Northeast Motorcycle Expo

The Northeast Motorcycle Expo in Boston this past weekend was PACKED. Let me say that again...PACKED! It was so packed on Sunday, the second and last day of the show, that they extended the show by an hour.

Team Kryptonite was well represented in the Perewitz Cycle Fab booth. Obviously, the master of ceremonies, Dave, was busy, busy, busy both days. This is, after all, their home show and just about everyone "knows" Dave. And a good few were wearing Perewitz shirts and hats.

Dave signing autographs

But, there were other motorcycle builders there, including Billy Lane. Here's the chopper in his booth...

The newest Team Kryptonite member, Jody Perewitz, was working to put a motorcycle together with Sara Liberte during the show. As the "Garage Girls" they are putting together a motorcycle at each of the Northeast Motorcycle Expo stops (same bike, torn down and put back together). They do it in less than 2 days! You can win the motorcycle, too. Just buy a $10 ticket, with the money going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Good cause, sweet bike! I bought a couple of tickets. We'll see...

New Garage Girls merchandise

Jody, working hard

Sarah, doing her part!

I spied Jody giving Pete an autograph

Whenever you go to these shows you see budding celebrities, like Jody and Sarah, but you also see the tried and true celebs, too. Here are both Susan Perewitz (l) and Barb Borowiec, owner of Barb's Harley Davidson in NJ. It was a treat to see Barb because I hadn't seen her in quite some time. You might just be hearing more about Barb here soon.....stay tuned. Maybe we can even get her to do an Unbreakable Bonds story...what do you think....I'll work on it.

Yup, they are celebs, too, in my book

I didn't take many motorcycle photos...seriously, when you are in a booth with the best why do you need to look around, right? But, this caught my eye from Irish Choppers. Green happens to be my favorite color, personally. I just love this color combination on this bike...

Yes, that's a shot glass at the top of the tank.

We hope you made it to the show and stopped by to say "hi" to Roby, Eric, Dave, Jody, Susan and myself. Maybe you even saw Louie, Cheech and Zipp. If you did, you saw that Zipp used up a lot of energy greeting people so by the end of the day he was a little pooped....

Thanks to all of you who came out. And, of course, to the Perewitz crew who are always wonderful hosts - we love being part of your booth!

Women's Riding Essentials Class

I think I promised to tell y'all this yesterday, but we are getting ready for a trade show and it's hectic here. Sorry for the delay.

We are really happy to announce Kryptonite's "Riding Essentials for Women" class. That's right. We know you ladies are out there. We know you are either thinking about buying your first motorcycle/getting your mc license or you have just purchased a motorcycle. You've got a few questions to get you going, but the only way to learn is to ask 'the guys'. Hmmm...sometimes that's intimidating, right? We've got the solution!

Nicole Hoffman and Jody Perewitz will be leading four 1-2 hour "Riding Essentials for Women" classes at select shops around the country. Gee, guess where the first one will be? C'mon...you know the answer to this one....yup, right at Perewitz Cycle Fab in June. We'll keep you posted here as to the date.

It's a FREE class for women to come out and learn from two ladies who are not only great riders, but are a wealth of information. They bring some serious talents to the table - safety tips, simple maintenance, info about riding gear you might need, resources available (online and at tracks) and, of course how to keep your ride safe and secure.

So, if you are a gal who wants to get more into riding, stay tuned....these ladies will not only share their experiences and tips, but they'll answer your questions, too. Any question you have about their backgrounds, Nicole's racing, Jody's building of motorcycles, or how to get on a bike for the first time - they'll answer them all.

We want to bring more women into shops and help put more women on motorcycles. It's not just about creating a pink product (no, no pink locks coming), it's about assisting women in this fun adventure.

Now, just to be fair, I was totally scooped on our own news. Thanks to Marilyn at Ironworks Magazine and Genevieve at Womenridersnow.com for supporting our efforts! And, I believe Ms. Jody scooped me, too, just now.

Kryptonite on Law & Order!

So....one of the TV watchers here tells me that our New York Disc Lock was seen in the opening shots of Law & Order last night. The episode ran at 10pm EST and was titled "Quit Chain".

Apparently, the camera panned up a rack of bikes locked with a chain and a New York Disc Lock. How cool is that? Ok, I think it's cool - and in this office, I'm not the only one.

Talk about set dressing that is authentic! Good job to that prop department!

Did anyone else see it?

30 Years Later.....

The Blizzard of '78 is still something that people talk about here in the Boston area. If you were alive then, you have a story for it. If you weren't, you've heard your parents and grandparents talk about it - where they were, what they did during those days, how they survived. It was crazy. I was young, but we have a picture of our 110-pound German Shepherd sitting in front of the pile of snow the plows pushed to the corner of our street. He looks like a peanut! I also remember lots of shoveling during the storm when the dog had to go outside. A little challenging for my parents to say the least!

Nothing like that here today, although Mother Nature is throwing some driving rain at us with the possibility of 'some snow' tonight, but nothing major. This is the scene on 128 (read: major highway) 30 years ago. People weren't making it home and abandoned their cars!

(Boston Globe photo)

The Boston Globe has a great piece by Rich Fahey about his experience being stranded at the Boston Garden during the storm. It's a fun read.

The Globe also has a video with photos of the storm and destruction that are unbelievable. They interview people who were there about the storm and how they got through it. It's an interesting piece to watch! It will give you a little taste of just why people remember it so vividly, even now 30 years later.

Thank goodness it's only rain today!

It's Official!!! Jody Perewitz is a member of Team Kryptonite!

As I inferred a little over a month ago...Ms. Jody Perewitz has now become an official member of Team Kryptonite!

We've been working with Jody in an "unofficial" capacity for a couple of years now, but it was time to make it official. There are some really cool things we'll be doing with Jody this year. More to come on that tomorrow.

Karen says it best, "Our partnership with Jody will help us bring the message of security to an ever expanding audience that we may not have been successful at targeting before – the woman motorcycle rider. We all look forward to having a long relationship with Jody.”

So, yes this means y'all get more Jody on the blog, too!

If you'd like to meet Jody and welcome her to this crazy crew, she'll be at the Northeast Motorcycle Expo at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston this weekend. Details to the side here.

Welcome to the gang Jody! We're "wicked" glad you're on board.

V-Twin Show 2008

by Craig Glab, Central Regional Manager


I would have gone to the VTwin Show anyway, but it’s nice that it’s only 11 miles from my house. I went to the show all day on Saturday. It seemed to be as busy as in past years, but some of the booth spaces seemed to be smaller. There didn’t seem to be any booths upstairs, unless I missed something, so the whole show was on the main floor. There were some companies I couldn’t find, too. This all may have to do with the lull in the industry. We’ve seen a little hiccup in the industry, but it will come back soon.

Here’s Dave Perewitz and myself in the PPG booth. We stood and talked for a little bit, but he was busy.

He was there to do what he does – talk to dealers about motorcycles and paint.

I left Dave’s booth with a dealer friend of mine. We walked by the Ness booth and saw people taking photos. I told Rod that I wanted to get my photo with Arlen and Cory Ness so we stopped in their booth.

Then I spent time in Ed’s booth from Cycle Sounds which builds the immobilizers. It’s always good to check out what other people in the industry are doing. I know Ed from way back when I was at LeMans.

