Corporate Spotlight: Bike2Power

May 29, 2014

This post is part of a series spotlighting Adventure Cycling's Corporate Members. These companies support our mission and programs and do some cool stuff of their own. We decided to ask them some questions and, as a result, have learned a few interesting things about our supporters that we'd like to share with you. The answers below are direct from the companies. We hope that this gives you the chance to get to know them a little better, too. For this post, Corporate Member Bike2Power tells us a bit about their company, their passion for cycling, and why they support Adventure Cycling Association.

Tell us a little bit about your company.

Bike2Power arose out of necessity. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And so it happened one night that the company's future founder, Ilya Gorbonos, was stuck on a bike path in the middle of Los Angeles, with a punctured tire, and a dead phone battery. With no ability to call for help, he walked his bike home for 7 miles (which was a lot less fun than riding it for 7 miles would have been), thinking about his bike, and how the pedal energy can be applied to keeping cyclists always connected wherever their bike takes them.

"Keeping you connected anywhere bikes take you" later became both Bike2Power's motto and philosophy. Bike2Power's first product was SpinPOWER Bike USB Charger, a basic pedal-powered solution for keeping cyclists' mobile devices charged on the road. Later, we expanded to offering smart and secure ways to mount your smartphone on your bike, as smartphones have now become much more than simple means of communication — we now use them to map our routes, track our tours, and document our adventures.

We are currently working on product akin to dynamo hubs, with one main difference: in addition to powerful output, this device will not require professional installation or retrofitting of your bike. The BikeCharge Dynamo will also have a built-in powerful LED light as well as a large storage battery to charge a multitude of USB-powered mobile devices.

What services or products do you provide for bicycle tourists?

Smartphone mounts, dynamo hubs, dynamo USB power converters, bike-mountable portable batteries, and rechargeable bike-mounted phone cases.

Why do you support Adventure Cycling through corporate membership?

Adventure Cycling encompasses everything we believe in — the ceaseless wonder of the world around us, the spirit of adventure, and the freedom that comes with pedal-powered movement.

What is your favorite service or program that Adventure Cycling offers?

Reliable maps of U.S. bicycle routes. We recently sponsored a couple cycling for Monarch School for Disadvantaged Children, who committed to cycling 7 days and 100 miles each. Their biggest challenge was the difficulty of finding safe, reliable bicycle routes as Google maps and traditional GPS navigation did not help. Unfortunately, they were not aware of Adventure Cycling at that time.

If your headquarters staff could relocate to any place in the world, where would they choose?

If our staff had a choice, they would become bicycle nomads, traveling from one cycling culture to another.

As your company grows, have you had mainly tailwinds, headwinds or crosswinds? Explain.

There is a fair share of each. But we have been fortunate to have more tailwinds pushing us forward.

Has any of your staff ridden Adventure Cycling’s mapped routes?  If so, which ones?

Not yet. However, we are sponsoring our first cyclists participating in the Tour Divide race, which follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

What do you like best about Adventure Cyclist magazine (other than having your logo appear)?

We are absolutely in love with the vivid imagery of Adventure Cycling's photography. It takes us places even in our minds, and inspires us to seek more adventure in our lives.

What cycling related benefits do you offer your staff?

All our products free of charge, of course — our staff loves to test out all the new gear. Plus, donations to their favorite cycling charities and sponsorships.

Is there anything else about your company that you really want to share with our readers?

We would like AC readers to be aware of two great sponsorship programs we offer, Cause of the Month for organizations, and One Athlete at Time for individuals. The information on either one can found on our website under Community category.

Adventure Cycling members receive a 15% discount on select products from Bike2Power. Log in to your My Adventure Cycling account to access a discount code for their online store as well as information on discounts from several other cycling-friendly businesses.

Photos provided by Bike2Power

—

MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS is posted every other Wednesday by the membership team — Julie, Josh, and Paul — spotlighting the various benefits of membership, our accomplishments thanks to member support, and interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational.