Batman Question Winner Is....

....Mr. Al Whitehurst! Not only did he answer our Batman trivia question correctly, he was picked from our hat by our category manager, Alison.

Al knew that Batman's father's profession was indeed a doctor. He was also a philanthropist, but his profession was doctor.

Dwight is so excited about this new line of locks that he's decided to kick off the contest series with the whole kit and kaboodle....Al is going to get a full set of 5 Justice League padlocks! They are sitting here on my messy desk....Al please email me your shipping address and I'll get them right out to you. donna_tocci(at)irco(dot)com

Thanks to everyone who played....next up Superman...before the end of the week. We'll ask the trivia question and have you email them in to me (thanks for the tip Caroline!). The winner will get the Superman padlock.

And, at the end of the series, we'll be giving away another whole set of locks for answering the big question correctly. Stay tuned....



Stay tuned...

8 Random Things

My friend Tim tagged me....he wants to know (and wants all of you to know) 8 things about me that you didn't already know...seriously? 8 things...ok...here we go...

1. I've said before that I have an 'events background'. What does that mean? My first job out of college was working for the Boston Athletic Association. They are the organizers of the Boston Marathon. No, I wasn't a volunteer, I was an actual employee. I was there for 6 races. During that time, I was also a consultant for a company called DMSE. I'm a little biased, but I think they put on the best events anywhere. I learned so, so much from working with Dave McGillivray both at the marathon and at DMSE.

2. For the past 16 years or so, I have been involved with the Falmouth Road Race. It all started when I was at the Boston Marathon. I went down to volunteer in the press area for the lady who has had the biggest impact in my career, Sue Smith. Everyone needs a mentor and she has been mine; she provided the foundation for all of my career successes. Anyway...Falmouth...I went from volunteer to organizing the media efforts, back to volunteer (job change those years) and then back to organizing the media efforts and, in most recent years, working the media credentialing on race weekend and organizing the press tent and athlete escorts. I love every minute of it - hey, who wouldn't like "working" on the beach for a weekend? The Cigna Falmouth Road Race is in less than a week.....I can't wait to see the co-directors and the other dear friends that I don't see often enough!

3. The first person I met in the cycling industry (aside from the triathlon folks) was Rob Vandermark (long before Seven was formed). But, not in the capacity that you'd think. He had just created the first titanium racing wheelchair. It was light, fast and pretty darn cool - won a lot of races and set some world records, too.

4. The first bike race I attended was the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic back in 1991, with some friends. Didn't know a thing about bike racing; just went for the fun of being with friends. Went back to the same race in 1996, with a good friend to watch her new boyfriend compete. I learned a lot that year about tactics, teams and chalking the road (yes we did!). It was a blast - and the new boyfriend, who later became a husband to my friend, won the race.

5. Non-career fact? I don't eat meat. I'd say 'vegetarian' but I do eat fish sometimes so I don't know if that counts in the truest sense of vegetarianism, but no meat for me. Not since 1989.

6. I'm an animal lover (gee...you might have guessed by the previous fact). I love all kinds of animals, but I love big dogs the most, probably. Grew up with German Shepherds, but my favorite are Rotties. I had the friendliest doggie you'd ever meet who was a Rottie. Until she passed, she'd come here to the office and made friends with everyone in the company. Not a mean bone in her body.


7. I'm a NASCAR fan. Big. Huge. Grew up at race tracks in New England - racing is in my blood. On a Sunday I'm watchin' the race (or at least have it on while I'm doing other things). Favorite driver? Jeff Gordon. Hands down. But, I am also a Jimmie Johnson fan and a Dale Jr fan - I can't tell you how happy I am that they will all be racing for the same team next year. I've been to races at Loudon and Bristol. Been to Fontana but not for a NASCAR event, saw an IRL race there.

8. My favorite movie of all time is Moonstruck. Hands down. I just love all the nuances of the Italian family depicted in the movie. Perfect.

That's it...8 things you probably didn't know about me before right now. Do you feel better knowing all that? I can't imagine how, but I'll play along....so now I get to tag 5 people...

1. Carlton Reid - Quickrelease.tv
2. Roland Burns - R.E.Load bags
3. Jill Hamilton - Haro Bicycles
4. Jonathan Maus - Bike Portland
5. Chipps Chippendale - Singletrack Magazine

Can't wait to hear what you five have to say!

Bob Roll on the Champs-Elysees

by Bob Roll
Reporting from Paris between television takes, right after the Tour concluded


The 2007 Tour Day France will go down as one addition that bounced back the highest from the lowest ebb of the sport. In the end, the yellow jersey eventually found its rightful owner, Alberto Contador of Discovery Channel Cycling Team. The young Spaniard inherited the jersey because of the disgraceful exit of the Dane Michael Rssmussen.

Michael Rasmussen, while leading the Tour and looking to be the dominant player in the event, was asked to go home because he lied about his whereabouts prior to this year’s Tour. In this day and age in the sport of cycling with all of the debilitating scenarios that have transpired no pro, let alone the leader of the Tour, can have any irregularities whatsoever associated with the anti-doping protocols. He followed in the footsteps of Cristian Moreni, Patrick Sinkewitz, and even Serhiy Honchar, who was not even allowed to start by his team. But most compelling for the sport, and ultimately who might prove to be the most damaging, was Alexander Vinokourov.

Vino began the tour as the sentimental favorite worldwide and left the tour as a disgraced sportsman who tried in vain to defraud the race, the yellow jersey, his sponsors and especially the millions of fans who stand for hours at the side of the road to catch a momentary glimpse of their heroes.

The sport descended to as low as it could go before rising back to the firmament where it belongs underneath the wheels of Alberto Contador. Let’s hope that the post Tour revelations about Contador are only positive and do not include any of the negative elements that have plagued last year’s Tour results.

When you look at the bright eyes and beautiful pedaling motion so raptor-like in the mountains of Alberto Contador you can not find a better ambassador as we look towards the future of cycling.

Tour Day Neighborhood and a little rant

I've struggled with what to write today. A sport that I love to watch is in chaos. I knew this before Le Tour started. I wrote about it. I swore I wouldn't get caught up in it. But, then, as the grand lady of all tours came closer, I found myself drawn to it again. I wanted to watch the great scenery. I wanted to see the athletic feats unfold in front of my eyes. And, yes, I wanted to hear Bob Roll's commentary. I looked forward to it all again.

I've enjoyed the Tour right up until yesterday. Watching with heartache when Rogers had to abandon, watching Vino bleed through his bandages and keep plugging along through the crosswinds, watching the young pup Contador win a stage and seem like he was playing with the field and, of course, watching Vino come back from all the blood and stitches and win two stages. Yes, I was cheering in my living room at the sheer wonder of it all.

Yesterday was a tough, tough day. A tour without Vino, a Cofidis rider being taken away and then the grand slam....my friend and fellow cycling fanatic, Reva, called and asked if I heard what happened at the tour. Yes, I had heard about the Italian and Cofidis...but, no I hadn't heard the proverbial cherry on top..the yellow jersey pulled out of the tour, after winning that day's stage. I hadn't heard that; it was a good thing I was sitting down when she told me. Not positive dope test, just yanked for lying to his team.

Now, we could go back and forth all day long about who is guilty, who may be guilty and who is innocent. But, I'm just too jaded to do that. Yesterday, I was done, totally done with cycling. That's it - fini!

But, today, I looked at my bike in the corner and thought...it's not the bike's fault. I loved riding my bike around my neighborhood as a kid. I lived on a very rural road and found myself riding further and further from my house as I got older. It was a great freedom. I lost that when I went to college in the city (no, I am not a city rider...I admire messengers more than I can say but it's not for me personally), got a car and had friends that lived in places too far to ride my bike to. When I came to Kryptonite, I got the bug again and got a new bike that I love. I still don't ride that often - life is busy, busy, busy. But, I know why I like riding when I actually do it.

I like "getting somewhere" when I'm out. When I walk, I get a couple of miles. When I ride I get 3 to 4 times that far; see more things. I love looking at people's gardens, watching kids in yards, and dogs and squirrels and such. When I go out it is a true "Tour Day Neighborhood," not a training ride.

So, pro cycling puts a black mark against 'cycling', but we as the every day bike riders can still make sure that kids find the love of bike riding. It's not all about the pros. It's about all of us bike riders - there are a ton of us out there. Start your own Tour Day Neighborhood today. Don't sit around and stew about the 'state of the sport'. It's only the state of the pro sport that is in shambles. The state of bike riding is as great as it has always been.

As Bob Roll said, it's about freedom, which is "just another word for two-wheeled self-propelled nirvana". Get out and ride your bike. Get out and tour your neighborhood. What do you see? Let us know. Share your neighborhood adventure with us all. Let's get out and see what's around us, as we see it on our bikes, not from the car, not what we see on the television with the chaos in France, but in our own neighborhoods.

My Weekend at Iowa Speedway

by Nicole Hoffman

(please note that this post was written last week)

We returned on Sunday after what was a fun and exciting weekend at Iowa Speedway. This was the first time that motorcycles have ever run this new 1.3 mile road course. So in the inaugural year of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series we are all anxious to see what comes of a first trip to a new track.

I have to say, the facility was outstanding. The fans in Iowa are diehard and so enthusiastic to see racers. They were very welcoming and made the event a lot of fun.

I didn’t race this weekend due to my on-going back spasms and pain. Since I help run the team there is no shortage of things that need to be done. I stayed busy all weekend writing press releases, taking photos and updating the Team RightsforBikers.com Web site. I enjoy attending the entrant meetings, rider meeting and organizing logistics of the team. We have a great team so sometimes that comes easy even though there is so much to do.

The team had 3 practice sessions: one Thursday, one Friday and a quick practice on Saturday. The riders all got out there and learned the track and starting picking up some good lap times. Our SST bike (Suzuki SV1000) ridden by Mark Crozier and Nathan Dressman ran the second fastest in practice and usually that is a good indication of the outcome of the race. My fill-in rider, Justin Filice was amazing. He was running almost as fast on the SV650 as some were on the bigger bikes. It was fun to watch him and his dad (Jimmy Filice) out in practice. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Jimmy, click on his name…he is well known in motorcycle racing. Jimmy was showing Justin the lines and the way around the track and Justin was picking up time.

Race day was getting last minute details completed, such as lights on the bikes (since the even falls past sun down, lights are required and PIAA, our sponsor really helped us out here). As with any and all MOTO-ST events, we have an autograph session for the fans. We couldn’t believe the turn-out! They were lined up for more than an hour to walk through and get ever rider’s autograph. Different to motorcycle racing, but common in NASCAR are the rider introductions on stage. This was the first time riders had done this and it really added to the show.

The race began at 6:30pm CT and was a 3-hour long race. Our team had 2 podium finishes for which the entire team – crew and riders – was extremely excited. We have worked so hard to get to the top of the podium and we were within 40 seconds behind the leader when a red flag came out and the race was called with 30 minutes remaining. This race was a testament to the strength of the team and we can’t wait for the 8 Hours at Daytona in October!

Oh and by the way…at Road America for the Red Flag Fund auction…the custom painted trash can by Dave Perewitz raised $225! All the items auctioned off can be found here. The proceeds go to help injured motorcycle racers. A great cause for a great community of people.

Kryptonite Addresses Customer Concerns Regarding ITV Show (UK)

Kryptonite sent a comment to Alex Nott, Producer of tonight’s ITV show “Gone in 60 Seconds – The Bike Crime Wave” last week. But, we wanted to talk to our customers because we are confident in our products (we use them every day) and want our customers to feel confident as well.

We weren’t offered the opportunity to participate in, attend or view an unedited version of this “test”. What we did see was a clearly edited video performed by a competitor whose products, we are told, are not used in this show.

Kryptonite takes the security of its customers’ property very seriously and does not condone or support any form of media that publicly educates or encourages criminal or other illegal activity on any brand of lock. We also don’t condone or support product demonstrations that do not fully educate the viewer on the types of tools used and the conditions in which such tools would be used.

This televised demonstration leads viewers to believe that 42-inch bolt cutters are common tools used by thieves. They are not. The 42-inch bolt cutters used in the show are large in size, expensive to purchase and difficult to obtain (according to our research).

Please note that the price of this 42 inch bolt cutter, like the one used in the show, retails for approximately £291-360 ($600-742 U.S. Dollars), and replacement jaws retail for approximately £100.00 ($206 U.S. Dollars). Unfortunately, there will always be people who think it is necessary to publicize ways to perform criminal or other illegal activity. We recognize that and are committed to constantly evaluating technologies and methods for providing products that guard against these most common methods.

The methods described on this show are not common methods currently in use in the UK or elsewhere. The New York Fahgettaboudit chain is covered by Kryptonite’s anti-theft protection offer. In the last two years, in the UK, there have been no claims of property being stolen that was secured with a New York Fahgettaboudit chain. Zero.

Our high end security products, including the New York Fahgettaboudit chain, meet or exceed industry testing standards and are also tested by internal and external professionals in a variety of ways to guard against methods commonly and uncommonly used by thieves. Kryptonite has manufactured and sold high quality products for 35 years and has been testing the products for just as long. As a matter of fact, Kryptonite team members who test the products have an impressive combined testing knowledge of 46 years.

Our internal tests involve a variety of tools used by thieves, such as bolt cutters (including 42 inch bolt cutters), hack saws, hammers, pry bars, grinders, hydraulic devices and a host of other common and uncommon methods. The products are tested to the point of failure in order to understand the limitations and the environments for which the products are best suited. If a new method is heard of by Kryptonite, the products will be retested against that method as well.

Despite the internal testing done by Kryptonite employees, we do not ask that our current or future customers just take our word for it. We rely on independent, third party testing to expertly attack the chains and locks. We submit our high end locks to industry respected testing agencies such as Sold Secure (UK), ART (NL), VdS (DE), N.F. (FRA), Classe SRA (FRA) and SSF (Sweden). In total, Kryptonite has received over 70 approvals from these agencies for a variety of its products. The New York Fahgettaboudit chain received the highest ratings of Gold and 4+ from both Sold Secure and ART.

Another highly respected third party tester, Cycling Plus Magazine, tested the New York Fahgettaboudit chain in its annual lock test this spring and it fared very well over the other chains submitted, receiving a coveted “recommend.” The chain held up over one minute to power tools after it was already attacked for 5 minutes with more common street tools, such as bolt cutters.

We understand and respect the fact that people are passionate about the brand of lock they choose. We are not interested in a back and forth with our competitors or their supporters; we’ve said our peace and will leave it at that. If you have a question or concern about one of your own Kryptonite locks, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service at letters@irco.com

We offer a broad range of products so customers can select products to create security levels specific to their unique needs and environments. The products are and will be continuously tested, both internally and externally, to provide customers with products that will protect their property in a variety of environments and give them general piece of mind.

Having said all that, as we go forward on this blog, we’d like to ask that everyone refer to our very first post in the blogosphere. It requests, “that people be respectful with their comments. Constructive criticism is welcome, slander is not. Profanity is not. Basically, please don’t say something here that you wouldn’t say in one of our living rooms. We would appreciate that.” This is a common request in the blogosphere and we don’t find it unreasonable. We will ask again that everyone please keep that in mind.

Thanks for your time. Now we suggest you turn off the computer and go out for a nice ride. You can feel confident that Kryptonite will continue to meet the challenges of the street.

The Dark Knight

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath for the beginning of our contest - the wait is over. Batman, the Caped Crusader is the first superhero that we will test your knowledge of. Again as a reminder the first 25 respondants will be entered into a drawing where the grand prize will be a full set of the padlocks, plus the winners picture,if so interested, on our website. The question is:

What is the profession of Batman's father?