The motorcycle dealers are true believers in their industry to take the time out of their shops and money to get to the show. It shows me that they are still invested in the industry. The people who have been in the industry for years and years (like myself) were still there supporting the industry, too.

I’m sure I’ll feel the same way about the Dealer Expo when we get there in a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to going to that show and seeing people that I haven’t seen in awhile because I haven’t been to that show in 4-5 years because I was more involved with the VTwin side of the business which isn’t as well represented at the powersports show.

See you all there!

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Today's the day in the United States that they call "Super Tuesday". Although some states have held caucuses and others have had their presidential primary, the majority of the states have their primary today.

I can not stress enough the importance of voting today. I'm not going to tell you who I voted for or who I think you should vote for. To me, politics and religion are personal things - everyone has the issues that are important to them and should vote that way.

We know the issue closest to Lance Armstrong's heart - he's even had an ad created....

I chose to show this ad because it's not endorsing one candidate or another. It's just showing what is important to Lance and may give an indication of how he's voting, but the message is clear - VOTE. Whomever you vote for, just let your voice be heard.

This is not a "duty", it's a right. We all have it here in the US and we should take the right seriously. It's not hard to do. Watch a debate, go to a few websites, choose a candidate that has the most in common with your issues, get to your polling location and vote.

I voted this morning and it couldn't have been a more pleasant experience. It was raining here in Massachusetts (but you won't melt, trust me!) but I made my way to the senior center in town. The ladies that greeted me were a hoot! The man who took my ballot thought he was a comedian (he was kind of funny) and poof, I was done! It took me no more than 10 minutes. Seriously. 10 minutes to have my voice heard.

You may think you don't have that 10 or 15 or even 20 minutes, if there is a line. But, I'll bet you will have that amount of time to complain when your candidate doesn't do well....c'mon, you know the saying, "if you don't vote, don't complain later".

Go. Vote.

Wishing Sheldon Long, Rolling, Sun-drenched Rides

It is with great sadness that we all just learned about the passing of a bike industry icon, Sheldon Brown (via Cyclelicious). He passed last night of a massive heart attack, after his last journal post, amazingly.

Although I'd never met Sheldon, I couldn't help but know about a fraction of his expertise - after all, every time I get on a forum and someone asks about proper lock up techniques the answer is hardly, "ask Kryptonite" or even "ask Kryptonite competitor Y". No, it is nearly always, "use the Sheldon Brown method" or, "read Sheldon's method" or "visit Sheldon's site to get the proper method". Either that, or it was Sheldon himself replying to the person with the question. And...they were right...in most cases, Sheldon has the correct method.

I'd been saddened to learn that he'd been diagnosed with MS last year and couldn't ride as he'd like to any longer. Like many of the amazing people with MS he adapted to this situation and rode anyway.

On this sad day, we all hope Sheldon is riding exactly as he'd like on sun-drenched roads with the wind at his back.

To his family and his family at Harris Cyclery, please accept the sympathies of us all here at Kryptonite.



In addition to Cyclelicious the tributes are starting to roll in:
Bike Radar
BikeBiz

UPDATE (2/8):

Ross Kerber isn't just a Boston Globe reporter, he's also a cyclist. He's written a nice article, complete with a thoughtful photo, on Sheldon Brown and his family today. It also gives memorial service information.

It's All About the Ads

I don't even have to go to the office this morning to know that there will be some sad faces. I don't think you can live anywhere on the planet and not know that the New York Giants won the Superbowl. And I mean that, I was on an Australian news site last night after the game and it was the lead story (that's kind of scary, actually).

Anyway, we love New York, in general, here at Kryptonite. After all, our flagship lock is the New York Lock, right? And our premiere line is the New York Series. So...from all of us to all of our friends in New York. Congrats. Enjoy the win.

For me, football isn't the be all and end all. I'm just glad the constant hype is over - seriously, did anything else happen in the world these last two weeks? Because we didn't get any other news on television than the Pats.

For me, last night was more about the commercials. I eagerly check the USAToday Ad Meter the morning after each Superbowl. They pretty much nailed it this year. The Bud dog and horse won by a pretty good margin. The Fed Ex pigeons were next, though. I'm not sure I would have put them that high. We really liked the Etrade talking baby ads, which didn't make the top 10. But Bridgestone had some great ads and the meter ranks them in the third spot. Followed by the Doritos commercial with the large mouse, which was hilarious. I think that was one of their customer generated ads (bravo!). Rounding out the top 5 was the fire breathing man for Bud.

At number 6, though, they have a Coca Cola spot that used the huge Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. I was partial to that because of Charlie Brown. I have loved the Snoopy cartoon since I was a little, little kid. It was something special I shared with my grandfather, so it pulled at my heart strings a little bit. I don't think it was meant to do that, but it did for me. I'm glad to see it did so well.

Interestingly, this year USAToday is also showing what is the most watched commercial online since you can view them everywhere. The Audi ad ranks number 1 so far. I'm sorry, I really didn't like that one. I thought the car was cool, but the ad did nothing for me. The Bud dog and horse came in second and the talking baby rounds out the top three.

Now, I was surprised that the silent Pepsi ad didn't rate higher. But, maybe that was pre-show? I thought it was an excellent commercial. I also found that a Ronald McDonald House commercial right around 6pm EST was fantastic. Those are the best buys because I don't think they cost the $3million, but you know everyone tunes in by 6pm for goodness sake.

Sometimes the ad isn't great, but you go "no way" to a tidbit of information you learn. Anyone else fascinated that the quickly growing brand Under Armour is launching a shoe line?! Woa...that will be interesting!

So...what did y'all think of the commercials? What was your favorite. Do tell....

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.....

We sell our products globally.

Our corporate headquarters are in Indianapolis.

But, we are planted firmly in New England...which means....

Joe and Neil show their Patriots pride today

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS COUNTRY!!!

It's all about the Pats this weekend. Hey, Indy office....how about those Colts?! (HA!)

Why does Joe look so serious in the photo? In his own words, "Because this is serious business!"

We are all wishing the Patriots a perfect game on Sunday to end their perfect season.

16-Year Old Builds Wooden Bicycle

by Eric Anastasia, Eastern Regional Manager



Now I have made my fair share of things out of wood.....but I have never even imagined of building a wooden bicycle. The freewheel is even made of wood.

Does this mean we need to make this kid a Kryptonite U-lock made out of Ironwood (Lignum Vitae)?

Take a look it is pretty impressive.

Ducati's Desmosedici RR

You may love or hate Tom Cruise, but one thing is for sure, if you are a motorcycle fan, you are going to be slightly jealous of him this week.

The USAToday reports that Tom is first in line to get his hands on the new Ducati Desmosedici RR. There are only 1,500 of them being made and he's getting the first one in the US!

According to the article the cool ride is, "bristling with titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber technology that can scoot up to 200 mph." Everyone should have one, right?

No, don't think you'll be just like Tom Cruise and pick one up (even if you had the $72K) because they are all sold out!

I Spy....

At the end of last week we had a full team meeting where most of the guys who work out of the office were in. It was like old home week - and lots of fun.

Since you hear about the gang here often, I thought I'd snap a few pictures and post them. I'll preface this with saying that none were too happy about my being a shutterbug, but hey...it's all in good fun.

Don Shipman and Craig Glab came in and went right to work in the cube across from me.

Gustavo and Roger saw each other for the first time in 5 years! How is that possible? Roger is our Director of Sales for our residential & commercial sales based here in New England. Gustavo was head of action sport sales in Europe until the end of the year. He's now in the States again, working to develop some different areas for us. We have a new, fantastic guy, Paul, in Europe. You'll be meeting him here soon....

I tried to sneak up on Neil McDaid and Craig, thinking they were working hard. Turns out Neil was practicing for the Kryptonite beauty pageant and Craig was giving him pointers. Hmmm...maybe one pointer would have been to decide which NASCAR driver he's going to be a fan of...he's a little confused (Stewart or Montoya?). But, as an aside, congrats to Juan Pablo Montoya for his win in the Rolex 24 Hour this weekend!

Sandy, Donna, Joe, Eric and the jokesters gather for a meeting. Let me just tell you, if the jokesters on the right are ever in a meeting you are conducting...beware...heckling will ensue. But, it's all in good fun.

It was good to have the gang in the office. It was kind of festive and fun. Come back again soon, gang.

Brad Pitt and Kryptonite

That's the subject line of an email I woke up to this morning from Fritz. I was curious because we don't have any kind of deal with Brad (I wish...) or anything in the works. I didn't think Fritz would be pulling my leg about this one, though....

Seems like Mr. Pitt has a new movie scheduled for release later this year called, "Burn After Reading". Big surprise, he's starring opposite George Clooney. Anyway, I'd seen this picture somewhere before of Brad on a Bianchi but didn't pay too much attention to it, although I should have...if you look closely there is something that should have popped out at me. But, I was a slacker that day, apparently, and it didn't.


However, the photo Fritz sent me is amazing...check it out:

Do you see what I see? Yes, people, that's a big honkin' Kryptonite chain that Brad Pitt is rockin' on that bike. I don't know much about the Coen brothers movie, but they were filming in New York so at least this part of the set dressing is authentic.

Is there any doubt what movie I'll be first in line for as soon as it comes out? I'm going to have to remember that I'm in a theatre, though, so I don't start jumping up and down while wildly clapping when this shot (or something similar) comes on the screen. I'll work on that...but no promises.

Thanks, Fritz!!!!

Locking up our boards

by Jody Perewitz

Kory, Jeff, and I have gone snowboarding for the past 2 weekends. Last weekend we went to North Conway, NH to Cranmore and this past weekend we went to Wachusett. At both mountains I did not see one lock!

I have to say I have only used my lock a couple of times. Mainly because we don’t leave our boards often and my board has the serial number 0001 on it so I don’t think it would be worth stealing!

This year though I have upgraded to a, new to me, used board. Kory gave me his old board because he got not one, but two new boards this year. One for the parks and one for the whole mountain. So all together he has about $1500 worth of boards and bindings. If they got stolen we definitely wouldn’t be able to replace them so we want to do everything we can to prevent them from being stolen.

This past weekend we decided to go into the lodge for some beer and nachos while we watched the end of the Patriots game. So you bet we locked our boards up and headed in.

When we finally left there were a lot of boards and skis still on the rack but, once again, not one locked up! I would love to know statistic on stolen boards. They cost so much money to buy and could be so easy to steal. I guess there is a lot of trust on a mountain because if you think about it people locking up bicycles that aren’t worth as much as a board seems silly.

My very own bike racing RANT

USA Today's Sal Ruibal is a great supporter and reporter of cycling and I always enjoy reading his articles. He's a very fair reporter and knows how to get a scoop. Today he's got some information on the Tour of California's new drug testing protocols. Give it a read.

(note: rant about to start...)

I'd heard through the grapevine last week about some of this information. I wasn't happy about it then and I'm not that happy about it now. Now before you run off and say that I want to stick our heads in the sand and have less testing that's not it. I have no problems with the extensive testing they are going to be doing in Cali this year. Actually, I stand up and applaud it. Way to go!

They are actually going to have testing before the race to get a norm reading, if you will. If that varies during the race...well...chances are you've been a bad boy. I'm all for that as long as normal bodily production is taken into account. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea if that last sentence is feasible or not, but just wanted to put it out there.

As they go through the race, each day's winner will be tested and the overall leader will also be tested (I think that's what they do in Le Tour, too). In addition, three random riders will be tested very single day. Bravo! Way to go Tour of California! Much better than last year's plan.

Now comes the part I, personally, am not happy about. I don't want to paraphrase, so I'll use Sal's words here because he's seen the plan and I haven't.

Teams have agreed to guarantee that all members, including coaches, trainers and support staff, are clear of any open doping investigations. The team's roster of riders will be submitted to USA Cycling (the national governing organization) and UCI to confirm that there are no "open investigations."

Sal goes on to write...
That exclusion rule has some teams worried. USADA guidelines say a rider can only be suspended if an offense is established. But without a clear definition of "open investigations" at the Tour of California, teams are concerned that overzealous officials could restrict riders without due legal process.

I bolded that last bit because it is exactly what concerns me, too. It concerned me last week when I heard it because the last I checked we were in the United States where, in theory, you are innocent until proven guilty. This last bit does not allow for that. It shuns people that could be truly innocent and doesn't allow them to make a living doing their job.

Yes, more times than not, it seems like in the last couple of years if you are accused of doping you've done it. BUT, there are a few times that this hasn't been the case at all. Riders have been cleared. Whether you choose to believe them or not is a personal choice, but some riders have been cleared. So, under this new rule in Cali, if you are under suspicion you are, in their mind, guilty and they do not want you at their race. Wow. Judge & Jury out there in Cali without knowing any facts.

I absolutely, without question think that drugs do not have any place in sport. I absolutely, without question think that there needs to be better, more consistent systems. I absolutely believe that those who have gone through the system and been proven to cheat should be suspended and not be able to ride in sanctioned races. I absolutely applaud Tour of California for most of their stepped up efforts in the fight against performance enhancing drugs.

However, I do not condone making potentially innocent men sit on the side lines because someone accused them of something. Maybe there is basis to that accusation, maybe not. It's also a very grey area. What constitutes a legitimate allegation being investigated by the "authorities"? Oy...this could be very messy.

I think that the whole sport has been so damaged recently and that races and officials need to find more consistency in their testing and rules. I don't think that keeping potentially innocent men out of competition is the way to do it. We saw that in Le Tour in 2006 - whole teams were kept out of Le Tour and then a few weeks later, "oops, we made a mistake". Seriously? Who compensates them for the wages lost and the sponsors' dollars lost?

Yes, sponsors are walking away from pro cycling because of the doping. But, let's face it, there have been false accusations. So now we are in the situation where a sponsor believes in their riders, but someone says they aren't clean so they are investigated and during that investigation races start excluding them from riding. The sponsor loses chances to promote their brand and their team during that time. Low and behold, that rider is cleared a few weeks or months later. The rider isn't the only one who loses out.

If this becomes the norm at races, you may see additional sponsors walking away.

We are in the United States, people. Innocent until proven guilty.

End of rant...

A Winter Ride

by Roby Holland, National Sales Manager


WOW, how the weather changes in New England! Today is just down right nasty. It was just right last Saturday, a beautiful forty degree day, that I was on my bike for an afternoon ride.

The problem with winter days like this is that they are very sporadic and you are not always prepared to take advantage of them. I think it took me just as long to find my gear as it took for the entire ride.

