Hello from St. Pete, FL!
How was your Monday? I'm here for my final trip of 2021 to see my kids & working from my favorite local cafe while the kids are in school.
In other news, I turned 37 right before I got up to get into the plane and it was wonderful to get so many bday wishes from around the world while I traveled. Lifehack: I got 6 extra bday hours courtesy of flying west & celebrated with Otto & Mira when I picked them up.
This week's issue has some gift guides & year recaps below that I'm excited to see Twotone clients featured in but even more thrilled about pushing to the conversation about topics like diminishing toxicity in chain lube & promoting self-repair before replacing with new garments to wear. This is how Twotone loves to support our clients adjacent to promoting new products but also new ideas to lead the industry.
Speaking of leading industries, I got a third of the way through Let My People Go Surfing (Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual) by Yvon Chouinard on the plane and really feel like though I could have read it sooner in my life, I feel that I'm reading it at exactly the right time in my career. What a home grown & hand-sewn inspiration! From the Patagonia page about the book:
From his youth as the son of a French Canadian handyman to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life-a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
No spoiler alerts this week.
Get the book & gift it or loan it thereafter like Kike did for me this week!
wishing everyone a great week ahead & as always, for reading & sharing this newsletter,
Jon
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🙏 Thank you all for the replies & good vibes each week!
📷 banner image by my son Otto (11) & daughter Mira (9)
Bike Likes
The Builders of Bespoked : Part 01 - ADVNTR.cc
Michael Drummond spoke to some of Tthe builders of Bespoked to find out what trends are coming up in bespoke bikes, adventure, and all things custom. Great write-up, Michael & thanks for the snaps of me on stage ; )
Christmas gift guide for discerning cyclists — what to buy for the awkward cycling fan in your life
Stoked to see SILCA & Albion included in Road.cc's gift guide this year!
10 products I loved in 2021: Ronan Mc Laughlin
Chuffed that Ronan included not only the Albion ABR1 Bibs but their burner as well. Wahoo made the list with the Rival and track racing is in there too. ; )
Industry Angles
BikeBusinessAdventure - A Trip to Saxony
This Thursday, the Saxony Economic Development Corporation has invited cycling industry experts, decision-makers, and managers from Europe and Saxony to join in a free matchmaking event and a virtual business trip to Saxony, funded by the Saxony State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Transport.
Honored to have been invited, I'll be sharing a bit about Twotone and listening to talks from the likes of Sour, Veloheld, Beast, Trek Bicycle (Diamant), BIKE24, Little John Bikes, PI ROPE, Pendix, and Texlock.
How are chain lube manufacturers making their lubes less toxic?
- Borut Fonda, Scientist at absoluteBLACK
- Josh Poertner, CEO of SILCA
- Bryn Morgan, Product & Design Director, and co-founder of Peaty’s
- Paul Sollenberger, Product Manager at CeramicSpeed
- Jay Seiter, Product Management and Engineering at Pedro’s
- R&D Director at MUC-OFF
all discuss with Jessie-May Morgan at Bike Rumor how they're making their chain lubes more environmentally friendly.
Repair Kits
My fave black Friday 'product'? A set of iron-on patches for simple, quick, hassle-free repairs at home or on the move. Love it!
Friends' Endeavors
Further Adventures in Rough Stuff
Another great gift idea from my friend Max & the Isola Press team: The Rough-Stuff Fellowship Archive volume 2; the second volume of photos and stories from the archive of the oldest off-road cycling club in the world.
Your special someone not into retro bikepacking grandeur? How about The most comprehensive account of ghost signs ever published?
Introducing Maverick Community
My friend Michael Fishman (formerly of Pure Cycles) a new co in the fitness industry: Maverick Community. Follow them on insta as well!
He also works to make the streets of Los Angeles safer with labike.org
Always good to hear from you, Michael! : )
Best PR tools for 2022
Our friends at pr.co put together a complete guide on PR software includes an overview of 30+ popular comms tools for PR teams. No partnerships or paid promotion— just a bunch of excellent tools for 2022.
EPIC!
Radness
The Twotone 7 Years Of Stoke Patch
I love patches. And its a Twotone tradition since 2012 to make limited runs of homegrown & hand-sewn designs. I'm looking forward to sending these all around the globe & seeing them pop up on my travels for the years to come!