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Provides Testimony In

Bicycle Accidents, Bike Shop Repair Assembly Issues, Bicycle Helmets, Product Failure, Riding Conditions, BMX, Component Design, Handling, Stability, Appropriate Rider Actions, Rider Response, Rider Safety, Mechanical Set Up, Design, Engineering Of Frame, Drive Train, Tires, Tubes, Braking Components, Bike Handling, Rider Proficiency, Rider Response, Accident Duplication, Hazardous Conditions, Scooters, e-bikes, BMX, e-scooters, electric scooters, electric bikes, steering geometry, brake failure, training

Legal Expert

  • Plaintiff and Defense matters.  Trial qualified expert witness in litigation involving bicycling standard of care and due care while bicycling, as well as biomechanical parameters of cyclists including soft tissue issues effecting performance, and injury.  Experienced in rider response, rider safety, bicycle maintenance standard of care, component, frame, and fork, bicycle components, including frames, forks, tires, tubes, drive train, design/ failure, handling and stability, actions of a rider including speed and response to emergency situations, accident duplication, rider position analysis, group riding, pace lines, echelons, drafting at various speeds and conditions, course conditions and defensive bicycling for road and off-road experiences. (1986-present)
  • Engineering consultant. Counseled bicycle manufacturers on frame and component manufacturing, design and handling characteristics.  (1976-present)
  • Engineered, designed, built, maintained and marketed line of signature series racing and touring bicycles (1984-90)
  • Designed and tested prototype and production road/off-road bicycles and components, bicycle retail and wholesale value appraisal, performance value (1983-present)

Education and Training

  • Bicycled over 550,000 + miles
  • Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri (1966-1970)
  • Study and practice of Dynamic Motion Therapy, including over 1000 hours of field experience. DMT is an advanced technique involving soft tissue release for testing and relieving muscle stagnation in competitive and recreational cyclists and other athletes. Studied under Dr. Ernie Ferrel, Santa Barbara, CA. 1998-present
  • Riding as America’s top rider for years 51 years of racing
  • Advised, trained and consulted with professional racers for 49 years, including world record holder Fred Romperberg, world champion Ned Overand, Triathlete Jimmy Riccitello, Race Across America winner Pete Penseyres, 3 time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, American professional champion George Hincapie, and disputed 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong
  • Coached by world’s best coaches and trainers, including: Ray Florman – First International coach and trainer; Al Toefield – Olympic coaching director; Mike Waldon; Fred Rompelberg – World champion motor pace; Eddie Bordevich- Olympic coach; Dr. Alan Abbott – world speed record holder.
  • Advised, Trained & Consulted with Eric Heiden – 5 time Olympic speed skating Gold medalist and training partner, and US Pro road championship; Ned Overand – World MTB champion, Leadville 100 winner; Greg Le Mond – 3 time Tour de France winner;  and, Lance Armstrong – 7 time Tour de France winner.
  • Specialized knowledge of inherent and foreseeable risks of recreational group bicycling, and ability to distinguish between said road and off road conditions as opposed to known defects in bicycle maintenance, product design, and manufacturing issues.
  • Coached Denise Mueller to a new world record of 184 MPH at Bonneville Salt Flats
  • World Speed Record Holder on the Bonneville Salt Flats at 152 MPH
  • Education – 51 years as a racer and America’s most prolific racer on Road, Track, TT and TTT, Off-road MTB, Cyclo-Cross
  • 10 years a member of the US National Team
  • Learned by teaching and coaching for all age groups and ability levels
  • Computrainer trained technician specializing in performance and therapeutic diagnosis of injuries using Spin Scan, Coaching and PerfPro software. Seattle, WA (2000-present)
  • Maintained and repaired bicycles for 55 years, including shop/manufacturing experience
  • Research of Bicycle Handling and Products
  • Attended Laminate Seminars IBox – Carbon Fiber Lamination and Boating Industry
  • Attended hundreds of bicycling trade shows, races. Attended and staged consumer safety events over 49 years.

Journalistic Highlights

Author: Available Upon Request

Motivational Speaker

Addressed groups of all ages and interests from 1968 until present.  The motivational message draws heavily from athletic and military experiences.  Howard inspires his audiences by using sports success as a metaphor for higher achievement in business and life.  Delivered technical clinics on bicycle street survival and general safety, conducted rider response clinics for cyclists, health care professionals, physicians, educators and corporate leaders.  Presented anti-drug and gang messages to grade schoolers, teens and grad students. Provided keynotes to civic clubs and trade organizations, from business professionals and church congregations to federal penitentiary inmates through the United States Public Health Service.

Military

Special Service Branch, U.S. Army 1970-`72, Active Reserve U.S. Army `72-`80
Personal Commendation from General William Westmorland, Commander of U.S. forces, Viet Nam, 1972
Honorable Discharge, U.S. Army 1972

Professional Awards and Associations

Available Upon Request

Bicycle Industry Education, Training and Experience

From 1988 to 2005, maintained a consulting agreement with KHS bicycles of Rancho Dominguez, CA. KHS is one of America’s top 10 distributors of bicycles and components including carbon fiber forks, representing both their own brand  and also several other brands including the Expert signature series bicycles.

Duties include providing engineering, design, manufacture, and general feedback on KHS’s line of MTB, road, cruiser tandems and BMX bicycles.  Periodic performance testing of components before they are marked by KHS.  Also raced under the company colors as a factory rider since 1988.

Provides a consulting and product competition evaluation of both production and pre-production components for the Shimano American Corporation of Irvine, CA.  Represented Shimano as a legal expert and as a plaintiffs expert against Shimano.

Over the past 30 years, maintained a similar factory consulting/sponsorship representation for companies (other than KHS) building, manufacturing and marketing bicycle related components, including carbon fiber bicycle frames and forks.  These include Exxon Composites, Teledyne, Hooker Performance, Raleigh Bicycles, Campagnolo USA, Weyless Corporation, and Bell Helmets.  Partner and design consultant for Howard Performance, a company that builds an array of high performance pedal-driven watercraft, and familiar with hand-layed fiber glass, fiber orientation, and materials such as resin and catalyst to avoid voids and defects.

Maintained and tested carbon fiber bicycle frames and forks, assessed their performance under a variety of conditions.  Experienced in the lamination, design and manufacture of carbon fiber products, including early T-6 lamination, pre-pregnation, bladder, and mandrel wrap processes used to build carbon fiber bicycle frames and forks.  Worked on assembly lines through testing of carbon fiber frames and forks.

Carbon Fiber Bicycle Testing and Maintenance, Education, Training and Experience:

Specialized knowledge of carbon fiber frame and fork maintenance, replacement and testing, including the consumer safety Commission and Code of Federal Regulation standards:

A)  The necessity of regularly testing and inspecting bicycle frames and forks, including:
1.    Jig pull/push test
2.    Drop Test
3.    Tap Test
4.    Ride Test
5.    Visual Test & Inspection (feel, hear, touch, sense to detect frame and fork visual defects, wear, rigidity, integrity, damage, chips, progressive internal failure, i.e. cracking window concept, including design and manufacturing defects of frame and fork.

B)    The necessity of knowing a fork’s lifespan, and the need for the products replacement, including review of handbooks and warnings upon the sale of the bicycle frame and forks.  Understanding the lifespan of these products and the necessity of replacement before failure.

C)    The necessity of maintaining bicycle frame and fork maintenance records to determine the safe life of forks, i.e., the replacement or repair of a product before failure.


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