BikeBiz May 2017

F O R

BIKEBIZ.COM

E V E R Y O N E

I N

T H E

B I K E

MAY 2017

ISSUE 136

B U S I N E S S

RIDER WEARS:

NIGHTVISION EVO 3 JACKET FEATURING VISIBILITY

BREATHABILITY

®

PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR ZYROFISHER ACCOUNT M A N A G E R F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M AT I O N

®

ISSUE 136 MAY 2017

@bikebizonline | facebook.com/bikebiz

F O R

I N

E V E R Y O N E

T H E

B I K E

B U S I N E S S

p34 Knog’s bright future

p28 What’s new at Raleigh?

p18 Coupling with cafés

Knog tells us about its design philosophy, and the PWR product line, which is due to hit shelves later this year.

With all-new facilities and an updated range of products, this Nottingham-based company has a lot to shout about.

We investigate what the benefits of teaming up with a coffee shop might be for bike shops looking to diversify.

Bikepacking We take a glimpse into this backpacking-with-bikes trend, and consider the products available now.

p20

p13 Millennial mechanics

p47 Sector guides

p9 Smart gear

p68 Team Profile

A new generation of mechanics is doing things its own way.

Brakes, BMX bikes, parts, and accessories, and nutrition.

The most innovative technology available in the cycling market.

The Madison and Sportline team gives us the essentials.

NEWS

Plans to reduce road injury compensation limit scrapped

DUE TO the snap election, the Ministry of Justice is to drop controversial plans to reduce road injury compensation limits.

Cycling UK, British Cycling and other cycling organisations have been campaigning against planned changes.

The Ministry of Justice has planned to increase the small claims limit for victims involved in “road traffic accidents” from £1000 to £5000. These changes were to be made in conjunction with other compensation reforms proposed in the Prison and Courts Bill, but this was dropped on Thursday.

pursuing any rightful claim for injuries received.

Cycling UK’s legal campaigns officer Duncan Dollimore said: “Cycling UK are delighted that following our recent meeting with MoJ officials to highlight the impact of the small claims proposals, our submissions to the Justice Select Committee inquiry into compensation reforms, and the thousands of people who backed our campaign, that the Government now accepts road victims are real victims.

“The Government had tagged proposals to increase the small claims

“Any future government must give more thought to the impact on the most vulnerable road users.”

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK Through its “Road Victims are Real Victims” campaign, Cycling UK, together with RoadPeace and Living Streets, argued the small claims changes would disproportionately affect cyclists’ personal injury claims, 70 per cent of which are under £5000.

As claimants’ costs are not recoverable in small claims cases, the increase would have left cyclists injured by at fault drivers short-changed, potentially paying most if not all of their compensation back to their lawyers for legal fees, or simply put off from BIKEBIZ.COM

EDITOR’S COMMENT DID TEAM SKY FLY TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN? The last few months in professional cycling have had sport enthusiasts gripping the edges of their seats, with the latest headlines about Team Sky flooding mainstream media coverage. Ominous phrases like “inquest” and “suspicious package” rarely bode well, and whilst these events will have long-term ramifications on the British professional sport community’s deflated ego, the real damage – to the cycle industry – could be far more concerning.

I’m no expert on UCI regulations, so I’m certainly not going to weigh in on the minutiae of the latest potential controversies; but the cycling industry benefited hugely from Team Sky’s success and this is one Icarus that could come home to roost. In 2012, the nation saw enormous pay-off from its investment in high-level athletes at the London Olympics, with British cyclists taking Gold in a variety of disciplines. This instilled in the younger generation an excitement about two-wheeled transportation. As the commuters and advocates of tomorrow, getting the youths of this country pedalling should be a top priority. So, the question I ask myself is, what is the sporting community doing to get British adolescents on bikes?

Hayley E. Ferguson can be contacted at: hferguson@nbmedia.com

limit onto plans to reform what they claimed were fraudulent and exaggerated whiplash claims, despite the fact that whiplash claims by vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, are a rarity.

“The issue of an increase to the small claims limit might re-surface at some point in the future. If it does, any future government must give more thought to the impact on the most vulnerable road users, who shouldn’t be scapegoated under a misleading headline of whiplash reform.”

BIKEBIZ MAY 5

NEWS

£470,000 fund to be made available for businesses to create cycling products

THE DEPARTMENT for Transport has announced a £470,000 grant-aid scheme to enable businesses to create innovative cycling and walking products and services.

Innovations may include technology, infrastructure, manufacturing or behavioural change, says the DfT, adding that

the funding pot is suitable for early-stage, small and mediumsized enterprises.

The grant scheme is a Small Business Research Initiative, and has two phases. Up to £170,000 is allocated for the first phase in total, and and up to £300,000 for the second phase. Applicants must register by midday on 7th

June, with the final application by midday on 14th June. The grant will be open to organisations developing products or services that: Q make it easier for people to cycle to work.

Q improve the image of cycling so that more people feel it is an activity they can incorporate

into their daily routines.

Q improve road safety and help people, particularly teenagers and women, feel safer.

Q make it easier to undertake journeys that include both cycling and travelling by rail This new fund follows the earlier Innovation Challenge Fund which gave out £90,000 grants.

New MTB qualification launched CYCLING UK, Mountain Bike Coaching UK and the Mountain Bike Instructors Award Scheme have announced the launch of a new qualification in mountain bike leadership, under the banner of the Association of British Mountain Bike Guides.

The new accrediting body – which has joined the European Organisation of Mountain Bike Instructor-Guides – supports mountain biking leaders in the UK by giving credibility to their training and

assessment process. It also aims to boost consumer confidence.

The newly-formed ABMG is an inclusive organisation that welcomes all individuals and organisations that meet the entry requirements set out in the group’s constitution.

Cycling UK training manager Matt Woodcock said: “This exciting new venture will give a real boost to mountain bike leaders who are keen to train and qualify through this new pathway. Becoming a licensed European Mountain Bike Guide and

Executive Editor: Carlton Reid carltonreid@mac.com

Sales Manager: Richard Setters rsetters@nbmedia.com

Managing Director: Mark Burton mburton@nbmedia.com

Editor: Hayley Ferguson hferguson@nbmedia.com

Production Executive: Warren Kelly wkelly@nbmedia.com

Marketing & Circulation bikebiz.com/subscribe

Staff Writer: Kieran Howells khowells@nbmedia.com

Content Director: Andrew Wooden awooden@nbmedia.com

Design: Dan Bennett dbennett@nbmedia.com

Events Director: Caroline Hicks chicks@nbmedia.com

proud member of ABMG will soon become a badge of honour in the industry. Cycling UK’s aim for this new association is to promote and support mountain bike leaders in Britain with an award that promotes parity with all international mountain bike awards, so that the industry is better recognised as a credible expert in running exhilarating and safe MTB holidays and tours.”

A new website for ABMG is currently being built and will be operational by summer.

Editorial: The Emerson Building, 4-8 Emerson Street, London. SE1 9DU Tel: 0207 354 6002 BikeBiz is mailed FOC to 4,000+ trade addresses every month ISSN 1476-1505

©NewBay MediaEurope Ltd 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of BikeBiz are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. Printed by Pensord Press Ltd. NP12 2YA.

6 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

NEWS FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @BIKEBIZONLINE

Cycling organisations unite to send e-bike message to Department for Transport BRITAIN’S CYCLING organisations have joined together and backed a e-bike submission that the Bicycle Association has sent to the Department for Transport. Sustrans, Cycling UK, British Cycling, Cyclenation, LCC, Bikeplus and the Association of Bikeability Schemes joined with the Bicycle Association to argue that e-bikes should not be subject to so-called Vnuk ruling.

The EU’s Vnuk ruling states that off-road vehicles, such as tractors and racing cars, have to be insured even if they never drive on a public highway. Electric bikes could be included within the scope of the ruling, an outcome opposed by the Bicycle Association and the other cycling organisations.

A DfT consultation on how to implement the Vnuk judgment closed on 13th April.

The Bicycle Association made a 15-page submission to the consultation, stating that e-bikes should be exempt from the Vnuk ruling. As well as having to pay for compulsory third-party

insurance e-bike owners could also be made to fit number plates and possibly wear helmets, and other measures which the BA fears would impact on the marketability of e-bikes.

Vnuk is not a bendy-banana–style EU acronym, it is the second-name of an unfortunate Slovenian farm worker who was knocked from a ladder by a reversing tractor.

Damijan Vnuk v Zavarovalnica Triglav (c-162/13) was originally heard in Slovenia, but then extended to the rest of the EU after it was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The European court decided that the regulation “applies to the use of vehicles, whether as a means of transport or as machines, in any area, both public and private, in

which risks inherent in the use of vehicles may arise, whether those vehicles are moving or not.”

Further, the ECJ stated that: “Insurance obligation in respect of motor vehicles set out in the EU Motor Insurance Directives is now to be interpreted as extending to ‘any use of a vehicle consistent with the normal function of that vehicle’.

The national governments of Europe have the power to exempt certain classes of vehicle, and the BAGB and the other cycling organisations are hoping e-bikes will be so exempted.

The BA argues that e-bikes are not “motor vehicles” as they are not 100 per cent mechanically propelled.

The 15-page submission states there would be drawbacks for sustainable transport, especially for older people. Furthermore, the costs, administration and policing of the regulation as it applies to e-bikes would far outweigh the risks of damage to people or property from any accidents.

Specialized admits responsibility for Niki Terpstra Paris-Roubaix crash SPECIALIZED’S GLOBAL head of marketing has assumed responsibility regarding the Paris-Roubaix crash of Niki Terpstra of the Specialized-riding QuickStep Floors team.

“We really did our best to go above and beyond,” said Mark Cote. He was explaining the train of events that led to a mechanical failure on Terpstra’s bike causing him to fall and abandon this year’s edition of the event. Terpstra won the race in 2014 and was charged with sheparding race favourite Tom Boonen. The crash was caused by a steerer tube breaking on the Maing à Monchaux-sur-Écaillon sector of setts.

Cote told James Huang of CyclingTips that the crash was due to mechanics not switching over to BIKEBIZ.COM

the correct steerer tube on Terpstra’s bike. Unlike the rest of the team, Terpstra wanted to ride on a non-suspended bike.

Specialized had provided the team with an aluminium plug to take the place of the standard Future Shock cartridge. According to Cote, that part wasn’t meant to be ridden in a punishing race such as Paris-Roubaix.

“The first sample would have likely been fine under [regular] on-road conditions,” Cote told CyclingTips, “but it was a quick prototype to see how the bike felt.”

Terpstra liked the prototype, and then Specialized’s engineers carried out a finite element analysis to develop a strengthened part that would be designed to survive

bumping over the Paris-Roubaix setts.

“It was the same materials in both: 7075-T6 aluminum,” Cote told CyclingTips. “But the product that was re-engineered had tube walls that were over 2mm thicker in

the area with the highest stress, where the actual failure occurred.”

This new, improved part was not fitted to Terpstra’s bike.

“Ultimately, due to poor communication, we just screwed up,” said Cote.

BIKEBIZ MAY 7

01772 459 887 t.co.uk

www.bob-ellio

ine

@BobElliotOnl

EXCLUSIVEELY DISTRIBUT D

CHIBA STREAMLINER MITTS Q Elastic tophand materials for perfect fit Q Palmhand made of robust Clarino Q Poron padding protects from vibrations Q Terry Towelling thumb to wipe away sweat Q Quick-pull system helps to take gloves off Q Air Vent ventilation Q Ulner nerve protection Q Carpal tunnel protection

SRP: £15.99 Buy-in Deals Available

Find your Local stockist at: www.bob-elliot.co.uk or contact us on: sales@bob-elliot.co.uk Tel: 01772 459 887

TECHNOLOGY Lumos’ smart helmet features an in-built accelerometer

Top Tech Kieran Howells delves into the world of cycle tech to take a look at some of the smartest products to hit the market...

THIS MONTH, we’re celebrating the fast-paced and technologically-fuelled P&A market. With the ongoing advancement and accessibility of smart technology, issues that have previously plagued the industry such as late night safety and thefts are being addressed by the latest

generation of inspired entrepreneurs. To celebrate these new and original designs, we present a brief rundown of six of the latest parts and accessories to make an impact on the market, from the simplicity of the Cycl Winglight, to the tech-packed Garmin Edge 810 computer.

LUMOS HELMET:

LINKA LOCK:

The Lumos Helmet is the product of inventors Eu-Wen Ding and Jeff Chen’s exhasperation at the lack of creative cycle safety gear available. The pair set out to invent a new form of helmet that not only protected the user, but allowed other road users to clearly see the cyclist’s intentions. The helmet utilises the integration of over 60 super-bright front and rear LEDs that form left and right rear indicators, a red braking signal and flashing front lights, all of which are controlled via a wireless handlebar remote. The helmet also holds an internal accelerometer, which triggers red warning lights when the user stops suddenly.

The Linka smart lock takes a slightly different spin on the traditional concept of bicycle safety. Whereas the unit does not tether the bike to any non-movable object, the cleverly-designed device does render the bike unusable and therefore is intended as either security for a brief period, or simply another layer of protection when used in conjunction with a more traditional lock. Linka is designed to remain permanently tethered to the back of your bike, and activates via a corresponding iPhone app. The shackle connects through the rear wheel, and also features a tamper siren.

As a third layer of security, the unit also features a built in GPS tracker which can locate your bike through the app.

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ MAY 9

TECHNOLOGY

GARMIN EDGE 810:

TILE MATE BLUETOOTH TRACKER:

Garmin’s long history in the cycling market has resulted in many industry-standard products; with its latest range of ecosystemdriven products, the brand has pushed its technology to cover everything from health monitoring, to road safety devices and lighting. The Edge 810 forms part of this ecosystem, and is garnering positive reviews for its responsive and user-friendly technology. The device features a GPS tracker, which not only allows the user to follow selected routes and download rides to and from the device, it also is capable of uploading the results to social media platforms such as Facebook and Strava. The 810 will measure the user’s speed, distance and power output, with optional additions including heart rate monitoring and Garmin Connect data analysis.

