Archive for March, 2009

Kadisco Interview: Meredith Giske & the Tour de Fat

Posted on 30. Mar, 2009 by Josh in Trends | No Comments

Kadisco Interview: Meredith Giske & the Tour de Fat

Most non-bike brands that are involved in various cycling communities are trying to reach cycling’s audience through the traditional sponsorship channels. But some are creating their own channels and using the image of the bicycle to reach their own audiences. Following my first interview in December with Puma CMO Antonio Bertone, I spoke with Meredith Giske of New Belgium Brewing, the folks behind Fat Tire Ale and the Tour de Fat. In addition to being a great time, the Tour de Fat has created a whimsical, quirky image of bicycling that’s become almost a branded subculture unto itself. In the interview, Meredith talks about that, sustainability, and the bicycle’s role in New Belgium’s story and personality.

Last day at the Allied Box Factory

Posted on 25. Mar, 2009 by Josh in Personal | 1 Comment

Last day at the Allied Box Factory

Working from home sounds great, but you have to have a home. If all you have is a San Francisco-size bedroom and a living room that you share with roommates, it doesn’t work so well. That’s why I decided four years ago to rent a desk space from Monte Stott & Associates in the former Allied Box Factory. Since then, I’ve come to work every day in a beautiful space with great friends.

RIP, pass-along rate

Posted on 20. Mar, 2009 by Josh in Marketing, Trends | 1 Comment

RIP, pass-along rate

For PR firms – people whose job is to get editorial media coverage, as opposed paid advertising, by sending out press releases and the like – the demise of the newspaper carries with it the demise of one the industry’s most powerful tools: the pass-along rate.

ROAD columns, recent and upcoming

Posted on 10. Mar, 2009 by Josh in Bike Racing, ROAD Magazine | No Comments

ROAD columns, recent and upcoming

I’ve posted my most recent column for ROAD Magazine, discussing how a labor union would function in pro cycling and what it would take to create one. To summarize, the CPA can only make suggestions and is too closely tied to the UCI (i.e. management). But a union wouldn’t benefit the most influential riders financially or have any leverage in negotiations with ASO. So it’s unlikely to happen, even though it would help most of the riders. Here’s an excerpt from the column I just sent in…

Towards an urban cycling identity

Posted on 07. Mar, 2009 by Josh in Bike industry, Client News, Trends | 1 Comment

Towards an urban cycling identity

… fashion’s attraction to bicycles is another signal that urban cycling has arrived as a distinct lifestyle. People in the communities that give birth to broader trends in fashion and culture have begun to see the bicycle as part of their self-identity. Essentially, it’s the idea that tastemakers (a word that I dislike) are now saying, “I am a bicyclist.”