It was one of those rides where the people in the cars look at you as if you are a crazy person riding tricycle in your birthday suite during a blizzard. You, on the other hand, have the feeling like "Come-on in the water is fine! You'd be surprised what it will do for your complexion, not to mention your dogs mid section."

The ride was appox. 21 miles, and took me on my local tour of the beach and points of interest in Duxbury. The bay was quiet and void of any birds working the fish, a sight which I long for and await its triumphant return!

Back to the ride. This ride was one part introspective, one part reflection one part stress buster, and one reminiscing past rides . I bring up the four parts of my ride because I think many of us think about similar things during our times on our bikes at one time or another. The most enjoyable part of the ride for me was when I let go of the bars to stretch and almost crashed into a mailbox.

You might be asking yourself why that was the high light of my ride? This brought me back to the day that my brother and I were riding our bikes around the neighborhood with some buddies. For the last few days my brother had been trying to ride his bike "no handed" and it just was not happening. One of our buddies suggested to him that he ride faster to help steady the bike. Well, it helped alright and when my brother proudly turned his head and yelled to me "Hey Roby, check this out" he was promptly removed from his bike by one of our neighbor's extending mailboxes. All of us fell off our bikes in that debilitating laughter we all had as kids when one of your friends shows off and get absolutely abused for it. After a good chuckle to myself, I began to think of other times that my brother and I shared similar moments in our life and when that next moment would be.

The point of this rant is to remind us of the fun times we have had with friends and families on our bikes, skateboards, roller-blades or whatever vehicle brought you together and made you laugh together. More importantly not to forget these good times and fond memories and that they can still be had everyday!

Happy New Year

The Lion King to Roar Again

What's been rumored for a couple of weeks now is official - Mario Cipollini is coming out of retirement to race again. Better still....he's part of a team that will be racing quite a bit in the US so many fans here may get the chance to see him and all of his funky skin suits streaking past us. C'mon, wasn't it fun to see what crazy design he'd be wearing each day of Le Tour? Not what Le Tour is about, I know, but a fun side piece on the day's serious racing.

Yes, I know he's about to be 41 and yes, I know the team is controversial, but people, it's Mario Cipollini. There is nothing bad about that. That statement is more than just from some chick's perspective. Think about it from the side of what the sport of cycling needs right now. There isn't anything bad about Mario coming back - he's flashy, he's fun to watch, he's usually got something entertaining to say and he's darn talented. The sport needs some fun right about now and, especially in the US, the sport needs someone to draw in fans. With his flamboyance and talent, Mario may just be the person to do that. He'll certainly get attention for his new team, Rock Racing.

On a side note, does anyone else think that it's pretty ironic that Mario, the fashion king, will be racing for a team where the main sponsor is a "trendy clothing company", Rock & Republic? Do I see cross advertising in the future? Oh yea.

I was already a fan of this team because Michael Ball is giving my friend Tyler a second chance. That's all the reason I need to get back out to a race, chalk the roads and cheer like a maniac. Adding The Lion King to the team? Bonus. When can I buy team merchandise and where are they all racing first? I'm going to try to be at whatever race that is...see you on the roads soon!

And the winner is.....

Every once in awhile it's fun to check behind the scenes of the blog and see some of the stats. It's fun for me to see that people are reading in Korea, Japan, France, Australia and all of the other places that I see in our results. Hello one and all! We are glad you've found us and I, personally, hope you find reasons to keep coming back.




Today I was curious not about where people were visiting from, but why. Give the people what they want, right? If there was a clear winner, well, I'd try to write more about that subject. So...what was the winning search that landed on our blog (in the last month)?


Drum roll please....

Jody Perewitz!

I did say "give the people what they want" right? Well, we are ahead of you on this one, thankfully. You will be seeing a lot more with Jody and Kryptonite soon. Until then, you can always catch up with her on the Plog.

Some folks who have been clicking here have been disappointed, I know. They are coming to find out how to say "hello in Korean". Yikes! Sorry...I don't have a clue. But Google languages says it's 안녕하십니까. Because I'm not sure those characters will show up on all browsers, you can go here and see it. Hope that helps.

People are also searching in droves about the Evolution series oval, New York Mini, Jeff Clark motorcycles, Tony Hawk and Wonder Woman Lock.

I'm just fascinated by all of this info. But, I'll stop now....for those of you who aren't as interested. But, if you want more Jody, stay tuned...or head over to the Plog - she's just posted about a snowboarding trip she took last weekend.

Jody - you're a "stah"!

Surprise Guest

It was a quiet afternoon around here today. Lots of people were out at meetings and I was cranking away here at my desk. Melissa comes and and brightens my day when she says, "Michael Zane is here."

For those of you who don't know, Michael is the founder of Kryptonite. He and his family grew this company from one lock to..well, oodles of locks. Michael traveled around in a VW Van to shops and colleges around the country selling his locks and building relationships that we still have today with many of you out there.

We don't see Michael often around the office any longer, but it's always good when we do! He's family, after all. What a great surprise!

Fickle New England Weather

I was in New Hampshire on Saturday babysitting for my Godchild. She's 18 months old and a hoot! She's got some words now and just thinks she's hot stuff for it. At one point, when her mother came home and was calling her to come join us in the living room she called her name and the little one simply replied, "what?" from the other room. That was a new one and one I'm sure she learned from her 5 year old sister. We couldn't help but giggle because it sounds so cute coming from a toddler.

As I was driving home, I saw a sight that you don't normally see in January in New Hampshire - a guy riding his motorcycle on the highway. Yes, it was sunny and in the 50s on Saturday. Nice!


Yesterday, I went out to do some errands in the morning and chose not to wear my winter coat! It was in the upper 40s and sunny. At the stop light at the end of my street a guy in a Harley pulled up next to me. On the highway I saw another motorcycle - in January here in Massachusetts. That's just fantastic!


Today, however...well...see for yourself.

The state is telling everyone who does not have to go anywhere to stay off the roads...and we are. I'm working from home today. Because the weather folks did their usual "drama" around impending storms, we were all well aware of the storm. I went to the office yesterday and got some stuff that needs working on so I'll be getting stuff done - maybe even more things than if I was in the office with phones ringing and other interruptions...then again, there will be the time needed for shoveling...

Join Kryptonite on Facebook!

I love Facebook. I never thought I'd say that. I was invited a couple of times and thought, "I don't have time for something else." Heck, I couldn't keep up with my own blog how could I keep up with something else?

Then a good friend, an Air Force pilot, who was stationed in Korea sent me an invite. I couldn't pass it up - after all, he stinks at email and I'd like to know what's going on in his world. When I joined, I thought I'd just have a static page just to keep up with him periodically. But, then I found another friend and thought, "ok, I'll add her" and before I knew it, I was hooked. Completely hooked. I love it!

I've kept it away from work, it's just for my closest friends (not that you all aren't, but you know...) and my young cousins - seriously, it's the only way they communicate, I think.

Anyway, since I'm hooked, and since there are a lot of bicycle lovers on Facebook, I thought I'd start a Kryptonite group. I wanted it to be all fancy-schmancy like some of the other companies in there, but if I wait for that, it will be next year or something. Why wait?! Today seemed like a very good day.

So...go to your Facebook account and search for "Kryptonite Locks". We should come right up in the groups. JOIN US!!! Leave a message on the wall. Post a photo of your Kryptonite lock.