American brand Tile has been at the forefront of simplistic GPS tracking devices for many years; the original device’s plain white exterior blends in with a set of keys or a smart phone, yet until now the brand has never offered any way of securing a Tile unit to a bicycle. Realising the potential in the market, the creators have now remedied this with the release of a simple tethering strap and a 25 per cent smaller unit – branded the Tile Mate – that is designed to attach discreetly under a bike seat or at the bottom of a frame. It is controllable via a corresponding app, which can accurately locate the bike and highlight it on a digital map for recovery. If the bike is simply misplaced, the Tile also has the ability to sound a small alarm to alert the owner to its whereabouts. Its non-replaceable battery doesn’t require any form of charging, but does have a shelf life of around one year.

COROS LINX HELMET:

CYCL WINGLIGHTS (MAG):

Hot off the heels of a 600 per cent funded Kickstarter campaign, the LINX from creator Coros is now available to the general public.

The smart helmet takes its name from the wireless interconnectivity it sports, which allows it to connect to a smart phone via Bluetooth to view information and user data. The key to the LINX design is the integration of two open-ear bone conducting speakers located on the straps, which allow the user to listen to music, talk on the phone, listen to directions or monitor their activity without the potentially dangerous use of earphones. For ease of use, the device also features a small corresponding remote, which attaches to handlebars and allows the user to turn the speakers on, skip between songs and change volume levels. The helmet is shipped with a range of customisable internal padding and a charging cable that connects to the back of the unit.

Now in their second incarnation and with an improved magnetic design, Winglights from Cycl offers a very simple solution to the issues of indicating on a bicycle and staying visible. The devices, which screw into the ends of the user’s bars and are activated using a small pressure button on the tip, feature two 16-lumen coned LED lights that are designed to keep the cyclist visible both in darkness and full daylight. The robust housing is crafted from CNC machined aluminium, making them completely element-proof. To prevent theft when not in use, the magnetic bar ends can be removed and stored on an included carbine keyring. They will fit into handlebars with an inner diameter of 14.9 to 22 millimetres, and will be powered by two rechargeable internal batteries.

10 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

AZTEC HAS DEVELOPED A NEW ROTOR PARTICULARLY SUITED TO THE NEEDS OF ROAD, GRAVEL AND TREKKING BIKES Zero fork flutter thanks to constant pad contact area Chamfered edges reduce the risk of injury in the event of a crash Available in 4 common sizes, 203, 180, 160 and 140 mm

Find out more at www.madisonb2b.co.uk

PACKAGING UPDATE! New, improved double blister packs arriving soon

N O W E XC LU S I V E LY

AVA I L A B L E AT

IBD ONLY INITIATIVES: • Exclusive IBD only saddle models

• Exclusive Crash Replacement on all saddles

• Exclusive idMatch saddle measuring tools

• Exclusive Margin Support - margin guaranteed

• Exclusive 30 Day Comfort Guarantee

• Exclusive Best Price Policy for IBD’s

SPEAK TO YOUR

ACCOUNT MANAGER TO BECOME A STOCKIST

VIEW THE RANGE ONLINE AT ZYROFISHERB2B.CO.UK

MILLENNIAL MECHANICS

Generational learning in the shop In part one of a multi-part series Mark Hallinger asks millennial mechanics for tips, and offers his own from the 1930s, more or less...

BIKEBIZ.COM

I REMEMBER when an old track racer and bike shop owner who was a bit of a mentor passed on a simple bit of advice that may be helping me type this using all ten fingers.

It was in his small shop, and a mechanic had an ugly brown Gitane track bike (don’t call it a “fixie!”) in the rack. The mechanic had started pedalling by hand to get the rear wheel whipping around like crazy.

We young mechanics would do that to see if we could get a rear wheel mount computer to register at outrageous speeds in the frictionless rack environment.

But this was not a road bike –

being a fixed-gear, the cranks kept flying around like the wheel when the mechanic let go of the pedal.

“Don’t ever do that with a fixed-gear,” warned the old racer.

“If you get your hand or finger caught in that chainring, you’ll end up a bloody mess.”

This bit of advice dates back at least to the 1930s when he learned it, presumably on the infield of Madison Square Garden when a mechanic lost the tip of his pinky finger to such an incident. That story is apocryphal, BTW. I used “BTW” to prove how modern I am.

I will also forgive you if you have to look up the word apocryphal, which BIKEBIZ MAY 13

MILLENNIAL MECHANICS

is one of my favourite words along with “tertiary” and “gubernatorial”.

But I digress.

The whole losing a finger thing came back to mind recently when trying to get a disc brake calliper’s brake pads centred and silent. I was spinning the wheel and applying the brake and loosening and tightening the bolts that held the calliper on the frame. And I was of course whining about not being able to see the damned brake pads in that dark little crevice, as is my custom when working on disc brakes.

A split second of inattention led to the tip of my thumb brushing up against the disc, and a nice flap of skin came off the tip. Ouch.

I’m relatively new to disc brakes. I had never really thought of them as 14 BIKEBIZ MAY

dangerous. Then again, I’ve heard that potential downhill pileups involving bikes with hot, sharp discs were one thing keeping the use of disc brakes out of the pro peloton.

So maybe I should have known.

“Not knowing a lot about bikes built before you were born is okay, but be receptive to learning.”

Soul of a teacher?

I don’t blame the younger, more modern mechanics for not beating the potential danger of disc brakes in to my head with the flat side of a PW-4. I do wish they hadn’t waited two years to tell me that putting a big piece of white paper on the floor under a disc brake is a good way for old eyes to better see the innards of the calliper and whether the brake pads are centred. That was a practical bit of advice delivered to me two or three years after I had started complaining

about not being able to see the working bits of the brake very well.

Why had they waited so damned long to tell me that tip? Why hadn’t I thought of that myself! Why didn’t I spend an hour on the Internet watching videos of “disc brake basics,” as I had done when I discovered in 2001 that my vast knowledge of tricks to get cantilever brakes set up was now of little value. A quick Google search on V-Brakes, coupled with a ten-minute session with a lifer mechanic even older than me made me a relative V-brakes expert.

Finding an older mechanic to bring me up to speed on the decade or more I had not been working in a bike shop was a Godsend. He knew I “had a clue” by the way I wheeled a bike around BIKEBIZ.COM

MILLENNIAL MECHANICS

a crowded shop and by the way I took pedals on and off – mechanics do it smoothly and efficiently and don’t look like a grandfather putting pedals on his grandkids’ bikes. So he taught me a bit of the new stuff, and I learned.

I’m a mechanic who built hundreds of bikes starting from around the year when indexed shifters and early mass market mountain bikes and hybrids appeared. Roughly 1986 to 1992.

So I left before V-Brakes, more or less before the merger of the shift lever and the brake lever had started, before I really had a chance to learn anything about suspension forks, and way before tubeless (but I’ll glue your tubulars if you’d like). I also dealt with a ton of 1970s Raleighs and Peugeots and other BIKEBIZ.COM

bikes that were just then starting to need some serious work, so I touched that cottered crank/flat sided rims/wing-nut era. But I don’t know 1950s or 1940s technology very well.

“I know what I don’t know,” is something I say a lot. In truth when I re-entered serious racing in 1999 after seven years adrift, I picked up a lot in a hurry. When I started working in a shop as a part/half timer in 2009 I learned a lot more. I can always learn more – and I soak in tips and tricks.

With that thought in mind, many millennial mechanics I’ve met who know electric shifting and tubeless and bleeding disc brakes have some serious gaps on anything that happened before they were born.

Not knowing a lot about bikes built

“Mr. Head Mechanic, Snapchat is not an option for us when we need to contact you on your day off!”

before you were born is okay, but be receptive to learning new stuff about old stuff. When you see a customer with this old tech once a week or once a month or once a year it’s easy to say “I don’t need to know that,” but don’t you want to look smart the next time a customer brings in a Helicomatic hub wheel, and the entire staff is perplexed except you?

Here’s a starter list of five tips.

This list is not complete because a) I just don’t have the space, and b) I go on and on before introducing the meat, as you know if you’ve gotten this far.

The Maillard mistake Here’s one I’ve already mentioned that you may never see, but old French bikes from the early to mid BIKEBIZ MAY 15

MILLENNIAL MECHANICS

Right is right: The right pedal has the strap twisted for the bit inside the pedal body and tighten by pulling up on it, whilst the left is just all backwards and not right.

1980s and inexplicably even some Treks of that era used this mistake from Maillard. It was an early version of a non-freewheel splined cogset, and I don’t want to tell you how many cones I burned through in the year or so I used a rear wheel with this hub.

The upside was that the cogs could be removed with a small tool at the side of the road if you broke a driveside spoke. Also, the cool little tool included two spoke wrenches and, importantly, a bottle opener. The downside beyond the soft cones and itty bitty bearings was a flange design that led to badly dished wheels, and far more broken spokes than typical.

At least they would be easier to fix on the side of the road!

Sheldon I think I have to credit that last line to Sheldon Brown. That’s where you can go to find out specifics on the Helicomatic hub, which is really quite obscure at this point. An Internet search would take you there. You guys know the Internet really well. I know what’s worthwhile on the Internet.

If an older mechanic hasn’t 16 BIKEBIZ MAY

already told you to visit Sheldon Brown’s website, sheldonbrown. com, go check it out. Although Sheldon left us about a decade ago, his extensive website covers both bike history and mechanics, and is being updated by bike people. I visit it more or less weekly to brush up or find out about obscure and only semi-obscure things. Read the entry on Helicomatic hubs – quickly found through an easy-to-navigate A-Z glossary.

Every mechanic in the US knows Sheldon by first name. Is there a UK Sheldon Brown?

Another apocryphal If you work in a bike shop you’ve seen the bundle of 20 or more tyres all strapped together with twine or plastic strips. They come off the back of the truck and typically the 15-year newbie would unwrap or cut off the twine and put the tyres wherever they belonged.

But stop! There’s yet another apocryphal tale I may have long ago read in Maynard Hershon’s Tales from the Bike Shop, or maybe in a magazine, about a joyful 15-year-old tasked with unleashing

the tyres. He did so using a box cutter to free them from that plastic wrap. And this ended the useful life of more than one Clement Criterium Seta sew-up tyre. These weren’t the cheapy 27 x 1 ¼ IRC standard replacement tyres. They were expensive. Seta means silk I think. Not nylon or cheapish cotton.

When you unwrap the tyre order, carefully use a scissors or undo the plastic shrink-wrap by hand. About a year ago I had to explain this to a 50-year-old new hire part-timer who was moving fast and loose with that knife near a tyre bundle.

He fought me on it, because he was “careful.” Like I was careful with my thumb when working on that disc rotor.

Do they actually allow 15-yearolds to work anymore?

Have you ever used toe clips and straps?

If you’re going to install toe clips and straps on a customer’s bike, or maybe even your own “fixie,” do it right. They go in from the outside with the buckle facing up, so pulling the end of the strap “up” tightens the strap. You don’t pull the silly strap toward the ground to

tighten up!

I understand that you’ve likely never really used toe clips and straps. But think about this. And don’t call them “clip-ins,” please.

Or cages. Cages hold water bottles. This is just offensive to my old ears. And the reason you “twist” the part of the strap between the pedal body ends is so the strap stays in place when you pull on it and doesn’t slide a bit.

One from a busy Sunday I’ve got no more space but way more rant left. So here’s a quick one from this past Sunday. Mr. Head Mechanic, Snapchat is not an option for us when we need to contact you about a customer’s bike on your day off!

Expect more, way more. And I should think of some things I’ve learned from millennials, but honestly the flow of info coming from the twentysomethings has not been great.

Mark Hallinger will have moved on a bit once he stops putting “fixie”, in quotes. They are fixed gears, or track bikes, please. And the cat’s name is Jake, not Fellini!

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ XXXXXXX XX

COFFEE

Bikes meet beans: perk up your business with caffeine Espresso fiend Carlton Reid explores the link between caffeine and cycling, and examines whether a bike shop partnering with a barista business could be win-win...

CLUB CYCLISTS have long congregated at famous eateries such as Wilf’s in Cumbria or Café St Germain in Crystal Palace, London.

They need nosh to fuel their rides, but they’re also there for the caffeine. Cycling and caffeine go together like fish and chips, Fred and Ginger, Wallace and Grommit.

Plenty of cyclists imbibe caffeine via tea and flat coke, but most get their fix from what a certain caffeine corporate calls “coffeebased beverages.”

Mixing coffee beans with a bike store makes perfect sense, and many have already made the leap into gourmet grinds, with Bristol’s Mud Dock cafe and bike shop, opened in 1994, being one of the first modern ones to latch on to the retail potential of mixing high-end coffee with high-end bikes. Now, every second bike shop in London seems to operate as a caffeine den, too, with the Rapha Cycle Club, Look Mum No Hands and Soho Bikes becoming just as well known for their coffee as their bicycles.

Their prowess extends bean choice, too – the best bike-shop-cum-cafe outlets in London source from JB Kaffee, Monmouth, Origin, Square Mile Coffee and other artisan roasters.

Adding an espresso bar can turn a bike shop anywhere in the country into a destination store, and then somewhere to linger. Ever since the first coffee shops were opened in London in the 17th century, places where coffee is 18 BIKEBIZ MAY

served have become community gathering places, centres of stimulation with gravitational pull.

“The best cycle shops already have a sense of community,” remarks Phil Wain, editor of London’s Best Coffee website and app. “Adding coffee often makes sense in terms of building and enhancing that community.”

Some bike shops treat the espresso bar as a money-spinner in

“Mixing coffee beans with a bike store makes perfect sense.”

its own right; others think of it more as a magnet that attracts and then keeps people in the store – they often hand out free coffees to their best customers, likely highspenders or bike-fit clients.

“If people stay longer and feel at home in the cafe, they’ll then spend more money on retail and repairs and build a trusting relationship with the store that encourages them to try new things, new purchases,” says Wain. “Customers will take their time, sip their coffees and check out that latest bike model you have on display.”

Coffee offers a natural kick for retailers in more ways than one: It jolts people awake, keeps them excited and it even encourages creativity and an openness to try new things – perfect for when you’re trying to sell a high-ticket item.

