Welcome to Tuesday on the road.cc live blog with Simon MacMichael, Jack Sexty and the rest of the team.
08/01/2019, 12:57
Rob DeMartini, who steered New Balance through “official shoes of white people” PR gaffe, appointed CEO of USA Cycling
USA Cycling has announced that Rob DeMartini, who has served as CEO of shoe brand New Balance for the past 12 years, has been appointed as their new CEO. USA Cycling's last two bosses were both former elite cyclists, and although DeMartini describes himself as a keen recreational rider according to the Denver Post, the new appointment was mostly due to his many contacts in the business world.
DeMartini presided over a turbulent time for New Balance in 2016, when it emerged that their owner Jim Davis had personally donated $400,000 to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and a New Balance staff member appeared to offer support for Trump's planned Trans-Pacific Partnership; however the company said the comments were blown out of proportion and only related to trade, and that New Balance "does not support Trump" or "tolerate bigotry or hate in any form”. It didn't stop democrat supporters from burning their trainers en masse and promise lifetime boycotts of the company, and the comments also impressed Neo-Nazis who dubbed New Balance "the official shoes of white people"; but two years on it appears little lasting damage has been done to their image.
Will DeMartini make USA Cycling great again? He starts work in February 2019.
08/01/2019, 11:32
A little too immersive?
Remember those Back to the Future and Star Wars ride simulators that were popular in 90's theme parks? Well here's that but on a spin bike. No thanks...
08/01/2019, 11:16
Some more curiosities from the CES show 2019
There's plenty of weird and wonderful cycling-related inventions on display at the world's biggest consumer technology show this week... and firmly in the weird camp is this penny farthing-inspired e-cycle named the JackRabbit.
...also at the show is the world's first bike powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the Pragma Industries' Alpha bicycle.
...and the rather fetching R-Pur Nano anti-pollution mask, that lights up to indicate poor air quality.
We'll be keeping an eye out for more interesting stuff from the show this week, watch this space.
08/01/2019, 10:16
Take a look at this self-inflating airbag gilet for cyclists, on show at CES
We're looking out for bike-related gear from the world's biggest consumer electronics show, CES, and here's something that caught our eye - a self-inflating airbag gilet.
An inflating vest that uses accelerometers and a gyroscope to determine when you are falling off a bike is genuinely cool. #CES19https://t.co/HKGrnusQk5pic.twitter.com/Tdvivqjt1L
— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) January 7, 2019
There's a more extensive video about it here from the BBC, including an interview with one of the people behind the company that produces it, Helite..
08/01/2019, 10:04
This gym in China will get your legs burning - and your stomach churning
Wait for it ...
08/01/2019, 09:41
Iconic Wirral cycling cafe up for sale
The Eureka Cyclists' Cafe in Woodbank on the Wirral is something of an institution in that part of the world - after all, it's been trading for 90 years. Now the current owners, who have run it for 17 years, are looking to sell up and are seeking someone to take it on. Interested? Contact them via Facebook.