BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

Here's a call for "smart bike company marketing types": supply a new MTB to the 'Fat Cyclist' and get mucho mentions on the funniest bike blog out there. US blogger Elden Nelson tells BikeBiz.com he's "all kinds of shameless" and would feature the bike heaps of times on a site with a weekly readership of 25 000.

Tescos' Computers for Schools voucher collection scheme will be rested until November. Taking its place will be Tesco Sport for Schools & Clubs, a voucher scheme that will "inspire the UK’s children to get fitter and healthier." The multi-million pound scheme goes live across all Tesco stores on 12th September. Perhaps mad-keen cyclists could donate their vouchers to cycling clubs that operate Go Ride programmes for children?

Friends and family are currently running Tom McCurry's Two Wheel Transit Bicycles of Johnson City, TN. The bike store owner crashed into a ditch on a bike ride in mid-August. McCurry has no medical insurance but well-wishers have so far donated $3500 to help off-set his medical bills.

Many in the world of sport have been shocked by the hasty response of WADA boss Dick Pound to L'Equipe's accusations that Lance Armstrong administered EPO in the 1999 Tour de France. The World Anti-Doping Agency's own athlete-protecting protocols were breached by the French doping lab yet Pound immediately went on the offensive against Armstrong. Now, Danish Minister of Culture Brian Mikkelsen - vice president of WADA - has criticised Pound's handling of the affair.

Giant, Merida and Ideal are all working out how to best benefit from the new tariffs imposed on Chinese and Vietnamese bikes. High-end bike production has been shifted from Vietnam back to Taiwan. The Taiwan Bicycle Exporters' Association is calling on more companies to join the A-team, an R&D and marketing alliance of Taiwanese bike and parts makers. The TBEA also wants member companies to agree to limit the shipping of parts from China to Taiwan for final assembly, a move that could trigger EU anti-dumping investigations in Taiwan.