Many bike shops have bought their own espresso machines, and have trained their bike staff to be baristas too, but could there be scope for upping the ante and becoming a destination coffee outlet? The safest way to do this is to partner with an existing “name” in the coffee space, perhaps a locally-famous barista-based business looking to set up a satellite location far enough away from their original location but close enough for brand resonance among locals.

By partnering with an existing coffee business, set-up costs are lower, there’s no staff to train and it becomes a symbiotic relationship.

The mutually-beneficial plan is for customers with a speciality coffee in hand to spend more time – and money – in your store.

“We’re seeing more and more of these brand partnerships,” confirms Wain. “It’s clearly very expensive for a coffee shop to open – a bike shop, even off the high street, offers a ready-made space and a ready-made potential audience.

There are clear benefits for the bike shop, too. My daily cycle commute always includes a coffee stop-off, so why not make that in a bike shop?”

Partnering with a professional coffee vendor can be an efficient use of space – many bike shops are already small but an espresso bar has a relatively modest footprint.

Such partnerships can benefit both businesses. Cafes given a corner “will generate a fair bit of new footfall,” believes Wain, “although it can take them a while to build up regulars.”

He adds: “Coffee shop customers are notoriously habitual and new ventures have to be given plenty of time to settle in,” but, over time, a speciality coffee partner will attract speciality coffee customers, many of them perhaps new to bikes.

“In the best partnerships, each business benefits from the other’s presence,” Wain concludes. www.londonsbestcoffee.com BIKEBIZ.COM

COFFEE

COFFEE AND CYCLING CAFFEINE IS a crystalline xanthine alkaloid, a go-longer stimulant that’s bitter, but, when extracted alongside aromatic oils, is yummy, too. Critically, caffeine is a performance enhancing drug that’s not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA once set a limit of about eight shots of espresso per day, but this limit was removed some years ago. (Cycling would be an incredibly dirty sport again if caffeine ever found its way back on to WADA’s prohibited List.)

The traditional cyclist-and-coffee money shot is the pro on a bike leaning against a bar in the Tour de France village depart sponsors’ area, sipping the crema off a BIKEBIZ.COM

freebie espresso. But pro cycling’s link with caffeine runs deep. Italian espresso machine manufacturer Faema sponsored a pro cycling team in the 1960s in order to promote its innovative machines.

Faema’s E61 espresso maker introduced features still found on espresso machines today, such as the delivery of pressurized water through a mechanical pump at approximately nine bars.

The Faema team – founded in 1956 and which lasted until 1970 – had star riders such as king of the classics Rik Van Looy, and Giro d’Italia winner and world champion Vittorio Adorni. The legendary Eddy Merckx rode for Faema for his first dominant Tour de France

victory in 1968. (Faema is an acronym for Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettromeccaniche e Affini but Belgian cycling fans said it stood for Faites Attention, Eddy Merckx Arrivé, or Look out, Eddy Merckx is coming.)

In the 1990s, the business cooperative Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia sponsored a Latin American cycling team. The Cafe de Colombia team’s Luis Herrera won the Vuelta a España in 1987. In the 1990s, Saeco, Italian maker of a home espresso machine, sponsored a pro cycling team headed by sprint star Mario Cipollini.

For the most complete fusion of cycling and coffee it would be hard to bear the Velopresso, a pedalpowered espresso trike. This was produced as a graduation project by two design students from the Royal College of Art in London.

Amos Field Reid and Lasse Oiva later put the British-built trike into production.

Reid (no relation) said: “Velopresso was conceived against the backdrop of a global renaissance in cycling culture that is being driven by the desire for more sustainable cities and lifestyle. The urban coffee scene is also expanding and diversifying, including a convergence with cycling culture.”

BIKEBIZ MAY 19

© PIC CREDIT : ORTLIEB

BIKEPACKING

Packing, touring and beyond Whether it’s a peaceful ride through countryside or an uphill battle on the slopes, Laura Laker is here to talk us through the bikepacking kit that is essential to keep your customers riding through any conditions...

WHAT DO I need to know about bikepacking?

Bikepacking is not a new concept, more of a combination of Audax and touring – put simply, it’s backpacking with a bike, or any ride that includes an overnight stay.

The use of smaller bags around the frame isn’t even new, as 100-yearold photographs of riders in Australia and the Alps using frame bags, saddle bags and handlebar bags attest. Bikepacking is a new iteration of adventure cycling, of sleeping outdoors with a bicycle, with a focus on travelling light: the smaller bags and pared-down kit allow riders to explore any terrain, often off-road.

20 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

PWR COUPLE

PWR IS A MODULAR SYSTEM OF BIKE LIGHTS. CHAN GE YOUR L IGHTHEAD TO B E B R IG H TE R . C H A NG E YO UR BATTERY TO G O LO NG ER .

C H A R G E YO U R D E V I C E S TO D O M O R E . AVA I L A B L E O N LY F R O M S I LV E R F I S H . P R E- O R D E R N O W F O R AU T U M N .

NOT JUST ANOTHER BIKE LIGHT. K N O G.C O M . AU | S I LV E R F I S H - U K .C O M

BIKEPACKING

HERE’S A ROUGH GUIDE TO WHICH BAG GOES WHERE, AND WHAT EACH MIGHT BE USED FOR: Q FRAME PACKS: Fit in the triangle of the bike frame, either partially or wholly filling that space Where does it go: these fit within the triangle of the bike frame; they come in different sizes, to fit different bikes.

What do you put in it: Typically food and cooking equipment; perhaps tent poles.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED? Bags – in the absence of pannier racks, bags tend to come with integrated Velcro straps, clips and belts to attach them to the bike. Low weight is key for bikepackers, so bags need to be light, as well as, ideally, strong and weatherproof.

Q COCKPIT BAGS, SOMETIMES CALLED ACCESSORY PACKS: Where does it go: These are often designed for the top tube, or stem – anywhere that’s easily accessible while riding; Ortlieb offers an accessory pack that mounts on top of its handlebar pack.

Q HANDLEBAR PACKS: Tend to be larger than touring bar bags; Wildcat Gear’s Fat Lion bar harness expands to 35L. What you put in it: Typically sleeping equipment.

What you put in it: These are your easy access bags, so regular use items like snacks, gels, mobile phone.

Q CAGES: Similar to bottle cages, only larger.

Popular models are Salsa’s Anything Cage or King Cage’s Many Things Cage. Can be mounted on bottle cage mounts, or under downtube/front forks via a Universal Support Bolt.

What do you put in it: Often used to store clothing.

There are a lot of bikepacking and touring crossover items, i.e. tent and camping equipment, though bikepacking items tend to be of an ultralight and compact variety – bikepackers count every gram of weight, and every centimetre of space.

As Chris Peacock from Apidura explains: “You don’t need to carry as much as you think you need to carry; it’s about stripping away the excess, getting down to what you really need to make your trip enjoyable. By stripping it back, your bike performs better. You don’t have to have a touring bike with racks on it and everything, the idea is that by using bike packing packs you’re able to use a performance bike and you can go anywhere you want.”

Modern bikepacking was born out of the ultra-endurance cycling trend, particularly events like the Tour Divide, a 2,754 mile, off-road BIKEBIZ.COM

epic, following the Great Divide mountain bike route, where riders cycling hundreds of miles each day found bulky panniers were holding them back.

As Logan Watts, editor of Bikepacking magazine explains, bikepacking soon found its way into the mainstream from there.

“Bikepacking started off as a way to do multi day mountain bike trips where you can go on trails where typical touring kit would be more cumbersome, and the bags would limit what you could do with your bike.”

“The thing that’s happening over the last couple of years is people

“You don’t need to carry as much as you think you need to carry.”

Chris Peacock, Apidura

are doing it as an adventure; it used to just be racing and even though that’s still a big part of it, people are now going out over weekends, doing shorter trips.

“In terms of industry that’s a big potential for products because instead of it being these die hard endurance racers it’s anybody who wants to go camping or go on some trails for the weekend.”

Bikepacking.com, a website offering kit reviews, routes, inspiration and advice, which began life in 2014, has seen web traffic double year on year, thanks to the sport’s growing profile and accessibility.

BIKEBIZ MAY 23

© PIC CREDIT : Miss Grape

Q SEAT BAGS: An oversized, often stiffened bag that attaches to the seat post and saddle. They can be big: Revelate’s Viscacha bag expands to 14 litres.

BIKEPACKING

MEET SOME OF THE BIKEPACKING BAG BRANDS: Q ALPKIT www.alpkit.com Small, UK company that sells direct to customers online and soon in a new store in the Lake District. The company develops its own kit, from packs to waterproof jackets. Big Papa 17l seat pack retails at £90.

Q TOPEAK www.topeak.com/global/en/ products/bikepacking The bike equipment company is a recent entry to the bikepacking market, with its loader range (frontloader, rearloader, midloader and toploader).

Voile – produce a rubber belt for lashing bags. Imported by Gilside Cycles in the Lake District, who are the UK distributor.

Q ORTLIEB www.ortlieb.com Pannier specialists now offering a range of waterproof bikepacking bags…

Q REVELATE – From Alaska, the oldest and most established bikepacking luggage company, with ten years in business. At the premium end of the bikepacking market.

Q SALSA – This bikepacking bike manufacturer also produces the “Anything cage”, a bottle-type cage which can fit to forks, inside which you pack a bag of kit, a large bottle, or anything else that will fit.

Q WILDCAT GEAR www.wildcatgear.co.uk Made in Britain, Wildcat won the Best in Show in the category cycling goods and design show at Bespoked 2015. Wildcat currently has nine stockists across England, as well as product in Shand Cycles. Its saddle bags and handlebar bags comprise strap systems to hold dry bags, while frame bags and top tube bags are shaped, integrated bags to fit into frame angles.

Q MISS GRAPE www.missgrape.net/ Italian brand selling bike packs via Ison Distribution; also organise events in Italy.

© PIC CREDIT : ORTLIEB

Q APIDURA – one of the better known bikepacking specialist companies, made famous by brand ambassadors such as Emily Chappell, Juliana Buhring, and the late Mike Hall. Offer a wide range of lightweight bikepacking bags made of technical material such as VX21, and is developing a seamless waterproof system for its new range.

Q BLACKBURN www.blackburndesign.com US company distributed in the UK by Zyro; many products are water resistant; some are waterproof; products come with a lifetime warranty.

“A lot of our routes within that 2-5 day variety that can be approached by someone with a 9-5 job, they can leave Friday and be back Sunday night,” he says.

As Apidura’s Chris Peacock puts it: “I think right now people are craving some sort of adventure, I think that’s something that attracts people to cycling in the first place, that escape from the town or city, so bikepacking helps people to carry a bit more, go a bit further. I think that’s something that is very attractive to every cyclist.”

“You could cycle from London to Istanbul or you could cycle 10-15km from your doorstep, go camping 24 BIKEBIZ MAY

and come home in the morning.”

Charlie Hobbs, manager of Charlie the Bikemonger shop in Swanage, Dorset, remembers “bikepacking” as a boy scout, essentially lashing a sleeping bag to a bike and going camping in the woods, and the love of it never left him. Part of the appeal, he says, is how accessible adventure becomes.

“It gives people a very available escape from the daily routine,” he says. “My stuff is all rigged up and ready to go out the back of the shop, I have just got to throw in some food and water and my bike packing rig rolls out the door. I don’t have to spend money, or

“I think right now people are craving some sort of adventure.”

Chris Peacock, Apidura

reserve anything, I just pick up the bike and go.”

Hobbs says bikepacking is for anyone who loves the outdoors.

“There’s a lot of people new to cycling or coming back to cycling, they wouldn’t have been in a bike shop if it weren’t for bike packing, they are from mountain climbing, or other adventure sports.

“The cycling’s almost incidental; it becomes a lot less about the bike - it is part of that great British gentlemanly tradition of exploring.”

Bikepacking is great for off-road routes, but can appeal to anyone from serious roadies, or crosscontinent racers, to weekend BIKEBIZ.COM

( / ( 9 8)8& 9 & ) + && /8 9/ 0. î ./ # " 90 / Z 8 /1 1 , / Z Ö " / " & Z 1 . , ."

" . / 8 8 +

© PIC CREDIT : ORTLIEB

BIKEPACKING

WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE: Q Online: bikepacking.com – a US site, is a great resource, with a UK section, including routes (www. bikepacking.com/tag/ bikepacking-uk). It even has a handy ‘bikepacking 101’ page for beginners. bikepackingscotland.com – founded by Markus Stitz, a man who creates bikepacking routes in Scotland and shares the GPS maps for others to follow. One of Stitz’ routes is the Capital Trail, a bike packing route around Edinburgh on which there is a

trippers. Peacock says Apidura packs are used for anything from daily commutes, to short, local overnight trips, to the big continent-crossing races.

Meanwhile, Logan Watts says in the States a small contingent of hunters have taken up bikepacking; they ride out with shotguns attached to their bikes, along with their bikepacking kits.

What bikes do bikepackers ride?

Some say you need a gravel bike, mountain bike or fat bike to bikepack, but you can strap bike packing bags onto pretty much any machine, and many use light racing 26 BIKEBIZ MAY

tough annual individual time trial.

At a recent count, since April 2015 the route has been downloaded 1331 times. bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk – UK-focused forum, reviews, an online shop and events page www.selfsupporteduk.net – for a list of self-supported routes; www.mbruk.co.uk/ for mountain bike routes; Q Short film: Tales on Tyres: Riding the Baja Divide (vimeo. com/208284920). Following one

bikes, especially on long road events. Ideally a bikepacking bike has space on the handlebars for attaching packs – the Jones Loop H-bar was designed for this purpose [could be an image insert].

Surly, Salsa, Jeff Jones are popular bikepacking bike brands.

Why so popular?

Bikepacking follows the rise of ultra-endurance races, such as the Tour Divide, TransContinental, and TransAm races, self-supported epics where minimising weight and equipment are key. Riders will spend days, weeks, or months on the road, getting just a few hours’

young couple, Franzi & Jona, cycling the Baja Divide, a new 2,735km off road bikepacking route between San Diego in the USA and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico Q Feature-length film: Inspired To Ride (watch.inspiredtoride.it).