Tour de France, Catalogs & Such

Oh my goodness, how about the Tour Day France this weekend? Tim Jackson/Masiguy has great recaps - better than I could do since he has raced and knows more about that aspect. I just watch for the pure enjoyment of watching these guys put it all out on the line athletically. That, and the antics from the sidelines.

Seriously, a guy in a full chicken costume running up the mountain next to Michael Rassmussen yesterday? Priceless.

But, the most enjoyment, for this fan, was watching Alexander Vinokourov just kick some serious butt on the time trial - in the wet! Wow. It was impressive.

Equally impressive was yesterday's win by youngster Alberto Contador. After riding for hours and hours and then needing to attack that last mountain? And, leave most of your competitors behind. Nicely, done. He really made it look effortless, which floors me.

I can't wait for tonight's coverage with Bob and Al (shhh...don't tell...I spend all day not looking to see who won the stages so I can be surprised at night). Besides, I just love the "Bob and Al Show". They are too funny.

Oh, stay tuned for another Bob post at the end of the week. He's going to check in from Paris on Friday night or Saturday to give us his thoughts as the Tour wraps up.

Now it's off to work on the bike security catalog. It's that time where we are getting ready for the big industry trade shows. Eurobike is at the end of August in Germany and then there is the Canadian show in mid-September and then Interbike in Vegas at the end of September. Kryptonite will be at all three. If you are a dealer attending one, or more, of those shows, stop by! Much more news about those shows as we get closer.

I wonder which Tour stars will be at Eurobike....one year Jan Ullrich was there and you would have thought royalty was in the building or something. I don't know what to compare it to. It was a frenzied crowd. Somehow, I don't think he'll be there this year....but you never know who might show up. Someone from Astana? The Chicken himself?

There I go thinking "Tour" again. It's so hard not to in July! But...catalogs need to get done....

The Tour So Far - After Stage 12

by Bob Roll
(called in from Albi, France)


The early part of the Tour was dominated by the World Time Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara of team CSC. He didn’t win the Prologue by a couple of seconds but rather 13 seconds, which was a landslide over Andreas Kloden and the rest of the field. Most of the sprinters who could normally expect to contend for the yellow jersey, as well as the stage wins, were cast adrift by the yellow rocket ship of Fabian Cancellara.

That, however, did not reduce their zeal for stage wins one iota. Robbie McEwen took right up where he left off on last year’s Tour on a dangerous stage to Canterbury and was followed by Steegmans, Pozzato, Hushovd and Boonen.

When the tour reached the Alps the real racing began. The jersey changed hands a couple of times since Cancellara’s domination of the Prologue. First, being taken by Linus Gerdemann and since by Michael Rassmussen.

After the Alpine stages, which provided us with absolutely spectacular images, the stages included wins by Tom Boonen (again), Cedric Vasseur and Robbie Hunter.

As we look forward to the first decisive time trial the most successful Tour for any of the teams has been for Barloworld, which was invited rather than qualified for the Tour. The privateers on the team have, so far, delivered two stage wins, far eclipsing the success of mega-budget squads like Discovery and Astana. Also, team CSC could not ask for a better scenario. Quick Step has now taken out four stage wins and Thor Hushovd provided Credit Agricole with a huge stage win for the French team.

Some teams that will still be looking for success as the race progresses are FDJ, Agritubel, Gerolsteiner, Discovery, Euskaltel, Caisse d’Epargne and Astana.

One of the most interesting battles pitted Alexandre Vinokourov against Christophe Moreau. Christophe Moreau attacked repeatedly on the road to Tignes when it was obvious that Vinokourov was in an extreme state of agony. On the stage to Montpellier, it was Vinokourov’s chance to punch Moreau’s Tour Day France ticket.

Bike racing at the highest level is about 2 things – suffering and revenge. Vinokourov suffered on the road to Tignes at the hands of Christophe Moreau and repaid him on the road to Montpellier by putting his team on the front with the crosswinds and putting three and a half minutes into Christophe Moreau with all the other GC contenders in tow.

In order to win the Tour you must pick your moments when you are going to inflict suffering. But you must never forget when it is your turn to suffer, if you hesitate to accept it you are lost.
Looking to the first big time trial, Albi, we will have a clear picture of the contenders and the pretenders. Rassmussen is looking rather shaky in yellow and there is no shortage of lunatics ready, willing and able to steal the yellow jersey away. On the horizon the decisive stages of the Pyrenees are looming large.

It has been a great Tour so far. One for the ages and at this point it is still anybody’s bike race.

Weekend Ride Through New England on a Kawasaki ZR7

by Eric Anastasia, Eastern Regional Sales Manager


I wanted to post this earlier this week, but just could find the time (you know how that goes).

This past weekend a friend and I took a great ride from Boston to Hartford. The way down was great, all back roads. We took Rt. 109 to Rt. 16 to Rt. 12.

From 12 we picked up Rt. 197 around the Woodstock, CT area. Here we got into the heart of the ride - the roads were twisty and tree lined with a peppering of wide open fields and farm houses overwhelmed with charm.

From there we picked up 190. Now, you could pick up 84 west off of 190 but we took 190 all the way through to Rt 5. There were two reasons we didn’t pick up 84. One was that 190 takes you down some more great roads through towns like Stafford Springs and Somers, CT.

