edition 09 february 2014
ARE you ready for a great 2014? It’s going to be an exciting year at Saddleback. We’re getting ready to introduce some new brands and products that will blown your mind.
NEW BONTS
smith goggles
enve direct mount stem
scott sharples
felt frd dream bike
core bike 2014
uk gravity enduro
Each month incycle will share the inner workings of Saddleback’s brand building activities, news, events and business developments. Allowing you to gain an in-depth feel for the brands we represent and meet our passionate team. Issue Nine is best served with Banana Weetabix and a glass of warehouse manager’s homemade Sloe Gin. inside the office Scot, Ross, Nick, Sharples with MBUK at BPW
Minnaar replica v-10 gets built up for Core
office in numbers This month we take a look at our preparations for our stand at Fort William June 7th - 8th.
The new triathlon shoe from Bont proves to be the must have tri shoe for 2014. Here’s why... The Bont Riot TR, the worlds first carbon composite heat mouldable entry level triathlon shoe. The Riot TR combines Bont’s pro series technical features, including power transfer platform and anatomical shaping with competition grade materials to create the most technically advanced entry level triathlon shoe. A microfibre upper is used to provide the Bont Riot with a strong outer layer to withstand the rigours of everyday cycling, whilst mesh inserts assist with the
breathability of the cycling shoes. The carbon composite construction of the Riot has been specifically designed to ensure maximum performance at a low weight. Independent double velcro closure system to allows for maximum adjustability. The main strap has been designed to allow to be held in a fully opened state to assist in quick transition times. It is highly ventilated via integrated top mesh panels and ventilation holes. Be sure to get yourself a pair! RRP £99 rich mardle
Pro Athletes at our stand to do signings
“One of the best pairs of tri shoes on the market, regardless of price” Above Triradar’s review of the new Riot Tri shows a clean sweep of 5 stars for every category.
square metres of space for our stand of our elite brands on display: Enve and Smith Optics members of staff on hand to answer questions and entertain vans full of the latest products from Smith Optics and Enve.
The Bont Riot family also includes the equally impressive, Riot MTB shoe. Combining Bont’s pro series technical features including industry leading power transfer to assist up through climbs and unique anatomical shaping with competition grade materials to create the most technically advanced entry level MTB shoe. RRP £109 rich mardle keep your eyes peeled for more new models this year
mile journey from Saddleback Office to Fort William
The Saddleback office checking out Smith TV with the compulsory viewing goggles
colour matching We recently introduced a new brand for 2014. Here’s why everyone in the office is so excited about Smith Optics. As you would have seen in the last issue of Incycle and at our stand at Core Bike, Smith Optics is one of our hot new brands for 2014. With stock a few months away we thought we’d tease you with some of the goggles that will be available, as well as the new Forefront Helmet. Smith Optics is a long established brand but have never really had a UK cycle presence until now. Stay tuned this year to pick from a large variety of frame, strap and lens colours on goggles and eyewear, along with a range of colours of the new mountain bike helmet which has received great pro rider feedback. 2014 is going to a be a colourful year for us at Saddleback so take advantage and get matching your kit, helmet, bike and now goggles to look super pro on the trails! nick cox
meet the saddleback team
What has sunny California and cold wet Merthyr Tydfil have in common...Felt’s Mountain Bike Project Manager Scott Sharples. The office is a busy place, preparations are being made for Core 2014 and the new 2014 Product Collection is being finished off, when Scot ‘one T’ Easter stands up to announce Scott ‘two T’s’ Sharples is visiting! Scot mentions that Scott will be at Core bike helping to represent Felt mountain bikes. So we all got thinking and the idea was put that we should give Scott a fun day out, especially after being stuck in a hotel for 4 days. Therefore, after a bit of organisation a day trip to Bike Park Wales was arranged. With the vans and car packed up we headed off to BPW to meet the guys from MBUK, who were keen to meet Scott and talk about
the future of Felt mountain bikes. So after a morning of hitting the trails we stopped for lunch to quiz Scott about Felt and also his days of being a DH World Cup rider. After some great stories, we headed back out into the cold to see who could keep up with Scott down the mountain. I guess you could say it was a good day in the office for myself, Ross and Scot. Keep your eyes peeled for a feature coming soon in MBUK about the man himself. nick cox
nick mason Saddleback’s chief bean counter
Who is Nick Mason? The guy your wife wishes you were! Where do you live? Wickwar, South Glos What’s your job title? Financial Controller What do you do? Control the finances. How long have you been at Saddleback? One year Worst job you ever had? My dogs present me with pretty awful jobs on a daily basis. Best place to ride? Anywhere dry these days! Favourite Bike product? The ENVE classic 45s I’m planning on getting this year. What makes you angry? Spelling mistakes. What makes you happy? My daughter Tessa. Should add the wife at this point too. What’s your favourite saying? Your round? Whats the best bit of advice you could give? Keep things in perspective What are you listening to now? My department doing their regular, “can we leave early on a Friday” How would you like to be remembered? As a wonderful leader of people in the same guise as Mandela. Or being remembered as a nice bloke.
