MOVING FORWARD

SANTA FE, March 15, 2013 - Bicycle Technologies International (BTI) is moving! On March 20th, the 20 year old distributor of bicycle parts and accessories will close the doors at its old facilities to relocate all inventory, personnel and infrastructure to its brand new home.  BTI plans downtime during its upcoming move. It will miss just two days of weekday shipping while relocating from several facilities here into one brand-new location. 

Shipping activities and phone support will be suspended at noon, Wednesday March 20th through Friday March 22nd to facilitate the relocation. Aside from a brief interruption Wednesday afternoon, BTI's B2B website is expected to be up and accepting orders for the remainder of the week during the move. BTI will resume shipping orders on Monday March 25th.

This move is the largest in BTI's history. An enthusiastic team of staff and friends, along with a fleet of trucks will be on hand to transport more than 23,000 inventory items on a five mile journey from the company's present location to its newly constructed warehouse and office facility.

"Our new campus provides the tools needed for continued expansion of our dealer and vendor services," said Andrew Wright, BTI President, "allowing us to support new brands -- as well as deeper stock levels for the items retailers need every day."

BTI's new facility was engineered to high sustainability and work-environment standards: upgraded insulation in walls/ceilings to reduce heating/cooling costs, rainwater capture for irrigation, showers and in-building bike parking for commuting staff, fiber optic data and a new VoIP phone system, low wattage LED and T5-fluorescent lighting with occupancy sensors, and increased utilization of natural lighting with enhanced window and skylight placement throughout the building. The goal is to reduce waste, energy usage and environmental impact while protecting and enhancing the health and productivity of BTI's staff.

"We are a bicycle company with industry leading brands. Our new headquarters will showcase these products while creating an inspiring work environment... At last, BTI has a space that truly reflects our innovative company culture." added Wright.

BTI will re-open and commence shipping operations from the new facility on Monday March 25th. From that day on the company's only address will be 33 Velocity Way, Santa Fe NM 87508 - all phone/fax/email contacts will stay the same. "We'd like to thank our industry partners for supporting BTI's business model and making this next step a reality. We'll see you on the other side - bigger, bolder and ready to take on the next 20 years" says Wright.

Gear Review: Mountainsmith Bike Cube

Mountainsmith is one of those brands we carry that offers amazing products, yet we rarely see in the spotlight. One such product to highlight is the Mountainsmith Bike Cube – a 56 liter bag with three compartments that allows you to organize all the bike gear you need in one spot. Spatially, the bag offers room to store and organize everything for a ride you would need aside from the bike itself. Each compartment is accessible by a pairing of zippers, making it easier to access or close up the bag. 

The first compartment features one long row of mesh pocket organizers, a row of six stretch bands and mini pockets near the bottom of the bag as well as two large mesh pockets on the other internal panel. The arrangement offers endless options for organizing the tools you'll want to bring with you.

The middle compartment features one small, fleece-lined pocket near the top, making it a perfect place to keep your shades clean and safe. Aside from that, the middle compartment is really just one large ventilated space where you can stash your pre or post-ride apparel and still give it room to air out. The spatial arrangement and reinforced vents are point winners against a bulkier duffel bag option.

The rear compartment offers just two large and expandable mesh pockets, perfect for a helmet and shoes, which to me tend to be two of the more annoying items to store. We tested the pockets out with a medium-sized helmet and size 41 mountain shoes, but would say a bigger size of either will still fit comfortably in the mesh pockets.

 

If you're not one to want the bulk of a duffel bag, the Bike Cube is affordable, packable, compact and gives organization to anything you would need for a ride or just to store your supplies. 

Fulcrum Racing 5 Wheelset Highlight

Fulcrum’s Racing 5 level wheelset may not be Fulcrum’s top of the tier wheelset, but they deserve a lot of recognition as a quality and economical option in Fulcrum’s wheel line-up.

First off, a set of Racing 5s weighs in at about 1760 grams, 

a super respectable weight. Anyone in the market for a lower weight performance wheel should check out the Racing 3 model, which is about 200 grams lighter, but going to cost you twice as much. The Racing 5 is definitely Fulcrum’s go-to model for stability and comfort in their road clincher line featuring a low, sturdy 24mm profile rim with oversized aluminum hubs encasing sealed steel bearings.  