Follows a handful of riders on the inaugural TransAm Race, featuring the indomitable Mike Hall, who sadly was killed early April in a race across Australia, and Juliana Buhring, arguably the first lady of

“It gives people a very available escape from the daily routine.”

Charlie Hobbs, Charlie the Bikemonger

ultra-endurance cycling.

Q Festivals: Adventure Cycle Festival – 2-4 June at Brathay Hall, on the shore of Lake Windermere.

Includes rides, speakers, including Mark Beaumont and bikepacking brands. Tickets £20.

Cycle Touring Festival – 26-29 May at Waddow Hall, Clitheroe, Lancashire. Talks, workshops, activities, Tickets: (includes camping and food from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon) £85pp.

sleep a night, often at the roadside.

A new generation of inspirational riders, like Juliana Buhring, and the late Mike Hall, have encouraged others to get out into the wild.

Tips for shops: Logan Watts, bikepacking.com editor, suggests setting up a rig in a window to display the packs, as well as highlighting local routes for inspiration. US bike shops hold Bikepacking 101 clinics, informal events where you can talk through the bike setup with customers over a beer or cuppa, what people might take on a bikepacking trip, how they might use the bags.

BIKEBIZ.COM

RALEIGH

Raleigh Revamped Renowned British bicycle brand Raleigh recently unveiled a number of updates both to its range and facilities. Kieran Howells heads north to find out more...

IN EARLY 2017 it was announced that Raleigh would be unveiling a series of modernised renovations to its Nottingham base of operations. In addition to the vastly improved bicycle showroom, the quintessentially British brand-cum-distributor introduced a sleek new P&A centre packed with its everexpanding selection of new products. The improvements marked an increased commitment

by Raleigh to concentrate efforts not only on its history, but also on the emerging ranges of electric, folding, trail and hybrid bikes now in the distributor’s arsenal.

Whereas the quintessentially British selection of traditional upright Raleigh models – each sporting a matching pannier rack, chain guard and stamped with the 28 BIKEBIZ MAY

instantly recognisable ‘R’ bike badge – still have their place in the range, the bikes now fight for position in a range that includes the likes of Diamondback, Haibike, Lapierre and Salsa.

The now-state-of-the-art centre not only sports a wellstocked bicycle showroom and a parts and accessories experience, but also includes updates to the production warehouse, a fully-fitted “bike café” and a vast velopark, where dealers and staff are welcomed to put any bike in the range through its paces.

With so much to discuss, I travelled to Nottingham to meet the brand ambassadors behind many of the key Raleigh brands and talk about the various changes to both the complex and the range.

BIKEBIZ.COM

01772 459 887 t.co.uk

www.bob-ellio

ine

@BobElliotOnl

NRC X SERIES - X1 RR BLACKSHADOW CARL ZEISS VISION LENSES The X Series are equipped with Lens produced by Carl Zeiss Vision which guarantees the best Vision Experience and the best protection for your eyes.

EXCLUSIVEELY DISTRIBUT D

FEATURES Q Nylon TR90 material Q Adjustable nose pad Q Polycarbonate material Q Weight: 27.9g Q Curvature: Base 7 Q Size: 152mm

Q Angle: 10deg Q Removable NRC logo Q Lifetime Zeiss lens warranty Q Bridge: 16mm Q Lens Diameter: 140mm Q Temple: 125mm

SRP: £109.99

Buy-in Deals Available

Find your Local stockist at: www.bob-elliot.co.uk or contact us on: sales@bob-elliot.co.uk Tel: 01772 459 887

RALEIGH

One of the most significant shifts in the Raleigh ethos is the increased investment in the fast-moving e-bike market in which acquisition Haibike plays an integral role. The brand, which was arguably one of the first to seriously invest in the latest e-bike technology and make the concept truly viable to the general public, has continued to remain a leading figure in e-bike progression. Positive working relationships with the likes of Bosch and Yamaha mean that the Haibike tends to be one of the first on the market to integrate the latest generation of motor technology into its models. The current lineup covers every sector of trekking and mountain biking, from long-travel downhill to cross country trail bikes, such as the eye-catching 2017 sDuro Full FatSix 7.0 full suspension fat bike, which features a 500Wh Yamaha battery and 250w crank drive system, a RockShox Monarch RT3 rear shock and full Shimano XT hydraulic disc brakes, or the city-conscious 2017 xDuro Urban 4.0 hardtail, which sports a Bosch 500wh battery and 250w crank Driver Performance system and slick tyres.

30 BIKEBIZ MAY

Whereas Haibike is geared almost exclusively toward the mountain biking sector, it’s Raleigh’s own selection of branded e-bikes that takes up the challenge of appealing to everyday e-bike users. Product manager Terry Blackwood tells us that the range is mainly divided into two key areas.

These are the leisure range, which includes the classic Dutch-style upright bikes such as the Spirit – upon first viewing almost indistinguishable from historic Raleigh models due to the classic stepthrough frame and the concealment of the 400Wh battery in a

“Bike shops need to think about who their audience is when selling e-bikes.”

Terry Blackwood, Raleigh

matching pannier rack, and featuring a TransX F15 front wheel motor and a seven-speed Shimano Nexus hub – and the urban range, a faster selection of city-oriented bikes such as the Strada Electric, which is fitted with a Shimano E600 400Wh battery on the downtube and the E6000 STEPS system with Di2 electronic shifting.

So what does Blackwood think is the most integral key to marketing e-bikes? He told us in no uncertain terms: “Bike shops need to think about who their audience is when selling e-bikes in the Raleigh range.

If these people aren’t buying a bike for sport, they’re buying it for leisure or to commute. In that case, they may not have ridden a bike for upwards of 15 years. They need to think about how they’re selling – we’ve updated our marketing to really speak to those customers.

Whereas we can discuss batteries and componentry, hardly any of that appears in our marketing. It’s all about what the bike is capable of and how far the user can go. That’s important, but the number one rule in selling e-bikes is – get them to test ride it!”

BIKEBIZ.COM

RALEIGH

Raleigh’s commitment to distribution spans far beyond the company’s large investment in e-bikes; the white walls of the new experience centre currently display ranges from over 38 different brands from industry staples such as WD40 and Michelin, to more up-and-coming brands such as Ass Savers, whose colourful and versatile mudguards are available in a range of eye-catching designs and patterns, and OK Baby, whose Italian-made child seats are designed around a range of interchangeable padding.

Whereas a successful winter may have just ended for lighting specialist Moon, the brand is getting a head start on the competition by introducing the first samples from the AW17 range to Raleigh. For now, the brand’s range includes a host of diverse and long-lasting units, such as the Meteor Storm Pro, which contains two Cree LEDs capable of a 2000-lumen output in both spot and flood configurations. The light is designed to withstand the elements due to the insulating internal copper coating, which helps regulate temperatures. Other BIKEBIZ.COM

“The XLC range is going down extremely well with dealers; there’s just so much diversity in the range.”

Duncan Mckenzie, Raleigh

popular items in the range include the Aerolite Cob Light, which is designed to sit on the end of a drop bar and provide increased visibility without taking precious bar space away from the user. Despite its compact casing, the light is packed with a high-output LED in the front, and a red-tinted COB LED in the rear to warn other road users of the rider’s presence.

Another acquisition that has experienced growth over the last 12 months is helmet and eyewear brand Uvex, whose range extends from a colourful selection of children’s protection such as the simple-yet-effective EPS Kid 2, all the way up to race quality units such as the Boss Race, which features 19 ventilation channels, a monomatic buckle and an adjustable fitting system. The helmet, which is designed for use on both mountain and road bikes, weighs in at just 215 grams.

Whereas the brand may be better known for its helmet selection, investment is also being put into its range of sunglasses, such as the Variotronic S model, which uses a laminate of liquid crystals with

electrochromatic activation through a photocell light sensor to automatically adjust its tint to surrounding light conditions in just 0.1 seconds.

As Raleigh has proved with its updated showrooms, presentation is an essential part of any offering.

This is something that P&A brand XLC has explored at great length over the past year. Its solution is a completely flexible presentation board (sporting its signature blue colouring) which is capable of displaying anything from bells to pannier racks to toolkits side-byside. Once the dealer has selected the items they want to display, the board can be assembled to create a strong presence whilst using minimal floor space. As brand manager Duncan Mckenzie told us: “The XLC range is going down extremely well with dealers; there’s just so much diversity in the range and with the added bonus of the presentation board, you can turn a very good profit. In fact, some dealers have started calling it fast blue wallpaper!”

BIKEBIZ MAY 31

RETAIL ADVICE

The art and importance of the upsell Is there any greater sales instrument than the upsell?

Hayley E. Ferguson looks at the ways that this essential tool is implemented by one cycling retailer…

THE UPSELL. The ultimate art form in the world of retailing, and the recipient of untold numbers of seminars and “how to” guides, as each retailer clambers to convert a potential purchase into an alternative, pricier one, without running off the customer entirely.

It’s a ubiquitous, tried-and-true retail strategy, and I wanted to know more about how today’s bike shops, in particular, approached upselling.

It’s not always apt for the retailer to push every transaction upwards; instead, it may prove more desirable to introduce customers to options which tick all of the right boxes whilst making financial sense.

It’s a tricky balance, and more established cycling retailers will understand the necessity of flexibility and the fruits of building trust in the hopes of acquiring business, perhaps repeated.

Customers may not be aware of certain trade-offs at the outset – for example, some retailers may list a carbon bike at a similar price point to an aluminium counterpart, however the former will typically feature lower-end componentry, potentially negating the benefits of choosing the carbon frame. It’s essential that retailers of any kind are able to ascertain the “musthaves” of any customer’s ultimate choice, and push forward with the rewards of the “nice-to-haves”.

This is where physical bike shops really shine, benefitting from the customer’s pre-conceived, and largely correct, notion that spending more money on a premium bike, or individual higher-end component, will result in an appreciable difference in performance. Compared with other forms of retail, this notion is arguably one that establishes itself BIKEBIZ.COM

more naturally in the environment of the cycling shop, with noticeable shifts in product quality sometimes being self-evident, or easily demonstrated to a customer. The leap from a set of stock wheels to a higher-end, specialist pair, is night and day in terms of the allimportant metrics – comfort, speed and durability – perhaps enabling cycling retailers to be relatively bullish when it comes to upselling.

Even with this advantage, quantifying an increase in quality may still stand as a cause of hesitancy for many customers and a guided tour of the store’s shelves may not be enough in and of itself to secure an upsell. This is where education, and not traditional salesmanship, plays a leading role, enabling customers to feel as though their choices are wellfounded and have been reached autonomously. With this in mind, many bike shops have taken to performance data as a key upselling tool – after all, what could be more persuasive than an objective comparison between bikes, based on the individual customer’s time in the saddle?

The staff at Westbrook Cycles – a leading online cycling retailer with a popular Stokesleybased store – are strong proponents of this method, and have successfully integrated modern bike-fitting into their sales process. The Guru Bike Fit is a world-class bike-fitting facility which, when operated in a retail environment, offers customers the chance to find their perfect bike through comprehensive performance analysis in tandem with the freedom to adjust and trial a long list of components and riding styles.

It’s an effective organic upseller,

“The Guru gives customers confidence to know what they’re buying will fit them.”

Westbrook Cycles

presenting customers with immediate feedback, which correlates directly to the components they themselves have chosen, perhaps on the recommendation of a store employee. This could potentially lead to the purchase of a higherend bike as a result of the customer appreciating the return on investment.

But just how much emphasis has Westbrook Cycles placed on the Guru as an upselling tool? I reached out to them for their thoughts on the benefits the system provides to their customers: “The Guru gives customers confidence to know what they’re buying will fit them,” said one representative.

This confidence, realised organically, is then perhaps the single most important factor for customers deciding whether or not to “stick” or “twist” with regards to their final selection.

With bike-fitting systems becoming more and more commonplace in local bike shops, it appears to be that the value of this type of technology is well understood as a means to encourage customers to experiment with products from various pricebrackets and is set to maintain as a prominent contributor to the upsell for the considerable future.

BIKEBIZ MAY 33

KNOG Sam Moore (left) and Hugo Davidson (right)

For different’s sake With a brand new range ready to launch this summer, Knog’s head of brand and marketing Sam Moore chats with Hayley E. Ferguson about innovation, design and the PWR range’s imminent launch...

TELL ME about the PWR range: PWR kind of started from two insights. One was “hey, aren’t cyclists generally cyclists, they’re not just commuters, or mountain bikers?” We did a survey on some cyclists in the US, it was a mountain bike data set. We said: “Hey, what type of riding do you do?” and 70 per cent said both road riding and mountain biking. That was proof for us of an instinct we all had. A cyclist may identify as a mountain biker, but when you ask them if they’ve got a road bike, they’re like “Yeah, obviously”. Whenever they go out to buy a separate bike, they need a new set of accessories. We wondered how we could help that situation.

The other issue is, when people use bike lights, while they may be using them all the time when they ride, probably if they’re commuting, it’s just an hour or two.

More commonly, people might commute one or two days a week – they buy a product and it might 34 BIKEBIZ MAY

cost $100, but that’s a very small amount of time to be using such expensive products. We thought people could be getting a lot more out of this.

From a design point of view, there’s always a tradeoff with battery, size, price, form and function. You can get something that’s really powerful and has a really good form, but it’s really expensive, or you could get something that’s powerful and cheap but it’ll be really big. But, why do we always have to trade off price to get a good product?

PWR consists at its core of a modular system where the battery and the lighthead are separate.

Everything’s interchangeable. You can take the PWR Mountain lighthead, at 1800 lumens, and put it on the small battery, and it will work. It’ll have a shorter run-time based on it going full power, but that’s a decision you’ve made yourself. If you were to run the 1800 light and crank it down to 600

“Why do we always have to trade off price to get a good product?”

Sam Moore, Knog

lumens, it would run for the same time as the 600-lumen light.

The PWR road is RRP £74.99. So just say I go out and buy that, and every now and again I go mountain biking at night, but only for about half an hour. I’ll need very high power for that – so I can go buy the PWR Mountain, and then I’ve got a second bike light, but I’ve only paid for an extra half. The more you buy into the system, the more you’re saving as a consumer. The easiest way to think about it is power tools, with systems where you can buy just one battery, and attach different heads.

