BikeBiz December 2021

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DECEMBER 2021

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16

Ison weathers the storm Managing director Lloyd Townsend runs BikeBiz through an unpredictable 18 months for the distributor

16 Mental health matters Ryan Oldfield founded grassroots organisation TotalMTB after his own mental health struggles – Alex Ballinger discovers how it’s making a difference

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Will the sustainability wave continue?

BikeBiz hears from more businesses about what they’re doing to be more environmentally-friendly

29 How have supply chain shortages affected the e-bike industry?

Lisa Conibear, Zoomo UK and Europe regional director, explains recent challenges affecting both the business and the wider industry

32 Five minutes with… Cane Creek This month, BikeBiz sits down with Cane Creek brand manager Sam Anderson

32 NEED

42 All demand, not enough supply Rebecca Morley asks bike shop owners how they’ve fared this year and what things might look like in 2022

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24/03/2021 12:43

TALKING POINTS

Maximise your potential

By Anne Brillet, director, Unearth Marketing

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rom Aladdin’s cave to a minimalist curated experience, great visual merchandising draws customers in and keeps them coming back for more.

Here are our 10 top considerations to ensure your store is maximising its potential:

approach can be more suitable as it gives each product more room and puts an accent on how special each bike is. The ideal option is to have a stock room or even warehouse, where you can keep stock available, whilst keeping your shop clutter free, but we appreciate that this is not available to all retailers.

1. Who is your customer and what do they want?

Before thinking about what to do to remerchandise your store, ask yourself one simple question: what are your current and desired customer bases? Are you selling mostly MTB to riders who are passionate about all things suspension, are your customers all about the flat-bar family rides, or are you serving high-end road customers looking for the latest technology? Depending on who you’re seeking to connect with, you will need to make some adjustments to ensure their needs and expectations are met. By creating a store layout and ambience that inspires your riders, you will become the destination of choice.

3. Create an experience More and more regular high street retailers are focusing on making their store experiential. This is something that is particularly applicable to the cycling industry as the products we sell are intended to bring joy and fun to our customers.

Music and footage is something that is an easy win and having the right tunes for your client base as well as relevant footage on your screens is key. Adding memorabilia presented in the right way is also a good way to bring panache to your store.

Having a wall with local route suggestions and group ride options can also bring the local community to life and help your customers get out there.

2. Less is more vs. more is more There is no right or wrong answer with regards to the right quantity of stock on your shop floor but as a regular rule, the more expensive your products are, the more minimalist the shop floor should be. Some stores choose to have a lot of products on display and this is why their customers shop with them – they have a wide array of choices. But for a more premium product and customer experience, a minimalist

4. The rule of three When merchandising your store or planning your ranges, always remember the rule of three. When your sales staff present your customers with products to meet their needs, having three options will ease the task ahead. Out of the three options there will always be one which is disliked, which leaves your team member to compare the two remaining products and avoid employing the hard sell. More options and

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December 2021 | 7

TALKING POINTS

knows that the store they’re visiting looks after its stock, and will look after them too.

7. Away with the women’s corners Historically brands have pushed for women’s corners in stores. However, moving forward with time, they have been deemed unnecessary and can even be seen as patronising.

With the major brands shying away from gendered products (rightly so in our book), women should be welcomed in the whole store and not just a token corner.

8. Do we even need tills?

Tills can quickly become a clutter-fest and more and more high street retailers are doing away with their till areas. At the very least, seats behind the desks should be removed to avoid loitering, along with cardboard, old POS, pointless stock, stickers, and hand-written signs… You know the ones!

9. Staff bikes and repair bikes The shop floor is… a shop floor. No staff bikes or repair bikes should be on display if they are not available for purchase. This gives off the wrong message and can lead to disappointment if a customer’s dream steed isn’t for sale as it belongs to Steve in the workshop. It only takes one disappointment to irreparably damage a customer’s view of the shop, and they may not keep that opinion to themselves.

the customer can become confused and wind up not buying anything at all!

5. Throw away old POS Throughout our careers in the bike trade we have met countless store teams reluctant to throw away old pieces of POS. While we’d never encourage unnecessary waste, these old marketing materials are often detrimental to the store presentation and can even send mixed messages to customers. A Bianchi floor mat when you haven’t stocked them in ten years, a cardboard cutout of Contador riding Specialized, a random Gore counter signage? Throw it out!

(Recycling of course)

10. Would you shop here?

It’s very easy when you work somewhere to become oblivious to the look and feel of the store. So try and look at your shop floor with fresh eyes. To do so you can take a look at your competitors and visit other bike stores in the local area. A bit of competitor peeking is always a good way to get some new ideas as well as a dose of reality. n

6. Nothing belongs on the floor We understand that sometimes storage space is tough but boxes on the floor do not give off the right impression.

Helmets (particularly) and shoes in packaging do not belong on the floor where they are easily kicked around and become dog-eared. Keep stock stored neatly to ensure your customer

8 | December 2021 www.bikebiz.com

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FEATURE Ison sees potential in the ‘etility’ market from Benno Cargo Bikes

Ison weathers the storm Managing director Lloyd Townsend runs BikeBiz through an unpredictable 18 months for the distributor How was 2021 for Ison?

I suspect similarly to many of our counterparts, we’ve had consistently huge demand for products and several unexpected and unwelcome headaches with the supply chain. The high demand and added Ison Distribution managing director pressures on the supply became more obvious when Lloyd Townsend the outcome of the pandemic options for folks became clear in summer 2020. Frankly, cycling just went crazy. I think this was primarily driven by cycling being one of the few things that folks could do as an activity, and also offered a safe and affordable alternative to urban public transport. Aside from unprecedented demand on the supply chain, complications were added with Covid staffing issues in the factories and the container shipping headaches that most folks will have heard about.

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Any brand changes this year?

No brand distribution changes have occurred so far in 2021.

That said, the planned introduction of many new lines – such as the Vincita bags brand – have been delayed due to how hectic we have been in managing everything we already have going on. Similarly, we haven’t been actively looking to add any new brands, but there are likely to be some opportunities for Ison to expand with new brands if they fit into our strategic requirements for the longer term. New brands aside, we have some really exciting brands that were already added new into the Ison portfolio just prior to Covid that are set to see significant growth – such as Princeton Carbon Works, Redshift and Squire. With bricks and mortar retail now starting to come back into focus for consumers, we are expecting to see significant growth with brands like Squire locks that are especially well suited to IBD bricks and mortar sales – a great product with good margins for IBDs and next day availability from us. Squire and Ison are continually investing heavily in new products and a significant boost in sales and marketing activities with the aim of establishing Squire locks as the premium bicycle www.bikebiz.com

FEATURE Staff: The whole of the Ison staff and especially the ops teams have performed at an exceptional level under difficult conditions.

The management are grateful to every member of the team for their outstanding efforts in this strangest of times for us. It seems often driven by reassessments of lifestyles through the past 18 months, there have been an unusual amount of staff changes. We are continuing to make several new appointments with the primary objective of better serving our dealers (and suppliers) as we emerge back to some form of market stability from what has to be one of the strangest series of market conditions we have ever known to try and navigate this business through.

Price pressure: In this past year, we have experienced a period of record demand, difficulties with production and huge complications and delays on shipping. As a company, we try to avoid price changes, as we know the disruption that they can cause to dealers is often painful. Nevertheless, although we have absorbed the majority of extra costs in the past nine months, the combination of supplier price increases, huge shipping cost increases and some raw material increases are causing an untenable pressure on our prices. We are therefore regrettably having to pass on some of the increases.

lock brand in the UK. Otherwise, several ‘in-house’ new product developments that were put onto the slow burner in 2020/21 are now heading back onto the development griddle for 2022/23.

What are your expectations for the bike industry postCovid?

Post-Covid, I am expecting to see a small overall lift in cycling generally compared to pre-Covid levels. This should be driven by a legacy carry over of some of those who either found or rediscovered cycling during Covid. That said, naturally, I recognise that the high Covid demand levels seen during the past 18 months are not sustainable. For example, I am sure we all know of a friend (or two) that desperately wanted a new bike in the summer of 2020, but that bike that you sourced is now barely being used now that they can go back to doing many

What business developments have you made this year?

Operations: We have been running at pretty much ‘flat-out’ levels since April 2020. We had planned to change our back-end stock system for 2020/21, but a combination of Covid and Brexit related complications have delayed that change being actioned.

Naturally, changing the back office would be likely to cause some disruption, and I think when you are running at full speed, it’s perhaps not the best idea to loosen your shoelaces and to try pulling on some new shoes. However, we did make some tweaks to our established systems – especially so in regard to the proactive information flow relating to stock availability and backorders. www.bikebiz.com

Ison took on innovative component brand Redshift prior to the pandemic

December 2021 | 13

of the activities they were enjoying pre-2020. That said, in all of this, there are going to be a number of those new-found cyclists that will carry on being cyclists – it’s just a question of how many.

In addition to what I would call the ‘Covid cycling legacy’, the changes in lifestyle and urban transport options that promote cycling (including e-bikes) will continue to have a positive (and sustainable) effect. For example, I can see continued growth in the emerging ‘etility’ bikes sector from Benno.

dealers as a default for temporarily sold-out items. Our current backorder entries are now running at over 20-times the typical levels. It also became clear last year especially that dealers needed as much information as we can offer to manage their own stock flow. We initiated a proactive ‘Backorder Advice’ that goes out every two weeks by email. This provides dealers with our most up-to-date information on each product line that a dealer has on backorder with us, including the ETA of all items on backorder for their particular POs.

To what extent are you supporting IBDs, and how has this evolved throughout 2021?

We tried hard to second guess the demand as the Covid effect struck and as a consequence, we made some significant commitments in the summer of 2020 for product to be put into the supply pipes. In amongst all of the relative chaos, I’d like to say we got everything right, but frankly, we didn’t. There are still some products we regrettably are simply going to struggle to supply for quite a while yet. That said, there are several key lines that are arriving into us, and our shelves are starting to gradually become restocked. As a quick snapshot, we are currently back up to around 75% of our typical pre-pandemic stock holding level on a given day. I expect folks will understand that things are still tricky for several items, but we have been, and continue, to pull lots of stops out to try and best serve our dealers. We are also trying to allocate items that are in short supply so that dealers that have supported our brands over the years can continue to have a reasonable chance of receiving products. Many of our well-established customers place backorders with us for items well before they arrive. This scenario enables us to allocate stock for them in good faith, particularly whilst some items remain in short supply. To put our backorder levels into some kind of context, we have always operated a backorder system for our

What are your plans for 2022 and beyond?

