VN tech ticker: Pierer buys Felt Bicycles, CORE Body Temperature Monitoring sensor, Black Friday cycling shopping deals

Pierer buys Felt Bicycles

The Rossignol Groupe sold Felt Bicycles to Pierer Mobility, the parent company of the KTM motorcycle brand, Pierer announced Tuesday.

Pierer has a long history in gas-powered bikes, and in recent years, the company is moving quickly into e-bikes and other low-voltage two-wheel vehicles. The Austrian-based company began selling Husqvarna e-bikes in the U.S. and Canada earlier this year through its motorsports dealerships.

The sale of the Felt brand follows Rossignol’s offloading of its Time bike and Time pedal businesses in February of this year. SRAM purchased the pedal division, while the frame manufacturing business and some assets went to the Cardinal Cycling Group.

Read the full article at Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

CORE Body Temperature Monitoring sensor

The CORE Body Temperature Monitoring sensor ($213) is a compact unit that clips to a heart rate monitor strap, and when paired with a smartphone, bike head unit, or wearable device, provides medically accurate core body temperature data in real-time.

CORE boasts is the only wearable solution currently allowing athletes to capture core body temperature data without the need for an ingested or inserted thermometer.

The Swiss-based company website indicates that as body temperature rises, performance declines as a result of the increased demand on the cardiovascular system for heat dissipation as well as oxygen transportation. Monitoring body temperature may be another metric, like heart rate, that is valuable for training and racing performance.

CORE is currently being offered at a 20 percent discount for pre-holiday shopping.

Holiday sales on cycling gear

With just days until the 2021 holiday season begins, here are a few deals on cycling gear that you don’t want to miss. Supply chain shortages have made bikes and gear scarce, and the secondhand market has exploded. So when you can find sales on cycling gear: go grab ’em.

Pricing or discounts indicated may only be available for specific dates—if you do not see the sale price for an item check back later for updated pricing.

Elite: Elite indoor trainers are not frequently discounted so even just a modest 15 percent off is a good sale.
Elite Direto XR: 15 percent off, off November 24 – December 1
Elite Suito: 15 percent off, off November 24 – December 1
Elite Sterzo Smart: 15 percent off, off November 24 – December 1

Tacx: Tacx, owned by Garmin, makes a trainer that is the official smart trainer of the UCI esports world cycling championships. All competitors at the “Zwift worlds” are using the same hardware, and this is it.
Tacx Neo 2T: $200 discount (to $1,199), November 12 – 29.

Stages: Stages not only makes single- and dual-sided power meters, the company also makes dedicated smart bikes for immersive indoor training. The Stages SB20 smart bike gets a holiday discounted price of  $2,709 through November 30. If you’re on the fence about laying out the cash for a smart bike, read Ben Delaney’s StagesBike SB20 smart bike review to educate and encourage your buying decision.

Saris: Saris is encouraging consumers to shop local by chopping $300 from the price of its H3 Direct Drive smart trainers when purchased through a partner retail store, November 26-29.

The Pro’s Closet: The online reseller of bikes, cycling equipment, components, accessories, and apparel is rolling out sales of up to 50 percent off November 22-29.

Light & Motion: Light & Motion makes powerful, small but robust head and tail lights for bikes. The Vis 500 Red Racer and the Vya family of smart lights will be discounted 20 percent November 26-30.