Hayes Bicycle Group Names Chris Smith Global Director of Sales & Marketing

Mequon, Wis. (March 15, 2007) – Hayes Bicycle Group, a division of HB Performance Systems Inc., has named Chris Smith Global director of sales & marketing. Smith will be responsible for setting
the strategy for Hayes Bicycle Group’s brands Manitou™, Sun Ringlé™, Wheelsmith™ and Hayes Disc Brakes™. Smith will report to Rhonda Kirkwood, vice president and general manager of Hayes Bicycle Group.

Smith brings more than 30 years of experience in the bicycle industry, including global aftermarket sales and service for RockShox, vice president of Giant USA, and most recently director of global sales and marketing for Answer Products. He also has owned three bicycle retail shops.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Chris’ industry knowledge and experience in all the sales channels guiding the team,” said Kirkwood. “It is important for us to reach out to all levels of
customers - from the consumer to the OEM - and I am confident that Chris and his team will get it done.”

Smith along with his wife and son will be relocating from Thousand Oaks, Calif., to Hayes Bicycle Group’s headquarters in Mequon, Wis. later this year.

Hayes Bicycle Group was formed in 1997 and entered the bicycle market with a disc brake under the name Hayes Disc Brake. The revolutionary products that this group introduced set a new standard for hydraulic bicycle disc brakes worldwide.

In 2006, 120 worldwide distributors provided Hayes Bicycle Group products to customers in more than 50 countries. More than 200 worldwide bicycle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are supplied by Hayes Bicycle Group. Its products are well known and respected in the mountain bike market. Hayes Bicycle Group provides products for all segments, especially race, cross country, freeride, and gravity segments.