There will be changes to the group - I'm planning on adding some fancy-schmancy things there - cool graphics and contests. So visit it often!

See you there!

Other ways I use my Kryptonite locks!

by Nicole Hoffman



A few weeks ago Gregg and I headed up to the Ocala National Forest for some off-road riding. I figured not only would this be a lot of fun, but it would keep me in riding shape as well! I used to ride dirt bikes in high school with friends but it has been years. I seemed to have forgotten how to ride a dirt bike with all of the road racing I have done. I kept sticking my knee out in the turns and it took me a while to stop doing that. I was laughing each time I did that. Habits are hard to break, you know!

I ride a Honda CRF150…kind of small but it is the perfect bike for me to get back into it. It has electric start…sure beats kick starting the thing each time I fell (which was 3 times). Sorry we don’t have any photos of that.

We spent the day up there on the newly designated trails. If anyone plans to go, make sure you follow the rules! They are very strict there and WILL give you a ticket for riding on the numbered roads….we know. So many roads can be mistaken for trails, especially the first time (they even admit it on their sign but will issue a citation). They mark the trails but not very well. The rules and fees are new as of October 1, 2007.

In the midst of taking a break we were playing around with the Kryptonite locks…why in the middle of the forest you might ask? There were a lot of people at the campground where we parked. I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult to walk away with a dirt bike and then take off in the middle of the woods.

We use the Kryptonite HardWire™ 2025 Key Cable lock on the trailer around the tires even when it’s parked in the driveway for added safety, and that is what you see in the photo.
If you go to Ocala, have a great time…it is a great place to ride. But look out for the bears, we saw 3 of them!

Happy Birthday Elvis!

As a kid there was a lot of music at my house - lots of "country & western" music, but some good ole fashion rock n' roll, too. One of the possessions that my dad loved most was his collection of original Sun Records with Elvis Presley. Needless to say, we listened to Elvis a lot. Still like the guy and he's on my iPod. Times have changed in how we listen to music, but not the type we truly have an affection for throughout the years.

I'm not one who believes Elvis is alive - but each year I do think of him on his birthday. Kind of corny I know, but....here's to you, big guy. Happy Birthday.

Videos to Start The Week

Hope you all had a great weekend. I'm just getting fired up for the first full week I've had since...what...mid-December? It's gonna be a long one so I thought I'd start off the week with two cool videos. One for the bicycle enthusiast and one for you motorcycle fans.

The first is from New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. If you didn't hear, Australian Robbie Maddison broke the world record for the longest jump on a motorcycle. He went over 322 feet and seriously landed that bike. No wobble, nothing. Did he go celebrate right after? No, he does it again! Both jumps are on the video, it is fantastic to watch.

The second is from our friends at Bicycle Retailer & Industry News this morning. Here's a link to the newest Lance Armstrong commercial. I haven't seen it on television yet, but it's pretty funny. Yes, Lance being funny - I was a little surprised, too. But, it's worth the 35 seconds to watch "the warrior" in action.

Meet Dave and Jody Perewitz

It's that time again - time for trade shows and consumer shows to start in abundance! The first motorcycle one in our area is this weekend. The Northeast Motorcycle Expo comes to Hartford, Connecticut this weekend.

The Perewitz crew will exhibit, which means that Dave will be there signing autographs, posing for photos and chatting with attendees. If you are in the area, go meet him and check out all the cool bikes they'll have with them. Oh, and tell him that you want one of the Kryptonite posters!

This time Jody will not only be there, but she'll also be working on her own project. As we mentioned before, she is teaming with Sara Liberte to build a bike for charity right while you watch! She's been talking about the project on the Plog, too. It's been a lot of work for her, but it's all coming together and you'll see the build start tomorrow. Don't forget to buy a raffle ticket, too. You could win the motorcycle at the end of the expo series. All the money goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Help Trips for Kids! Vote Now!

If you haven’t heard, the Volvo for Life Awards are happening for the 6th year pretty soon. What are they? I can’t say it any better than they do on the website:
"Protecting our kids. Helping our neighbors. Saving our earth. This is what heroes do, the real-life heroes we honor each year through the Volvo for life Awards. Since 2002, Volvo has given these heroes nearly $5 million in funding and awards to help them continue their extraordinary work on behalf of their communities."

There are 4 categories (Safety, Quality, Environment and Butterfly) and multiple nominees in each category. Each winner from the Safety, Quality and Environment category wins $100,000! The Butterfly winner gets $25,000 and the grand prize winner gets the money and a Volvo for life. The breakdown is here.

Online voting has been open since November, but it closes at noon on Monday, January 7th. Why am I telling you this? Because we know one of the very cool nominees, Ms. Marilyn Price, the founder of Trips for Kids. She has been nominated in the Quality category.

I’m hoping that they don’t mind, but I’m going to past Marilyn’s nomination bio here so you’ll see why we all think she’s so worthy of this award:

As a young bicycle enthusiast in the mid-1980s, Marilyn Price often pedaled up the redwood-forested slopes of Mount Tamalpais across the Golden Gate Bridge. On one afternoon excursion, she stopped to look out over Tamalpais' sweeping view. Taking in San Francisco, its deep, blue bay, and the Pacific Ocean beyond, the mountain's panorama inspired in her a sense of so many paths not yet taken. She remembered the disadvantaged children whom she served when volunteering at St. Anthony's Dining Room in the heart of the city. It was from the mountain's view of a larger world that Marilyn's vision of Trips For Kids (TFK) began to take shape.

A single mother with two children, Marilyn began TFK on a simple hope and ten donated mountain bikes. But she persevered in her belief that getting inner-city youth bicycling outdoors would connect them with nature, provide exercise, and steer them away from trouble. The program has ensured that more than thirteen thousand disadvantaged children from the San Francisco Bay Area have experienced the natural world from the seat of a mountain bike. The program also teaches bicycle and computer repair work at the TFK warehouse. Through their apprenticeships, participants earn credits toward purchasing their own mountain bikes and computers.

The original program still brings inner city youth from San Francisco to bucolic Marin County to mountain bike the county's expansive countryside. "Many of these kids have never been out of a concrete setting," Marilyn notes, "and never hiked on a mountain, and never seen a deer." The typical outing begins at TFK's San Raphael warehouse, where the staff outfits the young riders for the trip. Next, the staff teams each youngster with a mentor - an experienced mountain biker who will accompany them for the duration of the trek. Together, the group sets out for Marin's lush terrain. Here, inner city kids ride from hidden ocean beaches up through steep coastal slopes forested in towering redwoods. "I liked being in a natural setting," one teenager says, "and I never thought I could make it up the slopes. But I did."

Twenty-one years ago, Marilyn Price rode up the high slopes of Mount Tamalpais and saw a view that inspired her. Marilyn's inspiration has, in turn, inspired hundreds of volunteers to join her cause - fifty-seven TFK chapters have since formed across the United States. Through her program, over thirty-eight thousand inner city children nationwide have explored a world once closed off to them: a place in nature far away from the confines of the street.

To learn more about Marilyn Price and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit: www.tripsforkids.org.

There are many great nominees, but we think Marilyn is fantastic and has brought cycling to many more kids than you can count. Go on…no signing up, just a little check mark. It’s so easy!! Vote for Marilyn and Trips for Kids! I did.