For me, we’ve effectively seen a record ‘harvest’ in 2020/21. It’s now going to be mostly about investing back into the future to enable us to better serve our customers and suppliers: investment in a new back office and systems, increased stock holding, investments in our sales and marketing activities, investing in supporting our staff. As we see real life physical events start to come back into being viable, we are looking forwards to once again meeting our customers, suppliers and the media. 2020 saw us notch up our 125th year in the bicycle industry, as we started with my great grandfather’s brand of The Light Blue bikes but, of course, it was not easy to celebrate 2020.

However, 2022 will be our 30th year as ‘Ison Distribution’ – so I’m hoping we will be able to celebrate this milestone.

I recognise that all of our customers and suppliers have a lot of choices, and I remain grateful to those who choose to continue to support Ison Distribution. n

14 | December 2021

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FEATURE TotalMTB started as a social media community but is now a full non-profit organisation (Picture: pedalslip.com)

Mental health matters Ryan Oldfield founded grassroots organisation TotalMTB after his own mental health struggles – BikeBiz editor Alex Ballinger discovers how it’s making a difference

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he reasons a person might decide to get on the bike are endless.

From a humble commute, health and fitness, or even just the thrill of the ride, the passion for cycling can come from any angle – but sometimes the inspiration comes from somewhere deeper.

Ryan Oldfield, a 31-year-old graphic and web designer from Doncaster, knows exactly how important the bike can be, as he was sparked into action back in 2017 when he founded TotalMTB, a grassroots organisation with mental health at its heart.

“The inspiration behind it was that I wanted to encourage other people to get

16 | December 2021

out on their bikes to help physical but mostly mental health, as I suffer from severe anxiety,” Ryan, a singletrack and downhill rider himself, told BikeBiz. Strength to strength

TotalMTB founder, Ryan Oldfield

Since its inception, TotalMTB has grown from a social media community into a non-profit organisation that has helped raise thousands for charity, increased awareness about environmental issues in the mountain biking world, and helped individual riders with their mental and physical health.

“I suffered openly with anxiety until I was in my mid-20s and I finally discovered what I

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FEATURE

TotalMTB has helped raised thousands for charity and runs projects on mental health, the environment and inclusivity (Picture: pedalslip.com)

had,” Ryan said, explaining the inspiration behind TotalMTB. “I want to help raise awareness for mental health so if others are suffering they can find out sooner rather than later if it is anxiety and they can seek help and support.

“Sharing mine and the stories of others through TotalMTB has been extremely effective as people have commented and messaged saying they also suffer, some saying they feel the same way but didn’t know others felt that way too.

“It now seems a space where people can confidently open up about their mental health and it helps others or others help them, it’s fantastic to see everyone there for each other.”

The idea for TotalMTB stemmed from the existing social media communities Ryan found in off-road riding, which often gave a rose-tinted view of the world, with content from eyeopening locations and a focus on professional riders.

“After getting back into mountain biking I saw there was a big community of mountain bikers online through GMBN, Seth Bike Hacks, BKXC to name a few, I came across mountain bike Instagram accounts that looked to inspire people but without having to talk or be on camera, which with my anxiety I couldn’t do. These accounts would share other peoples’ adventures and posts but the people and places they were sharing were always the same.”

Instagram vs reality Ryan added: “They were always sharing the famous riders and glamorous riding locations which is great, but I personally thought to really connect and inspire people it needs to be the audiences and followers’ posts and stories, so no matter who the rider was, their gender, age, colour, race, religion, location, brands, I would share them either on the feed or story. After the following and community grew, I was able to find and

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establish what TotalMTB really was about and also create projects and campaigns to help it develop.”

TotalMTB now has 54,000 followers on Instagram and has supporters from across the cycling industry and beyond, from Etnies shoes, to Cube bikes and even Elliot Brown watches.

Thanks to support from the huge range of brands, TotalMTB is able to offer its community discounts on a huge number of brands, urging riders to share their purchases on social media to help keep the momentum.

“Brands get involved with us for two reasons,” Ryan said, “The main reason is they love what we do and what we’re about, so love to be linked with us.

“The second reason is the added and ever-increasing exposure they get with us, as our community is quite loyal so it’s important who we partner with.

“This year has been a massive year for us as we’ve been featured on so many media websites, in newspapers and magazines so it’s helped get the word out about us and that we’re here to stay. And of course we’re finalists for two awards which is incredible!

“The brands have helped TotalMTB in a big way as they’ve been able to push TotalMTB to their audiences, we’ve gained some invaluable connections, people see we’re linked to big brands which gives off a good impression.”

While fun lies at the heart of all things mountain biking, Ryan is acutely aware of the impacts the community can have, as TotalMTB continues to raise money for charities, having already helped contribute £12,000 to good causes, as well as funding the planting of 7,367 trees.

Initiatives TotalMTB has set up include the sale of jerseys, with £3 from every sale going to a chosen cause – this year mental health awareness and the planet in 2022.

The organisation is currently running four campaigns, all designed to tackle the most serious issues both inside and outside the mountain biking community: #MentalHealthMatters to raise awareness of mental health issues, #LetsAllRide encouraging more people to get out on their bikes, #ProtectOurPlanet for environmental causes, and ‘You Are You and You Are Awesome’, which hopes to stamp out discrimination in the mountain biking world.

The future is full of promise for Ryan and TotalMTB, as the organisation hopes to hit £15,000 in total charity fundraising before the end of the year, in part helped by the annual Big Christmas Charity Raffle, with £9,700 worth of mountain biking gear up for grabs, while proceeds will be split 50/50 between mental health charity No Panic and tree-planting initiative Ecologi. Ryan hopes the community can plant another 13,000 trees before the end of 2022.

While the Covid pandemic unsurprisingly shut down TotalMTB’s real world events, Ryan hopes to bring back the #TotalSocialRides next year to reunite the community. n

December 2021 | 17

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FEATURE

Is Britain being left behind on active travel?

Rebecca Morley looks at the impact Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn Budget and the Spending Review 2021 will have on the cycling and retail sectors

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lobal economic uncertainty has dominated headlines over the past couple of years, with businesses across all sectors having to adapt to new challenges no one could have foreseen at the start of 2020.

The Autumn Budget and Spending Review (SR) 2021, announced on 27th October, set out the Government’s plans to ‘build back better’ as the country now recovers – but what did it promise for the cycling industry?

More than £5 billion will be invested over the Parliament in buses and cycling, and the Government is delivering a £5.7 billion investment package over five years for London-style integrated transport settlements in eight English city regions.

Local transport links will also be included with investment in cycling, fulfilling commitments to build hundreds of miles of high-quality cycle lanes across England, provide bike training for children, and a new e-bike support programme.

The Budget and SR also provides over £2 billion of investment in cycling and walking over the Parliament to build hundreds of miles of segregated bike lanes and other facilities to improve cyclists’ safety. This includes £710 million of new investment in active travel funding over the next three years.

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“Ring-fenced funding of £2 billion over five years will enable councils to get on with building hundreds of miles of separated cycling routes in both urban and rural areas,” said Cycling UK CEO Sarah Mitchell. “However, it won’t deliver the tens of thousands of miles needed to create the ‘worldclass’ network that the Government promised in its ‘Gear Change’ vision document last year.

“Meeting the Government’s own targets to double cycling and increase walking by 2025 will require investment of between £6 to £8 billion.

“If England is to have a chance of making this target, local authorities must be able to make up the shortfall and secure additional funding if we’re to ‘build back better’.”

Active travel funding Sustrans’ chief executive Xavier Brice said the charity is ‘very pleased’ that the Government has used the Spending Review to commit to the £2 billion investment in walking and cycling up to 2025.

“This must mark the start of long-term multi-year funding for active travel to make it easier for everyone to walk and

December 2021 | 19

FEATURE

cycle more and to drive less for short journeys,” said Brice.

“This will be crucial for reaching net-zero, tackling physical inactivity, reducing air pollution and creating more liveable towns and cities.

“The UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy reiterated the target for half of all journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030,” Brice continued. “This is a very ambitious target that highlights the need for long-term, reliable investment in active travel, and also public transport.

“However, whilst the £2 billion of funding is a great starting point for building up walking and cycling, the UK Government’s existing targets for 2025, which include doubling cycling, are unlikely to be met, and so we look forward to the Government setting out how they will meet the 2030 target in the forthcoming second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. The £5.7 billion sustainable transport funding for England’s city regions to help level-up transport is also welcome.

“As the Chancellor committed to continue to freeze fuel duty, it is worth acknowledging that there could be a lot more funding to invest in public transport, walking and cycling had fuel duty not been frozen for the last 10 years.

“This will cost the Treasury £8 billion alone over the next five years which could be invested in sustainable travel elsewhere. And it continues to make driving a more attractive option for longer journeys. Given that the cost of driving will become even cheaper as more vehicles are exempt from vehicle excise duty, it’s time for the Treasury to start thinking about a fairer, equitable approach for vehicle charging.”

Further, Dejuniac continued, there was ‘no sign’ of financial levers to reduce fossil fuel dependence, contrary to what has been occurring in cities like Paris.

“We were looking forward to announcements of investment into cycling infrastructure, subsidies for individuals and businesses to own and use e-bikes, and financial mechanisms to dissuade the use and purchase of fossil fuel-guzzling cars and vans,” said Dejuniac. “None of these measures were announced [in the budget].

“We find this uninspiring against the backdrop of global moves towards cycle-friendly and green policies. In fact, just recently, the city of Paris announced a €250 million investment into 180km of bike lanes and three times the number of bike parking spots across the city. This is how to adopt and implement sustainable and micromobility friendly models for the city of the future.

“It is a real shame that the Chancellor’s new budget did not follow the innovative examples of our European neighbours.

It’s apparent that large cities want, and frankly need, to move in this direction, but they require government support to make the leap.

“Overall, we feel that the Chancellor’s budget was not bold enough and risks leaving Britain behind in the movement towards making cities more sustainable.

“There is so much we can and should be doing, and it is disconcerting to see a lack of interest, investment or decisive action in this area.”

‘Blind optimism’ Nic Dejuniac, UK general manager of Zoomo, said the budget announcement was “truly underwhelming” and “frankly, disappointing”.

“Rishi Sunak used [the] announcement, what he called embracing the ‘age of optimism,’ to dither and pontificate about creating a ‘new economy post-Covid’. However, it seems that this is blind optimism that neglects the ongoing climate crisis. We need to do more, and we need to do it fast. Sunak announced that £6.9 billion would be spent on transport schemes across the UK, although just £1.5 billion of this investment is new money.

“Shockingly, he announced a reduction in the cost of domestic air travel through a cutting of Air Passenger Duty ahead of COP26 and freezing of fuel duty, meaning that the average tank of fuel will cost around £15 less per car. He is outright enabling citizens to be more reliant on fossil fuels and climate hazardous transport solutions – rather than focusing on becoming less reliant on these harmful pollutants. It seems that Sunak forgot not only to get on his bike this morning, but he is also encouraging others not to get on theirs.”

