Industry Patent Watch: Tektro Pursues Electronic Shifting
By: Alan Coté // Bike Retailer and Industry News
Recently published US patent applications show that Tektro – a brand known primarily for its brakes – worked on derailleurs and electronic shifters. The Taiwan-based company has filed more than 65 U.S. patent applications over the past 10 years, and at least two dozen of the most recent filings relate to derailleurs and shifters.
The legal documents describe what appears to be a full range of electronic shifting technologies, including front and rear derailleurs with integrated batteries, shift levers with wireless transmitters, and related electronic control systems. Tektro’s first patent application for electronic shifting was filed in March 2015, meaning the company has been working on the technology for some time now.
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Trek joins e-bike battery recycling program
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
Trek Bicycle announced today that it has joined the industry’s U.S. e-bike battery recycling program which officially began last month.
The industry has partnered with non-profit battery collection and recycling company Call2Recycle. Approved by PeopleForBikes, Call2Recycle administers training, recycling kits, battery transportation, safety gear and rider training to retailers. Trek is among several industry manufacturers and suppliers that support and fund the collection and safe recycling of lithium-ion e-bike batteries to reduce overall recycling costs. All directly owned Trek stores are collection sites, and other Trek retailers are registering and training to become collection sites, a Trek spokesperson told BRAIN.

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Utah cyclist sues Rad Power Bikes over loose stem
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
A Utah woman is suing Rad Power Bikes because she says her bike arrived with a loose stem that caused an accident that injured her hands and wrist.
About a month later she received an email from Rad Power advising her that she may have purchased a bike with a loose stem and telling her to take the bike to a shop to have it re-tightened at expense. from Rad Power. Greaves said the accident cost him about $30,000 in medical expenses and $100,000 in lost wages, with future medical expenses expected to be nearly $40,000.

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The Outdoor Retailer Show Returns to Salt Lake City for 2023
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
After a controversial move from its longtime Utah home to Denver five years ago, Emerald Expositions announces that its Outdoor Retailer show will return to Utah next winter.
“After much deliberation and input from all sides, we have decided that the best decision for Outdoor Retailer is to return to our base camp. We are returning to Salt Lake City and County, where we grew up and where our industry has matured into the vibrant and powerful community it is today.”

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European cycling industry associations launch campaign to reduce plastic in the industry
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
Two European cycling industry associations have launched a campaign to reduce plastic and eliminate unnecessary packaging.
The Cycling Industry Sustainable Packaging Pledge currently has 56 companies committed.

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Pirelli starts production of bicycle tires in a renovated Italian factory
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
Pirelli began manufacturing its premium P Zero Race road and MTB tires at its factory in Bollate, Italy. The factory, inaugurated in 1962, was recently modernized to accommodate the production of the top-of-the-range models of the brand.
The plant will have the capacity to manufacture approximately 1.5 million tires per year when fully operational. Currently, it employs about 200 workers. P Zero tires were previously made in France.

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Rad Power refocuses on its physical stores and lays off 100 people in the mobile sector
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
Rad Power Bikes has laid off around 100 workers as it shuts most of its mobile service business and looks to expanding its stationary retail stores.
Rad Power said it will continue to work with Velofix and Beeline for US mobile support

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Outerbike postpones summer events due to shortage of demo bikes
By: Bike Retailer & Industry News
Western Spirit Cycling, the producer of Outerbike, is postponing three summer events due to a shortage of demo bikes. The company also announced an expanded exhibit format at its other two events scheduled for 2022, in Bentonville, Arkansas and Moab.
Outerbike will not be holding scheduled events in Killington, Vermont; Duluth, Minnesota; and Crested Butte, Colorado, this year. Western Spirit’s Mark Sevenoff said: “We love riding Killington, Duluth and Crested Butte and can’t wait to share these great places with Outerbike riders. We’ve heard from riders in these areas and they are already looking forward to these events. in 2023.”

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