Go Marilyn!

Welding by Bicycle

by Eric Anastasia, Regional Manager (East)



This year Kryptonite asked Santa for a new welder for the shop, but the old timer never came through. Looks like he didn't come through in a few places because I see that someone took it into their own hands to create a welder from what we all know best.....a bicycle.

Here's a video of it, too.

Clever!

Happy New Year!

So, it's the end of the year....a time for reflection and looking ahead, right? Ok, I can do that...

2007 was a big one here at Kryptonite. We started a transformation of our brand, which was quite time consuming, but fairly successful. We tripped up a few places - the new stickers weren't such a big hit. Street stencils? What were we thinking there? Total bust. But, the posters were received very well (who doesn't like penguins?!). The outdoor campaign with billboards and ads were good.

Being involved with the bicycle valet programs was fantastic! We also loved placing bike racks in cities around the country. We hope that both of these programs assisted, and will continue to assist, cyclists in these cities.

2007 was also the year that we caught up with the rest of the world and totally revamped our website. It seems like a hundred years ago that I was cramming to get copy and photos to our agency so we could put up the site in just over 6 weeks. I'm not kidding....soup to nuts in just over 6 weeks. I never want to do that again! Don't get me wrong, creating a new site from scratch is a blast! Doing it in 6 weeks is a complete stretch. We had a few growing pains in the beginning and we are still adding to the site, but all in all we love it and hope you do, too.

Then there was this blog. It's still not what I want it to be, but it's an evolving process. I think it's a good start. Thanks to everyone who has given us feedback and supported this effort. Personally, I'm quite thankful to you all. And to those who shared their Unbreakable Bonds, thank you. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to share their stories.

The products in 2007 were pretty darn cool, too. How about that oval crossbar on the Evolution series 4? Sweet, huh?! And then there was the complete cable redesign. Yikes! That was a lot of work, but so worth it.

Team Kryptonite grew by one this year when Nicole Hoffman signed on with us. And Jody Perewitz became an 'unofficial' Team Kryptonite member. Both represented us well at events and races and even blogged their thoughts here when their schedules allowed.

Our internal team grew, too, with the addition of our regional managers. We're happy to have them aboard!

There was much more, but hey, these are just the highlights.

So...2008...what will that bring? So much stuff, I can't even tell you....ok, I can tell you some, both professional and personal.

Products - yup, there will be new products. First up are some products for the motorcycle market that dealers will see at the Dealer Expo show in February. That's right around the corner, which means we need to kick some butt with a few things to get that all worked out in time. But, we will. We work well under pressure.

There will also be some upgrades to a few products that will be hitting sooner rather than later. Big and bad, I promise you!

We're also in the process of working on something that will dazzle you. That won't be until later in the year, but I'll keep you posted as we move along with that project.

Marketing - it isn't official yet, but there will be some major news to announce probably in the next month between us and.....ok, I can't tell you that, but it will be big. Huge. You'll know as soon as the ink is dry on the contract. I'm so excited, but I can't say just yet because, well the ink hasn't even hit the paper yet. We're working on it. You will be the first to know, of course.

We are also looking to support bike valet programs again this year and place bike racks in some more cities. We are already working on getting this program together and have identified cities that we'd like to work with on this. As soon as we know more we'll let you know.

The website will continue to evolve. Soon (January, I think) we'll add some new functionality to the site which will be very different for us. We'll also have some new folks telling their stories on the front pages - I'm working on that right now. I'm going to try to keep up with the website changes a little more frequently this year, too.

As I mentioned, the blog has had a good start, but I'm not totally happy with it. Life happens and I've slacked on getting some more Unbreakable Bonds stories, but I've got a few folks that I'm going to have do this at the beginning of the year...and if you want to share your story, please send me an email! Share your story, c'mon this is a partnership here....I give...you give...c'mon..share.

What else would I change? Having more people from here contribute. Aren't you sick of me yet? Seriously. There will be more participation from the sales team and some other folks here. Really. There will. You'll also hear from Team Kryptonite some more.

Speaking of Team Kryptonite...we'll officially be adding a new member in the new year. That should give you a hint as to who it is. And, we'll be starting some new programs with two of the Team Kryptonite members. I can't wait to share all the details with you soon (February).

Oh, and there will be weddings....at least two that we'll share with you in the new year (one maybe very, very soon).

We've got a few other things up our sleeve for the new year, too, but I'm still working out a few of them. One I'm so psyched about I'll be telling you before I've got it all done, I'm sure. I won't be able to contain myself. It's not quite on par as the partnership deal I mentioned, but it will be cool (I hope).

So, that's a lot of stuff...without really saying too much, right? I know, I know, I'm teasing a little bit, but some of the things aren't finalized yet and 1) I don't want to jinx anything, I'm superstitious that way and 2) we really can't say something about partnerships and such until they are signed.

However, I can tell you some things that I, personally, am hoping to accomplish in the new year.
- Lose weight. I watched several people here drop pounds like they were going out of style and then there was Susan Perewitz who made a fabulous transformation over the summer. Truly, they are all inspirational. Tomorrow, I start. We'll see how it goes.
- Chalk the roads again! It's been way too long since I chalked the road at a pro race. But, it's not a professional goal. This year, I have a personal reason to get to a race, chalk the road and cheer on my friend Tyler who will be back in the peloton where he belongs. When the schedule comes out I'll let y'all know which race I'll be at. I'd love to meet some of you on the roads.
- I WILL participate in more Spokesmen podcasts. I'm very thankful that my fellow Spokesmen have been so patient with me and my crazy schedule. I feel embarrassed to even say that I'm part of that group because I didn't make many of the episodes this year, but I've got a new headset, no shortage of opinions and I'm ready to go.
- I'll start blogging again over on my blog. I let that go when we started this blog, but I've always got a lot to say and not all of it is work related...my opinions have been bottling up now and it's the right time to start again for me personally. Don't know if I will have retained any interest there, but we'll see. I know that Masiguy has started to video blog (bravo!), but that's not something I'll get into (I have a face for podcasting and blogging!). So, yes, the new year will bring more Tidbits from me.
- I started contributing to the new Plog (Perewitz blog) this year, but only once. You'll see more from me there, too.
- Get a camera again. I lost mine at Interbike in Vegas and I've missed taking photos both for the blog and personally. I'm looking for a good sale and I'll pick one up. You'll start to see more photos here then...like sneak peeks of new products etc...
- And....I'll ride this year. Really ride my bike. Not just one little jaunt around the neighborhood. I'll get back on in the spring (c'mon it's snowing here and I'm not big into riding and freezing...I am a fair weather rider, get over it). You'll hear all about my trials and tribulations here about that, too.

So, that's it from here for now. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your support this year. We all appreciate it more than you know.

From all of us...to all of you...happy, safe new year!

Kryptonite Mini Protects Bikes and.....

Got a message this weekend from my friend Chris. Said that he was out riding late Friday night - about 20mph through the streets of Boston. Something happened (didn't quite get that part) and he ended up sliding down the street on none other than his Evolution Mini that was in his back pocket. He didn't get a scratch on him, and his bike seemed fine, although his new jeans weren't as fortunate......

So, Chris is proof that, when used properly, the Kryptonite Mini protects your bike and your body. Although, I have to think landing on a steel lock must cause bruising, but....no road rash!