It becomes really exciting when you extend it into outdoor products. We’re designing a speaker, a head torch, and lantern.

All of those products use the same batteries. The battery from the light can be used for any of them. You go out and buy this really cool Bluetooth speaker, usually batteries make up about 50 per cent or more of electronic product prices.

BIKEBIZ.COM

KNOG The versatile PWR packs can also charge portable devices.

So, people can buy into the range at a lower level but the concept of modularity means you can get these additional parts that aren’t at the cost of a whole second light, it’s about value rather than just cost. You’re getting so much more for your money.

There are some price-competitive products that we’ve done too – two charger lights. They’re not modular, they’re more like what you’d expect, but the back has a charging port, bike light and also a power bank.

The smallest one’s called the PWR Commuter, which runs 450 lumens maximum. That will cost £44.99. The PWR Rider is 450 maximum as well. That’s £54.99.

The really important part of that is that we’ve identified that run-time is as important as output. The PWR Rider has a much bigger battery, but you can control how you use it.

The PWR Commuter runs at 450 lumens for 45 minutes, while the PWR Rider runs at 450 lumens for 36 BIKEBIZ MAY

two hours. If what’s important to you is high output for a short time and you save ten quid, and if you value small and compact, if you want the extra power, or charge your phone more, you buy the PWR Rider.

Aesthetically, we really want people to feel like this is something that they’re proud to own. It’s beautifully finished, with four red LEDs that subtly sit on the top of the module. It’s touch sensitive, and tells you how much power you have left, with a side-mount. The PWR Road and Trail are the smallest two of the three – they have a mount that comes in on the side, which allows you to mount the light but it will sit centrally. Whether you mount it underneath or on top, it will sit right on the stem.

Obviously, the fact that it comes apart means the battery can work as a power bank. Sometimes you need to charge your phone or GoPro on the fly, so that’s really handy.

“Aesthetically, we really want people to feel like this is something that they’re proud to own.”

Sam Moore, Knog

What happened with the Kickstarter campaign for PWR? We did launch it on Kickstarter, but we closed that campaign down. We just launched one battery, two lightheads, and a speaker, head torch, and lantern.

That was when we only had prototypes. At that point in the time, we hadn’t actually delivered the Oi to the backers – some of those jumped onto our PWR campaign and sabotaged it. Whilst on one hand we could be really bitter, realistically it was good learning for us. We shouldn’t have launched something else whilst we still had a campaign going. We were going to reach our target, but we thought our best thing to do was to close it down.

It also allowed us to focus on all the bike lights – we’re launching those over the next few months to our distributors. The trade will be able to preorder from Silverfish now or very soon; lights will be hitting the market in August.

BIKEBIZ.COM

www.hotlines-uk.com

I

Email: sales@hotlines-uk.com

I

Tel: 0131 319 1444

FROM THE PIONEERS OF DIRT JUMP, THE NS ZIRCUS FEATURING A TOP-LEVEL FRAME WITH AFFORDABLE BUILD KIT. BUILT FOR THE PUMP TRACK, THE TRAILS OR PLAYING ON THE STREETS, THE ZIRCUS IS READY TO GET ROWDY.

£649.99

The Ammo gets the drop on value with a fully sealed rear hub, 3pc CroMo cranks and 2.3” tyres.

A solid starting point for the budding park rat.

£279.99

BIG WHEELS OR SMALL, WE HAVE YOU COVERED

B2B FA C E B O O K I N S TA G R A M TWITTER

www.hotlines-uk.com www.facebook.com/hotlines @hotlineseurope @hotlines_europe

KNOG The current range of PWR lights and batteries.

What sorts of technology are you implementing in the newer products?

What we’ve also done is give the user the option to choose modes – I think this is a world-first feature. With programmable modes, you can choose what your output is: most bike lights have a maximum output, then they have another mode which is low-steady, and some lower lumen that does flash or strobe. We’ve created software that allows you to plug your light in, download the software, and programme what those modes do. You’ve got complete flexibility and choice in how your light performs.

You’ve got all these modes, but if I only ever use two, constant and flash, this allows you to simplify. If you don’t want them, you can just get rid of them. It allows you to go as deep or as shallow as you want.

I don’t think this ever has been done before. The app is going to be called the Mode Maker.

BIKEBIZ.COM

What makes the Oi Bell special?

We acknowledge that it’s important for a bell to be loud enough, but we don’t claim to have the loudest bell. We wanted to design something that cuts through a lot of noise, and to take the pedestrian into consideration. We wanted to make it a nice, pleasant sound. It’s supposed to not scare the pedestrian out of their skin. From a purely functional point of view, if you startle somebody, haven’t you done the opposite of what you want to do?

It’s not designed to make cars take notice – realistically that has to be a foghorn. A lot of the time, you’re alerting people that you’re approaching: that’s the primary function of the Oi. “Hey, I’m coming, don’t be alarmed!”

How’s working with Silverfish going?

The attitude within Knog to be design-led and customer-led and personality-led is very much in line

with Silverfish – there’s a good vibe.

The guys get us, they really get what we’re trying to do. They’ve been great and responsive with PWR, and have put together a good plan with how we’re doing to launch PWR to the market.

“The more you buy into the PWR system, the more you’re saving as a consumer.”

Sam Moore, Knog

What’s Knog’s design philosophy?

Knog’s different. Our motto is “unboring things”. That sits behind why we designed Oi, the Blinder range, PWR, why we have programmable modes. We realise the irony in making exciting bike lights and bells and locks, so we try to bring a new perspective. Bike bells can be boring – how do we make them not boring? Let’s not make it look like a big blister. The Blinder Mini is a tiny little thing, bike lights are always this lump, why don’t you make it detachable?

That’s what we try to do; whether it’s the design process, or the marketing, what does everyone else do? Let’s not do that.

There’s this phrase, “don’t be BIKEBIZ MAY 39

KNOG

different for different’s sake”, but we disagree. If you’re different for different’s sake, you’ll probably end up somewhere pretty good. We’re passionate about that. One of the other ideas I’ve had form a creative point of view is “do more” – the way we communicate is always about two things happening. It kind of relates to that idea that every product is more than just one thing, it’s a bike light and it’s a head torch.

All of the PWR lights, except PWR Mountain, which is a flood-beam, are elliptical-beamed lights, which means your visibility is really good on the road, but if you’re in a shop pointing it at the wall, it won’t look as bright as a light with a really narrow beam. Narrow-beamed lights aren’t made with the customer in mind, their designer is thinking about how best to sell them. People make shortcuts on the design process. We could make those shortcuts, but we don’t because we’re proud of being customer-led. The Blinder 4’s strap 40 BIKEBIZ MAY

kept snapping because of a manufacturing fault. It was a problem for the Blinder 1, as well.

Our warranty processes allow us to replace any light within two years, and we’re not strict on those conditions. If it’s obvious you bought the product in the last two years, we’ll replace it. We were true to our warranty, and we learned from that. We updated the Blinder 4 into the Blinder Mob and Blinder Mini, which have a new strap system that’s made using compression molding, so we’ve fixed that now. We used to use injection molding, where you squirt liquid silicon into a mold, and at the point where silicon was squirted into was a weak point. What happens now is that the silicon gets compressed: the strap looks the same, but it’s a lot stronger. The third thing we did is it’s got a notch in it, it fits really neatly on an aero bars now. So we came down really hard on that point, and haven’t had many problems apart from that.

We’ve found that the number of occurrences of straps breaking is almost none.

“Silverfish really get what we’re trying to do.”

Sam Moore, Knog

What’s it actually like to work at Knog?

Staff turnover is insanely low. I’ve been here for three years and am still a newbie. It’s a reflection of the culture – people want to stay because it’s creative, social, and daring! The average tenure of the current staff is over five years.

Melbourne is multifaceted, it’s a real product design hub, in the way that Milan is fashion design hub, or San Francisco and London are tech hubs, and there’s a movement in the design community to shout more about that. Hugo, our CEO, is part of that design scene, and we’re part of the design community. We’re also privately owned. The two co-founders still work in the business, they’re hands-on. The products are conceived by our CEO. Our designers are our heart.

BIKEBIZ.COM

THE IDEAL SECURITY PARTNER FOR YOUR BIKE.

Master Lock – locking bikes for over 90 Years.

Unparalleled breadth of range – D Locks, Cable Locks, Chain Locks with RRPs from only £5.99 up to £99.99.

Gold Sold Secure D Locks from only £36.99.

Great value for money, competitive retail pricing and dealer margins.

DISTRIBUTED IN THE T UK & IRELAND AND BY

Contact your Zy ro Fisher Account Manager for further details.

ZYRO FISHER HER WWW.ZYROFISHERB2B.CO.UK

The UK’s premier site for specialist tools, bikes and cycle components

Are you a bicycle engineer or just a fitter of bits and pieces?

The taps and dies listed below are to the quality you expect of much higher prices charged and supplied by UK and American suppliers.

WE ARE NOW MAJOR IMPORTERS OF CYCLUS TOOLS AND PLEASED TO SUPPLY THE TRADE AT NEW, LOWER PRICES CYCLUS TOOLS PRICES

WEBBLINE PRICES

COST

Headset Press

£49.50

Bottom bracket taps

£90.00

Italian taps – spare – 2 x 36mm

£59.50

Gear hanger alignment tool

£30.00

Drop-out alignment tool

£40.00

Frame alignment tool

£30.00

Carbon cutting blade

£9.60

Chainring bolt tool

£9.50

Crank mount tool (Teresas ‘pastry cutter’)

£5.10

Wrench for aero spokes

£5.10

Spoke key

£9.60

Wire cutters (piano wire)

£27.50

Bent head pliers

£25.00

Pin spanner & spare pins

£19.50

Campag/Shimano cassette tool

£19.50

Head tube facer/reamer (complete)

£103.50

With two facer/reamers: 1” and 1 1/8”

£150.00

350mm x 6mm or 5mm hex key Campag hub bearing ext

£6.50 £32.50

ITEM Taps – British – pair Tap – Italian – single Btm bkt tap holder – Alf’s gadget Taps – Pedal – 9/16” L & R Tap – 5 mm Tap – 6 mm Tap – 10 mm Tap holder – Pedal & 10 mm Tap holder – 5 & 6 mm Dies – 9/16” – L & R Die – 1” steerer Die – 1 1.8” steerer Die holder – for steerer dies Die holder – for pedal dies Small screwdriver – for use with holders Value of the box? – £45? – Supplied free of cost!

COST £42.50 £22.50 £8.50 £17.50 £3.50 £4.60 £8.50 £12.80 £9.50 £26.50 £29.50 £29.50 £25.50 £24.00 free of cost

Totals: Sale price Postage & insurance:

£264.90 £175.00 £20.00

All tools you see in the box are our normal stock and we can sell separately.

Other tools stocked: Sold in pairs (left & right hand threaded) but can split.

Btm bkt taps – 1.37” (34.8mm) x 26 tpi (Raleigh) Btm bkt cup dies – 1.37” (34.8mm) x 24 tpi.

Note: The right-hand threaded die can also be used for repairing threads on a threaded rear gear hub.

Btm bkt cup dies – 1.37” (34.8mm) x 26 tpi Raleigh cups

PRICES: REAMERS, CUTTERS, FACING TOOLS & COMBINATIONS A) 1” headtube facer/ reamer £48.00

Full kits: - Headtube facers and reamers: A or B with handles

£115.00

B) 1 1/8” headtube facer/ reamer £48.00

C – with handles

£160.00

Full kit – Btm bkt facer D with handles, inc British thread guides.

£152.00

C) Buy both

£90.00

D) Bottom bracket/ headtube facing cutter £36.00 Internal reamers only – 1” or 1 1/8” £38.00

The Bike-Inn

Guides for Italian 36 mm btm bkts -

£12.00

Our cutting, reaming and facing tools are made in the same factory as some leading well-known names.

No VAT to pay. Fully paid by us.

The Old School House, Marsh Road, Wragg Marsh, Spalding, Lincs. PE12 6HQ. Please telephone us if you have any queries on orders on 01406 371273

GRINDURO

Grinduro pedals onto home turf Dain Zaffke, director of marketing at Giro Sport Design, tells Hayley E. Ferguson about why Giro is bringing Grinduro to the UK, and what the event offers participants, and how the US and UK markets differ in cycling…

What is Grinduro?

Grinduro combines the best of a gran fondo with a gravel grinder and a mountain bike-style enduro.

You ride one long loop (about 60 miles) on a mix of dirt roads, tarmac and singletrack. It’s a mass start event (which in itself is kind of cool because you’re pedaling alongside top pros and heroes of cycling), but you’re not racing the entire route.

Riders are only timed on four short segments. These segments are each five to ten minutes long and vary from descents to climbs to flats. The magic of Grinduro is that it’s equally a social ride and a bike race, and the most well-rounded rider will be rewarded by the best overall time in the combined stages.

What does Grinduro bring to the Giro brand?

Throughout Giro’s 31 years in business, we’ve made a lot of great friends on bike rides. We’ve always said, “people like us when they get to know us,” but up until we BIKEBIZ.COM

launched Grinduro California two years ago, we’ve been pretty limited on our reach. It was primarily the folks in and around our small coastal town of Santa Cruz, CA, that got to ride with us and got to know us. Hosting Grinduro allows us to connect with the people that are the most important to our business, the people that use our stuff every day.

It’s pretty great to ride alongside Giro founder Jim Gentes and have a long chat about bikes or cooking or the weather or design. Because so much of Grinduro is casual, we’re able to make some true connections with riders on course as well as afterward at the fire pit or in the artbike exhibit.

Why are you bringing it to the UK in 2017?

The US and UK are very similar in terms of cycling trends (as well as music, art, and so on). In the past three years alone, gravel riding has really taken off here, and Grinduro has become one of the hottest

events in America. We know that events like the Dirty Reiver (200k gravel grinder in northern England) are gaining momentum and it’s only natural to bring the other side of gravel riding to the UK.