But, the main reason was that 190 takes you through a town called Hazardville and being that close to a town call Hazardville we just couldn’t pass up not riding through just to see if we would go in and out alive. Well, uneventfully we made it out alive and continued 190 to Rt. 5 and following that to Rt. 140 then finally to Rt. 159, which dropped us off just a few miles north of Hartford, CT - the insurance capital of the world.

Now, to help qualify how great of ride this was if you where in New England this past Sunday you would know that the weather was not good. Rain was in the forecast but the skies appeared to start to clear in the North East so we geared up to get on the road. As soon as we got about five miles into the ride the rain came and it came to stay. The entire two and half hour ride it rained, and rained good. Despite all the rain, and getting drenched, the ride back was just as great as the ride there.

Internal Team Kryptonite

It was pointed out to me recently that the folks posting here haven't been putting their job titles on their posts. You all know who Bob Roll is and Dave Perewitz but, it was pointed out to me that we said in the beginning that you'd get to know the internal team Kryptonite, too, through this blog. However, if readers don't know these people already they would not necessarily know who someone is or even if they worked for Kryptonite or were just a guest.

So...with that being said, we'll start adding people's job titles to the posts and, I'll reintroduce those that you've met already....

Dwight Gibson - he's our GM...expect to see lots of posts on our new Justice League locks in the coming weeks from Dwight.

Karen Rizzo - she's our director of marketing and a little shy, but don't worry, she'll get there.

Tim Clifford - he's our director of sales for action sports. He doesn't like fireworks in the middle of the night so much, if you remember....but he's a good writer. I want to see him here more often (hint, hint).

Roby Holland - our national sales manager for action sports. He started riding earlier this season and posting here, but we haven't heard from him in awhile. I know he's riding, though, since he's training for the Cycle for Life.

Dave Miller - he's our machinist and just loves the 4th of July! He's always in such a great mood that I call him "smiley".

Melissa McPherson - she's in customer service and lead the charge in protecting the turtle laying her eggs here earlier this spring.

Craig Glab - our newest poster here....Regional Manager, Midwest. You'll be hearing from Craig often as he's putting his bobber together.

And me...the chatty one...but you know me already.

I've got a few more people lined up for you to meet, too. We aren't a shy bunch, but sometimes new products, catalogs and trade shows get in the way doing some posts. But, you'll be meeting more of us soon....

Locked Up Our Trip with Kryptonite

by Dave Perewitz

This past weekend my wife Susan and I went on the road to a show in Pittsburgh, PA. We left early Friday morning making a stop in New Jersey to drop off a freshly built bobber for a customer and then headed to Pittsburgh. We got there late Friday night.

Saturday the show was early morning ‘til early evening. That day was also my wife and mine anniversary. The show was busy throughout the day and the weather was great. We did the same thing on Sunday and packed up around 5 and were on the road home at about 6.

Here is where it gets interesting….the drive from Pittsburgh to Bridgewater, MA is about 11 hours. We get on the road and drive through most of the night till we get to Rhode Island. We were making good time - Susan and I were excited that we might get home before 4 am! We no sooner get into Rhode Island and we get a blow out. No big deal. We pull over, I change the tire and get back on the road. I didn’t even get a chance to turn the radio back up and we heard a loud pop noise! The spare tire blew out! Now we are in trouble!

I pull over and examine the trailer and tire. We are on the rim. What can we do? After making some phone calls, waking a few people up at 4 am, I realized there was nothing I could do till a tire place opened.

We didn’t want to sit on the side of the highway with $140,000 worth of bikes in the trailer so we decided to pretty much drag the trailer on the grass to the next exit. Thankfully there was a 24 hour gas station right off the exit. We decided to leave the trailer there locked up and come back for it later.

Well, I was a little nervous leaving it there because this is something we never do but I was a little more confident knowing that Kryptonite was protecting it. I backed it up to a light pole so no one could open the door, put 2 locks on the back door, one on the front door, one on the tongue, a rotor lock on each bike, chained the bikes together with a Fahgettaboudit, and put a chain around the one good wheel and tire. I would have to say someone would have a hard time stealing it if they tried. So all together I had almost 10 locks on everything. We told the clerk we were leaving it there and they said they would keep their eye on it.

At about 9 am Jody and Jeff headed down to pick it up with a new tire. The trailer must have looked terrible, sitting on the rim, fender ripped off, dirt and grass hanging out the back, ay what a site! But we got it home safe and sound! What a way to end a trip.

Bob Roll & Facebook

Bob checked in last night from France - he said on the Mediterranean and I think he said Marseille, which is where the stage ends today. He was going to have a blog post for us, but the drive from the end of yesterday's stage to where he is now was gruelling, I guess. Long and much concentration needed. But, he checked in to tell me that he's having a great time and hopes everyone is enjoying the coverage. He'll check in again tonight or tomorrow with a post so stay tuned!

So...while we were chatting, I told him that I'd just joined Facebook and, while trying to get the hang of it, I found a group called "Bob Roll is the Greatest Sports Announcer Ever." Fun! So, I joined, of course. And if you are part of Facebook, go join today! Bob thinks it's great. One of the topics there is, "What is your favorite Rollism." There aren't many answers there, yet, but I told him I'd keep him posted because he wants to know. So, I'll ask you guys and gals - what's your favorite Rollism? C'mon, there are so many to choose from!

