(BRAIN) — Bicycle Retailer & Industry News is teaming up with Arleigh Greenwald to bring her Shift Up podcast to a wider audience across the industry. Greenwald, aka "The Bike Shop Girl," is an industry veteran and owner of Bike Shop Girl Family Cyclery in Denver's Stapleton neighborhood.
Greenwald launched the Shift Up podcast earlier this year and has produced one nearly every week since launch. Podcasts have focused on topics including tariffs, rider safety, mechanic training, building a women's-focused bike brand and building an inclusive bike shop.
"We are very excited to be introducing Arleigh's new and informed perspective to BRAIN's audience over the next year," said Bicycle Retailer's editor, Steve Frothingham. "I've been impressed by the range of topics that Arleigh has explored in the first year of the podcast. She's had lively conversations with a wide range of experts — some of them are names that appear frequently in BRAIN, while many others are lesser-known industry members who offer a fresh take on issues. Arleigh has delved into big, long-range issues in her podcasts and also has acted quickly to bring on relevant guests to discuss breaking news. The podcast is going to be a great addition to BRAIN's coverage of the industry."
Greenwald said, "I'm thrilled to bring a progressive and optimistic outlook of growing the bike industry to Bicycle Retailer. We need to learn and evolve together by having healthy conversations on what's working, what didn't, and what we can try next."
BRAIN will assist in producing, hosting and promoting the podcast, with new episodes to debut on BicycleRetailer.com each week. The podcast also will continue to be available for subscription and download through most podcast apps and Spotify. Greenwald will coordinate with BRAIN editors to develop subjects and identify and recruit weekly guests. Editors will also participate in Greenwald's regular State of the Industry podcasts. BRAIN's sales staff will work with industry members on sponsorship opportunities.
Greenwald entered the bike industry at age 15, installing kickstands and changing flats at a shop in Annapolis, Maryland. She later worked as operations manager for a North Carolina retailer, as a sales rep for QBP and in custom sales and marketing for Pearl Izumi. She has worked as a marketing consultant for retailers around the country.
In 2010, Greenwald created Bike Shop Girl as a website and online community focused on empowering women and families in cycling.
Greenwald launched her own store this fall after interviewing a range of retail experts who were guests on the podcast. The shop's goal is to help remove barriers to get more people on bikes; the mission is "Connecting families and communities by bike."
Previous podcast episodes are available for download at shiftuppodcast.com and will soon be available on BicycleRetailer.com as well.
A new episode was released Tuesday. In this episode, Arleigh talks with Jenny Kallista, the founder of Appalachian Bicycle Institute and board member of the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association. Kallista wrote an article this fall looking at the results and implications of the technical exams that the PBMA conducted at Interbike. The podcast discusses technical training, the role of PBMA in building a better bike industry, PBMA's technical testing and what brands, shops, and mechanics can expect if they attend one of the upcoming PBMA Technical Workshops.
