Press Release - New Product: pedaldabs(™) quickly converts clipless pedals into platforms

March 11^th, 2013 Dublin, Ohio– bikedabs creates a product that quickly converts clipless pedals into platforms.

bikedabs has solved the long-time dilemma of riding on clipless pedals while wearing standard shoes or sandals with their new product, pedaldabs ™.

Any cyclist with clipless pedals has ridden on them occasionally while wearing regular shoes, which can be awkward and unsafe. pedaldabs™ connect directly to riders’ clipless pedals to give them stable tread that greatly reduces slipping while riding with regular shoes. Now riders don’t have to wear cycling shoes to destinations for which casual footwear is more appropriate, and can avoid the hassle of switching their pedals or bringing extra shoes.

Riders can use pedaldabs™ for activities such as short commutes, casual rides, spin classes, local errands, lunch hours, and pub crawls.  pedaldabs™ are also very helpful for people who are new to clipless pedals and want to keep the platform functionality to which they are accustomed. For triathletes we can see them being used during transport of gear to and from transition areas so that shoes don't have to be swapped out.

Kurtis Meyer, founder of bikedabs, designed pedaldabs™ after hearing about the need for such a product from customers at a family-owned bike shop where he has worked for 6 years. “There are design obstacles with creating a stable platform surface for clipless pedals and I believe that is why this problem hasn’t been tackled effectively before,” says Kurtis. With 3D modeling experience and his own 3D printer, Kurtis has been able to make many adjustments to the designs and develop them with fast turnaround times.

The first model to be released in April 2013 will be compatible with the Shimano® SPD-SL® version road pedals and have an MSRP of $15.99. Soon to follow will be a model for the Look® KEO® pedals at the same price point.

pedaldabs™ for Shimano® SPD®-type  pedals are a slightly larger and more complex design, and will be released this summer.  Speedplay® models have also been designed, with release dates forthcoming.

More information about pedaldabs™ and the bikedabs story can be found on the company’s website at www.bikedabs.com.

CONTACT:

bikedabs LLC

#310 2783 Martin Rd, Dublin, Ohio 43017
1-855-BIKEDAB (245-3322)

website: www.bikedabs.com

Email: info@bikedabs.com

Bicycle Retailers - A New Approach Part I

So you're a bicycle retailer eh? You have the shiny new bikes all set up in a row and all the supporting hard goods and soft goods sell to the first timer. Helmet...check, clothing...check, gloves...check, spare tube, tools and inflator...check, water bottles...check! All done… right?

Assuming your personality and customer service have been spot on with your new customer and you have properly fit them on the best bicycle at the right budget for them, your job is done.

Now it's up to them to ride themselves into a happy new sport and come back repeatedly for new tires, parts, advice, clothing etc.

Not so fast! What if your new customer goes out on their first ride and because they are undernourished or dehydrated they feel horrible on their maiden voyage? What do you think they’ll reflect on most after that ride? Will it be what a great deal they got on the bike? Will it be the salesperson’s great smile and happy disposition? Perhaps it would be looking forward to that next bike upgrade?

How we FEEL drives our desire does it not? The feel of a good price for a bike or a pleasant salesperson severely under weighs the physical sensations we have during and after exerting ourselves on that new bicycle.

Overcoming objections in sales is a huge part of everyday life. So how do you deal with the objection a person has if it is about how they feel on the bike? This happens more than you think. It becomes each person’s internal strife to make themselves get back on that bike again and again which is especially difficult if they do not feel good when riding the first time. How do you even influence this if you aren’t around when they are having this difficulty?

This is where nutrition sales come in. When should you bring this subject up? How do you follow through? I’ve spoken with many retailers from around the country over the years and have some great ideas on how to maximize the potential of keeping that new customer not only for your store, but for the industry as a whole. More to come in Part II!

Please subscribe to my blog so you can be alerted as soon as I post Part II.

Cheers!