And, while I'm asking...what do you all think of Facebook? It seems like very college student on the planet is part of it, not to mention some of the folks that read this blog. What is it about Facebook? I'm still new so I want to hear from all of you. Personally, I think it is another great way to keep in touch with friends - I've got a friend traveling in Russia right now and can keep up with the progress there a little, a family member is in Costa Rica and signs on sporatically, another friend in the military who travels frequently - all of these folks I can keep up with easily. Then there are the friends that you don't talk to as often as you'd like (go Vols!), but can keep up with on the fly there - faster than email.

So....two questions for you on this dreary New England morning. What do you think about Facebook - love it or not? And...what's your favorite Rollism?

Craig's Bobber Project - part 1

by Craig Glab

The beginning of a new project....

We all start out with goals in our heads - then you must take them and transform them into reality. I started by opening the Drag Specialties catalog and made a list of the products and parts that I wanted to use. Next step - I called up some of my close friends in the industry and ordered what I needed for this project.

Chopper Guys built my frame the way I wanted it. Next I called Lima H.D. of Lima, Ohio, to purchase my power plant. I will use a 80 cubic inch motor and a 5 speed transmission. I will also use American Wire Wheels for my 16 inch spoked wheels that will get painted.

I have alot of black anodized and chrome on this bike. I purchased a lot of the black anodized parts from Pro-One through Drag Specialties. I will be using a BDL drive system. HHI makes a braking system which is really killer on the rear of the bike. It is a sprocket and a brake disc all in one. The front caliper is also HHI and they are both anodized black.

Now comes the fun stuff - drilling holes in the right place to hide wires, welding brackets in the right place to put turn signals and the licence plate frame and so on.

Then it must all come apart for the painter to do his job. The painter will be Dave Perewitz. The motor and trani will get show polished. I will send that to our friend Donnie Smith and his crew. They will dismantle and polish them and put it back together. There are plenty of polished parts that go to the chrome platers!

Then it just needs to get all put back together and go to Daytona for Biketoberfest!

Strength in Numbers

Its a bird..no its a plane...
The Dark Knight...
Faster than a speeding bullet...
Princess of Amazonia...
Guardian of the Universe...

For the Comic Book fans out there you know who I'm referring to above - in order - Superman, Batman, Flash, WonderWoman and the Green Lantern - members of the Justice League of America one of the most popular DC comics titles. You may be asking, why am I talking about superheroes? Besides the fact that I grew up reading all titles DC and Marvel and was an avid collector...but I digress. What possibly do these characters have to do with Kryptonite? Well a whole lot...we are partnering with DC comics and launching a series of padlocks that incorporate the aforementioned members of the Justice League. The locks are available right now at select WalMart stores and will be in Home Depot in August and possibly other retailers. We are very excited about working with these characters and bringing them to our customers in real everyday products. To celebrate the launch of these products we are holding a contest here on the blog. We will profile each character and ask a question - the first 25 responsdants will be entered into a drawing where the grand prize will be a full set of the padlocks, plus the winners picture,if so interested, on our website. The fun begins this Thursday with the Gotham Crusader...stay tuned

Kristopher Holmes Memorial Ride

Last year many of us at Kryptonite had the pleasure of getting to know some members of the Holmes family at the Perewitz Bike Nights. The reason we got to meet Donna, Kim and the rest wasn't a happy one - their son and brother, Kristopher, had just been killed in a motorcycle accident. It was a difficult time for them, to say the very least, but they attended their first bike night with Kristopher's friends and riding buddies to find out what the culture was all about - why he loved riding so much.

Before you knew it, they were constant attendees of the bike nights. Being the generous folks that the Perewitz's are, they started a 50/50 raffle where the money raised would go to Kristopher's favorite charities, the Fisheries and Wildlife funds. They raised hundreds of dollars over the summer.

This year, the Holmes family decided to remember Kristopher by setting up a scholarship fund and held the 1st Annual Kristopher Holmes Memorial Bike Ride to support the fund. The ride took place this past Saturday, starting at Perewitz Cycle Fab. It was a beautiful day and my estimate would be that hundreds of motorcyclists took part. We were happy to help support the event and hope that a lot of money was raised for the fund.

Here are some pictures from the day....although I never met him, I think Kristopher would have been pleased at what his family accomplished. Hope to see you all at the 2nd annual ride next summer!

Jody Perewitz congratulates Kim (l) and Donna (r) on a fabulous turnout for the ride

Donna, Kim and the rest of the family signed up hundreds of riders

All kinds of motorcycles were in the ride

A couple of riding clubs were in attendance, too

The police escorts gave everyone a few instructions and safety tips

Kristofer's mom, Donna, gave the command to 'start the engines'

And they were off!

24 Hours of Booty is Around the Corner

Our parent company has quite a few people that are action sports enthusiasts. You've met some here and will meet more as time goes on. Today, one of the guys that keeps all our technology up and running shares his passion for an event he's participating in soon.

Here's some information on the 24 Hours of Booty by Stuart N.....

This July 27 and 28, over 15 individuals from Ingersoll Rand and Cool Breeze Cyclery will join together to participate in the 24 Hours of Booty.

The 24 Hours of Booty is a solo and relay cycling event around the scenic "Booty Loop" located in beautiful Myers Park in Charlotte , NC . The origin of the name is unclear, but for years the Booty Loop has been one of the most popular loops to Charlotte-area runners, walkers, and cyclists. These groups can be found exercising and training on the Booty Loop almost every day of the year. The 24 Hours of Booty is a fully supported event that provides a fun and relaxed setting for participants and supporters while challenging us to ride… and ride… and ride. A personal challenge that becomes even more meaningful when you consider why we are riding in the first place.

