News Roundup - Week of May 10th

A Legendary Build: Stevie Smith’s Wilson Replica

Steve Smith was the first Canadian ever to claim the World Cup overall title, winning multiple races on his Wilson in 2013. It was a legendary season for race fans everywhere, especially here in Canada. We tragically lost Steve on May 10th 2016, but we’ll never forget him. To commemorate Stevie’s passing and to honour his legacy, we built this one-of-a-kind modern replica of his 2013 race bike for the Stevie Smith Legacy Foundation. 

The custom-painted 2022 Wilson 29 frame is built up with parts from Sram, RockShox, Crankbrothers and Race Face, all put together from the tailgate of a truck. Steve loved trucks. Long Live Chainsaw. 

We invite you to donate to the Foundation to inspire and support Canada’s next generation of elite gravity athletes as they strive to achieve their dreams on the bike. You can find the donation page here

United Sports Brands Acquires Iconic Cycling Brand PEARL iZUMi

United Sports Brands (“USB”), a global leader in sports performance and protective products announced that it has acquired PEARL iZUMi USA (“PEARL iZUMi”), an iconic manufacturer and retailer of cycling apparel and accessories. PEARL iZUMi will join USB’s portfolio of protective and performance sports equipment sold under the Shock Doctor, McDavid, Cutters, NATHAN, and Glukos brands.

“This is an exciting time for PEARL iZUMi,” said Geoff Shaffer, President of PEARL iZUMi. “We have tremendous momentum, and we have an amazing team that’s dedicated to continuing to grow the brand to new heights. Shimano has provided significant support and guidance throughout its ownership, and while we will miss being part of Team Shimano, we also know there is great future potential for the brand and look forward to continuing to grow our business with USB.”

"Shimano has worked hard to support and build up the PEARL iZUMi brand for our retailers and the consumer alike," says Nolan Moser, Vice President, Bicycle Division from Shimano North America Bicycle, Inc. "We believe that United Sports Brands will be able to further this growth and we are committed to supporting our retail partners throughout the transition to ensure continued success at all levels."

“We are very pleased to welcome PEARL iZUMi into the United Sports Brands family,” said Chief Executive Officer, Michael Magerman. “PEARL iZUMi is an iconic, authentic, and much-loved brand. Their culture of driving innovation and best-in-class product development — always with a “consumer-first” mindset- is consistent our strategy at United Sports Brands. We intend to continue that product innovation and leadership under our stewardship. The addition of PEARL iZUMi, along with our running apparel and accessory company, Nathan, makes us a formidable player in the outdoor space. We see great opportunity for continued organic growth and expansion in this segment of the market,” added Magerman.

PEARL iZUMi remains committed to partnering with leading retailers in North America, including Independent Bike Dealers and national outdoor retailers, to ensure that the brand is available wherever cycling consumers prefer to shop. PEARL iZUMi will operate with the support of Shimano for a transition period to meet the needs of retailers and maintain the business as planned.

Crankworx Announces Multi-City Canadian Tour for 2022

Crankworx has today announced the addition of a summer race series taking place at two iconic Canadian destinations this year. The Crankworx Summer Series brings Crankworx-caliber racing, with a grassroots vibe, to destinations outside the World Tour. Last year it brought Crankworx racing to some riding locales on the South Island of New Zealand. This year, the action will be coming to Canada’s West and East: SilverStar Bike Park in British Columbia and Quebec City, Quebec.  

“We first ran races under the name ‘Summer Series’ during the pandemic,” explains Crankworx’s Managing Director Darren Kinnaird. “They were the same level of racing that we are used to, but because we couldn’t include all the elements of a World Tour at the time, they had a very distinct vibe to them: fast racing and summer good times. Since then, we’ve taken this idea of ‘Crankworx-caliber racing with a grassroots vibe’ and run with it. Our Summer Series in New Zealand in December was epic and brought out an amazing mix of fast racers with some local talent that blew us away. It’s also become an amazing way to share these great riding destinations with our fans. So given that Canada is our home base, we are beyond stoked to be bringing the Summer Series to these two great destinations this year.”