20 | December 2021

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FEATURE What does the Budget and SR21 mean for retailers?

Tabitha Walker from the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) outlines the key points for cycling businesses...

The Chancellor announced a new 50% business rates discount for companies in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, lasting for one year.

Alongside the Small Business Rates Relief, Sunak claimed his measures would mean more than 90% of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will see a discount of at least 50%.

“Apart from the Covid reliefs, this is the biggest single-year cut to business rates in 30 years,” he said. The business rates multiplier will be frozen for 2022/23 at 49.9p for properties under £51,000 RV and 51.2p for those above, meaning bills are 3% lower than projected.

From 2023, a new business rates relief will incentivise property improvements by delaying consequent increases in bills for 12 months. Transitional relief has been extended for one year, restricting bill increases to 15% for small properties (up to £20,000 RV) and 25% for medium properties (up to £100,000 RV), subject to subsidy control limits.

The Government has published a consultation on introducing a UK-wide Online Sales Tax, where revenue would be used to reduce business rates for bricks and mortar stores.

Various Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC) members

have commented on the new business rates within the budget and how it will impact their members. Chris Hall, director of the ACT commented that the reduced business rates are “welcome news for cycling retailers”. He added: “This is exactly what the ACT together with other IRC organisations have been pushing for over many years.”

British Independent Retailers Association CEO Andrew Goodacre said: “Whilst we would have liked to have seen a more fundamental review of business rates, we are pleased to see some respite for the smaller, independent retailers. The retail discount for business rates was a positive move when first introduced in 2019 and it is right that it is now reintroduced. We also think that the incentive to encourage investment in equipment to reduce the carbon footprint of shops is a good idea.” However, he also went on to point out: “The rates bill for this year was reduced to 25% (of normal levels). This was done in response to Covid.

Reducing rates by 50% next year is in fact a 100% increase on what businesses are actually paying. On top of everything else, this will be a challenge.”

The National Living Wage rate will be £9.50 from 1st April 2022. This is a 6.6% increase on the £8.91 rate for 2020/21. The Government remains committed to raising the NLW so that it reaches two-thirds of median earnings and applies to workers aged 21 and above by 2024, subject to economic conditions.

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TALKING POINTS

A new world Rebecca Morley looks at how cycling’s demographic has changed since the start of the pandemic

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afety is often cited as one of the main barriers to cycling, with many campaigners noting a lack of suitable infrastructure as an urgent concern in our towns and cities. It’s no surprise that the number of cars on the roads is off-putting when it comes to trying out a new bike – but Covid-19 restrictions suddenly meant our roads were much quieter, with road traffic estimates showing that, in 2020, traffic from all motor vehicles decreased by 21% compared to the previous year.

This presented a unique opportunity for anyone wary of congestion to give cycling a go, opening up a new world of sustainable mobility. DfT statistics on walking and cycling in England found that women’s cycling levels increased by 56% in 2020, compared to a 12% rise for men. Historically, men cycle more than women in terms of both trips and stages cycled per person, and, while this was still the case in 2020, the cycling gap was smaller than in previous years. In 2019, men cycled almost three times (26 stages per person) more cycling stages than women (nine stages per person). In 2020, this dropped to two times more than women (29 stages per person compared to 14 stages per person for women).

The pandemic has also seen an increase in cycling for leisure purposes – which is thought to have impacted the increase in cycling stages in 2020 for all age bands except 30-39, which saw a 20% decrease. The largest increases in average cycling stages were for people aged 60-69 (14 stages in 2019 to 23 stages in 2020, an increase of 64%), with levels increasing to the highest on record.

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Cycling levels also saw a boost in the capital, from 21% of Londoners in 2019/20 to 27% in 2020/21, and participation also widened, particularly among people from minority ethnic communities. The research also found that half of Black and Asian non-cyclists (49% and 46% respectively) are open to starting to cycle.

But the barriers to encouraging more people to cycle remain. Across all backgrounds, there were concerns around safety on the road and cycle theft, with 82% of non-cyclists worried about road safety and collisions. Personal safety was a bigger concern for women, Asian and mixed ethnicity Londoners, with 73% of women citing it as a concern.

The research also found that protected cycle routes on busy streets, less traffic on minor streets and more secure cycle parking could help address barriers to cycling faced by people from diverse backgrounds.

Micromobility Another form of active travel that has become increasingly common recently is electric scooters. While privately-owned e-scooters are banned on the roads, rental trials have been popping up across the country, providing an alternative transport that allows users to remain socially distanced.

And shared scooters have also been shown to help level the micromobility playing field, not just in the UK but in other countries too. A survey of Bird (a shared e-scooter provider) riders revealed that nearly half of its riders in Atlanta are women.

This is a meaningful new statistic, particularly in light of the fact that, between 2006 and 2015, the Atlanta Metro Area was grappling with a 53% increase in collisions between cars and pedestrians/cyclists. And in the same Bird survey, 65% of respondents indicated that protected bike lanes would encourage them to use scooters more – the single biggest factor influencing that decision.

It’s obvious that safe infrastructure is key to driving up participation in cycling and micromobility. But it’s up to everyone in the industry to advocate for change and welcome these new riders in – and if we can make these new habits stick, it will benefit us all. n

December 2021 | 23

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FEATURE Reid Bikes launched its #buyoneplantone initiative at the start of 2020

Will the sustainability wave continue?

BikeBiz hears from more businesses about what they’re doing to be more environmentally-friendly ‘If we’re all in this together, then nothing is impossible’ Rob Akam, managing director, Reid Bikes

Overall, we’d say that the cycling industry is slightly ahead of the curve in sustainability practices than some other industries.

Most of us live and breathe the outdoors, it’s why we’re involved in bikes and this passion for the outdoors trickles down into sustainability practices in our industry more than it does others. You see a couple of the largest brands with 100% recyclable packaging now and many others striving for it, along

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with tree planting initiatives, carbon offsetting and a general stance that we should all be paying attention to sustainability and actively working towards being carbon neutral. However, there is still much more that can be done for our industry, and much of this is with production processes more than packaging, a challenge we’re continuously working towards.

Sustainable strategies At the start of 2020 we launched our #buyoneplantone initiative as part of our environmental pledge, where we plant a tree for every bike, e-scooter or watersport we sell in

December 2021 | 25

FEATURE

We will happily do this once we are at 100% recyclable packaging and finalise some manufacturing process improvements. If we’re all in this together, then nothing is impossible.

Brands and businesses need to be more open in their processes, says Reid Bikes

partnership with industry leader edenprojects.org. Since partnering with them, we have planted over 125,000 trees, helping to sustain the environments that we love to ride in.

We have also taken an active role in pursuing the use of 100% recyclable packing and are currently at around 95% recyclable with our bikes. With the hire of a new product manager [earlier this year], we hope to be able to bring this up to 100% in 2022.

We’ve also taken the steps that every business can do easily; offsetting carbon on shipments and flights, digitalising internal forms to reduce paper waste and recycling appropriate office waste that can be recycled.

We are also vetting our production partners to ensure they use the most environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes possible.

Customer concern [Customers are] very concerned and we believe it’s vital that it stays this way, as without the media spotlight and consumer concern, there just isn’t the business and profit incentive for boards of directors for the largest multinationals (not bike industry-specific) to take action and accountability. It’s definitely a primary factor that Gen Z considers when making a purchase in any industry, lot’s of research has been done on this that is widely available.

It also plays a part in my personal purchases, for myself and my family too. We’ve also had a lot of feedback from retailers and Gen Z customers alike mentioning how our #buyoneplantone environmental pledge is a key factor in the purchasing decision for our products.

However it’s not just a concern raised during purchasing, we’ve hired lots of new staff in the past year and all of them without exception have mentioned our environmental pledge in their first interview. It’s great to see an uptake in people vetting businesses, not only that they purchase from but work for to ensure that they are doing their part for the environment and we believe this will help drive more businesses to do more in this space.

‘We are encouraged to see many companies in the industry taking positive steps’

Irene McAleese, co-founder, See.Sense Open discussions It’s important that all businesses strive to do more in this space, as without dramatic action, we will all risk losing the environments we love to ride in. Industry-wide, we should be having more open discussions and sharing positive environmental processes with each other to make sure all brands can be environmentally-friendly as possible, even those without massive R&D departments.

We still consider ourselves a small brand in the global scheme of things, manufacturing around 200,000 bikes in 2021, yet we still put time and resource into being as ‘climate conscious’ as possible in everything we do.

Brands and businesses need to also be more open in their processes. If a brand has moved to 100% recyclable packaging, or are manufacturing in a new greener way, they should be transparent and share how they did it with others to make our whole industry greener. Even share your suppliers and a structure for how others can do the same.

As an industry, we can take some comfort in the knowledge that our ultimate goal of getting people cycling is moving the world in a more sustainable direction – helping to

See.Sense recently launched its new ECO packaging

26 | December 2021

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FEATURE

decrease emissions, improve air quality and road safety.

Cycling is the future, and plenty of countries are already striving to enable more cycling.

While the cycling industry remains greener and more sustainable than most industries out there today, it would be remiss to avoid asking ourselves: how can we do better? Is our industry doing enough to reduce emissionheavy global supply chains? Are we doing all we can to reduce waste and recycle materials, particularly during manufacturing processes?

In this sense, cycling cannot take a superior view towards other industries, but rather must confront its remaining problems and continue to act as an example for others to follow.

Sustainable strategies See.Sense was established as a personal passion by its founders to help get more people cycling, which we know ultimately helps to reduce CO2 emissions and pollution.

With more than 100,000 See.Sense lights in use today, and millions of kilometres have been logged through our app, we know that our community of riders has already helped to save thousands of tonnes of CO2.

Sustainability has always been – and will continue to be – one of our core values and we are proud to have been carbon neutral since our inception. We have put in place a number of strategies to achieve this.

Firstly, we manufacture our products in the UK where possible, which cuts down significantly on emissions associated with overseas shipping. We also strive to make quality products that are built to last, and are backed not only by a comprehensive two year guarantee, but also by a full service maintenance offer for lights outside of warranty, to ensure that no light ends up unnecessarily as waste. We are also proud to run a trade-in scheme, where old lights can be traded-in and donated to the Adsum Charity, which sends the traded-in lights to be reused by cyclists in Madagascar. We have also recently launched our new ECO packaging. This new packaging is totally plastic-free, which makes it even easier to recycle, and it’s strong and resilient, which means it cuts down on the need for outer postal packaging. The redesigned smaller size of the ECO packaging also makes it small enough to fit through all letterboxes, which cuts down on multiple delivery attempts.