The 24 Hours of Booty is the one and only 24-hour road cycling charity event in the country. The goal of the 24 Hours of Booty is to provide an extraordinary event that is safe, fun, and open to all levels of cycling ability, while bringing cancer awareness to the community and raising funds for noteworthy cancer charities. The 24 Hours of Booty is a fundraiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the following local cancer iniatives: The Keep Pounding Fund and The Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas.

Ingersoll Rand has participated in the 24 Hours of Booty for the past two years and last year partenered with Cool Breeze Cyclery in Mooresville, NC to participate in this event. During this time, the team has raised over $22,000 in donations to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer organizations.

If you would like to learn more about the 24 Hours of Booty, please visit the event site. If you would like to make a secure donation to the Ingersoll Rand/Cool Breeze Cyclery Team, please visit our team's event page.

Meet Nicole in Iowa Tonight & This Weekend

by Nicole Hoffman


This weekend Team RightsforBikers.com heads off to the new Iowa Speedway to compete in the 5th round of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series. This race will prove to be exciting on all fronts! We just came off of Road America last weekend and had a great 2nd place finish but we were plagued with issues in post-race inspection, which we don't necessarily agree with, but that is another story for another day. We have a lot of momentum going into Iowa and we are excited about yet another podium finish.

What is really great about this event is that we run it with Grand-Am and the Daytona Prototypes. We have heard that the folks in Iowa are great motorsports fans and it should be a good crowd – not to mention, Mark Martin (NASCAR driver!) will be racing one of the Daytona Prototypes. The excitement level is always higher when we have a joint event with those guys. It is rare that an event weekend is combined with motorcycles and cars on a road course. Logistically it is challenging because the track needs to be prepared and cleaned up for the bikes since the cars lay down so much rubber.

There is a pre-race party on Thursday night for fans, teams, officials, everyone! We will be raffling off Kryptonite products so if you are in the area of Newton, IA be sure to attend! We can guarantee a great time!

Off to the races...and hey, if you can’t be there…login to http://www.moto-st.com/ and click on the live timing and scoring link and follow our 3 bikes -- #16, #69 and #89! Here is the schedule for the weekend.

Tour DAY France Tidbits

I've caught a couple of the Tour de France stages this week (I missed the opening day due to a family reunion). I loved hearing "Tour DAY France" for the first time this year from our friend, Bob Roll. I just love it!

Speaking of Bob...he'll be checking in here over the weekend. He's blogging right here from Le Tour. I'm pumped about that. I'm hoping he writes about the first mountain stages! Stay tuned....

I started my career organizing events. It's not always easy and event day is a blur of activity. If you have time to breathe, you are lucky. Kudos to Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France director, on taking time out to not only breathe, but actually sign autographs for kids and spend a few minutes with them. That's how you make Tour fans for life!

Thanks to Carlton for sending this link. It's a bright spot in the day to know that there are people out there who take the time to make a kid's day. Bravo Mr. P!

A Small Town Holiday

Today Tim Clifford shares his 4th of July holiday and observations of the kids and their bikes in his town.



So I live in a small New England college town right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. On the fourth of July my wife and I, with coffee in hand, wander 100 yards up the street to the center of town to the large rotary (or round-a-bout for those of you in the UK ). There we stand with the 2,000 other “townies” to watch the parade come through. Since college is on break for the summer, the majority of bikes we see at this event are with younger children. Actually most of the bikes were parked (unlocked) and the kids were off watching the parade.

Since I’m overly protective of what’s mine, I expect everyone should be overly protective of what’s theirs, and kids should learn this at a young age. I mentioned to my wife “these bikes must have been abandoned, and obviously they are now looking for a good home.” Of course she didn’t see the humor in my remark and abruptly told me NO, like I was a dog on a choke chain.

But it got the salesman in me wondering….why don’t kids, and for that matter, a lot of adults, lock their bikes? Is it true that most people only think about theft after something of theirs has been stolen? For many people their bike is their mode of transportation and I expect there is a larger percentage of that group that locks them up. But for the recreational user I can’t imagine coming out of the Seven Eleven and finding my bike stolen. The stroll home would truly be the walk of shame. I hope kids and adults don’t take crime too lightly and realize that as much as you love your bike, someone else wants to love it just as much. Keep it locked.

So, later that night my wife I walk to the end of driveway where we can see the fireworks exploding about a quarter mile away. It’s raining a little and the show seems to be somewhat shorter than previous years. Fine by me, since standing under an umbrella being chowed by mosquitoes is not my idea of fun. Off we go, back in the house and awhile later we go to bed.

At 11:30pm we’re now asleep, only to we awaken by a loud explosion. Being overly protective of what’s mine, I shot out of bed, cat flying through the air to see what happened. The fireworks were starting again !! Hours had gone by, everyone had gone home and now they were starting again!! As I mentioned, I’m overprotective of my things and sleep is one of them. As I was tripping over the second cat heading for the phone to call the fire department and complain my wife, once again, intervened and told me not to be that guy. You know, the miserable old guy (or lady) in the neighborhood that complains about everything. With that I tried to go back to sleep with what sounded like the invasion at Normandy happening down the street.

