- Win tons of goodies in the Obsessives: Get Out There Giveaway from Kitsbow – We’ve seen this before, bike clothing maker Kitsbow is dreaming of spring and has gathered a bunch of on & off the bike gear from cycling and outdoor rec companies to put together a huge cache of gear to outfit you next adventure bike escape from the daily grind. There’s kit from Kitsbow themselves, Big Agnes, Yeti, Biolite, Verve coffee, Blackburn, Silca, Camelbak, Light & Motion, GU, GoPro & the National Park Service for this super giveaway. The only question left will be where it takes you? While mostly it’s a winner-take-all deal, one runner up will also get a nice package. Enter from now until Mar 21 over at Kitsbow’s website, then get ready to Get Out There. Kitsbow.comCheck out where you’ll ride in 2017 after the break…
Advocacy
- Shimano new Platinum Sponsor for NICA – Shimano has just announced continued support of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association with a platinum level sponsorship through the 2018 season. Since their start back in 2009 NICA has seen incredible growth and progress in its mission to get #MoreKidsOnBikes. Starting with just two regions and 700 participants in the first year, they’ve expanded to 19 regions and 11,000 student-athletes last year. Including both support in the way of gear to help keep the young racers on their bikes and financial backing to keep the while system running and enable neutral support at league races, Shimano is aiming to help NICA’s strong growth in the US continue. NationalMTB.org
- Park Tool announces 2017 Community Tool Grant winners – Over 125 well deserving non-profits applied for the grants this year around the world. Each of the 10 selected recipients get $1,400+ in Park Tool products including: a Park PK-2 Pro Mechanic Tool Kit, two PCS-10 Portable Repair Stands, and the BBB-3 Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. Park’s president, owner & chief mechanic Eric Hawkins put it like this, “For the second year, we had a tremendously hard time picking winners for our Park Tool Community Tool Grant recipients. All the applicants were well deserving and even though we wish we could support them all, we had to narrow it down to ten. I hope everyone who didn’t win this year applies again for 2018.” Check out the list of winners at: ParkTool.com
- NAHBS releases official statement re: State of Utah Land Policy – Whether you’ve heard it or not, the state of Utah has made some recent policy moves that have put a lot of land set aside for outdoor recreation at risk. Several cycling and outdoor industry organizations have joined together to boycott bringing their events to the state after “Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a resolution asking the Trump administration to abolish the Bear Ears National Monument – more than a million acres in southwestern Utah that Obama designated a national monument in the weeks before he left office.” NAHBS is just a short few weeks away, and has issued a statement why they are not cancelling or trying to move the event at the 11th hour, but won’t be coming back to the state. HandmadeBicycleShow.com
Gear news
- Fezzari Bicycles Love It or Return It, with no worries – One of the top direct-to-consumer bike brands in the US, Fezzari Bicycles has just announced a new Love It or Return It program to help you make that decision to get on a new ride. They already had a No Risk, Just Ride Guarantee that would take a new bike back if you weren’t satisfied with your purchase, but now they’ve extended that no risk trial to include free return shipping. Buyers can now get a new Fezzari bike, ride it on their home trails & roads, and if they don’t love it, send it back within 30 days, and Fezzari will pick up the tab even for the return shipping. Fezzari.com
- Cycology clothing coming to the US – We got wind last year of Cycology potentially entering the US market and now have it conformed from the company. From March 2017 they’re officially launching US operations with a stand-alone US website and warehousing & shipping from Los Angeles. Cycology will have a new range of jerseys and tees lined up that will launch over the next few months. We’ll share the new kit when we hear more. CycologyGear.com
Where to ride
- Only a few spots remain for the 2017 Southern Cross 55 Mile Gravel Grind – Looking for an Epic Adventure? Check out the Maxxis Tires Southern Cross Ultra Gravel Grind. The course is 55 miles with a bit over 7,000 ft of elevation gain in two major climbs, and consists of pavement, gravel roads & some short sections of singletrack trail. The course is cross bike or mountain bike friendly, so pick your poison for the March 4 event. MountainGoatAdventures.com