Sports Nutrition Company Making Second Run at US Market

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from Sharon Ellis, President of Medion Corporation, makers of e load™ Endurance Sport Drink and EMEND™ Sports Recovery Drink to tell me that they are coming back to the US.

Many may know that the first launch in the US was marred by a series of unfortunate events. These all happened at the same time which forced the company to draw back. This included their US distributor being purchased by another company who dropped all other brands, an employee who defrauded Medion Corporation, and the global financial crisis which deterred any other distributors from adding foreign products at that time.

Despite the withdrawel of the brand from the US market in 2007, almost all of the original shops who picked it up still carry it. Due to it's popularity, even a couple new shops added it to their inventory including Lance Armstrong's Mellow Johnny’s despite having to order it from outside the US.

With no ads, representation or distribution in the US, e load™ sales continued to grow.

Now with a broader range of products including chewable electrolyte tablets called e DISCS™, the higher dose electrolyte capsule 5x Zone Caps™, FLY™ Carbohydrate Fuel and soon to come e load™ Energy Gel in single serving packets as well as bulk containers, the brand is ready to re-launch in the US. They will be putting out more information and press releases soon! Look for them at Interbike too!

Follow e load on Facebook and Twitter

About Medion Corporation

Medion corporation was cofounded in 2000 by Dr. Douglas W. Stoddard, a Canadian sport medicine physician and an avid endurance athlete, and Sharon Ellis, formerly an international level 400m track athlete and Australian Institute of Sport Scholarship holder, now an age group triathlete.

Medion Corp. created e load™ and EMEND™ brands, the most streamlined, efficient nutrition for your performing body. Formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO artificial Colors, NO artificial flavors, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.

formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO articifial Colours NO artificial flavours, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO articifial Colours NO artificial flavours, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO articifial Colours NO artificial flavours, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO articifial Colours NO artificial flavours, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.formulas are low acid, and contain NO nuts, NO Gluten, NO articifial Colours NO artificial flavours, NO artificial Preservatives and NO resistant starches.

Medion (e load™ and EMEND™ sport nutrition brands)

Sheppard Centre

2 Sheppard Ave E / Suite 601

Toronto Ontario M2N 5Y7

Canada

T: 416.222.3218

TF: 1.888.606.7511

www.eload.net

5-Time World Champion Triathlete Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz Signs With Cool Palms

Cool Palms® Proud Sponsor of Conrad “The Caveman” Stoltz, Professional Triathlete


For Release: May 24, 2011

Contact: Brett W. Warner, Cool Palms LLC at 512-608-4850, brettwwarner@coolpalmsllc.com

Cool Palms LLC announced today it has become the official cooling sponsor for Conrad “The Caveman” Stoltz, professional Triathlete from South Africa. Stoltz is a 2X Olympian, 4X XTERRA World Champion, 1X ITU Cross Tri World Champion, and all-time XTERRA wins leader with 40 career victories.

Cool Palms is the leader in thermoregulation products for athletes. Cool Palms’ flagship product is the BEX Runner, a reusable, palm-sized cool-gel-pad effective up to an hour in-use. The BEX Runner works by maintaining a cool surface to the palm, effectively drawing heat from the body core through a unique system of blood vessels called Arteriovenous Anastomoses (AVAs) found under the palm surface. Palm cooling is shown to sustain peak performance periods in athletes and delay fatigue.

“I definitely benefit from using the BEX Runner. I’m a big guy with a lot of muscle and I generate a lot of heat. The BEX Runner keeps my body temperature down and gives me a competitive advantage from T2 to the finish line.” Conrad Stoltz, Professional Triathlete.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be sponsoring The Caveman! Conrad is a great ambassador for Triathlon and a role-model for athletes of all levels. Our goal is to help Conrad close-out races with a strong run using the BEX Runner.” Brett Warner, Cool Palms Founder.

About the BEX Runner

The BEX Runner is a reusable palm-sized cool-gel-pad effective up to an hour in-use. Perfect for world-class Triathletes and weekend warriors. BEX Runner keeps runners cool!