See.Sense has now collected billions of sensor readings from our devices, and when it comes to analysing our data, we think about how to do this sustainably too. This is why we plan ahead to use spare capacity on Amazon Web Services, allowing AWS to use fewer servers and less

electricity. We use refurbished laptops and office chairs in our office and keep printing to an absolute minimum.

Lastly, we have worked with WeForest since 2014, helping to plant over 7,500 trees in India, Madagascar and Tanzania. We also encourage our team to use the Search Engine ‘Ecosia’ which plants trees.

Working collaboratively We are encouraged to see many companies in the industry taking positive steps. But our challenge to the industry – especially the larger companies out there who aim to be ‘carbon neutral by 2040’ – is that we need to move fast!

Let’s move quickly to implement real change.

To do this, we’ll need to work collaboratively, sharing and learning best practice. We are proud to be a founding member of Cycling Industries Europe, which has recently set up an expert group to explore how the cycling industry can improve sustainability – do check it out.

Customer concern Riding a bicycle emits around 21g of CO2 per km. An average car emits 271g. So as a cyclist, our customers are already making a great contribution. However, it’s clear that customers are increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of their cycling purchases and as a result are becoming more and more concerned with the environmental records of the companies that they purchase from.

There’s an opportunity here for brands to be rewarded for the steps they take towards sustainability, as it is increasingly a factor in purchasing decisions. So apart from ethical considerations, it just makes great business sense to embrace sustainability. n

See.Sense co-founders Irene and Philip

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December 2021 | 27

FEATURE

How have supply chain shortages affected the e-bike industry?

Lisa Conibear, Zoomo UK and Europe regional director, tells BikeBiz about the recent challenges affecting both the business and the wider industry

L

ike the parts of a bike, the global supply chain is intricately connected. It goes without saying that all parts need to be working in order for things to move along smoothly.

For the past 18-24 months, the business has had to navigate missing critical parts due to supply chain issues. We’ve been presented with a number of sizable industry roadblocks, everything from the unparalleled delays caused by Covid-19, skyrocketing shipping container costs, microchip shortages, and the cherry on top, finding out that our main shipment of batteries, parts and a few hundred bikes were on the infamous Evergiven, stuck in the Suez Canal.

Despite witnessing some of the most intense supply chain challenges of our time, we’ve adapted and continued to thrive.

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No business grows when things are easy; you grow through adversity. We have had no other option but to push forward.

The rise of quick commerce is faster and more aggressive than we could have imagined.

Hot food delivery is also keeping pace and increasingly food delivery companies are hiring their workers and providing them with e-bikes. This presents an incredible opportunity for the bike industry as a whole – but also puts more pressure on the supply chain.

To weather the storm, our key to success was planning and getting ahead of the curve. We were lucky in a sense that we planned for mass growth two years ago. We put orders in early and got in front of the trend before it kicked off. As a result, the disruptions didn’t hit us as hard as others in the industry.

December 2021 | 29

FEATURE

We also consistently relied heavily on building strong partnerships with our customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

We were flexible around each others’ growth, and leaned on each other for support.

By solving these challenges, we have built a scale-ready, flexible and resilient business. Overall, we’ve grown four-fivetimes globally, and we are expected to grow four-five-times again next year, driven in line with the growth of the grocery and food delivery sector.

Were it not for significant supply chain blockage, the Zoomo business realistically could have experienced almost double the growth last year, in line with the delivery boom. We had to make a very difficult decision earlier in the year which was to stop the assembly of new bikes and ship the parts instead.

It was a tough decision because we had to sacrifice growth, but it was the right one. We don’t only sell and rent bikes, we provide fleet and bike uptime to our customers. If we don’t have the parts we are not doing our job.

The upside is that parts and component suppliers are responding. We are seeing investment in upstream capacity across the supply chain. This means that in case of another industry-wide demand spike the industry will be able to respond quicker.

The e-bike industry is witnessing a time like no other.

Turbulence in the supply chain is being felt by 85% of businesses in the cycling industry. This is because demand continues to outweigh supply and market oversaturation is leading to shortages in critical bike equipment.

Compounding this further are delays in shipping and skyrocketing freight costs. To quantify this demand, in the UK alone, e-bike sales are expected to triple by 2023. Every player in the industry has undoubtedly had to make some tough decisions or changes during these uncertain times to ensure their business continues to run. Whether that be changing shipping methods/routes, increasing the price of products to cover freight costs, or simply just riding out the trend, the impact has been profound.

For Zoomo, it has put planning at the core of everything we do. We can’t control this supply scarcity but we can forecast into the future. Working with our customers to closely manage demand and lock in supply as much ahead of time as possible means that we can remain on time and flexible.

Another impact that is less spoken about is the impact on mechanics. Mechanics come to work expecting access to the tools and parts that they need to do their jobs. They are incredibly skilled and proud of the work that they do. If I am unable to provide them with the right parts it is harder to retain top talent. We saw mechanics moving from companies because they were unable to get access to parts and grew

30 | December 2021

frustrated. Having parts is not only the value proposition to customers, but also to employees.

Supply chain issues in the e-bike industry have a ripple effect on the delivery sector, especially at a time when more and more companies are increasingly setting big, public targets to go green, and are electrifying delivery fleets as part of this commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

Without access to light electric vehicles (LEVs), the delivery sector will be forced to continue using highly polluting vehicles to meet the unstoppable growth of delivery, including parcel, hot-food and grocery.

The transport sector alone is a whole other beast. Transport is currently the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK. As world leaders continue to explore paths to net zero emissions, LEVs are emerging as a sustainable option that is disrupting the traditionally pollutive transportation sector.

The speed at which cities, businesses and consumers can adopt LEVs is hamstrung by current supply chain issues. The longer these issues go-on, the longer it will take our nation to meet its emissions reductions targets. n

Lisa Conibear, regional director, UK and Europe, Zoomo

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5

minutes with...

This month, BikeBiz sits down with Cane Creek brand manager Sam Anderson

Can you give us a little background on Cane Creek?

We’re a small American-based cycling component company with fewer than 50 employees and are located in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. This beautiful location gives us excellent access to the outdoors and is the perfect testing ground for developing new products.

The overwhelming majority of our staff are cyclists, with a balanced mixture of road and mountain bikers and we believe that the passion we have for cycling is evident in all our products.

What area of the market does Cane Creek target?

Cane Creek has never been focused on a specific discipline of cycling.

There has been an ebb and flow of excitement around products for road, mountain, gravel, commuting and, more recently, e-bikes. But overall, Cane Creek focuses on finding opportunities to make the

32 | December 2021 www.bikebiz.com

the same package and gave riders an appealing alternative to fail-prone carbon cranks.

Covid-19 has provided an unexpected boost to the cycling industry. What impact has it had on Cane Creek?

No doubt we have seen our sales surpass previous company records, we have seen the demand for all of our products skyrocket, in every sales channel. But not all of this translates to more money in the bank.

With increased material costs and freight costs, we have worked a lot harder to complete these new orders but have little more to show for it compared to a ‘normal’ year.

We don’t plan on drastically increasing our capacity, but instead we plan to be more disciplined in delivering to our previously loyal customers and say ‘no’ to orders that we can’t fulfil, for one reason or another.

This byproduct of the Covid-19 boom is what we call our “Build to Plan” initiative, where we will plan to build a specific number of each of our products per year, and no more. This will help our small team work smarter and not put in efforts with diminishing returns. overall cycling experience better. If we get excited about a new product idea, it’s because we know it is going to positively change the ride, for us and our customers.

What makes Cane Creek unique – what does it offer that its competitors perhaps do not?

Cane Creek strives to create products that benefit a rider – plain and simple. We don’t focus on directly competing with companies that are hundreds of times larger than us. We find a real reason for a product to exist, and we fully embrace taking a completely different approach compared to what other companies are doing.

To name a few examples: we created the first threadless headset design in 1991 which dramatically reduced the complexity and time of bicycle assembly and is still relevant today. In 2005, we brought rear shock twin tube damping to the cycling market with our Double Barrel product line, which gave mountain bikers extremely refined damping adjustment that was unprecedented at the time.

In 2018, we debuted our eeWings crankset, which set the bar for having lightness and durability in

What innovations in the industry are exciting you?

• Making e-bikes lighter and with more battery range!

• Plastic reduction in packaging and better solutions for recycling production byproduct • New stuff from Cane Creek that I can’t talk about... yet What are your plans for 2022 and beyond?

Lots of new products! We are always working on several projects which keeps things interesting, so stay tuned.

We do plan on moving to a new building at some point in the near future (still within the current area) which will address a few things: enhancing our retail space to better allow people to stop by and check out what we are up to, have closer access to mountain bike trails to aide product development, as well as areas of interest i.e. restaurants and breweries.

Cane Creek is exclusively distributed in the UK

by Extra UK. To find out more on the product range, visit www.extrauk.co.uk or www.canecreek.com.

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December 2021 | 33

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BICYCLE ASSOCIATION

Growing beyond the boom The Bicycle Association reveals insights from its latest cycle industry research

T

he Bicycle Association (BA), the national trade association for the UK cycle industry, has released a new impact report, Growth Beyond the Boom: Key Drivers of the UK Cycling Market in 2021.

The report, based on exclusive BA Market Data Service (MDS) figures, has revealed that the value of the UK cycling market is +42% higher than 2019, demonstrating that value sales and average prices continue to be well ahead of the pre-Covid period, in spite of a complex demand picture and supply chain challenges.

Key findings include: • The cycling market value is +42% higher in 2021 compared to before the pandemic, based on January-September data • E-bikes now account for over a quarter of all bike value spend with volume up +73% vs 2019 • The UK cycling market is projected to be worth £2.2 billion for 2021, and will continue to grow to reach £2.4 billion by 2023.

• The average price of the mechanical bike category is now 36% higher than in 2019, driven by both availability and price inflation, but volumes have fallen below 2019 levels in the second half of the year.

• Supply chain issues continue to dominate the narrative in 2021 with a surplus of lower-priced bikes and a shortage of mid-to-high tier products.

• In-store sales have regained lost ground during 2021 from 40:60 to 45:55 (retail:online) but a higher online baseline is emerging post-pandemic.

• There was a confirmed breakthrough in children’s cycling during 2020 with average cycling trips among under 16s rising by 38% and it is critical the industry builds on this to ensure the future pipeline of adult cyclists in the years ahead.

Other data sources and insights from industry leaders have been incorporated into the report, for example, Department for Transport data shows that weekend cycling averages are still above 2019 levels, suggesting a sustained rise in leisure cycling could still turn out to be part of the legacy of Covid-19.