What impressed us was that Fulcrum also laced these up with the same innovative wheel-balancing technology, Fulcrum’s Dynamic Balance, they use in their peloton worthy Racing Zero model. This Dynamic Balance system is a simple and elegant solution for balancing the entire wheel. Add to this Fulcrum’s patented two-to-one spoke ratio and the result is super stable, torsionally stiff wheelset.

At retail this set is $449. Fulcrum’s Racing 5 wheels are a top choice for the rider who’s out to spin training rides, hit a comfortable century or use in their everyday routine and wants to stick within a budget. 

Halo is one of the market leading UK brands of rim & wheel products. The UK has been leading the Worldwide explosion in Dirt Jumping and BSX racing for the past 10 years and Halo have been right at the forefront of this market.

Halo introduced one of the first wide DH/Jump specific rims to satisfy riders needs before the millennium and continues to develop new products to cater for all sectors of the bicycle wheel market.
For example, Halo have developed the patent pending Twin Rail tyre tread and groundbreaking design multi use Disc hubs, alongside an essential selection of quality spokes, high pressure rim tapes and anti-puncture inner tubes.

Recently, Halo has exploded onto the Fixed wheel arena with some of the finest hubs and wheel sets on the planet. In addition our groundbreaking 700c Twin Rail Courier tyres continue to exceed all expectations.

Super light XC and Road products continue to be developed and introduced propelling Halo into a truly all round wheel products brand.

Halo products are designed in the UK by riders for riders, engineered to the highest standards and offer exceptional value and performance.

"We only produce what we are willing to ride ourselves."

Halo products have been developed, used, abused and approved in conjunction with some of the World’s finest riders.

CLIKE HERE to view their latest catalog

BTI Check-In: location Moab and Fruita

Bring on the winter! Some may not know it, but this season Santa Fe has been slammed with weather conditions just as harsh at times as our brother and sister states in the north, leaving most of the great trail destinations right outside our doors a muddy and inaccessible mess even on the warmest days. BTI Customer Service Reps Brian and Mark took a trip up to Moab, UT and Fruita, CO this past weekend to ride some of the trails in the area. In both cities they were able to experience some fantastic singletrack as well as meet up with some great shops and customers of BTI.

So, what were conditions looking like in Moab last week?...

Among the shops that Brian and Mark visited in Moab were Chile Pepper Bike Shop, Moab Cyclery, Rim Cyclery, Uranium Bicycles and Poison Spider Bikes. All of which were not without great trail recommendations and conversation. The photo above is of a new section in the Brand Trails - a section that holds a little bit of everything, from beginner to intermediate trail sections, and offered up a fun three hour XC ride for the crew.

Taking the long way back to Santa Fe, they also stopped in Fruita, CO and found a similar scene of shops prepping for a great riding season and later shared singletrack with a lot of riders taking advantage of the conditions at the Loma Trail section.

Ever hear of "hero dirt"? We suggest next time you are in Fruita to stop by one of the shops find out what this means and, as recommended, to check out the newly opened Suds Brothers Brewery conveniently located between Over the Edge and Single Tracks Bike Shop.

If you're stuck in the mud where you're at, both of these destinations are boasting of great shops, trails and conditions worth a road trip.

Big thanks to the shops that helped BTI represent from Santa Fe!

Charge's Steel 29er Frame Is Retro - the Ride is Anything But

The new skinny tubed Cooker 29er from UK manufacturer Charge has been receiving some excellent reviews of late. It took 9/10 in a Mountain Bike Rider Magazine (UK) 29er shoot out and won high praise for its responsiveness. With a higher than normal bottom bracket and a geometry that is set up to accomodate 100-120mm forks this bike is durable and optimized for fun. BTI received its first shipment of these in January and we're excited to see the reaction from the North American market.

Link to MBR review: http://www.mbr.co.uk/featured/tested-charge-cooker-hi-999/

Link to the Charge Cooker at BTI: http://bit.ly/yRQmWJ 

NS BIKES

" Riders evolve, the sport evolves, so our products are always up on the frontline. Always changing, and adapting."

(northshore.com)

NS bikes has done it once again this year with their great assortment of dirt ready street worthy frames. The build says professional and the graphics scream style on any of their quality products. A host of awesome riders with Sam Pilgrim at the top of their list. If you have yet to see check them out by clicking here. Check out the video below to see the parts in action.