Crankworx Summer Series Canada festivals will include all levels of racing across multiple disciplines, plus exciting festival activations, gear demos, and family friendly activities.

Crankworx Summer Series Canada – SilverStar

First up, Crankworx Summer Series Canada 2022 will kick off July 28 with four days of events at SilverStar Bike Park. SilverStar is no stranger to Crankworx , having hosted the first iteration of Summer Series in 2020 (a made-for-TV race series for B.C. pros), and World Tour racing as a part of Crankworx B.C. in 2021. The all-new Crankworx Summer Series Canada will bring Crankworx-caliber racing and competition back to the resort this summer, with a distinct Summer Series vibe.

“It is so great to welcome back Crankworx to SilverStar for another summer. To also add in amateur riders and spectators to watch the incredible competition happen is very exciting,” says Ian Jenkins of SilverStar Mountain Resort “We have been working on, and perfecting, these trails, and the slopestyle course for several years now and can’t wait to get them rolling. It really is going to be something special”.

The Slopestyle course was designed by Brett Rheeder and Matt MacDuff, and was debuted at Crankworx B.C. last year. This year, it will once again bring out some of the top riders to throw down, this time as a Gold Level event on the Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) World Tour.

See full details for Crankworx Summer Series Canada – SilverStar here.

Crankworx Summer Series Canada – Quebec City

Next up, the action heads east to Quebec City, September 1 to 5, a first taste of the east coast dirt for Crankworx.

“It promises to be a genuine crowd-pleaser that’s both festive and really impressive − the perfect opportunity to showcase the Québec City region, its two-wheel community and stunning multi-skill mountain bike infrastructures,” stated Micah Desforges with enthusiasm, the founding president of TRIBU Expérientiel, the agency behind luring the Crankworx Summer Series Canada to the region.

While the events of the first stop in B.C. will all take place at SilverStar, the second Crankworx Summer Series Canada will see racing and events at five locations over five days.

• September 1: Empire 47
• September 2: Sentiers du Moulin
• September 3: Vallée Bras-du-Nord
• September 4: Le Massif de Charlevoix
• September 5: Mont-Sainte-Anne

See full details for Crankworx Summer Series Canada – Quebec City here.

Introducing the New Aeffect R Pedal from Race Face

Big platform, bigger attitude. And yes, it comes in purple.

With a fresh design and larger platform, the Aeffect R pedal follows the evolution of modern trail bikes and all-mountain rigs, providing you a more sure-footed, durable pedal to match your single-track endeavors.

• Category leading wide alloy pedal body offers maximum stability
• Platform: 110mm x 115mm | Body: 15.5mm thick
• Chromoly steel axle rolls smooth on a durable bearing and bushing system
• 10 top-loading traction pins per side that are customizable and replaceable to keep you grippin’ and rippin’
• Internals are fully serviceable and replaceable
• Compatible with all standard cranks and crank-boots
• Available in 6 anodized colours – Black, Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple
• Covered by our Lifetime Warranty
• Weight: 440 grams
• MSRP: $129.99 USD, $169.99 CAD, €129 EUR

Bigger Is Better

Aeffect R goes big, with a larger platform and 10 top-loading traction pins for stability on the trail.

Durability, Outside and In

A lightweight and durable 6000 series forged aluminum body, a cro-mo axle, all running on our tried and true bearing and bushing set-up means they’ll never let you down.

Why Yes, They Do Come In Purple

In 6 dazzling anodized colours, you can play match-matchy with your other Race Face components and decal kits.

Big Platform, Bigger Attitude

With a fresh design and larger platform, the Aeffect R pedal follows the evolution of modern trail bikes and down-country rigs, providing you a more sure-footed, durable pedal to match your single-track endeavors.