About Cool Palms LLC

Established in Austin, TX in 2009, Cool Palms LLC scientifically developed its performance cooling products with the support of leading researchers and universities. Cool Palms has patented the BEX Runner and is developing a complete line of products for endurance and multi-sport athletes. Traditional methods of cooling by types of garments and wet towels provide surface cooling, giving the perception of feeling colder. In contrast, Cool Palms Products effectively remove heat from the body core through a unique system of blood vessels called Arteriovenous Anastomoses (AVAs) found under the palm surface and help cool the body from the inside out.

For more information go to www.bexrunner.com.
Cool Palms Press Contact:
512-608-4850 or info@coolpalmsllc.com

Don't Be "Too" Kind To Cyclists

First, to my cyclist friends and industry colleagues I want to assure you I am not a turncoat. Lately I have seen a disturbing trend in some driver's actions toward cyclists. Frankly, some are just being way too kind!

Being a driver and a cyclist I've seen both sides of the fence. I have been irritated by some of those cyclists who give other cyclists a bad name as well as being damn near killed by drivers trying to beat me to a turn or just not paying attention and drift out of their lane toward me. I am also friends with a wonderful advocate for cyclists rights, Al Bastida who has fought long and hard to create and build his non-profit called Please Be Kind To Cyclists.

So what's the problem? What I've been experiencing lately is something that endangers more than just me and it's all because a driver, being all about the "Be Kind To Cyclists" mentality stops while exiting roadway to insist that I cross. Now this may not be such a big issue except that for the last 2 times I've been out on the bike they have stopped other traffic behind them, nearly causing a wreck. The first time this happenned I was already aware that there was a lot of traffic coming so I came to a complete stop, as far right as I could and wasn't even watching for an opening. I was amazed to have a driver come to a dead stop from 55mph and wait for me to realize they had stopped while they held up a line of cars behind them. OMG! Really? Have they really done something THAT bad that they need to endanger a bunch of people just so they can get some good karma? Not sure if that's gonna work. They may even become the target of road rage or be responsible for someone's injury or death!

Really, the cyclist can wait a few seconds for traffic to go by, just as they would do if they were in a car. It's not that big a deal. You aren't saving the world or anything, but you could be wrecking it for someone. Sure, it's okay to pay close attention to the cyclist along the side of the road. It's okay to make sure you give at least a 3' space between your car and the lycra clad wind sucker. It's even okay to be prepared to swerve if the oxygen deprived gear grinder suddenly loses focus and makes a hard left into traffic. But please, don't stop in the roadway out of the blue and hold up other traffic-goers who are not remotely expecting someone to come to a complete stop in a 55mph zone!

Please Don't Be TOO Kind To Cyclists, but please DO make a donation to Be Kind To Cyclists and remember it is totally okay to be too kind when giving financially.

Cheers!
Darren

New Year, New Brands To Watch

For 2011 I wanted to talk a little bit about some up and coming brands. These little known new companies are on my list of those who I expect to do well and grow fast in 2011. Keep your eyes on these!

Of course if you or your company see the value in these that I do, you may contact me directly about wholesale and distributor opportunities.
BEX Runner by CoolPalms LLC is the world's first wearable core cooling device and sure to be a hot seller starting this spring.

I ran across a study done about 3 years ago where it was determined that cooling the palm of the hand was the most effective way to keep body core temperature down. The palm of the hand is scientifically shown to be a natural radiator point on the body. Special blood vessels found under the palm surface called arteriovenous anastomoses, bring heated blood from the body’s core and dissipate heat. The cooled blood from the palm is brought back to the core and helps maintain peak performance periods for heart rate, temperature and muscle output.

The problem with this study is that the equipment and methods originally being used were large machines which were very expensive. Enter BEX Runner, a small, comfortable, affordable device strapped to the hand which gives the same results.

