Not always a rant…

It is really easy to rant on about subjects I’m passionate about. However, I’m sure it gets a bit boring so I’ll bring y’all some good news about the good guys of the bike industry who I know and who have recently been seen in the bike rags.

Bike Magazine – June 2009 issue. There are two great bits about two bike industry folks. The first is a one-pager about Sean Virnig of Rawland Cycles. Sean’s a good guy who deserves all the kudos possible about his frames. He’s really stepped out on a limb with his brand to create a niche bike that really wasn’t being addressed – and he hit one 0ut of the park.

The second one is about Joel Smith and Tomac Bikes. This is kind of a double bonus. Not only is John Tomac one of the greatest, nicest guys of mountain biking, but Joel has resurrected the Tomac brand and put some fire and passion into it to create a great range of mountain bikes – as it deserves. Joel works his ass off for the brand. He even bared it for the camera in a classic guy reading room shot. Classic, Joel.

The third is from a recent issue of BRAIN. F.K. Day is the executive VP of SRAM and the president of World Bicycle Relief. I first met F.K. in the late ’80s as he made the bike shop rounds peddling (pedaling?) a contraption called a Grip Shift. The first Grip Shift was for road bikes and it was installed on the end of the drop bar. The bar had to be drilled for the cable housing to run through it and F.K. hit up bike shops installing Grip Shift shifters on employees bikes. After I left retail for the manufacturing side, I would see F.K. at all the bike shows – Eurobike, Taipei, Interbike. He always remembered me and we caught up in those brief minute passings. He’s done some really great things with World Bicycle Relief and recently finished the Solvang half-century on one of the 65 pound Africa bikes his organization distributes to aid and health-care workers in Africa (they’ve delivered over 50,000 bikes). His ride raised $12,230 for the organization in donations.

So, Sean, Joel, and F.K. – I salute you guys for what you have accomplished. Bravo!

(What’s playing: The Flying Burrito Brothers Sin City)