both retailers of the popular Dutch city bikes, and the only difference between the bikes appears to be the decal and logo placements.

Above are pictures of the two bicycles taken from each company’s respective website. A Black Bike’s design is on the left, and a Gazelle city bike, which was a partner in the advertising campaign, is on the right.

We were able to dig up one of the ads that ran in Club Monaco’s campaign. Click more to see one of the ads in question.

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We’re all for helping more kids get on bikes, but my Spidey sense is tingling a bit when a beer-centric charity event is tied to youth.  Wait…OK, I’m over it.

PRESS RELEASE: Trips for Kids (TFK) proudly announces its annual “Brews, Bikes and Bucks” raffle event will take place Sunday, February 21, 2010 at the Broken Drum Brewery in San Rafael, Calif. from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Now in its twelfth year, this fundraising event has become an annual gathering of local mountain bike legends and a much anticipated tradition in Marin County. The local mountain biking legends likely to attend include Gary Fisher, Tom Ritchey, Joe Breeze, Ned Overend, Scott Nicol and Otis Guy.

Admission to the event is free and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to get their seating and food before the raffle begins. Bike-related prizes will be raffled throughout the afternoon, including the grand prize 2009 Jamis Dakar XC dual suspension mountain bike (retail value $1,025) donated by Jamis Bicycles. The silent auction will include items such as a 2010 Marin Bikes Alpine Trail 29er mountain bike (retail value $785).

The prize bikes are on display at the Broken Drum Brewery at 1132 Fourth Street in San Rafael, 415.456.4677, where advance raffle tickets are on sale. All proceeds from the event’s food and drink sales will benefit Trips for Kids, thanks to the generosity of Broken Drum Owner, Noah Berry.

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The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is thrilled to announce a 3-year sponsorship with SRAM as an establishing partner, effective immediately.

Matt Fritzinger, the executive director of NICA, stated, “We are most grateful to SRAM for showing their confidence in our ability to bring great mountain biking opportunities to high school students across the USA. There is a surge of interest and support for the NICA program, and with the solid backing of SRAM we are in a great position to achieve our vision.”

The NICA vision is to develop high school mountain biking coast to coast by 2020 by providing successful models of league development to interested regions.

David Zimberoff, Global Marketing Director at SRAM, said “We’re super excited to be a part of this national movement. Having the opportunity to connect with young enthusiasts of cycling is an integral part of SRAM’s mission.”

“SRAM has a long history of supporting grassroots bicycle racing in the USA, from providing technical support at events to sponsoring the strongest regional teams and athletes across the country through our very successful SRAM Grassroots Sponsorship Program.

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Rahsaan Bahati is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the domestic peloton. With eight national titles under his belt and an undeniable speed on the bike, Bahati is the complete package; the real deal when it comes to professional cyclists.

But Bahati has a larger focus this season; looking beyond the podium with the launch of the Bahati Foundation, a non-profit organization set up by Bahati to reach out to underprivileged youth through cycling. The foundation is accompanied by the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team, which will include superstars like Bahati, Hilton Clarke, Nathan O’Neill, and Cesar Grajales on its roster.

With the launch of the foundation, a much hyped 6-episode television series is also in the works, and has been gaining quite a bit of attention. After releasing a trailer of the first episode, Bahati was overwhelmed by the response and how quickly the video spread. Yesterday, Lance Armstrong posted a link to the trailer on his Twitter page, and the video has since exploded, with over 20,000 views on YouTube. See the video after the break…

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PRESS RELEALSE - In response to the international relief effort following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, BE Innovations, creators of ZYM electrolyte drink tablets, is donating both product – ZYM Endurance tabs– plus 30 percent of its online profits to the agency, Direct Relief International, which distributes on-site Haitian survivor aid.

“In the wake of the crisis, it was the least we could do”, said BE Innovations President Brian Koff.  “The agency, Direct Relief International is on the ground in Haiti and is very grateful for what the ZYM formulas, with their vitamins and electrolytes, can do to help the survivors combat dehydration. In addition, 30 percent of our online profits will go to the same agency.” ZYM’s unique formulas were designed specifically for endurance athletes, blending electrolytes, B vitamins and other elements making them effective against fatigue and dehydration. ZYM can be purchased direct at www.gozym.com or at leading gear stores, like Sports Authority and Performance Bikes.

Cotton Quips is owned and run by a fella from IMBA, and part of the proceeds to go support Colorado mountain bike trails and such.  This ‘Dirty Girl’ model is one of the more popular prints, along with the ‘I Don’t Care About Your 29er’, which is printed on organic cotton.  Terry says all the shirts are moving to Organic soon.  Oh, and the lovely lady modeling the shirt’s named Michele, and she’ll rip your legs off.

Another photo after the break…

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The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is just around the corner.  Besides being a visual treat for gawkers like us (and, in turn, you), it’s a great forum for meeting and learning from the people that make some of the most beautiful bikes you’re likely to see.

