It’s funny, the articles you can find if you just search a bit.

Here’s one about a seven year old kid named Noah Garcia. He was born without a right forearm, which makes riding a bike very difficult. Realizing the importance of bicycles to little kids, the occupational therapist at this school contacted one of the local correctional facilities that has a program where inmates restore old bikes and give them away. But they did not have a suitable bike.

Enter Ellsworth. No, not Tony Ellsworth’s highly regarded company, but Ellsworth Correctional Facility. Not only did they put together a pretty sweet looking trike for Noah, but they even made a fancy little extension off the right handlebar that allows him to rest his right arm. Nice work!

Of course, it all comes down to whether or not the new owner of this bike likes it. And Noah’s response after his first ride? “It’s good”.

There you have it.

Tomorrow, I’ll have some confidential stuff about new gear from either Shimano or SRAM based on inside information from an industry spy. Or not.

Here.

Day two.

Day three.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - Jan. 10, 2007- In an effort to better support retailers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, Interbike announced it will host its first annual Interbike Outdoor Demo East Tuesday, October 21 to Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Roger Williams Park in Providence, R.I.

The Interbike Outdoor Demo East event is based on the Interbike Outdoor Demo held in conjunction with the Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas and will include product testing, National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) seminars and networking events. The new event is aimed at servicing retailers who do not attend and/or additional staff members who are not able to participate in the Interbike International Expo and Outdoor Demo.

“We recognize there are members of the industry that have difficulties attending the Interbike Expo in Las Vegas,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike’s industry consultant. “Interbike Outdoor Demo East is a hands-on, no-hassle, inexpensive regional style event that allows retailers to not only test new products but also educate staff members on the latest trends and network with industry members in a historic and event friendly location.”

Manufacturers who have already committed to exhibit at the event include Advanced Sports (Fuji, SE Racing, Kestrel), Fox Racing Shox, Giant Bicycles, Kenda USA, Pacific Cycle (GT, Schwinn, Mongoose), Pedro’s Total Bicycle Care and Santa Cruz Bicycles, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks.

“Interbike always produces a great trade event,” said Pat Cunnane, president of Advanced Sports “We’re confident OutDoor Demo East will be a great event as well and we are looking forward to giving our East Coast retailers another opportunity to learn about and test ride our products.”

“The genesis of an opportunity to reach out to the other half of cycling is perfect,” said Chris Zigmont, general manager of Pedro’s Total Bicycle Care. “We will now be able to meet with the guys and gals who work the shop floor and who can’t attend Interbike’s Las Vegas trade show because of time and money constraints.”

The OutDoor Demo East is not intended to replace Interbike’s September trade event, but will include additional events to benefit retailers unable to attend the Las Vegas show. For example, the partnership with the NBDA will bring its popular Super Seminars to the event.

“We’ve had great feedback on our Super Seminars around the country and attendance has exceeded expectations,” said Fred Clements, executive director of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. “By partnering with Interbike at Outdoor Demo East, we feel we’ll be able to offer high quality sessions in a convenient setting that will allow us to reach an even larger audience in a region that deserves the support.”

Roger Williams Park is located just south of downtown Providence and has been the host city for the 2006 and 2007 National Cyclocross Championships. In addition to being a great place for cycling, Providence is a central location for Northeast and Mid Atlantic retails and is easily accessible by most forms of transportation.

Post Interbike/Outdoor Demo East Coast Retailer Survey
While developing the outline for Interbike Outdoor Demo East event, much of the planning was guided by responses to a post Interbike/Outdoor Demo survey Interbike distributed to retailers in the North East and Mid Atlantic regions (Two areas that typically have the weakest representation at the Interbike Expo). The more than 300 survey participants were primarily owners and managers of retail shops.

Key findings from the survey include:

• Retailer responses showed a majority support for a regional, demo style, east coast event

• More than 65 percent of retailers indicated they would bring three or more employees

• Respondents ranked industry networking, manufacturer/distributor new sales programs and product testing as their most important trade show activities

• More than 85 participants indicated they would drive to the event

• 45 percent of retailers marked that they would bring employees to Interbike Outdoor Demo East that would not normally attend the Interbike Expo and Outdoor Demo in Las Vegas

As part of the survey, Interbike posed several questions about hosting a consumer day on the last day of the industry demo event. While there was some support from the industry for a consumer day, there was not a clear consensus on the issue. As a result, OutDoor Demo East will focus on best serving the needs of the industry in its inaugural year.

For questions about exhibiting at OutDoor Demo East, please email Interbike Sales Manager, Andria Klinger at andria.klinger@nielsen.com. Retailer attendees, please stay tuned for more information.

About Interbike
Interbike, produced by Nielsen Business Media, the parent company of the Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR) and Fly Fishing Retailer trade shows, is a full-service trade show company that creates, markets and produces high-quality expos and educational conferences. Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike (www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually.

The dates for next year’s Interbike trade-only events begin with the Outdoor Demo September 22-23, 2008 in Bootleg Canyon, the Interbike Expo September 24-26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the OutDoor Demo East October 21 & 22 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, R.I.