“We know that events like the Dirty Reiver are gaining momentum; it’s only natural to bring the other side of gravel riding to the UK.” Dain Zaffke, Giro Sport Design

How important is the UK market to the brand?

For Giro, the UK is one of our top bike markets outside of the US. Giro has great distribution there and a great partner in ZyroFisher.

The UK market has embraced our top new products in recent seasons and is definitely taking back the mountain for Giro, following our success in the US. Are there any key differences between the UK market and the rest of the world?

To be honest, I don’t think about the UK market very differently from the market here in the US. Generally speaking, the most popular athletes in the UK are the most popular here, fashion trends are similar and some of the best BIKEBIZ MAY 43

GRINDURO

Griduro participants enjoying a well deserved refreshment after their ride

media content that we enjoy in the States comes from England. I think we can all spot the differences between the market in mainland Europe (especially a more traditional country like France or Italy) and the market in the US or UK. We have seen a few global `trends in cycling start here in the US, and I’m hoping that Grinduro becomes one of them.

So what prompted you to do an event of your own?

Some of us at Giro wanted a competitive outlet that represented the way that we ride on the weekends with our “cross bikes”. It’s all about riding big loops on mixed surfaces, hammering some sections, then regrouping and then having a beer afterward. Part of it was seeing a need to celebrate descending on drop bars and 700c tires – too many road racing and gravel events are focused on suffering.

And finally, part of the impetus came from spectating and participating in mountain bike enduros, where the focus is entirely on flat-out descending.

44 BIKEBIZ MAY

Personally, I tend to have more fitness than skill, and I’ve always thought to myself: “What if enduro mountain bike races had timed climbs?” Grinduro captures all of these elements into one super fun event that’s inclusive to riders from all categories and just about any ability level.

So is it a party or a serious race?

It all depends on who you ask!

Because you’re only timed on short segments, riders have the freedom to admire the views, stop for photos, tell stories or just ride a swift pace throughout the loop.

Time for the crucial question – which bike should you ride and what kit should you wear?

There’s a lot of debate about the best bike, partly because we’ve designed the course so that there’s no real disadvantage to any kind of bike. You can ride a road bike with 27c or bigger tires, you can ride a ‘cross bike or ride a mountain bike. At some point during the route you’ll be on the “perfect bike.” I say ride what makes you the most comfortable.

“Because so much of Grinduro is casual, we’re able to make some true connections with riders on course.”

Dain Zaffke, Giro Sport Design

If that’s riding a full suspension mountain bike wearing a Camelbak and baggy shorts, then do it. My personal choice is a disc-brake equipped cyclocross bike with 40c tubeless tires. The past two Grinduro events in California were won on drop bars in the pro men’s, pro women’s and most of the amateur categories too. But the top five had plenty of mountain bikes and the people on mountain bikes might have been smiling more…

So it’s a pretty tough call!

The Isle of Arran has often been described as Scotland in miniature, what can riders expect from the route?

The route is stunningly beautiful.

They call Arran Scotland in miniature because it has a bit of everything… craggy peaks, dense and dark forests, wide open grassy pastures and rugged coastline. The Grinduro route takes in all of these elements and combines a mix of fast tarmac, flowing singletrack and a few challenging climbs to keep riders engaged.

BIKEBIZ.COM

FOR ALL YOUR CYCLING PRODUCT NEEDS We’re dedicated to providing our dealers a best in industry service, here are a few ways how we do that: Order up to 6pm via our B2B website for next day delivery Custom pallet service for orders over £250 24/7 payment through our B2B site Raleigh Academy – an interactive learning portal On-site experience centre New brands for 2017 including RSP Carbon Wheels, Fixit Sticks, Finn & Race One

Get in touch to find out how you could work with Raleigh Bike Parts sales@raleigh.co.uk www.raleigh.co.uk • facebook/raleighbikeparts

01772 459 887 t.co.uk

www.bob-ellio

ine

@BobElliotOnl

Distributors of great brands across the UK Find your Local stockist at: www.bob-elliot.co.uk or contact us on: sales@bob-elliot.co.uk Tel: 01772 459 887

SECTOR GUIDE

1

Recipe for success With vitamin deficiency growing as a public concern, sports nutrition products are having to step up their games. We take a look at what’s available this spring...

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Madison

BIKEBIZ.COM

1

DISTRIBUTOR: Silverfish UK

3

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Extra UK

3

CONTACT: 01908 326 032

CONTACT: 01752 843 882

CONTACT: 01933 672 170

BRAND: Stealth

BRAND: Skratch Labs

BRAND: Clif Bar

PRODUCT: Training Mix

PRODUCT: Hydration Mix

PRODUCT: Cool Mint Chocolate

Stealth’s Training Mix contains slow-release carbohydrates that make it ideal for endurance training. It’s designed to have a steadier effect on spiking sugar levels in the blood, which is important for everyone, but especially so for anyone with systems sensitive to sugar levels such as diabetics. It also encourages a higher rate of fat oxidation – especially useful for training athletes. Stealth uses natural flavourings for a light taste, and comes in three flavours: pineapple, orange and watermelon.

This all-natural sports drink replaces both the fluid and electrolytes you lose in your sweat while providing just enough calories to help fuel your working muscles. Flavoured with only real fruit and containing no artificial colours or preservatives, the drink mix won’t upset your stomach, leave a bad taste in your mouth, or challenge your IQ with tongue-twisting chem-lab ingredients.

Available to buy as single serving sachets, boxes of 20 servings or resealable 1lb bags. Flavours available now are raspberry, orange, lemon & lime, pineapple, apple & cinnamon, and match & lemon.

Cool Mint Chocolate is a new UK flavour for 2017, made with wholesome ingredients that deliver energy. It’s made with ingredients you can see and taste, such as organic rolled oats, and offers a source of protein and fibre as well as vitamins B6 and B12, which contribute to the release of energy. Contains no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

BIKEBIZ MAY 47

NONSTOP Mobility!

The new CONTACT Plus: Reaching your destination safely and comfortably.

Permitted for e-bikes up to 50 km/h.

coming May 2017 www.conti-tyres.co.uk

CONTACT Plus

SECTOR GUIDE

DISTRIBUTOR: ZyroFisher

2

3

4

CONTACT: sales@zyrofisher.co.uk

CONTACT: sales@zyrofisher.co.uk

DISTRIBUTOR: 3 Direct to retailer CONTACT: www.blockheadenergy.com/buy

BRAND: OTE

BRAND: TORQ

BRAND: Blockhead

BRAND: SiS

PRODUCT: Lemon & Lime Caffeine Gel

PRODUCT: Hypotonic Energy Drink

PRODUCT: Vitamin Gum

PRODUCT: Immune

The OTE Lemon & Lime Caffeine Gel has been designed to provide quick release energy during exercise. It also contains electrolytes to help replace salts lost during sweating and 50mg of caffeine from Guarana to help lower the feeling of perceived exertion. One gel provides you with 20g of carbohydrates: enough energy for 20 minutes of moderate to intense exercise. The natural flavour, containing real fruit juice concentrate, provides a fruity taste in an easy-toconsume, liquid-like consistency.

With the introduction of a number of new products, and a website rebuild to improve consumer understanding of its performance nutrition products, TORQ is having a strong year. Within its updated portfolio is the 100 per cent natural watermelon Hypotonic drink, designed to rapidly replace electrolytes lost through sweating, with the assistance of just 15g of carbohydrate to speed up absorption into the bloodstream. Alongside this are the Fuelling System and Recovery System packs.

This gum provides a convenient solution to a modern problem – ensuring people get enough vitamins every day. Chewing two pieces of the lemon flavoured gum provides 100 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, B, C and D. By making vitamins more fun and flavourful, BLOCKHEAD Vitamin Gum offers a new way to tackle vitamin deficiency

SiS Immune is designed to support and maintain immune function during and after exercise. As an effervescent tablet that readily dissolves in water, it represents a practical approach to support your immune system after exercise. Vitamin C (200mg) and iron (2.5mg) are known to contribute to the maintenance of the normal function of the immune system during and after intense physical exercise.

BIKEBIZ.COM

1

DISTRIBUTOR: ZyroFisher

1

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Moore Large

4

CONTACT: 01332 274 200

BIKEBIZ MAY 49

SECTOR GUIDE

1

2

4

5

Off the chain This month, we take a look at the new products in the BMX category available to dealers...

3

DISTRIBUTOR: Moore Large

1

DISTRIBUTOR: Ison Distribution

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Extra UK

3

DISTRIBUTOR: Seventies Distribution

4

DISTRIBUTOR: Silverfish UK

CONTACT: 01332 274 200

CONTACT: 01353 662 662

CONTACT: 01933 672 170

CONTACT: 01424 855 556

CONTACT: 01752 843 882

BRAND: Haro

BRAND: TSG

BRAND: Tioga

BRAND: Federal Bikes

BRAND: RaceFace

PRODUCT: Lineage Team Master & Sport Bikes

PRODUCT: Dawn Helmet

PRODUCT: Spyder Stratum

PRODUCT: Federal v4 Coaster

Inspired by helmets in BMX’s halcyon days, the Dawn features a classic full-cut design. The hardshell comes in a single mold, with low-cut earflaps. Built from hardshell construction, with sturdy PP and shock-absorbing EPS foam, it is the first helmet of its kind to meet all required safety standards. Available with FlexTech construction for increased comfort, utilising a series of interior EPS foam segments connected by a reinforced skeleton which allow the helmet to flex and mold to the user’s head.

Turning traditional saddle designs upside-down in pursuit of cutting-edge performance and function, the Spyder Stratum’s shell is engineered from dual density carbonite. Comfort is provided by suspending the rider in a way that is impossible with traditional saddle designs. Hollow Chromoly rail. Weight 190g.

Next month will see the launch of Federal Bikes’ much-anticipated Response tyre in 2.5” width, which complements other recent releases such as the BBS Guard sprocket and Contact plastic pedals. The product that Federal is particularly synonymous with is its freecoaster, now in its fourth incarnation – it comes complete with both sets of hubguards (RRP £149.99).

PRODUCT: Sixc Carbon BMX race cranks

Haro’s recent re-releases have been instant sell-outs.

For 2017, it will be offering two more models from the past – the Team Master and the Team Sport Freestyler.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of these models, Haro is updating the frames to incorporate modern geometry and 4130 to create a bike that looks like it just came out of a time capsule, but can be ridden like something fresh off the welding table.

BIKEBIZ.COM

5

Silverfish claims this is the lightest production DH-rated carbon crankset on the planet. Manufactured with US-sourced carbon and aluminium. SIXC combines proven Race Face proprietary hollow arm technology with the new Cinch interface and the renowned strength-toweight ratio of the original SixC crankset, making it ideal for BMX set-ups. Featuring a reinforced BMX-specific 104 BCD Spider as well as a BMX specific axle to suit 68mm bb shells.

BIKEBIZ MAY 51

RETURNING TO GREYVILLE FOR 2017 AVAILABLE FROM STOCK NOW

GREYVILLE ENTERPRISES

blurb

CONTACT :

01543 251328

Simple.

Powerful.

Affordable.

Citrus-Lime Cloud POS The Walna Scar Descent Why not give us a call to arrange a demo in person, followed by D ULGH VR \RX FDQ H[SHULHQFH WKDW HOHYDWLRQ SURͤOH ͤUVW KDQG" Cake and brews afterwards!

Book your free demonstration today.

Call 01229 588 628 or visit: www.citruslime.com/demo The Citrus-Lime Team and friends take a moment to admire the Lake District view whilst out on a charity ride.

Photo taken by James Steel, Citrus-Lime’s Director of Operations.

www.greyville.com

sales@greyville.com

SECTOR GUIDE

DISTRIBUTOR: Diamondback

1

DISTRIBUTOR: Direct to Retailer

1

2

3

4

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Seventies Distribution

3

DISTRIBUTOR: Extra UK & Madison

4

CONTACT: 0800 0969060

CONTACT: 01683 220837

CONTACT: 01424 855 556

CONTACT: Extra UK: 01933 672 170

BRAND: Diamondback BMX

BRAND: Tiger Cycles

BRAND: Kink BMX Bike

Madison: 01908 326 032

PRODUCT: Diamondback BMX 2017

PRODUCT: UCX2 and UCX4 BMX

PRODUCT: 2018 range

Diamondback, one of the oldest companies in BMX, has been producing bikes since 1978.

For 2017 they’ve shaken the colour pot up and produced some retinaburning colours. Ideal as a first-time park bike is the GRIND, featuring a 25/9t drive matched up to an alloy cassette hub, 8.25” rise bars and double wall rims (RRP £230).

Designed for the mini shredder, the REMIX 16 features 3pc cranks, 25/9t drive matched up to an alloy cassette hub and much more (RRP £250).

The Diamondback 2017 BMX range is available now.

Tiger Cycles has recently revamped its BMX lineup by introducing two new Urban Culture models, the UCX2 and UCX4. The UCX2 is an entrylevel BMX with a 10” street frame, 20” 48 spoke alloy wheels, coloured cables, available in five colours. The UCX4 is a new higher-specification 25/9 BMX, which includes Alloy Hubs, rear U-Brake and 3-piece crank, and comes in three colours. Both models are available now.

This June will see the arrival of Kink’s BMX 2018 range, their largest to date, covering 12 models (starting at RRP £179.99), from the 12” Balance bike through to the entry-level 20” bikes, to the Tony Hamline “Solace” Pro model. The whole range is now equipped with plastic pegs instead of steel; four models come with Freecoasters, and four models have removable brake mounts. One of the standout models is the all-new Downside bike, focused purely on street riding (RRP £599.99).

BIKEBIZ.COM

BRAND: Maxxis PRODUCT: BMX Tubeless Ready Torch tyre The newest Torch tyre is the first-ever tubeless-ready BMX tyre launched by Maxxis. Currently the lightest BMX tube weighs between 30-40 grams.

However the new Torch design cuts out the extra weight and gives riders a much lighter, tubeless product specifically designed for racing. It provides a large air capacity and uses EXO protection, which features cut and abrasion-resistant material for extra protection and a tread pattern designed for extra grip on tracks.

