I have to admire this guy. He’s creative, and he’s got balls.

HORS CATEGORIE, FRANCE (CFEpr+) July 21, 2010 - - Dave Mayer, founder of Clean Bottle, a revolutionary sports bottle that unscrews at both ends for easy cleaning, didn’t have a lot of money to launch his business. So he got creative. Mayer put together a five-foot-tall replica costume of his product, booked a flight to France and has been running alongside the riders at the tops of the climbs of the Tour de France.

In the process he’s become a minor celebrity.

“From what I hear I’ve gotten some good television time” said Mayer “my inbox is flooded with people telling me what a kick they get out of “Bottle Boy” running along with the cyclists.”

Creates “Bottle Boy” Costume for National Product Launch

Buoyed by his initial success, Mayer decided he needed to do a national product launch. But, he didn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it takes for this kind of effort.

Instead, he came up with “Bottle Boy” and launched a plan to run along the tops of the climbs of 12 stages of the Tour de France.

“The Tour de France is the Super Bowl of cycling.  By running with the riders I’d essentially get free commercial time focused on my exact target audience. I’d do it in a creative, funny way that hopefully would get people’s attention.”

Sales are Climbing Through the Roof!

So far, Mayer’s plan is working. “I’ve gone from $4,000 a month in sales to $4,000 a day.  And people are constantly emailing me about the bottle and what a great idea it is. Driving all night to get to the next stage and then hauling the costume some times as much as 20 kilometers to the top of every climb is a lot of work, but it’s definitely been worth it.”

Click Here to see Clean Bottle Coverage on Versus…

Look for Clean Bottle on Thursday’s Tourmalet Climb!

Clean Bottle’s Tour de France concludes with Thursday’s 19 kilometer climb up the Tourmalet, one of cycling’s toughest climbs. Look for Bottle Boy near the top, cheering on the riders and bringing smiles to the faces of cycling fans worldwide.

You can also see Clean Bottle’s ’stage reports’ at the Clean Bottle blog, http://cleanbottle.wordpress.com and its Facebook page www.facebook.com/cleanbottle

About Clean Bottle:

Clean Bottle was founded and is run by David Mayer, a road and mountain cyclist. Dave’s dream is to create phenomenal products that customers love and raise money for good causes.

Clean Bottle supports charities including Engineers Without Borders, Nature Conservancy, Yield to Life, Water1st, the California Bicycle Coalition and more.

Call Clean Bottle at 650.281.7681 and email info@cleanbottle.com to get on board the Clean Bottle Revolution!
cleanbottle.com

I just got an email announcing that Fyxation’s saddles are now shipping. Here’s the scoop:

Leather Button Saddles
- Classic styling with real leather cover
- Black, White or Brown Leather
- Chromoly Chrome plated seat rails with graduated marks for easy adjustment
- Padded with Ergo Cutout

More details and better photos can be found on their website.

BikeTrailerShop.com is looking for an internet marketing person. Yeah, I would be perfect for the job, but I already have a full time job, and it seems like I’m doing this kind of work for free for everyone else. Why would I want to get paid for it? Seriously though, you can see the job posting here.

Here’s a bit about them, and the job:

We are currently seeking a highly motivated, self-starting individual to join our team and work on, manage and develop a variety of tasks and projects involving our internet marketing strategies and our blog and webstore content. Our business is focused on marketing bicycling products through our webstores. Strong writing skills and an advanced background in bicycling are requirements for the position.

Looks like a great opportunity for someone likes to write, and has a passion for bikes.

Approximately 6,400 bikes equipped with Easton EA30 stems are being recalled, as the stems can crack, causing a steering failure.

There has only been one result of a failure resulting in injury so far.

Models being recalled are all Raleigh 2007, XXIX 700c MTN, RX1.0, Diamondback 2007, Mission, and Sortie bicycles with EA30 stems. The EA30 stems are black with white-and-gray graphics and feature a four-bolt stem face cap.“EA30” is printed on the stem.

Note that EA30 stems sold as aftermarket items are included in this recall.

The bikes were sold via independent bicycle dealers nationwide from August 2007 through August 2009 for between $500 and $1,200. Aftermarket stems were sold from August 2007 through September 2009 for about $30.

Consumers should immediately stop riding the bicycles and contact any authorized Easton Sports dealer for a free replacement stem.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Eason Sports toll-free at (866) 892-6059 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.eastonbike.com

I heard from Mike at Stem Captain yesterday. He was just heading out to see his machinist with the final drawings for their new compass. With any luck, it should be available around Thanksgiving.

With the economy being what it is, a Stem Captain would be a very affordable gift for your favorite cyclist this holiday season. Current models include the clock, thermometer, photo frame, and the upcoming compass. Mike also mentioned that there are a few other possible designs on the table, including an inclinometer and a bottle opener. That last item is perfect for the end of a long, hot mountain bike ride.

I’ll post further updates when I get them, and hopefully have photos of the compass soon.