“This latest report is the first insight into how the UK cycling market is shaping up as we start our transition to a

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post-pandemic world. Despite many challenges facing the industry, it is clear we are in an incredibly strong position for the future,” said Simon Irons, Bicycle Association’s MDS director.

The second part of the report includes a focus on children’s cycling and includes a discussion about gender and cycling. The final section focuses on e-mobility, with a detailed analysis of the e-bike market, and the emergence of e-scooters and cargo/e-cargo bikes. It concludes with an introduction to the BA’s new Local Industrial Case – a study on the Local Bicycle Economy, region by region, beginning with London.

“2020 has shown how the cycling population can expand and diversify when the conditions are right and it is amazing to see how the industry has adapted to the opportunities and challenges this has presented. We are delighted that our Market Data Service is able to provide up to date and accurate insights into consumer trends so that businesses are able to adapt,” said Simon Irons.

The report was produced using data from the BA’s Market Data Service (MDS), powered by Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS), a massive UK-wide, monthly collation of sales data direct from retailers across the country, covering over two thirds of the UK cycling market.

Growth Beyond the Boom: Key Drivers of the UK Cycling Market in 2021 is a 55-page report providing detailed analysis of cycling industry sales and growth during the calendar year 2021. It uniquely integrates the BA’s sales data with wider data sets, from weather patterns to the National Travel Survey, to provide the only credible, comprehensive analysis of the UK market available today.

To purchase the report please contact Emma Catt at emma@bicycleassociation.org.uk or +44 (0) 203 857 4411 n

December 2021 | 35

TALKING POINTS

It’s all about the customer

By Jake Voelcker, owner, Bicycleworks

A

customer looking for a new bike walks through the door... How does the conversation go? What does your sales process look like?

Do you ask what they will be using the bike for? Award yourself 10 points! Do you ask a bit more about themselves?

20 points! Or do you show them a range of shiny new bikes and tell them how great they all are? Uh-oh...You lose 50 points!

The theme is: always ask questions. The customer doesn’t want to hear about your road bikes if they came in to buy a folding bike. They don’t care how great this year’s e-MTBs are either... but how do you know unless you ask?

It’s not about you. It’s not about the store. It’s not even about the bikes. It’s all about the customer.

Consultation and diagnosis Think of yourself as a doctor. The customer has symptoms – they want to get some exercise, or they are dissatisfied with their current bike, or they need to start cycle commuting – and they may already have an idea of what medicine they think would work, i.e. what bike they want.

But would a good doctor give the patient any old medicine they ask for?

You need to check if they have described all their symptoms. Are they only going to use the bike in the city? Or would they like to try some longer weekend rides if they get a good enough bike?

36 | December 2021

Then you need to check if the medicine will cure the symptoms. The customer might want a folding bike because it’s easier to store. But what if they have a 20-mile daily commute and need to carry heavy luggage? Is a folding bike still the right option? In the long-term the customer won’t thank you for selling them the wrong bike even if it is the bike they asked for! But if you carefully listen to their requirements, make some recommendations, and then sell them the right bike, you’ve got a satisfied customer for life. “... and what else?”

Always ask more, dig a little deeper. Jane Doe came to buy a commuting bike, but if you ask a few more questions, she may reveal a plan to cycle across Europe next year. So now you know she is in the market for a touring bike as well.

Joe Bloggs says he needs a basic bike to get to his new job.

But if you ask, he may tell you he works night shifts. Now you can show him the model with dynamo lights, and ask if he needs hi-vis gear too. He’s happy because he’d never heard of dynamo lights and he thinks they’re a great idea.

You’re happy because you just sold £150 of upgrades.

Logic or emotion?

It’s not all about sensible upgrades like dynamo lights. A big part of the customer’s sales decision is based on emotion, so work with that. Sell them an idea, a dream. How will this bike make them feel?

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For example, if they have told you they are looking for a bike as part of a weight-loss plan, then start your sentences “Once you are cycling regularly...” or “As soon as you achieve that fitness level...” This shows you understand them, you believe in them, you buy into their dream.

If they show interest in the prints of touring bikes on your walls, reveal that these photos were taken by customers who cycled the very same model of bike around the world last year. Even if your customer is buying the bike for commuting, they now feel they are buying into the dream of being able to cycle it around the world – who knows, maybe they will!

Don’t fall at the last hurdle Finally, don’t lose the sale at the last minute by making the customer do all the work. Don’t leave an awkward silence, which forces the customer to say “I can’t decide now, I might come back,” and definitely don’t jump in and say anything as blunt as “so, do you want it?”

Make it easy for them to say yes, smooth the way. At the right time, say something like “I’m so glad you like it” or “from what you’ve told me it’s just perfect for you, what do you think?”

A three-step consultation 1. Have a few opening questions ready. For example: “Where do you work?” and “Where do you live?”

These are great questions to get to know the customer better, and pick up clues about their personality, their life, their likes and dislikes.

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TALKING POINTS

2. Create a simple consultation process. Be open with the customer about this. For example: “I’d like to ask a few more questions, this will help us to narrow down the options and show you exactly the right bikes. Is that okay with you?”

Then ask questions like: “What will you use your new bike for? Anything else? And what else? What do you dislike about your current bike?”

3. Once you have learnt about the customer and worked out roughly their requirements, you will need a simple menu, or a palette of options, so that you can deliver your recommendations. In Bicycleworks stores, we walk the customer through the relevant options and accessories in our online bike builder, having first chosen broadly the model which best suits their needs.

After implementing this system, we have seen our average sale value jump from £650 to £800, simply because we are asking the right questions and offering genuinely useful, worthwhile upgrades and upsells.

Jake Voelcker set up a small bike repair workshop in Bristol in 2008. The business grew, and in 2015 he launched his own bike brand, Bristol Bicycles, designed and built right here in the UK. Voelcker is now franchising this model to other cities in the UK, and currently has shops in Brighton and Bath. He is now actively seeking partner shops in other UK cities. n

December 2021 | 37

PRODUCT PARTNER ADVERTORIAL - L-TWOO

L-TWOO presents new derailleur series, complete with short lead times Xin Xu interviews CEO Chunsheng Liu, who shares the vision of the emerging derailleur manufacturer at the time of global supply chain crisis

S

ince the pandemic broke out in early 2020, the global bicycle supply chain has struggled with shortages of parts and extended lead times. L-TWOO, an emerging derailleur brand based in Zhuhai, China, grasped the opportunity and achieved multifold growth by offering original products and timely delivery. The company’s CEO Chunsheng Liu has now told the story behind the rapid rise of the manufacturer.

Tough start-up L-TWOO was founded in 2013 by Chunsheng Liu. The brand name literally means ‘blueprint’ in Mandarin. Mr. Liu had worked as a senior mechanical engineer for 20 years before the start-up, 10 of which were spent with SRAM. “At that time, no one could design and make derailleurs in the country, I mean independently and originally. There were indeed many counterfeits, which almost ruined the reputation of home-made bicycle components. So I saw bright prospects for a committed groupset manufacturer with professionalism and care,” Liu said, revealing his motivation, “But it turned out to be extremely difficult both technically and administratively.

“We had to balance the quality, cost, production volume with 38 | December 2021

limited resources, while keeping a good level of competitiveness.

That made the company’s beginning phase super tough.

Fortunately, in 2016 L-TWOO came through the hard time and started to prosper. But look at my hair,” Liu joked. “Now we have more than 200 brand and OEM partners around the world.

70% of our products are delivered abroad, including Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.”

L-Twoo CEO Chunsheng Liu

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PRODUCT PARTNER ADVERTORIAL - L-TWOO L-TWOO headquarters in Zhuhai, China

rear, dual-control lever, etc. Second, the dual-control lever comes with ergonomic design to give nice grip and precise shifting. Carbon fibre material is applied to the lever and the rear derailleur to further reduce the weight. And third, direct-mount front derailleurs are quite effective against chain drop. A series for MTB, R series for road and F series for city or folding, L-TWOO has formed three product lines, in total 21 articles for any type of bikes. There is always the right one for your model,” Liu said.

Focus on R&D What makes L-TWOO stand out among emerging manufacturers is the great effort put into research and development. As an unwritten rule, the company spends 20% of the turnover on research activities conducted by an international R&D team, which is led by chief designers Juriy Smirnov and Sergei Vlasov and consists of designers, engineers, testers and patent attorneys. A special R&D center in Perm, Russia is dedicated to pioneering mechanical and structural research.

“Yes, we have patent attorneys in house. In the world of bicycle drivetrain, the patent barrier is almost everywhere as the leading brands have accumulated nearly 2,600 files in the past years. That’s why the first ever created department of L-TWOO was the legal department,” Liu explains. “We respect the intellectual properties of competitors, and we develop our own technical roadmap. If you rank derailleur brands by the number of patents held, L-TWOO is the third, only after Shimano and SRAM.” A12, A13 and RX For the coming season, L-TWOO mainly promotes three models: A12, RX and A13. “Let’s talk about our new collections. A13 and A12 are our flagships for mountain bikes, designed for intense mountain-bike racing. First, both support up to 52T cog and feature lightweight carbon fibre cage. Second, nearly all MTB models can migrate to L-TWOO A12 flawlessly thanks to the compatibility with mainstream cassettes. And third, it’s a groupset! Chainring, cogset and chain can be ordered together, which greatly reduces the complexity of sourcing and purchasing.”

“A13 has 13 speeds, which is the highest system in the field of MTB. A handy feature of A12/A13 for MTB is ‘shadow design’, meaning the stretch of rear derailleur is minimized in order to reduce risk of collision. Besides top-level A12/A13, A series also have from 3x7 to 3x11 speeds available.

“As for RX, it is our high-end model for road bikes, providing 2x12 speeds. First, it’s also a groupset with front, www.bikebiz.com

Short lead time Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the shortage of parts and extended lead times have disturbed the bicycle production in Europe. To this, L-TWOO would like to share some exciting news. “We have a short lead time, even at this moment,” Liu remarks, “Compared to competitors we have shorter and closer supply chain. Our factory is just downstairs, and we have a well-optimised schedule.

When asked about the estimated range of lead time, Liu said: “Depending on specific needs, our current level is from 30-45 days to finish production. Keeping such short lead times actually attracts many new clients to L-TWOO. Comfortingly, we didn’t let any customer down even influenced by coronavirus.”

Enquiries answered within 24 hours Finally, Liu shared his opinion on the shortage of bicycle parts: “The supply chain crisis is truly happening. Everyone in the industry is concerned about lead time, and anxious about uncertainty.

“The best thing we can do is to assure clients with clarity and punctuality, so I made a very hard requirement to the sales and support team, that is, any question or enquiry must be responded to within 24 hours. In addition, we just announced the new multi- lingual website where product information and catalogs are displayed in detail, all for efficient and successful cooperation. n Would you like to know more about L-TWOO’s product line? Any inquiry can be sent directly to sales@ltwoo.com or via +86 (0)756 7795001. Product information can be downloaded on the official website www.ltwoo.com/en.