Here’s a full rundown of this year’s seminar schedule, and the names of each pretty much tells you what they’re about:

Friday:
Doriano DeRosa (DeRosa/Italy)– “My life in the bicycle industry; Past, present and future” – 10:00 AM
Lora Van Dixhorn – “Insurance tips and trade secrets” -11:30 AM
Gary Prange (North Carolina) – “So, you want to mount decals?” – 1:00 PM
Tom Kellogg (Spectrum/Pennsylvania) - “Frame Finishing” - 2:30
Steve Garn (BREW/North Carolina) – “Tig Welding for fun and profit” - 4:00 PM

Saturday:
Craig Calfee (Calfee Carbon/California)– “The Calfee Sizer fitting method” – 10:00 AM
Butch Boucher (Moots/Colorado) – “All things Titanium” – 11:45 AM
Nick Crumpton (Carbon bikes/Austin TX)– “Carbon Fiber myths, facts and design” – 13:00
Dwan Shepard (Co-Motion/Oregon)– “Tandem Frame Design” – 2:30 PM
Brent Curry (Bike Forest/Ontario, Canada)– “BikeCad; an in depth look” – 4:00 PM

Sunday:
Carl Strong (Strong frames/Montana) – “The Business of Framebuilding” – 9 AM – 11 AM
Doriano DeRosa – “My life in the bicycle industry; Past, present and future” – 10:00 AM
Peter Mooney (Boston, Mass)– “Lugs and what I know about them” – 12:00 PM
Jeff Bucholz (Sputnik Tools)– “So, you want to build bikes?” – 1:30 PM

More info on each session is here.

One month before the case was set to go to trial, ESPN reports that Trek Bicycles and three-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond have settled their long-standing dispute out of court.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential, and a U.S. District Court Judge closed the case as ‘dismissed with prejudice’, meaning it can not be raised in court again.

The dispute between Trek and Lemond started two years ago as the parties sought to terminate their licensing agreement, with both parties claiming the other had breached the agreement.  Lemond argued Trek had stopped putting effort behind the brand, while Trek claimed that Lemond’s remarks concerning Lance Armstrong hurt Trek’s sales.

Court ordered mediation led to the out-of-court settlement, which will see Trek donating $200,000 to 1in6.org, Lemond’s charity that supports adult victims of childhood sexual abuse.

In a statement released by lawyers from both parties, LeMond said: “I am pleased to resolve the issues between Trek and myself and am happy to be able to move forward with the things important in my life. I take deep satisfaction in this resolution and believe it will have a positive impact on those that can benefit most from the purpose of 1in6.org.”

Trek president John Burke added: “Greg has a hard-won place in the Pantheon of bicycle racing and we are proud of what we were able to accomplish together. Trek respects Greg’s efforts and commitment to the charitable foundation, and Trek is pleased to lend its support to that very worthwhile endeavour.”

Lemond now has rights to his brand again and is said to be seeking ways to bring it back to retail.

BikeRegistry.com has been around for a while, but we just found it and thought it worth sharing.  David, the founder, said they’ve made some improvements to the back end recently to help the site work better.  Here’s the deal:

In preparation for the upcoming 2010 cycling season, BikeRegistry.com has upgraded its server capacity to better handle a growing membership.  Membership (and bike registration) is free.  A detailed description of a bike’s physical characteristics along with its serial number and photo, in conjunction with TAGGING of the bike enable recovery if stolen.  Unlike other bike registration systems, the database is open to law enforcement and the public.  Decal Kits are available at a nominal cost, with proceeds going to Goodwill Industries.

Found via Cyclotourist’s blog.

Working with Children of Abraham, a non-profit based upon Jewish / Christian / Muslim heritage, Hokey Spokes learned that one item NOT being donated were water purification tablets. They contacted the
manufacturer in WIsconsin and ordered 1,000 bottles of 24 tabs. When the pharmacy learned they were going to Haiti, they shipped 50-count bottles, and sent them to Gary, Indiana FedEx overnight. They were
placed last on a container that left January 22nd so they could be first-off when the container arrives.

The spokesperson at the Wisconsin Pharma said they had just received a desperate call from Haiti begging for water purification tablets. “We have nothing to drink here,” the man said. The pharmaceutical company joined with Hokey Spokes to make even a bigger difference with their
donation.

Carole Barnes (pictured), owner of Hokey Spokes, worked at a children’s orphanage in Haiti in 2002.

“We want to thank our customers for enabling us to give back to the community,” Carole said. “When youi see people riding with Hokey Spokes, thank them for their contribution to Haiti.”

My Life on the Bike is a web series following Emily Beachy as she goes car-free for a year, traveling all over by bike (and just carrying on normal daily activities).  It’s got interviews with folks in various industries, including our beloved bike biz, plus people that matter in both local and international cycling culture about why things are the way they are.

Check out current full length episodes at www.mylifeonthebike.com.