Do I even have to say "don't try this at home, folks"? Just don't. But, we are all happy that Chris is safe and sound...and it looks like the Mini is even still functional, doesn't look too bad considering.

Website Update

When our new website launched in April, I thought we'd be changing it all the time. That was my intention, but sometimes things get in the way and it isn't always easy. For example, I thought we'd change the stories on the front page every six weeks - it's been since April and we've only had 2 sets (I'm working on the third now). Not that Tim and Roland and the rest of the gang aren't great greeters, but I want to see this more fresh and new more often. Guess that's something to put on my New Year wish list, right?

Anyway, we have made a little change to the site this week, which is fun. We've added some more photos to our promo section from the events we've been a part of this year. You'll even see some Team Kryptonite members in there and a cute doggie. Check it out.

We do have some more things planned for the website shortly after the new year comes so stay tuned. You'll hear about it here first, of course.

Great sounds outside the office!

So, I'm sitting at my desk working on a presentation and I hear the unmistakable sound of a dirt bike. My first thought was, "Oh lucky person got a killer present yesterday!" And back to the presentation I went with a little grumble because, obviously, someone was having more fun with a present the day after Christmas than I was sitting here in the office.

Then, because things hit me a little slowly sometimes, I wondered where this person was riding said motorcycle...there is a driveway that goes around our building and on the other side of that is a hill with a steep drop off to the banks of a pond.

I don't have a window - good sized office, but no window. So, my curiosity was a good reason to get off my butt and go look outside.

Yup, looks like a new Honda dirt bike racing around behind the building. The nut was doing wheelies around behind the building. Why "nut"? Not for doing the wheelies - that's kind of cool. I say "nut" because s/he was racing around on the frozen pond. And, I use the word "frozen" loosely. It was in the high 40s on Saturday and Sunday we had a driving rain storm. Wasn't that cold on Monday - chilly, but not cold, cold. Yesterday was, again, chilly, but not cold. So, when did this pond get frozen enough to hold a motorcycle and rider? Yikes! I hope we don't hear a splash anytime soon.

Do you think this person got a Kryptonite lock of some kind with the motorcycle? I hope so. Did you get a Kryptonite lock under the tree to keep your shiny new bike or motorcycle safe? Or a Justice League Padlock in your stocking?

Me? No locks under the tree for me...but then again, I think I know where I can get one in a hurry if I need to.

So...what did you get that will help you have action sports adventures in the new year? Do tell!

Merry Christmas

From all of us, to all of you...Merry Christmas. May today be spent with family and friends and include lots of giggles and surprises for each of you.

Santa on a Motorcycle

My friend Dean over at Motorcycle Product News sent this little fun greeting today. Thought all you motorcycle lovers would enjoy it. Those are some talented reindeer. I wonder if they have been spying on Travis Pastrana...ha! Enjoy!

What's Your Favorite Part?

Wow..it's been a few days, eh? You'd think that in December, when it's snowy and icy that we'd be slow. After all, most people only ride their bicycles and motorcycles in the good weather, right? But, that's just not the case.

We've got our big powersports trade show in February so planning is underway for that. Getting new products ready for their big debut, finalizing catalogs, getting travel arrangements set and, of course, the big drama of each show - what are we going to wear?! We'll obsess about that for weeks and then, no matter what, someone won't be happy. I think this year, it might be me....oh well...then again, I'm the one doing the ordering....we'll see.

So, the place is humming around here. There really is no 'down' season for us when I think of it. Maybe for a day in November? Yeah...that's it, one day in November. At least that's what it seems to be. January will be all the last minute details and then I'll hit 3 shows in February. I'm not kidding about that one...the Northeast Motorcycle Expo in Boston, then the Dealer Expo in Indy and then a distributor show in the UK.

I'm just thankful for the 4-day weekend we all get this weekend for the Christmas holiday. Of course, I'm not done wrapping, but I am done shopping so there is that. I know what I'm doing on Saturday....

So, enough of the bah-humbug work stuff. What's your favorite part of the holidays? Food? Family? Presents? I want to know...what's your favorite part?

Me? That's easy. It's always been about the holiday cards. I rush home every night, like a small child on Christmas morning, to see what present the mailperson has left me that day. And, yes, I consider every single card that I receive a present. A day in the middle of the season without any cards, is a very depressing day. I love hearing from my friends and family - seeing the cards they picked out, reading the little notes and seeing photos of their kids and animals. I love everything about it. Sometimes there are cards in there from people that you only hear from once a year and it is truly a present in an envelope. It's nice to know they are still out there and doing well.

Then there is that one magical card (or nowadays could be an email) from one person that you never expected. Someone you haven't heard from in years or a relative that usually doesn't send out cards. THAT is truly a special present in the mailbox/email box.

I know that cards are expensive and I know that, environmentally, they might not be the best thing (emails would be better, right?)....but they are traditional and something that add a little brightness into a cold winter season. For me, they are the absolute best part of the season - they have friends, family and good memories all wrapped into one small little envelope.

Boston.com today is showing some holiday cards from famous people and places. Check it out.

So...what is your favorite part of the season??

All Things Perewitz

I went down to visit our friends at Perewitz Cycle Fab yesterday. I spent a lot of time with Dave, Susan and Jody talking over some things for next year. Got to see Dee and catch up with her for a bit. Jaren was on her way out the door (I'll bet she was going holiday shopping with the days ticking). Of course I got to spend some quality time with my buds Cheech, Louie & Zipp, too. Zipp even decided to take a nap on my lap. I just love that dog.

Didn't see even one of the guys in the shop because they were busy, busy, busy! But, I did pick up a few things I thought I'd share...

Dave and Susan just returned from Ft. Lauderdale where they were enjoying some warm weather and partcipating in the Toys in the Sun Run. It's a HUGE event with over 30,000 people. Can you imagine?! It's billed as the world's largest toy run. I wouldn't doubt it. They even close down Route 95, which is the main route from Maine to Florida, for hours! That's something to see. As a matter of fact, I found a couple of photos, one of the riders and one of the spectators. I'm sure there are more photos and I'd love to see them so leave a link in the comments section!

I hear that not only did Dave participate but he was also in the front of the parade of motorcycles with none other than Aerosmith's main man, Steven Tyler. It seems Steven has put his name on a line of motorcycles now. Good deal. That Dave knows just about everyone doesn't he?

And then there is Miss Jody....as most people who have ever been to Perewitz Cycle Fab or seen them on the road know, Jody is very involved with the business end of things - marketing, apparel, shows, travel etc. etc. etc. What many people don't know is that Jody builds motorcycles, too. It's not something she does all the time, but she can and she does. Well, now more people are about to find out about this talent of hers (seriously, do you doubt that there is talent in her genes?!). Anyway...Jody and Sara Liberte announced this week that they are building a Bobber for a Cure. They are going to do this live during three different Northeast Motorcycle Expos this winter/spring - Boston, Hartford and Long Island. The press release has all the dates.

Now, not only will you be able to see them working on this motorcycle - building it and rebuilding it three times - but you'll be able to buy raffle tickets and possibly win it in the end. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. That's very cool!

What else? Oh, I've started to write for Life at Perewitz, the "Plog" of Perewitz Cycle Fab. Since I was there last night, I'll have my second post soon so visit often and find out who is on Santa Susan's Naughty List! You might not believe who it is!

