Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Press Release – Monterey, CA (Sea Otter Classic Booth #590) – April 20, 2018 – Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN) SOLOS®, a unit of Kopin Corporation, is proud to announce it has renewed its partnership with USA Cycling through the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as the official smart glasses partner. SOLOS smart glasses, the first augmented reality sports performance glasses developed with the USA Cycling team, were used by the Women’s Pursuit Team who won silver medals at the Rio Olympic Games. Once again, SOLOS will serve as a tool for the team’s training and insights as the team races toward success in Tokyo 2020.

SOLOS Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Tom Futch, said, “This partnership with USA Cycling is an amazing opportunity to connect directly with an incredible group of people who are passionate about cycling. We look forward to working closely with USA Cycling athletes and members to elevate their experience over the next several years through groundbreaking technology, support and initiatives.”

“SOLOS smart glasses continue to play a key role in our team’s performance as we look towards Tokyo 2020,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, Vice President of Elite Athletics at USA Cycling. “Our Women’s Pursuit Team brought home the silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the gold at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships last month. As we explore ways to utilize the smart glasses across additional disciplines, we are looking forward to working with SOLOS to find the best ways for our National Team athletes and coaches to use the technology for winning medals at the highest levels.” Read more… »

Independent bike retailers capture 52 percent of the $5.9 billion US bike market, according to a report from The NPD Group.

Continuing a trend from the past few years, road bike dominance ($412.8 million; down 12 percent) has made away for increased sales of mountain bikes ($577.5 million; up 3 percent – although it looks like there is a newer competitor sharking things up: electric bikes.

The e-bike market has increased more than eightfold since 2014, racking up $77.1 million in sales in 2017. Impressively, the burgeoning market saw 91 percent growth year-over-year, with more interest being shown among casual consumers. I’ll discuss e-bikes in-depth with a separate post here on the blog.

Additional thoughts and more after the jump…..

Read more… »

Riding a bike is supposed to be fun. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe experience each time you get back in the saddle. There are a lot of scenarios that end up with cyclists and pedestrians injured while out and about, despite much of it being preventable with basic situational awareness.

If you’re familiar with Alameda, you’re likely aware of the numerous crosswalks, bike lanes, and occasionally disorderly habits of… seemingly everyone. Preventable collisions and other incidents occur due to a variety of factors, so let’s take a closer look.

Read more… »