Available in the 20×1.75 size only with a 120 TPI casing. Stock won’t be available in the UK until this summer.

BIKEBIZ MAY 53

SECTOR GUIDE

1

2

Stopping power Where would we be without brakes? We take a look at the components that keep you safe and sound in the saddle when you’re hurtling down a mountain at full-speed...

3

DISTRIBUTOR: Direct to retailers

1

DISTRIBUTOR: Moore Large

2

4

DISTRIBUTOR: HKT Products Ltd

3

DISTRIBUTOR: ZyroFisher

4

CONTACT: 01282 851 400

CONTACT: 01332 274 200

CONTACT: 0844 884 2688

CONTACT: sales@zyrofisher.co.uk

BRAND: Hope

BRAND: Jagwire

BRAND: 35Bikes

BRAND: SRAM

PRODUCT: Tech 3 range of disc brakes

PRODUCT: Pro Polished Slick Cables

PRODUCT: Brake pads & brake rotors

PRODUCT: SRAM RED eTap HRD

The Hope Tech 3 lever offers genuine bite point and reach adjustment without tools. The lever can be supplied with one of three callipers depending on the intended use – X2 for cross-country, E4 for enduro and all mountain and V4 for DH use.

Brakes are available in all six colours – black, silver, red, blue, orange and purple. The complete range of calipers are fitted with phenolic pistons to isolate the brake fluid from heat generated in the brake pads.

Falling between the Sport level slick stainless and high-end Elite cables, the new Pro Polished series will replace all Teflon-coated cables in the current line. This includes single cables, file boxes and Pro level DIY kits. Available in both brake and shift kits with SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo compatibility. With the addition of the Pro Polished cables, Jagwire now offers riders durable, coating-free cable options from basic up to the elite level.

The 35Bikes brand was started to give HKT Products’ dealers the opportunity to compete against the growing direct to consumer market. It claims to offer quality products at good RRPs with healthy dealer margins, and stocks every type of calliper fitment, from Shimano through to rare Alhonga fitments, and a range of brake rotor sizes to boot.

The less time you spend slowing down, the more time you can spend enjoying that hard-earned speed.

RED eTap HRD is where SRAM’s most advanced road hydraulic braking platform meets the precise wireless electronic shifting of eTap.

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ MAY 55

SECTOR GUIDE

DISTRIBUTOR: Windwave

1

CONTACT: 023 92 521 912 BRAND: FSA PRODUCT: K-Force Dual Pivot The all-new K-Force brakeset is optimised for today’s wide rims with all excess trimmed forming their most advanced, dual-pivot design yet. The sculpted, low-profile alloy arms have been upgraded to box-section. Their resistance to flex is the secret of the K-Force’s unrivalled power, modulation and feedback. The slimline silhouette delivers superior aerodynamics, while lightweight titanium fasteners and alloy componentry keep weight to a bare minimum. A polished black anodised finish and new graphics leave no doubt that the new K-Force offers serious performance.

BIKEBIZ.COM

DISTRIBUTOR: ZyroFisher, 2Pure, Walkers, Bob Elliott

1

2

3

4

2

CONTACT: www.clarks.bike BRAND: Clarks PRODUCT: M Series hydraulic brake range Clarks offers a full range of hydraulic brake systems under the M-series range, from the entry-level M1 Hydraulic to M2 brake. The latest addition to the M-series range, the M3, offers everything a rider desires, from its slimline design to its outstanding stopping power.

DISTRIBUTOR: Extra UK

3

DISTRIBUTOR: Pilot Cycles

4

CONTACT: 01933 672 170

CONTACT: info@pilotcycles.com

BRAND: Cane Creek

BRAND: Fouriers

PRODUCT: eeBrake

PRODUCT: BR-DX006

A robust patented design developed and refined by relentless engineering, both at the computer and through real-life testing. Weighing in at just 79g (Front Direct Mount) eeBrakes are aimed at performance-oriented riders. A dramatically higher overall stiffness provides better modulation and more power. No detail has been overlooked, greater tyre clearance and toolless pad centring make installation simple.

Produced for the Giant-Shimano team, this brake fits GIANT NEW TRINITY. It is a direct mount aero V brake, complete with liner spring adjuster system, and quick adjuster for different rim widths. It includes both front and rear brakes, and is made from AL6066-T6 full CNC. Weighing in at 275g, it comes in anodized black.

BIKEBIZ MAY 57

SECTOR GUIDE

DISTRIBUTOR: Direct to retailers

1

DISTRIBUTOR: Ison Distribution

1

2

3

4

2

DISTRIBUTOR: Ison Distribution

3

DISTRIBUTOR: ZyroFisher

4

CONTACT: 01282 851 400

CONTACT: 01353 662 662

CONTACT: 01353 662 662

CONTACT: sales@zyrofisher.co.uk

BRAND: Hope

BRAND: Genetic

BRAND: Gusset

BRAND: SRAM

PRODUCT: RX4 calipers

PRODUCT: Metazoa

PRODUCT: Hydro Chute Disc Brakes

PRODUCT: Guide RE

With the prevalence of flat mounts on the new generation of disc road bikes and many brake companies attempting to fit callipers, Hope has taken another look at its replacement RX4 calipers. Alongside its post mount callipers, it’s now offering dedicated flat mount callipers, without the use of unsightly adaptors. They’ll be available for either Shimano or SRAM levers, with different seals and piston sizes to accommodate dot or mineral oil and handle different ratios. Callipers are available in all six colours to allow for the ultimate customisation.

Genetic has a small range of brakes for road and CX. The Metazoa brakes are superlight road race performance items. Combines the lightness of a single pivot brake with the stopping power of dual pivot design. Rollercam alters the cable-pull ratio to give an exemplary balance of modulation and power. With forged alloy arms, roller-cam enhanced power, and cassette-type brake pads, this 39-51mm product is available in front and rear, and weighs 120g.

Neat, compact, high performance hydraulic disc brakes. Suitable for XC and trail use, and supplied with superlight Gusset R-series rotors.

Dual Piston – open system with DOT 4 brake fluid and sintered pads. Post mount with I.S. adaptors included, and split clamp levers.

- Std. UK specifications: - R/H Front with 180mm rotor.

- L/H lever rear with 160mm rotor (Export specification may differ) - ED Black or powder coated White finish.

- Front: 340g Rear: 365g - Sold each - front or rear.

The power of control. Guide RE is SRAM’s optimised braking solution for today’s exciting category of e-MTBs, capable of handling the higher average speeds, more intense use and increased mass due to the presence of the motor and battery. It combines SRAM’s proven Guide R lever assembly with a powerful 4-piston calliper derived from the gravity-focused Code brakes. Guide RE provides real, usable on-trail control – optimal power and modulation mean speed can be controlled on all terrains and in all situations, both uphill and downhill.

58 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

UK DISTRIBUTION FOR THE BEST BRANDS IN MTB

01423 780 088

info@jungleproducts.co.uk | www.jungleproducts.co.uk B2B Access: www.jungleproducts.co.uk/b2b

TO ADVERTISE For more details and to advertise, contact Richard Setters on 0207 354 6028 or email rsetters@nbmedia.com

GET LISTED Email your updated details NOW to khowells@nbmedia.com

WWW.TIGERCYCLES.COM

Check out our full range of adults youth and kids bikes; spare parts, accessories, helmets and lugguage.

Excellent dealer margins available.

View the current BikeBiz Directory online: www.bikebiz.com/bikebiz-directory

To become a retailer contact us by phone: 01683 220837 by email: info@tigercycles.com

In association with

2pure 46c Bavelaw Road, Balerno, Edinburgh, EH147AE Tel: 0844 811 2001 Web: www.2pure.co.uk

Fibrax Ltd Queensway, Wrexham. LL13 8YR Tel: +44 (0)1978 356744 Web: http://www.fibrax.com

Moore Large and Co Ltd Grampian Buildings, Sinfin Lane, Derby, Derbyshire.

DE24 9GL Tel +01332 274281 Web: www.moorelarge.co.uk

Bob Elliot and Co Ltd Unit C4 Binary Court, Matrix Park, Western Avenue, Buckshaw Village, Chorley, PR7 7NB Tel: 01772 459 887 Web: www.bob-elliot.co.uk

Jungle Products Ltd Unit 3, The Cedar, New York Mills, Summerbridge, HG3 4LA Tel: 01423 780088 Web: www.jungleproducts.co.uk and www.santacruzbikes.co.uk

North Sports 38 Kingston Avenue, Neilston, Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, G783JG Tel: 07746 933795 Web: www.northsports.co.uk

Continental North Parade, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales, SY23 2JR Tel: 01970 626777 Web: www.conti-tyres.co.uk

EBCO 5 Pegasus House, Olympus Ave, Warwick, CV34 6LW Tel: Tel +01926 437700 Web: www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk

EDCO Components North Parade, Aberystwyth, Wales, SY23 2JR Tel: 01970 626777 Web: www.edco-wheels.co.uk

M & J Distributors Ltd Unit A, Hanix Buildings, Windmill Lane, Denton, Manchester, M34 3SP Tel: 0161 337 9600 Web: www.mjdist.co.uk

Pitbitz Ltd Unit 6 Thorpe Drive, Thorpe Way Industrial Estate, Banbury, Oxon, OX16 4UZ Tel: 01295 269333 Web: www.gazeboshop.co.uk and www.thebikeboxcompany.co.uk

Mealor-Clarke Cycle Spares Ltd Unit 1, Eastlands Road, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4LL Tel: 01728 830 055 Web: www.mealorclarkecyclespares.co.uk

Raleigh UK Ltd Church Street, Eastwood, Nottingham, NG16 3HT Tel: 01773 532600 Web: www.raleigh.co.uk and www.cyclelife.com and www.diamondback.co.uk

Met Helmets / Bluegrass 22-24 Ely Place, London, EC1N6TE Tel: 0207 1937 496 Web: www.met-helmets.com

Reece Cycles plc 100 Alcester Street, Birmingham, B12 0QB Tel: 0121 622 0180 Web: www.reececycles.co.uk

The BikeBiz Directory 2017 is out now, providing the industry with a must-have guide to the UK’s retailers, distributors, manufacturers and related businesses.

If you’d like to find out more or require additional copies please contact rsetters@nbmedia.com or call him on 020 7354 6028

DISTRIBUTION AND WHOLESALE

E-COMMERCE AND EPOS

EVENT ORGANISERS, HOSTING, HOLIDAY AND HIRE

Schwalbe Tyres UK Ltd Schwalbe Centre, Hortonwood 30, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 7ET Tel: 01952602680 Web: www.schwalbe.co.uk

Silverfish UK Ltd Unit 3C and 3B Woodacre Court, Saltash Parkway Industrial Estate, Burraton Road, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 6LY Tel: 01752 843882 Web: www.silverfish-uk.com

Stolen Goat Unit C1E Threshold Way, Fairoaks Airport, Woking.

GU24 8HU Tel: 01483 361146 Web: www.stolengoat.com

The Cycle Division Unit 27 Gatehouse Enterprise Centre, Albert Street, Lockwood, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 3QD Tel: 01484 456137 Web: www.thecycledivision.com

ZyroFisher Ltd Roundhouse Road, Faverdale Industrial Estate, Darlington, DL3 0UR Tel: 01325 741200 Web: www.zyrofisher.co.uk / www.zyrofisherb2b.co.uk

MANUFACTURERS

MARKETING, PR AND CONSULTANCY

MEDIA AND PUBLISHING

ASSOS 57 Farringdon Road, London, EC1M 3JB Tel: 0203 621 1555 Web: www.assos.com

Buffera Limited Cranbourne House, Cranbourne Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 3JN Tel: Tel +01920 460754 Web: www.buffwear.co.uk

Met Helmets / Bluegrass 22-24 Ely Place, London, EC1N6TE Tel: 0207 1937 496 Web: www.met-helmets.com

ORGANISATIONS, CHARITIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

RETAILERS, WORKSHOPS AND MAIL ORDER

SERVICES AND TRAINING

Weldtite Products Ltd Unit 9 Harrier Road, Humber Bridge Industrial Estate, Barton-on-Humber, Lincs, DN18 5RP Tel: 01652 660000 Web: www.weldtite.co.uk

700c Cycle Shop Insurance Plough Court, 37 Lombard Street, London.

EC3V 9BQ Tel: 0333 433 0827 Web: www.700cinsurance.co.uk

Cycleguard Insurance Southgate House, Southgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1UB Tel: 0333 004 3444 Web: www.cycleguard.co.uk

Oneway Distribution BV PO BOX 12, 3000 AA Rotterdam Tel: 0031 10345 3510 Web: shop.o-w-d.nl PowerBar UK The Hive, 51 Lever St, Manchester. M1 1FN Tel: +44 (0)161 641 0056 Web: www.active-nutrition-international.com Pinhead Components Inc Jasper Ave, Edmonton, Alberta. Canada. T6K OK6 Tel: 1-780 465530 Web: www.pinheadlocks.com Red Industries Borough House, Berkeley Court , Borough Road Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1TT Tel: 01782 824026 Web: www.redindustries.co.uk

Bike Rental Manager c/o H W Fisher & Co Acre House, 11-15 William Road, London.

NW1 3ER Tel: +33 4 66 03 14 32 Web: www.bikerentalmanager.com

Citrus-Lime Limited Lantern House, The Ellers, Ulverston, LA12 0AA Tel: 01229 588 628 Web: www.citruslime.com

Rozone Limited Queen Street, Darlaston, Wednesbury West Midlands. WS10 8JB Tel: 0121 526 8181 Web: www.rozone.co.uk Oxford Products Ltd De Havilland Way, Range Road, Witney, Oxon. OX29 0YA Tel: 01993 862 300 http://www.oxfordproducts.com/bicycle

Visijax Cotesbach House, The Precinct, Main Street, Cotesbach, Leicestershire, LE17 4HX Tel: 07810 838934 Web: www.visijax.com

The BikeBiz Directory 2017 is available to view online at

www.bikebiz.com

MARKETPLACE BIKES & ACCESSORIES

TO ADVERTISE IN THESE PAGES PLEASE CONTACT rsetters@nbmedia.com or call 0207 354 6028

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

E/ NOW AVAILABLE FROM 2PUR TO ORDER CONTACT: 0131 449 4147 / trade@2pure.co.uk / www.2pureb2b.co.uk

COMPRESSPORT ARE DISTRIBUTED EXCLUSIVELY IN THE UK BY 2PURE/

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

62 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

BIKEBIZ.COM

MARKETPLACE BIKES & ACCESSORIES

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

FREE SHIPPING

on all parts via www.madisonb2b.co.uk

Hangers, BB solutions, Bearing presses, Sealed bearings and Workshop solutions 6USPUL OHUNLY Ä UKLY! www.wheelsmfg.co.uk

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ MAY 63

MARKETPLACE BIKES & ACCESSORIES

TO ADVERTISE IN THESE PAGES PLEASE CONTACT rsetters@nbmedia.com or call 0207 354 6028

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

2017 RANGE NOW IN STOCK!

U LT I M AT E U S E . CO M BIKE BOTTLES & PROMOTIONAL GOODS

GET STAFFED!