And, finally, the gang at Perewitz Cycle Fab want to wish you a happy hoilday season. Their holiday open house is this weekend from 11-4. Santa will even be there to see the kids. I'll be there in the afternoon for sure. All the details are on their website.

Cyclists Win Lottery in UK!

As we mentioned last month, the lottery system was giving away £50 million to an initiative that would change the way people live. The winner will be announced on live television in the UK, but both BikeBiz and BikeRadar are reporting that the winner is Sustrans Connect 2 project.

Bravo! Here's a little blurb about the project. Can't wait to watch the progress!


"Connect2 is a UK-wide project that aims to improve local travel in 79 communities by creating new walking and cycling routes for the local journeys we all make every day.

By building bridges and crossings over busy roads, rivers and railway lines, Connect2 will get people to the places they want to go. Each crossing will link to a network of walking and cycling routes, taking you to your schools, shops, work and green spaces. Connect2 will also bring people closer together, making journeys quicker and more convenient and leaving more time to spend with family and friends.

Around 6 million people live within a mile of a Connect2 project. Each one will change the lives of people of all ages – from cyclists and leisure walkers to commuters and schoolchildren, as well as elderly people and wheelchair users – everyone will have a better quality of life thanks to Connect2."

Hello Korea!

You can find Kryptonite security products in many different countries around the world - something like 50+ countries. That's a lot. But, we aren't in every country...yet. We're working on it!

Part of our expansion has taken us into Korea. We've just signed up two new distributors there - BikeMart is the one that is carrying some of our powersports products. Although I don't read Korean...don't speak it either...I just went to their site, found a blank box in the top right corner, assumed it was a search box, typed in "Kryptonite" and viola! There we were.

It's kind of fun to see "Kryptonite" translated to Korean. And, Evolution series 4 as well.

On the bicycle side, Bikesell has come on board. I thought their site would be even easier to navigate because they have some English words on the home page, but apparently not. I think the issue is that you need a password (their dealers have them, I'm sure) before you can view things. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it (could also have something to do with the above mentioned...I don't read Korean). I'm sure it is all me, by the way.

But, I did find this page where I can see the Evolution series 4 U-lock. Cool!

We are working on getting their info on our main website, but for now, if you are in Korea (and I know some of you readers are!) and interested in getting Kryptonite, go to one of these websites and they'll be able to help you out.

Welcome to the Kryptonite team, Bikemart and Bikesell! Glad to have you both on board.

MONTY Comic Strip

I don't read comic strips often now that Sparky has gone to heaven. But, my friend Eric still does and he sent this Monty strip to me today and I just cracked up!

The strip is by Jim Meddick and can be seen on www.comics.com. Now, I wonder....Jim, are you a cyclist by any chance? Thanks for the fun today!

Holiday Greetings!

Anonymous Office Elf

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas or just Thanksgiving and New Year's, our sales team wants to wish you a happy holiday season in their own, special way. Please click on the below link and enjoy!


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1199745371

East Coast Demo?

Last week, I read on the Bicycle Retailer site that Interbike is contemplating an East Coast Demo. For those outside the industry, Interbike is the bike trade show that is held every fall in Vegas. You've heard me talk about it enough here recently, but for any new readers, I like to clarify. But I digress...

Anyway, I didn't think much about this whole East Coast Demo until read it again today at Bike Europe (trade publication for..duh...Europe). Well, that got me to thinking and we all know that is a bad idea....

They are thinking of doing this demo time so that retailers on the East Coast that maybe can't make it to Interbike (it can be friggin' expensive) can have a chance to see the new bikes. Sounds good for the dealers for sure! They are even talking about having a consumer day. Imagine all the bike nuts that would line up to ride the brand spankin' new bikes that won't even be out until spring. I envision some riding buddies getting up early, making the trip down to Providence and spending a morning riding bikes like little kids on Christmas morning with a new bike. Cool image, huh? It will be a fun, fun, fun day for them. So far, so good...bring it on, right?

And then there are the industry companies in New England who will be pretty stoked to do a big event in their backyard. We don't have bikes for you to ride, but they talk about seminars and clinics and networking opportunities all of which we could possibly partake in. Getting to hang out with some dealers for the day is always a good time. And, we'd actually get to ride some bikes, too! We don't get to do that in the desert because it's always time to put up the booth and finalize last minute details before the doors of the trade show open. So, we'd get to be those kids in the candy store, too, for a couple of days.

Still....all good, right? Then I started to wonder about the bike companies. Not Seven Cycles or even IF (this is in their backyard, too). I started to think of Giant and KHS and Haro and Masi -- all located in Cali. They are all pretty drained after spending a week in Vegas - few days in the desert and a few days in the convention. This all on the heels of a pretty event-packed summer, I'd think. They'd have to almost go straight from Vegas to Rhode Island. Are they up for that? I know that the point of all this is to get your bike into the hands of the buyers - the more buyers that see your products, the more chance that they will like the product and buy it. I get that. Guess I just understand the fatigue side of it, too. And, let's not forget the expense. Maybe some of these companies have big, huge marketing budgets (I'm pretty sure a few have gigantic ones compared to ours), but maybe not. Shlepping multiple bikes and gear cross country isn't cheap.

And then I start to think....how many retailers don't go to Vegas from New England and the Mid-Atlantic States (because this would draw people from NY, NJ and PA, at least)? Would it be a lot of overlap? Some, I know, but most? Don't know. Or, would they choose not to go to Vegas next year just because of this opportunity and miss all the other companies that they'd want to see - small companies that can't afford to go to both - or even have the opportunity to be at both. Remember, you don't ride locks.....or bags....or lights....we can go and hang out and ride those shiny bikes, too, but would there be other spaces for us? Not really...ok, we can do a seminar, but would that show all the new products? Don't know - haven't thought that far yet, folks, just spinning thoughts here. And it's not about us, we're right here so we'll represent just fine, thanks...it's smaller companies that don't have those budgets to do Interbike and Providence - even to come and network.

Let's not forget Mother Nature...Oct 16th in New England? You could have that dirty four letter word...snow. No, I'm not a snow person - get over it - hate it. I certainly wouldn't want to be out in it for three days....although I know some people who would love to ride in those conditions.

I'm rambling. But, what do you think? Will New England dealers forego Interbike for Demo Time in Little Rhody? Will the big bike companies want to do both demo areas? Will they have the man/woman power and budgets to do both?

It's still all tentative and Interbike is sending, or has sent surveys, to dealers. We'll all know around Feb. 1st, which is the date to have exhibitor materials and pricing info by then. Interesting....let's hear what you think.

SNOW!

I knew it was coming....the weather folks have been predicting snow for days...but I wasn't prepared to look out my window last night and see the white stuff on the ground. I woke up with trepidation this morning - were the weather people right and it would be raining or would they be wrong (which is so often the case) and we have a blizzard outside?

They were right. Everything was covered in snow, but it was warm out and it was raining a little bit. We only had a couple of inches of snow, but it was all heavy and not something you'd want to shovel; that's back breaking, heavy snow.

I didn't see any bikes going by my house, but the yard and streets reminded me of this picture that I received recently.

That's our friend Jim Haraughty (left) out for a ride on Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. Looks cold, but they seem to be having a great time.

Be careful riding in the snow and bundle up!