December 2021 | 39

APPOINTMENTS This month’s movers and shakers throughout the cycle industry....

Rebecca Boxall, BikeExchange

joins BikeExchange in December to oversee the company’s global capabilities across e-commerce, merchandising, marketing and customer service.

The group’s other recent senior appointments include Derek Colfer as regional head of BikeExchange North America, Sam Salter as chief sales and partnerships officer and Ryan McMillan as global head of technology operations. There has also been significant structural teamwork ensuring the organisation is globally focused around sellers, stock and transactions and is working across the four regions BikeExchange is operating in.

Commenting on her appointment, Boxall said: “I am thrilled to be joining BikeExchange at an exciting time of growth, to drive e-commerce initiatives to fuel BikeExchange’s purpose to make it easy for customers to buy and sell all things bike.” n

BikeExchange has announced the appointment of Rebecca Boxall in its newly created position of chief customer officer, finalising the recruitment of its executive team following the successful IPO in February.

Currently vice-president for e-commerce, marketing and customer experience at Native Shoes in North America, Boxall

Will Fripp, Stephen Hayes, and Jonny Yates, Extra UK

Extra UK has appointed a new CEO and given two promotions to further enhance its leadership team, in anticipation of ambitious expansion plans.

Will Fripp (pictured, left) has been appointed as CEO, following on from previous senior roles at Madison,

NEED

Specialized, and most recently SHIFT Active Media. Having already spent four years at Extra, Stephen Hayes (pictured, centre) has been promoted to COO from his roles in the marketing and operations departments.

Finally, Jonny Yates (pictured, right) has been promoted to head of sales from his role as South West area manager, following the departure of Simon Ford.

Extra co-founder Brian Stewart said: “With the rapid growth of the business it’s an ideal time to add fresh impetus to an already successful formula. We believe the management group are very well-equipped to drive future expansion.

“Alongside several other planned hires, it’s great to have Will on board and to see Jonny grow into his new role while also recognising the personal growth and commitment from our COO Stephen.” n

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

40 | December 2021

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Ben Simmons, MAGURA Bosch Parts & Services MAGURA Bosch Parts & Services (MBPS) has strengthened its sales activities in the UK, with the appointment of new area sales manager Ben Simmons.

In response to the growing demand for products from the MBPS portfolio, the sales and service company is strengthening its cooperation with specialist dealers in the UK. “Our current network covers a growing five-digit number of dealers in Europe, and growth is still being driven by all the main markets in the EU, plus the very important market in the UK,” said Timo Kieninger, director of marketing and sales (ppa.). “This step we are taking will expand our activities in the UK.” n

Bryan Harris, Ison Distribution Ison Distribution has welcomed the return of Bryan Harris, who has taken on the role of strategic brand manager.

Having previously worked for Ison, Harris said he made the return to focus on product development and to reignite his passion for the bike industry.

NEED

Steve Booth, ION Bike and SQLab Steve Booth has joined ION Bike and SQLab as sales agent for the North of England.

Booth, based in West Yorkshire, is long established in the outdoor market and has built and managed Five Ten bike and outdoor for the past nine years in his area.

Boards & More expanded its bike offering with the acquisition of SQlab earlier this year and with ION growing, it was time to increase the service and sales force in the UK. Sean Reynolds, country manager for Boards & More Bike, said: “Steve will be a great asset for both ION Bike and SQLab in the North of England as the brand offering improves and demand grows, a rider of near 30 years, Steve is known by many key retailers in his area and is keen to introduce the brands to new dealers soon, either in-store or at his dedicated showroom in Kendal.” n

Managing director of the distributor, Lloyd Townsend, said: “We have been looking to bolster our brand manager team at I.D. for a few months now. We have worked closely with Bryan before, and I am confident that his passion and knowledge for the industry will make an excellent addition for the whole company.

“We welcome having Bryan back with us in his new role to help us continue to move forwards successfully for years to come.”

Harris added: “I am really happy and excited to be back at Ison Distribution, I’m going to bring my passion and enthusiasm for the cycling world and am looking forward to getting back to working with some of the best brands in the industry.” n

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 41

IBD FOCUS

Cyclestreet in York

All demand, not enough supply The past year has presented many challenges for businesses across the cycling industry, facing shortages in supply following unprecedented demand. Rebecca Morley asks bike shop owners how they’ve fared and what things might look like in 2022

L

ooking back at the cycling industry in 2021, one issue that has been particularly challenging across the board is supply – with demand for bikes and accessories rising so high businesses big and small had to react fast.

But as the country slowly recovers from Covid, and we look ahead to a new ‘normal,’ how have retailers coped, and what does this mean for the future? “We are grateful that we are alive and recovering,” says Bikeseven Cycle Service’s Daan van Belzen. “Alas, we lost some loyal customers to the pandemic; both young and older. We grieve for their passing and pray for those left behind.

Health wise, we all had one illness or another to cope with

42 | December 2021

as well as the pandemic. This has affected the efficiency of our service sadly. Buying and keeping adequate stock levels has been a challenge and the whole scenario has adversely affected cash flows.

“Having said all that, with a sense of realism we also start the year ahead with a new hope. Bikeseven has always felt to be more than a box mover, our ambition is to translate our enthusiasm for cycling into the potential of new and revived cyclists. That is why we have embraced the e-bike revolution and in line with COP objectives, we believe in getting more folk out on their bikes. We don’t just see it as a gap in the market or a commercial opportunity – we believe cycling changes lives, for good.”

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IBD FOCUS

A global issue One of the big challenges of 2021 was shortages in stock, with rising demand having knock-on effects along the supply chain.

“The issue of supply is compounded by the fact that the problem is no longer localised, explains 7hundred’s Dave Butcher, in Windsor, Berkshire. “This is now global. No more competing for materials and bikes from UK stocks – we are all now in the same pool and the water is drying out.”

While stores and suppliers are doing their best to forecast what bikes and parts will be in demand, Butcher stresses that “we must all be prepared for any dates to slip in the coming months and years”.

“We – like all those further along the supply chain – are working on estimates. Estimates based on the information currently available in the system. There are so many variables involved that nothing can be certain.

‘Supply chain issues have plagued all industries but the cycle industry has really suffered in 2021’ “We are in a chain that is hard to manage for everyone involved – not just us – and this makes delivery dates highly volatile. Compound this with worldwide transport problems, a shortage of shipping containers and space on aircraft and – coupled with the fallout surrounding Brexit – and some forecasters foresee that the carnage will continue until at least the first half of 2023. Brace yourselves!”

Shot in the arm Covid lockdowns and the recovery period that we are now in continues to present lots of challenges, says Jon Dean of CycleStreet in York, but it has been the ‘shot in the arm’ the industry has needed – by injecting cash into those businesses that were brave enough to forward order when Prime Minister Boris Johnson told everyone to ‘get on your bike’.

“However, this has compounded the supply problems that we are enduring now where most UK residents are ‘over’ Covid and are beginning to forget that the rest of the world, particularly the less organised and or less vaccinated Asian economies, have any issues with Covid,” says Dean. “The boom and bust nature of supply currently is proving

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particularly stretching financially in a time of year when traditionally most businesses are buying as little as possible rather than stocking up for next year, because it is unlikely that stock will be freely available in spring when we traditionally schedule our deliveries.”

Andrew Manning, director at Cyclelink Services in the Surrey village of Thames Ditton, says that historically, the business ran a just in time model ordering up parts for repairs as it needs them. “Prepandemic, we could order one day and be fitting parts the next.

“Supply chain issues have plagued all industries but the cycle industry has really suffered in 2021. When parts are available, we are purchasing multiples which means we are holding far more stock than we did and this is having a negative impact on cash flow.

“The limited availability of new bikes means that many people have released old bikes from sheds where they have laid unused for some time. Managing expectations over costs of repair of these machines has been hard even with the Government Fix Your Bike Voucher. £50 does not go a long way.

“Although many cycle shops have been in a better position over the past 18 months than other high street retailers, we have seen several well-established cycle businesses reduce their number of premises or close down completely in 2021. This has, inevitably, increased demand for our services.

“It is our hope that supply will improve through 2022 but we are aware that this will not happen before the spring. We are hoping to see more footfall as we get used to living with and avoiding the terrible effects of Covid. This will allow us to engage more with our customers, reduce stock levels and improve both cashflow and profit.”

2021 was a great year in terms of sales and growth, says Blazing Bikes

December 2021 | 43

IBD FOCUS

Tip of the iceberg Blazing Bikes’ Will Chambers says 2021 was a ‘great year’ in terms of sales and growth for the Shropshire store, but with that comes the added pressure of maintaining the level of customer service and aftersales. “There were a lot of early starts and late finishes, but it was great to get lots of new people into cycling and see lots of happy faces in a time that wasn’t that great for the world.

“In terms of sales at the moment we’ve seen challenges with stock availability, but the level of sales enquiries has been brilliant and we look forward to the availability becoming more abundant.

“Moving forward, I can only see cycling as a whole becoming more popular and the age of the e-bike is definitely in full swing and in my humble opinion we’re only at the tip of the iceberg!”

Pennine Cycles director Sandra Corcoran, based in West Yorkshire, says 2021 is “still a challenging time for us with the supply chain of bikes and parts still being uncertain, so it is not always easy to plan and satisfy customers’ needs.

“We’ve seen less footfall of new customers and have been kept busy with our regular customers,” says Corcoran. “We look forward to 2022 and the opportunities it will bring as a family-owned independent bike shop.”

Clear communication “2021 has been a good year, shop floor sales have been great, workshops have been extremely busy, and we have managed to keep our two stores well stocked,” says South Downs Bikes’ Aaron Creamer. “We have seen a large number of new and returning customers with e-bikes being the main driving force.”

On challenges the shop has faced, Creamer says the workshops have faced big problems with parts; they have had to be imaginative on where they find products and their communication has had to be very clear with customers. “We have had some challenges in finding the correct product for people in some places due to supplier stock levels being unpredictable.

“We have had to be very mindful of ensuring our bike stock holding is correct with a large number of bikes becoming available in certain price points, we have had to make sure we aren’t oversubscribed.”

And what about the current state of retail? “We have seen a rise in local footfall since the relaxing of restrictions which has allowed us to reconnect with our local communities in store and on a social basis with shop rides and events.

“I think cycle retail will remain consistent providing there is product available, and the bike and manufacturers and distributors alike remain as transparent as they have

44 | December 2021

been, which has made the last year infinitely better and we are extremely grateful for that!”