Being able to draw heat out of the body so efficiently and so cost effectively is bound to make this new product a huge seller at $30 retail. Let's face it, the price for performance can be staggering, but this new product seems to be the best bang for the buck I have ever seen. Right now it is designed to be used for runners (for a window of about an hour and a half) and for fast recovery from any exertion (football, weightlifting, wrestling, cycling, soccer etc). I could even see this being used for construction crews, fire fighter rehab and more! Be assured there are other similar designs in the works to extend the duration of the effectiveness and to make the same performance benefits available to other specific sports.

Fit Desk Bike Pro finally converges exercise with productivity by making a platform which straps to most any type of bicycle or exercise cycle. You can finally get work done, surf the net or even do some gaming while getting in some base miles!

Now I know what most of my cyclist peers are thinking, that there is no way they can do a training session while typing on their laptop. This is where the video below comes into play. It will give you an idea of intended use which is slow and steady pedaling. This is fantastic for recovery days, building a base, or just stretching out your legs when you feel the need but don't have time to step away from your computer.

I got my Fit Desk Pro around last September and I absolutely love it! What I especially like is that even though my bars are a rare integrated design by Selcof, the construction material of the Fit Desk Pro allows me to customize it for my bars with very little effort.

For those non-cyclists in our lives who also want the convenience of the FitDesk Pro but don't want to spend the money on a bicycle and a trainer, there is the Fit Desk base model which incorporates the desk into a cycle trainer which weighs only 35 pounds and is collapsible for easy storage. I purchased one of these for my parents and they love it!

The FitDesk is currently selling at $199.99 retail and the FitDesk Pro sells for $79.99.




I would like to take this opportunity to start a rumor that there may or may not be a Gran Fondo event being planned in Austin Texas for the fall of 2011 and I may or may not be involved with it (wink, wink). If you would like to be in the loop to hear more about this rumor for sponsorship opportunities or participation, just follow my blog.

Don't forget about the Capital Of Texas Triathlon either! I am working with R&B Sports for my second year to help develop this epic 20 year old event. This year we have become a part of the larger LifeTime Fitness Triathlon Series as the 2nd event of 2011 which takes place Memorial Day Weekend, May 30th. Drop me a line if you want to get in on sponsorship for this incredible event, time is running out!

Here's to a great year, good health, fantastic friends, successful business, and growing love and peace! Cheers!

Why Do You Do What You Do?

I received this short newsletter from Rick Margiotta (event director for CapTexTri) yesterday that I just had to share. I want to say that the person Rick speaks about, Nicolette Maroulis is an amazing individual. She's not immune to bad days just as any other human, but she does chose, every day, to get back up and fight with everything she has to move forward. Please read on and make sure to visit her blog.

"Why do you do what you do? I get asked this question quite often while we are setting up for the CapTexTri, and even more in the days immediately following the event. Sure there are answers like "I do it for the athletes", or "I love the sense of accomplishment we get", or "I really get off on the organized mayhem", and every now and then my answer is "I do it for the money", though that answer usually gets me some odd looks because anyone in the business knows that can't be the case.
The real answer can be found in Nicolette Maroulis. Please, please, please, go to her website http://www.nicolettemaroulis.com/ and read her blog about her ride from San Francisco to Virginia Beach. You will be moved.
We chose to support the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project with the Capital of Texas Triathlon in 2009. After meeting the first group of wounded warriors at the race last year, Brad and I knew we made the right choice to use the race to raise money for these amazing individuals. This year, we created the Wounded Warrior Dinner to be the primary fundraising event during the Memorial Day Weekend in Austin. In preparing for the Dinner, we had the great fortune of meeting Nicolette. Many of our organizing committee members had the privilege and honor of also meeting Nicolette, and other wounded warriors who came to participate in the CapTexTri. Nicolette could not stay for the Dinner nor the triathlon, since she was headed off to San Francisco to start her ride in late May. I am looking forward to her return home to Austin once she completes her coast to coast journey. I hope we can give her a hero's welcome.

So when I am asked "Why do you do what you do?", a big reason why is that I do it to honor those men and women of the Armed Forces who have given so much to keep us free.

Thanks for letting me introduce you to Nicolette"