On my way to work the next morning, one eye closed as I tried to catch up on my lost sleep, I noticed the “abandoned” bikes in the center of town were gone. I hope all went home with their original owners.

- Tim Clifford

What I did on the 4th of July

While Donna is buried working on the new bicycle catalog, a few Kryptonite folks you don't normally hear from thought they'd share how they spent their 4th of July holiday last week.

First up...Dave Miller

I helped organized an event for the town of Braintree.
We honored the veterans and the Civil war memorial at the Braintree town hall by placing a wreath on each monument.
I also welcomed up the Baseball team and presented them with a metal and a baseball to each one of them from the Hall of Fame.
I made a small speech about the 4th of July and what it means to the town.
We had Senator Brian Joyce speak along with a top Braintree high school student, too.
This event took place at 9:00 am on the 4th in front of the town hall, with the Braintree paper, the Patriot Ledger, and Channel 4 present .

- Dave

The Spokesmen, Nicole Races & The Tour de France

Hey everyone - sorry for being out of touch for so many days. I'm on vacation, if you couldn't guess. Ok, I was in the office Tuesday, but you know how it goes - the day before a vacation is always the busiest trying to get everything done, right? Well, that's exactly what happened with me. That, and the podcast.

Towards the end of last year I was asked to become part of The Spokesmen podcast. I was completely flattered to be asked by the esteemed panel and said, 'yes' right away. I've missed more than I've participated in, I think, but my cohorts are very understanding. When I get the chance I am right there, though. Episode 20 is up and ready for your listening pleasure. We covered a lot of topics including the Tour de France starting in London, the UCI Rider Pledge, cyclingnews.com being bought, Big Wheeled Ballywho and a host of other things. Check it out.

I'm sitting on my porch right now with the dog. I'm having some Smartfood and reading a book (ok, I'll be reading again in a minute...). She's keeping an eye on the backyard. You know, just to make sure the squirrels and bunnies stay in check.

This is just a little breather in what promises to be a busy weekend for some of us. Nicole Hoffman and her team are competing in the Road America 500K this weekend in Wisconsin. Go Nicole! She'll also be participating in the Red Flag Fund Auction while she's in town. The Red Flag Fund is new to me, but it sounds like it is a great organization. They provide support to injured road racers. Nicole will be checking in sometime next week to let us know how it all went.

We all know where our friend Bob Roll is this weekend. London. At the Tour DAY France! I can't believe it all starts tomorrow! I know I said I wasn't thrilled about watching, but you know I'll be checking out a bunch of stages. So...who is my pick? I think I said already, but I pick Vinokourov. For the first time, Bob and I agree on my pick. That should be a good thing....

So, who is your pick for Le Tour's podium spots? C'mon, I know you've all got a favorite...

Happy Weekend everyone!

Bob Roll's Unbreakable Bond with Cycling

Bob left for the Tour "Day" France yesterday, but he left behind his first blog post for us. He'll be checking in here a couple of times from Le Tour so check back often for first-hand accounts of his observations as he travels throughout France this month.

Without further ado....Bob Roll....in his own words...

Freedom is just another word for two-wheeled self-propelled nirvana. Freedom is a word often used but frequently misunderstood. As a teenager, it meant the liberating feeling of being able to go just about anywhere without being driven in a car. On my bicycle, as I rode past the gridlock, I felt as if I was flying. And since then the bicycle has become the perfect extension of my desire for an understanding of freedom.

Even so, in my wildest dreams I could never have conceived of the level of freedom I’ve been able to find. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area I saw the rural orchards and pastures converted into sprawling suburban blight. As the sprawl devoured the farms, the traffic became insane. I had to find a way to navigate a new and alien landscape choked with traffic. The bicycle became the perfect vehicle and filled me with incredible glee to fly past the people sitting idly in their cars.

I could never have envisioned in those early days how far the humble two wheeled machine would take me. Apparently, whatever instincts drew me towards the bicycle must have been fairly accurate and I have been lucky enough to ride my bicycle all over the planet. I also have been able to race all over. Mostly I lost, but a few times I actually won along with my 7-Eleven and Motorola team mates. Most notably, I was a member of the first American team to race in the Tour “Day” France.

I piled on the miles from Manhattan to Milan. I pedaled everywhere I could and after so many thousands of miles I’ve never lost the feeling that I was flying. To this day there is no feeling quite like the simple pleasure of a bike ride. In fact, I get ridiculously grumpy if I don’t ride. My dreams have evolved over these years but one that I still hold closely to my heart is to always be a cyclist. What a fantastic ride!

Coming Soon...new products for the superhero in all of us

There are very few jobs in life where one gets to do the things you thought were the coolest when you were a kid e.g Firefighter, Jet Pilot, Cowboy, Superhero, General Manager of Kryptonite( ok maybe the last one is a stretch :)). I am glad to say that over the next few weeks we will be introducing a product that speaks to some of those childhood aspirations. It will be available in major retailers starting in mid July. Will supply more info over the next week so stay tuned.

My "Clean" Office

You all saw the before photos the other day of what my office looked like as I was preparing to ship out products to support grassroots events and initiatives. Here is the after shots from Friday afternoon.

Where did it all go? Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, Utah, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New York to name just a few that I can remember off the top of my head right now (not being in the office - it's Sunday, after all). We'll get a full list of the supported events up on our website later this week.

Here's the UPS pile from just Friday - similar piles greeted our UPS driver on Wednesday and Thursday, too.