Increased participation 2021 has been a good year for retail with the strong demand for bikes continuing through the end of the winter and into the spring and summer, says Rutland Cycling ​​CEO Karen Archer and commercial director Andrea Mulqueen.

“E-bike sales have continued to accelerate with sales up across all disciplines, [it’s] very encouraging to see this with new customers coming into the market and the still huge potential in this market.”

Demand across parts, clothing and accessories has also been strong, pointing towards the increased participation in cycling seen across the last 18 months, Archer and Mulqueen continue.

“Availability within the supply chain continues to be a challenge and from all the signs we see will continue to be so in specific areas for a while yet. Our teams have adapted to this quickly to enable us to continue to offer a great experience both online and in-store with huge help from our key supplier partners.

“We expect the demand for e-bikes, in particular, to continue into next year. We still have a long way to go in terms of ownership compared to some of our European counterparts. With the continued focus on more sustainable travel and investment in infrastructure to support this, the signs are looking positive for growth.” n

‘Bikeseven has always felt to be more than a box mover’

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01772 459 887 bob-elliot.co.uk/facebook bob-elliot.co.uk/twitter bob-elliot.co.uk/instagram

TRADE BENEFITS n Access to our in-house manufactured

KX Wheels n

Order until 4pm each day for next day delivery for mainland UK, including Saturdays!

n Competitive carriage-paid minimum orders and then tiered carriage charges

for non-carriage-paid orders n

Choose from over 40 brands, and 5000 SKU’s across the portfolio

n Regular account-manager visits from

our experienced sales team to help

further develop the business n Enjoy one of the most focused and user-friendly B2B systems in the trade

B2B: access your account, order

history, invoices, credits, EPOS

stock-feeds, backorders and favourites... as well as exclusive offers,

giveaways, clearance deals and all

the latest news and information on

new products n Excellent customer-care support from

our office team who have decades of

experience working in the trade n

To work with a distributor with the IBD at the forefront of portfolio-decisions year-on-year

Distributors of great brands across the UK

Visit us at www.bob-elliot.co.uk or contact us on sales@bob-elliot.co.uk Tel: 01772 459 887 BB-DEC20-BOB ELLIOT.indd 1

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PERFORMANCE COMPONENTS MAGURA.COM

MAGURA

TECH ACADEMY ONLINE TRAINING

Your new MAGURA training platform: Mobile learning anywhere, available online, around the clock, the way you want it. With certificate!

SECTOR GUIDE

Wheels, tyres and inner tubes 2 1

3 4

3

2

1

4

Goodyear

Goodyear

Deda Elementi

Nukeproof

Vector 4seasons – Tubeless Complete Road Tyre

Connector Ultimate

Gera Alloy Wheelset

Horizon V2 Wheels

Distributor: Paligap

Distributor: Chicken CycleKit

Distributor: Hotlines

From gravel adventuring to drop-bar dirt mashing, the Connector is capable of tackling any terrain. A versatile tread pattern featuring tightly-spaced center knobs combined with aggressive side knobs is then mated to tubeless complete construction. The result is a fast rolling, high-grip, all-terrain tyre.

Available now in tan and black wall in 650X50, 700X35, 40mm and 50mm.

Gera Alloy wheels guarantee great performance and durability on gravel roads. The 25mm profile rims with a 23mm internal width provides a superior stability even in challenging terrains. The asymmetric rim is built with the tubeless-ready technology to be compatible with clincher and tubeless tyres. Weighing in at an impressive 1690g for the wheelset, it is available for Shimano, SRAM X-DR or Campagnolo N3W cassettes.

The Horizon V2 wheels are constructed from Nukeproof’s extensively tested alloy blend, specifically made to give the best of all worlds in terms of strength, stiffness and weight.

The hubs use Enduro ABEC 5 bearings which use two lips making it more difficult for water or dirt to penetrate. They come taped with tubeless valves installed. Available in 29in, 27.5in and a full range of axle sizes.

Distributor: Paligap The all-new Vector 4Seasons UHP road tyre utilises the latest developments in materials and construction methods to optimise performance across a wide range of conditions. Available now in 25mm, 28mm, 30mm, 32mm.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 47

SECTOR GUIDE

5 6

8

7

5

7

6

8

Tyre Glider

KX Wheels

Teravail

Muc-Off

Tyre Glider (a brand new tyre lever design)

KX Hybrid 700C Doublewall Q/R Cassette Wheel Disc Brake in Black (Rear)

Rutland 700x42 Tan Light & Supple - Gravel

Ultimate Tubeless Setup Kit

Distributor: Tyreglider.co.uk (self-distributing at the moment until a partner is found) The Tyre Glider is a small and compact evolution of traditional tyre levers. Its unique design and features ensures that changing a bicycle tyre is now accessible to all individuals and completes the task in a more efficient manner, allowing for the swift removal and installation of even the most tight-fitting tyres across all the bicycle disciplines.

NEED

Distributor: Bob Elliot & Co KX Wheels are produced here at Bob Elliot HQ. Using machinery we prepare the hubs using reliable, economical and good quality componentry and lace the wheels before finishing them to precise tolerances using robots to deliver the perfect wheel every time. KX Wheels are quality controlled before being finalised using over 50 years of joint experience in wheel-building.

Distributor: Lyon Cycle Designed with the unknown in mind, the Rutland takes the guesswork out of selecting the right tyre for the ride. Ramped, tightly spaced center lugs reduce rolling resistance while larger, more spaced-out shoulder and transition lugs provide grip in loose conditions. The 42c width fits modern disc geometry frames to add reliable grip and even more comfort.

Distributor: Direct A kit complete with every essential needed to join the tubeless revolution, say goodbye to carrying spare tubes. Five different kits for all kinds of bikes.

The Ultimate Tubeless Setup Kit is a one-stop shop for everything you need to make the switch with your tubeless-ready wheelset.

Each kit contains No Puncture Hassle Tubeless Sealant, Valves and Tape.

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

48 | December 2021

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SECTOR GUIDE

10

9

12

11

9

10

11

12

Fulcrum

Oxford

Michelin

Michelin

Racing 5 DB

Metro Elite

Michelin Pro 4 Endurance

Michelin Airstop Inner Tube

Distributor: i-ride

Distributor: Oxford

Distributor: Silverfish UK

Distributor: Silverfish UK

Freshly updated this year, the aluminium Racing 5 wheelset is perfectly suited to autumn/ winter endurance road warriors.

New laser etched graphics are inscribed on a low profile 24mm deep rim with a modern 20mm internal width. They offer excellent handling in all weather conditions and the option of voluminous tyres for poor road surfaces. Sealed cartridge hub bearings and steel spokes mean the Racing 5 weighs in at an impressive 1,660 grams.

The Metro Elite tyre has a 3mm puncture belt and comes in two sizes 700 X 35c and 700 X 40C.

The Michelin Pro4 Endurance V2 Road Bike Tyre is ideal for sportive riders thanks to the Bi-Compound tread. This tread offers lower rolling resistance, longer tyre life and provides excellent grip. The tyre has a 40% increase in puncture protection over its main competitors thanks to the 3x110 TPI casing and HD Bead to Bead Protection technology to reduce unwanted flats.

Available in 700C with 23, 25 and 28C widths.

Airstop Butyl tubes answer the needs of everyday cyclists for economical, high quality inner tubes. In each size, Airstop Butyl tubes offer excellent puncture resistance and the consistently high quality for which Michelin is famous. Available as singles or in cases of 10, with Presta stems from 40 to 80mm and a Schrader option for 35 to 47mm tyres.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 49

EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2022: FOCUS:

SECTOR GUIDES:

January

Trendspotting 2022

Energy and nutrition Bike security

February

Parts and accessories

Hybrids and folders Cycle luggage

March

Industry diversity

Women’s bikes and accessories Workshop tools and cleaning

April

Cycling technology

Cycle computers Triathlon

May

The kid’s market

Kid’s bikes and accessories Brakes

June

Retail and the IBD

Helmets

July

The global cycle industry

Indoor training and power meters Cycle lights

August

The MTB market

Mountain bikes and accessories Winter and protective clothing

September

Sustainability

Gravel and adventure Gifts for cyclists

October

Distribution

Road bikes and accessories Chains, gears and cranks

November

Micromobility

E-bikes and accessories

BikeBiz Awards special

Wheels, tyres and inner tubes Cycle footwear

December

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN ANY OF THESE ISSUES? Contact Richard Setters 0779 480 5307 or email richard.setters@biz-media.co.uk

Want your company or product to be involved with any of these features?

Contact Alex Ballinger, editor 07507868377 email alex.ballinger@biz-media.co.uk

SECTOR GUIDE

14

13

16

15

15

16

Continental

Vittoria

Ere

Terra Trail Protection Gravel Tyre Black

Syerra

Explorator Clincher Tyre

Distributor: Madison

Distributor: Oneway Bike

Brand new from Vittoria is the Syerra. The Syerra is a new Down Country tyre which mixes the performance of Cross-Country with high grip reliability on technical terrain. Tread is a combination of stepped directional-shape knobs and squared progressive side width to make for a fast rolling tyre.

Riders looking for aggressive XC features combined with all-day trail performance need look no further.

The Explorator is designed for the everyday performance road rider.

This is the workhorse of Ere’s tyre programme with Armis 2 flat protection to fend off debris. The 60tpi casing offers good puncture protection in combination with an extra side profile. The side profile offers extra grip, especially in wet conditions. This is the ultimate long-distance training and road bike commuting tyre.

14

13 Continental Der Baron Project Protection Apex Distributor: Raleigh UK

Distributor: Raleigh UK

The enduro Baron is a pure competition tyre, its design derived from the toughest World Cup courses. Offering excellent puncture resistance and maximum stability thanks to Continental’s ProTection technology, this tyre features a tubeless-ready insert. The Baron’s grip and efficient rolling is derived from Continental’s Blackchilli compound, delivering unrivalled control.

Made to get you over rough and smooth – the gravel Terra series

by Continental gets you there with off-road grip, comfort and rolling resistance. This tubeless-ready tyre can be driven with or without an inner tube, constructed in Continental’s Blackchili compound for rolling and grip with the additional all round puncture protection layer offered by its ProTection technology.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 51

SECTOR GUIDE

17

18

20 19

19

20

Pirelli

Hutchinson

Weldtite Products

P7 Sport

Fusion 5 All Season Tyre (Black, 700 x 25, TR, HS, 11S)

Inner Tube Sealant 250ml

18

17 Pirelli SmarTUBE Distributor: Extra UK

Distributor: Extra UK

Pirelli SmarTUBE is the ultimate evolution for the cyclists that are using a standard tubed setup and want to improve bike performance. The SmarTUBE is available in P ZERO, Cinturato, and Scorpion variants, and not only offer a significant weight saving over butyl tubes but also increased puncture protection in a package that packs down significantly smaller than traditional tubes too.

