I came across this discussion on LinkedIn.com in the World Cycling Industry Group. This is a good question. I have to say I look at reviews on other products but not very often for cycling items except for tires. There are 35 comments on this topic. What about you?

World Cycling Industry
Linkedin.com – Scott Mares
One of my challenges is once we do a review on a product is getting the company and IBD to actually use the review. I would like to see the review used in the bike shop. Ideas anyone?

Tom Haedrich • Hi Scott – as a boutique branded company building custom bicycles and selling into the IBD channel and others I can tell you the road is not an easy one. Each IBD has their own reason for entering the business and idea’s of what THEIR shop should be, and rightly so, isn’t this one of the beautiful things about America’s free market system where you can be whatever it is you want to be. I preface this because as a small…

The Racing Post February 2012 Issue
The Racing Post is a monthly magazine dedicated to those who ride bicycles and like to ride them – fast.  Event coverage includes Road racing, Off-road racing, Track racing, Triathlons, Bicycle rallies, and all levels of bicycle training.

F e a t u r e s
4 Olympics Bound
6 The Next Generation
9 Intensity
14 Reflecting on a Cycling Scholarship
18 Believe It Or Not
30 All Carbon Ain’t The Same
35 Playing In The Mus
38 Photo Essay – TRP Winter Crit
39 Team Focus – Fresh Racing
42 MSU’s Danny Robertson
Vol. 12, No. 2

LMRA Bike Club Morning Ride: TBD – 9AM
Lockheed Martin Recreation Association
All Day Event: Feb 03, 2012
Be a Positive Ambassador:
STOP – LOOK – and be SEEN
STOP at all traffic lights and signs. LOOK before continuing to ensure its clear. Be SEEN obeying the law while cycling safely.
… be safe and an ambassador for all other cyclists.

Helmets are required for club rides. Smiles encouraged. 😀
Scheduled rides are a go, unless wet or below 40 degrees. Check this calendar entry as the ride approaches to get the planned starting location and if the…

New Report Highlights Biking and Walking in Rural America
Alliance for Biking & Walking: People Powered Blog
imageA new report from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy dispels the commonly held notion that only residents of big cities bike and walk. According to “Active Transportation Beyond the Urban Centers” folks in rural areas travel by bike and on foot as much — and in some cases, even more — than people in major population centers.

“It’s a widespread assumption in popular media and politics that people in small towns and rural areas do not walk or bike for transportation purposes,” says Tracy Hadden Loh, co-author of the report and research…

Specialized expands ‘cross fork recall
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN) Jan 31, 17:51 MT—Specialized is working with the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission on an expansion of a recall involving some carbon forks on cyclocross bikes.

The brake boss mount on the forks can fail, allowing the brake to fall into the front spokes. Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately.

Specialized recalled about 14,200 2011-model bikes last year because of the problem. Now the company is recalling about 460 2012-model bikes. The new bikes affected are the 2012 Tricross Sport and 2012 Tricross Comp. …

Quality of Life in El Paso
by bmba                Borderland Mountain Bike Association
The city of El Paso is planning to bring a quality of life bond to be brought to the November election.  This bond would cause a small increase in your property taxes.  The main purpose of the bond is not known, but there are some specifics that have been put on the table that fit in to two categories – SIGNATURE PROJECTS and Parks and Recreation.  Signature Projects are big projects like a new arena….downtown…to maybe try to draw in a…

…As one of the leaders in the mountain biking community, I have created a list of specific ideas that will improve the mountain biking experience in El Paso.  When you go online to make your suggestions, feel free to copy and paste these ideas.  If you are not in favor of these ideas, don’t use them, but please contribute something to the…

Dallas Cycle Style is Born
by UrbanPedal        Dallas Cycle Chic
You may have noticed a few changes to the website recently.  Yes, time to reset your bookmarks – we’re leaving the Cycle Chic family to become our very own group, Cycle Style.

We’ve had a lovely year doing the Dallas Cycle Chic blog. As we’ve met Dallas riders on the streets, in the cycle shops and at large group rides, we’ve come to deeply appreciate the inspiring and broad range of cycle styles in our city.   You are all so different and yet all the same: from cardigan wearing ladies crushing trails to hardcore racers in spandex packs, you all shared with us your…

Save Our Forest (Anthills) Update – Meeting February 8 and what you can do
by Veljko Roskar        GHORBA

City looks at plans for a hike and bike bridge
by Oak Hill Gazette
Annick Beaudet with the city’s Neighborhood Connectivity Division told the Gazette that the need for such a bridge goes back to 1998, when the Texas Department of Transportation turned a northbound shoulder of Mopac into a turn lane for drivers going…

Biking group to hold presentations in Seguin
seguingazette.com        Felicia Frazar
SEGUIN – Bike enthusiasts have something to look forward to this week.

On Thursday and Saturday the International Mountain Biking Association will be hosting two presentations about the activity and how to enhance and generate more interest in the community, said Pete Silvius, Seguin Outdoor Learning Center board member and Rodriguez Elementary physical education teacher.

“There are two presentations,” he said. “On Thursday night will be Better Living Through Trails presentation starting 6:30 p.m. at Texas Lutheran University Student Activity Center. On Saturday will be the IMBA Trail Building…

Cibolo Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Start: February 18, 2012 9:00 am
End:   February 18, 2012 12:00 pm
Venue: St. Paul Evangelical Church
Address:  108 South Main, Cibolo, TX, United States,
Ride starts at 9:00 a.m. at the St. Paul Evangelical Church’s parking lot (the gravel part in the back) adjacent to Harmon’s BBQ for a 30 or 20 mile group ride at an easy pace.  Ride will proceed southeast through rolling farm country to New Berlin, then northwest by Zuehl and Hackerville Road back into Cibolo.  The 20 mile ride will cut over at Gin road between Santa Clara and Zuehl.  See Map #506.  Directions: To get to St. Paul’s (108 S. Main) in Cibolo take IH35 north. Take exit 175 and turn right on Roy Richard Dr. (FM-3009 S).  Drive 3.2 miles and turn left onto Seguin Rd (FM 78).  Drive 1.4 miles and turn left onto W. TX-539 Loop.  Turn left on S. Main St. Paul’s Evangelical Church and Harmon’s BBQ will be on your left.  Lunch after the ride will be at Harmon’s.  For more information call ride leaders Ann Caldwell (508-8878) or Bob Caldwell (260-2584).

Bike Through the Forest and the Hills 2012 in ColdSpring, TX
by WB admin
The Bike Through the Forest and the Hills 2012 happening on January 28, 2012 at San Jacinto Courthouse 1 State Highway 150 Coldspring, TX

We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Duane McPeak, Ride Director of Bike Through the Forest and the Hills to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.

…What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event? (prefer the rewarding/unforgettable experience ;o)) ?

During my first ride as director, just 15 minutes into the ride, I got a call from the local constable that we had a rider down. It was a young man still in High School that had lost control of his bike going down a hill. He had gone head/face first into the street. There was a SAG wagon at the start that I jumped into to go check on the rider. As we headed towards the rider, we could see an ambulance was already on it’s way ahead of us. By the…

Do not stop reading the next article too soon. There is a biking story in it.

All Washed Up
by Steve A        Dallas Point-to-Point
In North Texas, we have to take our opportunities for inclement weather when they arrive. While we get lots of practice with “hot and dry” in the summer, wet don’t get a lot of opportunity to explore the finer points of cold weather. It DOES rain around here, but it isn’t the kind of rain I grew up with. In Seattle, the rain takes a week or more to accumulate to an inch or two. A little drizzle and a lot of gray clouds is the rule around this time of year.

Around DFW, on the other hand, the rain REALLY lets you know it is serious stuff. Lightning, thunder, flash floods and more. And then, as quickly as the rain arrived, it is past and drenching Louisiana or Oklahoma. I think the term around these parts is the rain comes down as a “frog strangler,” but I’m not from around here. …