WWW.BIKEBIZ.COM/JOBS

IS WHERE THE TRADE GOES FOR THE LATEST JOB OPPORTUNITIES Contact: rsetters@nbmedia.com or call +44 (0)207 354 6028 64 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

MARKETPLACE BIKES & ACCESSORIES

BIKES & ACCESSORIES

CARRIER BAGS & GENERAL PRINT

EPOS & ECOMMERCE

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ MAY 65

MARKETPLACE EPOS & ECOMMERCE

TO ADVERTISE IN THESE PAGES PLEASE CONTACT rsetters@nbmedia.com or call 0207 354 6028

FRAME RESPRAY, REPAIR & BUILD SERVICES

GET YOUR COMPANY FEATURED IN THE BIKEBIZ

Contact: Richard Setters 0207 354 6028 rsetters@nbmedia.com

66 BIKEBIZ MAY

BIKEBIZ.COM

OFF TRACK

OFF TRACK

THE TRADE’S ROUND-UP OF STATS, VIEWS AND RANDOMS

NUMBER CRUNCHING

£I3LL4IO5N M

cle tourism value of cy in Scotland

928,000 the number of bicycles sold in the Netherlands in 2016

5 PER CENT the proportion of all trips that Cycling UK is proposing should be made in the West Midlands by bike by 2023

5YEA0RS

20 MILLION the number of Brits who are physically inactive, according to a report by the British Heart Foundation

Maxxis rsary that the annive ting ra b le ce is currently

BIKEBIZ.COM

BIKEBIZ MAY 67

OFF TRACK

TEAM PROFILE

Alex Cubbage Telesales Assistant

Madison & Sportline The basics about the people you might be dealing with...

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I process phone and email orders, as well as offering technical information and assistance for our product range.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I’m kept busy smashing out the bike builds for all occasions.

There is plenty to keep my hands full!

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? Fort William World Cup 2013 is definitely up there. It was my first World Cup event working for Shimano, in the sunshine and it was just a great occasion. I love the atmosphere up there.

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? Cycling the Dunwich Dynamo with my good buddies all through the night, watching the sun set and the sun rise while in the saddle…the most romantic and surreal experience I’ve had on a bike so far…

Freddy Smith Cycle Technician

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT SPORTLINE: Helping to develop the already awesome range of Saracen bikes, including input to spec, testing and a bit of spreadsheet smashing as well.

Jack Geoghegan Saracen Brand Manager

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? I think competing at the 2008 Fort William World Cup as a junior has to be up there with the best, nothing beats the noise when you cross the finish line.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I look after a range of sponsorship activity for Madison/Sportline.

James Champion Sponsorship Manager

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: The brand team are the hub at madison, without our department the business wouldn’t function. The brand person knows the most about a brand and their products.

Jim Mcconnel Brand Manager for Profile Design, Garmin, Mulebar, Stealth, Strip, SIS

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? In 2010 I helped people complete a ten day London to barcelona ride. Seeing their exhausted happy faces at the end was powerfully rewarding.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I work with a team of designers.

Rob Mance Design Manager

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I oversee all of our trade marketing projects.

Ruth Schofield Head of Trade Marketing and Events

68 BIKEBIZ MAY

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? Whilst on holiday in Italy I rode 40k on a Saracen Kili Flyer through the Italian hills to the Pietra Di Bismantova, in the Province of Reggio Emilia. The scenery en route and the views from the top of the Pietra Di Bismantova were really impressive.

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? Riding the inaugural Ride London event was special. Not least for the surprise of seeing so many friends out on the road… and Boris; seeing the streets of London traffic free and riding past those landmarks was very cool.

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? I like the Sunday club rides with Towcester’s very own A5 Rangers, the ‘D’ ride is about as fast as I will ever want to go. I commute in to work regularly just so I can keep up with them.

Best sportive ride was the tour of the Black Mountains or the Autumn Epic, both in Wales a few years ago.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AT MADISON: I manage and develop team members and other resources to provide high quality warehousing services to internal and external customers.

WHAT’S THE BEST CYCLING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD? Completing the Wiggle Cobbler sportive at 92miles four months after buying my first road bike.

Sean Green Operations Shift Manager

BIKEBIZ.COM

OFF TRACK

Stephen Holt, Commercial Director

A BIKE AND A BEVERAGE DUTCH BICYCLE beer brand à Bloc has created a UK subsidiary – it is to be run by food distribution specialist Alistair Stirling. À Bloc CEO Daan van Well said: “À Bloc’s goal is to unite cyclists around the world by celebrating cycling achievements and to create a worldwide cycling communit. Alistair is a keen cyclist, and he also brings a magnificent mix of retail, procurement and marketing skills to the table.”

Stirling has worked for Coop, Asda & Woodward Foodservice and STM Procurement.

He said: “I’m thrilled to about the opportunity to lead the development of the à Bloc brand in the UK. As well as manage sales force and strategy for brand activation, marketing, PR and events, anywhere you see British cyclists celebrating, you’ll see à Bloc.”

Earlier this year, À Bloc was massively oversubsribed in a crowdfunding drive.

TOP 20 IBDS NOMINATIONS CLOSED

TOP 20

INDEPENDENT BIKE DEALER

2017 BIKEBIZ.COM

ENTRIES FOR the BikeBiz Top 20 IBDs closed on Sunday, April 30th. The next issue will feature a largescale article celebrating the best examples of bicycle retailing in the IBD sector, and the full list will be published online slightly later in the month.

We’ve looked for examples of shops that go above and beyond in their delivery of services, that support local cyclists or clubs, that reach out to non-cyclists or the local community.

In compiling the results, we consulted with distributors and brands to get their take on the topic – all bike shops were welcome to enter.

MAKE THE MOST OF ACCESSORIES THIS MONTH we’re all hoping the April showers have come to an end, and the mild spring weather will evolve into full-on sunshine. But with two bank holidays in May, we have to be realistic – it could be downpours all the way!

The unpredictable weather is not ideal for cyclists, but is fantastic news for you. Cyclists can’t afford to shed their layers just yet, but the winter clothing they’re sporting is too hot, too heavy and not enhancing their commuting experience. This is where you and your brilliant array of cycling accessories step in.

Accessories are a terrific way to boost your sales. Cyclescheme participants can choose a complete package without getting a bike if they wish. Cycle clothing, helmets, lights and locks are always popular. Gear up for commuters looking for lightweight layers and breathable fabrics to help protect against light showers, without overheating.

Plus, when customers shop accessories in your store with Cyclescheme, they’ll save at least 25 per cent, whilst spreading the cost over 12 months. The Cyclescheme Accessory Package is perfect for cyclists who don’t need a new bike, but are looking to crank up their commute with the latest accessories, up to the value of £1,000.

You can find out more about this opportunity with our series of Retailer Conferences taking place around the UK this year. These events allow you to share your feedback on the cycling industry and Cyclescheme, whilst gaining invaluable advice on how to grow your sales. Look out for your invitation in the coming months.

Stephen Holt is commercial director of Cyclescheme, the UK’s leading provider of tax-free bikes for work.

You can reach him on Twitter @cycleschemeltd

BIKEBIZ MAY 69

SPOKESMAN

Bicycling is booming But is it? That’s what BikeBiz executive editor set out to discover in his new history book, Bike Boom.

CYCLING HAS made remarkable progress over the last 15 years. In the late 1990s, there were very few MAMILs cycling to work on expensive carbon road bikes; “cycle chic” had to yet be commodified; and public bicycle-hire schemes were only just starting to appear in the “global city” form now so beloved by civic leaders. But in the UK, cycling is still far from being the normal, everyday form of transport that starry-eyed advocates, myself included, plug that it has the potential to be.

Despite the fact my new book is called Bike Boom, there is no bike boom right now, nor has there been a transformative one in the UK or the US since the early 1970s.

No modern “bike boom” (not even the MTB or road bike booms) has come close to the 15 million bicycles sold in 1973, the highwater mark for US cycle sales, triple the size of the market just eight years previously. At this peak there were 95 new bikes per 1,000 American adults; it is now half that.

The UK, too, saw a sales surge in the same period, taking the industry largely by surprise.

Cycling had been building in popularity throughout the 1960s thanks to health concerns, and when baby-boomer ecological concerns merged with a fitness kick the American market for bicycles doubled within a couple of years.

Everybody, it seemed in the early 70s, rushed out to buy ten-speed drop-handlebar bicycles, and the number of urban cyclists became so great that the US, and to a much lesser extent the UK, almost started to do what the Netherlands was

Bike Boom by Carlton Reid is published by Island Press of Washington, DC, June 2017, and examines in some depth two seismic but under-reported periods in cycling’s history: the putative creation of English cycleways in the 1930s, and the hugely significant Great American Bike Boom of 1970–1974.

Aftershocks from both periods are still being felt today. The book also examines the story of how the Dutch got their bike paths, which reaches back to both the 1930s and the 1970s. The index and 800+ footnotes for the book are already online at BikeBoom.info/notes

doing at the same time – build networks of cycleways. And then the bubble burst. Sales collapsed in the US and the UK. Nevertheless, the boom left a key legacy: some of the world’s best-known bike brands were hatched because of the boom years.

Cannondale was born in 1971 above a rural pickle shop in Wilton, Connecticut. It made backpacking gear as well as the Bugger, a backpack-on-wheels for towing behind bicycles. In the foyer at Specialized’s HQ in Morgan Hill, California, there’s a replica of the Volkswagen campervan that founder Mike Sinyard sold to fund the European bike tour that would lead to the foundation of his business. Sinyard started in 1972 by selling hard-to-get European

SUBSCRIPTIONS UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90 BIKEBIZ is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media Europe Ltd. The Emerson Building, 4-8 Emerson Street, London. SE1 9DU Email subs@bikebiz.com

70 BIKEBIZ MAY

bicycle parts to US bike shops.

Famously, he schlepped the first parts in a bicycle trailer: a Cannondale Bugger. Trek was started in 1975 from a red barn, a former carpet warehouse in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

Much of Specialized is owned by Merida, which also owes its beginnings to the boom. The Taiwanese company was founded in 1972 by Ike Tseng to produce Raleigh bikes for the voracious North American market – he modelled his fledgling factory on Raleigh’s Nottingham plant. The world’s largest specialty bike maker is Giant Bicycles. The company was spawned in 1972 after a typhoon wiped out King Liu’s fish farm.

Compared to the 1970s boom, today’s is illusory. Over the past ten

NewBay Media Subscriptions Department NewBay Media Europe Ltd The Emerson Building, 4-8 Emerson Street, London. SE1 9DU To subscribe to BikeBiz please go to bikebiz.com/subscribe.

Should you have any questions please email subs@bikebiz. com FAQ’s can be found bikebiz.com/FAQs. Please note that this is a controlled circulation title and subscription criteria will be strictly adhered to.

NewBay Media Europe Ltd is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

to 15 years, sales of bicycles in English-speaking countries have been declining, and, even though there has been a steady expansion in the number of cycleways, bicycling is growing in very few places in the world. We are a long way from Utopia (which is not a town in the Netherlands).

The reason the Netherlands now has a cycling modal-share of 26 per cent is that it had one more than double that in the 1920s. Similarly, Copenhagen’s status as the world’s leading “cycling city” is due to the fact it was already thus in the 1930s. “Cyclists overrun the city . . . and rule the streets,” explained an American film-maker in a 1937 tourism newsreel. Copenhagen’s current high cycling modal-share is the result of more than 100 years of continuous improvements.

The growth of cycle usage in Copenhagen since 2010 has been impressive, but it was from an elevated base. Even at its worst in the 1970s, when cars started to overrun the city, Copenhagen had a cycling modal-share of 23 per cent.

In low-cycling cities, such as most of those in the UK, the desire to ride does exist – academics call it the “propensity to cycle” – but for cycling to flourish it will need cultural shifts, not just engineering ones. How can we go about changing this scenario? For a start, we can learn from the successes and mistakes of the past, and I list many examples in the book. As MTB pioneer Joe Breeze says in the foreword, “history provides the best crystal ball for the future.”

© NewBay Media Europe Ltd 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

The contents of BikeBiz are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems.

BIKEBIZ.COM

FOLDABLE PORTABLE SKATEPARTS WORLD’S GREATEST

PORTABLE OBSTACLES Action Sports Portable Obstacles are obstacles that can be transported, linked, placed, or moved with only one or two people. No fork lift required. In the world of action sports there is always an obstacle needed and Freshpark is the only company in the world that can do what it does!

WIZARD Available in Jet Fuel finish and Black in both 20.4 and 20.8

INDY Available in Jet Fuel finish Black and Red in 20.5

FRAMES IN STOCK ALL EXCLUSIVE TO COYOTE SPORTS

For the full range and prices visit teamcoyotesports.com or call 0161 727 8508 Coyote Sports, Unit 9 Shield Drive, Wardley Industrial Estate, Manchester M28 2QB Tel: 0161 727 8508 | Email: sales@coyote-sports.com | B2B: www.coyote-sports.com

®

RIDER WEARS:

PELOTON NV 2 JACKET FEATURING VISIBILITY

BREATHABILITY

N V 2 P E L O T O N WAT E R P O O F J A C K E T