The Pirelli P7 Sport is a product for those who choose riding for leisure and fitness rather than chasing KOMs with a performance focus. Developed with the intention of lasting longer than Pirelli’s racing products but giving the same feeling of confidence, it provides a greater level of longevity and excellent grip. The Pirelli P7 Sport is designed around wider modern rims for even more comfort and is available in a range of sizes up to 32mm.

NEED

Distributor: Windwave The Fusion 5 All Season is the perfect ally for long intensive outings. Hutchinson have worked on a specific compound thickness (1.6mm) with a tailored particle size to favour durability and grip on wet roads. The Kevlar reinforcement protects the casing from puncture risks. You will be able to easily ride up to the 5,000 km threshold with performance and comfort.

Distributor: Multi-Distributor The rider’s choice of inner tube sealant. Designed to prevent time off the bike by sealing punctures as they happen, the fibres in the sealant will plug the hole immediately and permanently with minimal loss of pressure.

Available in 1L for families and riders with many bikes. Also available in 5L for busy workshops wanting reliable and dependable inner tube sealant.

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

52 | December 2021

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SECTOR GUIDE

21 22

24

23

23

24

Challenge

Panaracer

Princeton CarbonWorks

Race D Evo4

Peak 4550

Distributor: Upgrade

Strada Bianca Handmade Tubeless

Distributor: ZyroFisher

Distributor: Ison Distribution

Reynolds’ AR29 wheelset will ride with confidence all year round.

Featuring custom carbon layup, it comes with a lifetime warranty.

The 21mm internal hooked profile is ideal for wider ‘all-road’ and all-season tyres typically 25-30mm. The 29mm deep profile suits larger road tyres but won’t catch the winter crosswinds.

Brass spoke nipples and Sapim Sprint spokes complete the dependable build. SRP: £1300.

Comfort and improved grip are standard with all Challenge handmade tyres. The higher thread count casings and quality materials used at every stage of production allow the tyre to flex over the road surface. Strada Bianca is a larger volume model in 30mm, 36mm and now 40mm.

Ideal for winter, it is now available in hand-made tubeless ready. SRP £65 (30mm).

The toughest performance tyre of them all has had a makeover.

The all new evolution of our ultra-durable road race tyre with enhanced puncture protection has arrived. The Race D Evo4’s new ‘All Contact Tread Shape’ has been reengineered for wider rim widths to continue to deliver superior grip and lower rolling resistance. Available in two sizes and two colours, the Race D Evo4 completes the family of Race Evo tyres.

The latest offering from Princeton CarbonWorks was seen on all Ineos Grenadiers bikes this summer in the Tour de France.

Princeton’s lightest wheelset, weighing in at just 1297g for the rim brake version and 1348g for the disc. An all-round race ready wheelset, with exceptional aerodynamics and the strength and stiffness to transfer high wattages to the ground. Coming in Carbon/Ti, White Industries and Tune hubs.

22

21 Reynolds AR29 Carbon Disc Wheelset

NEED

Distributor: Upgrade

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 53

SECTOR GUIDE

25

26

27

28

26

25

27

28

Halo Wheels

Halo Wheels

Schwalbe

Continental

Gravel Tyres

Dynamo Wheels

Aerothan

Grand Prix 5000S TR

Distributor: Ison Distribution

Distributor: Ison Distribution

Distributor: Contact Schwalbe UK for distributors

Available in three different thread patterns, perfect for all weather conditions and surfaces. With a 60TPI carcass across the range, these are not only lightweight they are also reliable and tubeless ready. Perfect for winter and gravel bikes.

Offering a wide range of Dynamo wheels to fit nearly every spec of bike. Built onto some of the most popular Halo rims, we have options for rim brake, disc brake, quick release and bolt-thru. Built with SP hubs these make for ideal upgrades to urban bikes or for long-distance cyclists and tourers.

Distributor: Raleigh, ZyroFisher, Bob Elliot & Co, i-ride

The Schwalbe Aerothan tube uses thermoplastic polyurethane, starting at a weight of just 41g for the road bike size. Not only are the Aerothan tubes around 40% lighter than an equivalent size lightweight butyl tube, but they have considerably improved pinch flat and penetration resistance, lower rolling resistance, high heat resistance, and are 100% recyclable.

The new tubeless ready allrounder, lighter, faster and with stronger sidewalls and now compatible with hookless rims. In comparison to the first GP5000 Tubeless (TL) version, the GP5000S TR is 20% faster rolling, 28% stronger in the sidewall and 50g lighter (25-622). In the autumn of 2021, the GP5000S TR was the winning tyre at both the men’s Paris-Roubaix and World Time Trial Championships.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

54 | December 2021

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DISTRIBUTED BY

SECTOR GUIDE

Cycle footwear 1

2

4

3

3

2

1

4

DMT Cycling

FLR Shoes

Northwave

Ride Concepts

GK1

FLR F-11 Pro Road Race Shoe in Black

Celsius Arctic R GTX

Ride Concepts Hellion Elite Women’s Shoes 2021

Distributor: Chicken CycleKit With the GK1, DMT brings you the comfort and breathability of knit, designed for the rigors of gravel riding. Featuring integrated laces, reflective highlights and reinforced for mud and abrasion protection.

The dual stiffness Michelin sole has a specific compound, combined with the tread design, geometry and lug shape, that has been designed to offer traction and grip when you need control on the ground.

NEED

Distributor: Bob Elliot & Co The F-11 uses a seamless upper design with FLR’s new pro-last, comprised from a single piece of premium microfibre to conform to the shape of your foot like a glove. The lacing system uses a single dial and Velcro strap for a secure fit at each point of your foot. Nylon mesh, perforated holes and a breathable tongue deliver excellent ventilation. The F-11 is equipped with the R250 outsole to boost performance and pedal power transfer.

Distributor: i-ride The Celsius Arctic R GTX bestselling winter boot integrates a technical GoreTex membrane to keep those torrents of H20 from the front mudguard well away from the riders’ socks. Even retention pressure is applied with the Northwave SLW2 dials which are micro adjustable mid ride.

At the business end a stiff carbon reinforced sole transmits watts efficiently throughout the winter.

Distributor: Silverfish UK Ride Concept’s Hellion Elite is a lightweight, no compromise, all mountain women’s flat pedal shoe. Using the softest rubber compound DST 4.0 max grip and a women’s specific fit and flex, Hellion Elite is the go-to for the utmost connection to the pedal, regardless of conditions. Highly regarded in both men’s and women’s versions and regularly topping the reviews.

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

56 | December 2021

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SECTOR GUIDE

5 7

8 6

5

6

7

8

Gaerne

Oxford

Bont

Shimano

G.ICE Storm MTB 1.0 GoreTex

Oxford Bright Shoe 1.0

Vaypor S

RC702

Distributor: Hotlines

Distributor: Oxford

Distributor: Raleigh UK

Distributor: Madison

The G.ICE Storm’s GoreTex upper offers high breathability, impermeability and thermal insulation even in the coldest conditions. It features an elasticised and water repellant collar with adjustable closure for maximum insulation, rear loops for easy fit and reflective inserts to increase visibility.

The midsole is highly insulating with the addition of thermo reflective aluminium that creates a thermal barrier.

The Oxford Bright Shoe 1.0 is a high visibility, waterproof and windproof overshoe. Whether you’re out riding in the depths of winter or the early morning spring/autumn darkness, the Bright Shoe 1.0 comes into its own. Available in two colours yellow and black and with reflective detailing they really are the perfect all weather/ season overshoe.

Lighter, stronger, faster. Designed for speed and comfort. Whether for a pro racer or simply a rider who demands the finest, the Vaypor S will provide the most anatomically and biomechanically correct platform with the most efficient power transfer platform currently available. The Vaypor S once again redefines the standards of pro level road cycling shoes, constructed of unidirectional carbon monocoque chassis with durolite upper and faux suede leather liner.

Taking features from the top tier S-Phyre shoes and bringing them to a lower price point, the best-selling RC7 is back in a new iteration for 2022. The new synthetic upper material makes for a glove-like fit, while also reducing weight and improving breathability. Dual Boa L6 dials make for a micro-adjustable fit and the newly developed midsole construction cuts stack height significantly.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

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December 2021 | 57

SECTOR GUIDE

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ETC – Everything to Cycling

fizik

DexShell

Giro

CTX20 Commute and Trail Cycling Shoe

Winter Overshoes

Ultra Dri Socks

Latch MTB Shoe

Distributor: Extra UK

Distributor: Upgrade

Distributor: ZyroFisher

For riders looking to use their existing road shoes through the colder and wetter months, the fizik winter overshoes offer a great alternative to full neoprene winter shoes. The neoprene and 3L waterproof and breathable fabric combined with a YKK water repellent zipper help keep feet dry and warm in all but the very worst conditions. The reflective fizik logo and piping also help to add visibility in low light for added rider safety.

There’s nothing nicer than warm feet on a winter bike ride and the best way to keep your extremities toastie is to keep them dry. DexShell Ultra Dri Sports Socks offer the combined performance of quick moisture wicking and superb warmth from their innovative wool blend inner. Dryness is delivered from the waterproof Porelle membrane with added protection from the in-cuff seal. SRP: £34.

The Latch is built to be the best connection possible between you and flat pedals – especially when the trail gets fast and rowdy. Giro started with a new fit that brings the foot closer to the pedal and flattens the sole profile, optimising the contact patch between sole and pedal.

Distributor: Moore Large & Co Riding to work or hitting the trail is more comfortable if you have the right footwear. The ETC CTX20 is a lightweight, lace up shoe that is SPD compatible with Stiff Mid sole designed to make pedalling easier. Features include rubber/EVA Dual Compound, all weather, multi surface sole, high-density PU Instep Vamp with Laser Cut Vents, EVA Insole for ultra-support and control, fleece-lined Inner Collar, and Hard Wearing TPU Toe Cover.

NEED

? - THINK CHICKEN For the full range visit www.chickenb2b.co.uk

58 | December 2021

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The laylo mount is a 5mm headset spacer with offset bar mount for handlebar mounted accessories.

Almost invisible when mounted, it can be placed at your desired height above or below the stem. It can be flipped or flopped left/right/front/ back/up/down to suit your preferred handlebar setup.

Infinite positions are possible, utilising clamping forces and friction. This simple tooless design uses the accessory’s clamp to hold it firmly in place.

It protects exposed E-Bike displays (such as Bosch Purion), GPS units and accessories by positioing them beneath and behind the bars, out of harms way.

To see the product in action visit our website.

www.laylo.tech

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bike-biz-nov.indd 1

12/11/2021 10:16:46