prologo x10
enve seatpost
dreambike
textreme carbon fibre frame
vredestein black panther 29er tyres
Check out our ‘money no object’ Felt FRD cross country destroyer, get saving your pennies! When putting together a dream build for the Core Bike Show there seemed no better place to start than the Felt Nine FRD frameset. The use of TeXtreme carbon fibre and some of the most advanced production methods in cycling resulted in a frame that is not only 30% lighter than standard carbons, but also has a higher impact resistance. Next step were the wheels, ENVE AM 29 rims - super tough and more than capable of taking on some of the world’s toughest terrain. Built onto Chris King hubs with their legendary quality and reliability, you end up with a bomb proof yet lightweight wheelset. XTR still remains the most desirable groupset on the market; it also allowed us to run an XTR Stages crank arm, the new benchmark in power measurement. All together, we ended up with a bike that hovers around the 20lbs mark yet is no fragile weight weenie. This is a bike that eats up rough single track and climbs like a mountain goat, equally at home on the trails as well as in the world’s toughest XC races. scot easter
stages power meter
enve am 29er wheelset with Chris king hubs full xtr groupset
enve stem and bars
digitalage Fox Racing Shox 32 Talas 29 FIT
In 2013, 36 million adults (73%) in Great Britain accessed the Internet every day! This surprising statistic is from the Office for National Statistics. Maybe we should all get out and ride more! However when you’re having a rest from riding you can, from now onwards, read and download Incycle online from www.issuu.com/saddleback. You can also read and download our 2014 Product Collection. If you care as much about the trees as we do, head over to www.issuu. com/saddleback where you can view it on a smart phone, tablet or computer. nick cox top five
chris in customer service shares his top five mountain bikes of all time. 1. Steve peat’s Orange 222 I remember watchng his 2004 world champs run and he was up at the split then crashing on the last few bends to lose out to Fabien Barel. Nail bitting stuff. 2. Greg minaar’s Honda RN01 Cool as ice looking bike with secret pixies in the gearbox. 3. Millyard Racing Downhill bike We saw the future in this bike, with an enclosed oil - bathed drivechain with a tank shock. 4. Shaun Palmer’s intense M1 Iconic paint scheme for an iconic rider. 5. Sam hill’s champery winning IronHorset Sunday. Sam Hill’s run at Champery was truly epic, only wish I was there.
New turning stick holders from Enve. World Cup tested and proven.
office quote of the month
“ Hang on a minute Will, you mean to tell me that you don’t know who Steve McQueen was! What do they teach at school these days?”
nick cox senior graphic designer
new product collection book
The new 2014 Saddleback Product Collection is available now, make sure you pick up your copy. If you haven’t then contact your Saddleback Rep or the office. Or if you’d rather, go to www.issu.com/saddleback for the digital downloadable verison.
After the first glimpse of the prototype Enve direct mount stem in the Santa Cruz Syndicate pit area at Val Di Sole, we’ve been waiting expectantly for it to land here in the office. I can happily report that we now have one and it is a thing of beauty. Super strong and tested beyond what any human or even Hulk could do to it, this is a must for any serious downhill thrasher. It may have been a long time coming, but this is testament to how much testing is done with every product that Enve produce and therefore you can rest assured this stem will go the distance. Available in 50mm (117g) and 60mm (112g) it’s the perfect brother to your Enve bars with the matching graphic on the front plate. nick cox
carbonuk
The guys from Enve drop in to see Bespoke Cycling.
©Rebecca Faith Photography
After four days at corebike, the guys from Enve still had time to pop into a few dealers en route to the airport to see how stores in the UK fair up. We dropped into Bespoke in London to say hello and meet the team. Nice to see lots of Enve on display! It was a good chance to grab some valuable feedback on the current Enve line-up and for the shop guys to drum home what else the UK market would like to see in the future. Enve have a team in the US dedicated to designing new product, so rest assured there will always be something exciting around the corner. ash matthews
Highlights of the show include the replica Greg Minnaar V-10 and the introduction of our new brand Smith Optics
core2014 Lots of staff, new products, display equipment and coffee packed our vans to the brim, did you make it this year? It was great to see everyone that made it to CoreBike’s Whittlebury Hall Hotel for the 10th edition of the industry show. In our fourth year of attendance we were super proud sharing the addition of Smith Optics cycle products to our portfolio, with stock arriving during the summer. ENVE introduced their Direct Mount Stem and Aero Road bar, both available late February. We were lucky enough to secure a Stages-equipped Team Sky bike fresh out of their Belgium Service Course, and from ENVE a World Champs Greg Minnaar bike! If you didn’t grab our (hot-off-the-press) new Saddleback product catalogue your area manager will be along soon with a fresh copy, and if you can’t wait please contact our Customer Service team now. The next date for you store diary is the Saddleback Dealer House Show 9-11 September 2014. See you there! andrew griffiths
Mark - Bepsoke Clint - Enve
Ben - Bepsoke
Jason - Enve
staff choices
This month harrison shares with us his pick of the bunch
vredestein xtrac/extreme Vredestein xtrac and extreme - these tyres together make the perfect cross country tyre combination offering the perfect level of speed and grip, no matter what the conditions. With the extreme on the front offering optimum grip and control and the xtrac on the back lowering drag and offering a little fun through the berms and corners, these are the only tyres I have needed all year around.
gravity enduro
What goes up must come down, Enve proudly teams up with UK Gravity Enduro Series. For 2014 we are very proud to announce that through the ENVE brand we distribute, we will be one of the title sponsors of the UK Gravity Enduro series. Sat in a pub mid way through a big days ride out over the Quantocks, in that lull between Christmas and New Year, Steve Parr and I discussed the year ahead over a pint. Steve, alongside business partner
Charlie Williams, is the main man behind the incredibly sucessful 2013 series. Steve had almost everything in place for the pending 2014 season When he mentioned there was a title sponsor slot that had not been filled, it was obvious what needed to be done! Keep an eye out this year for the ENVE tents and van at the Enduros. Happy racing! ross grimmett
2014 race dates Rd1 Ae Forest, 12th-13th April Rd2 Innerleithen, 24th-25th May Rd3 Afan, 21st-22nd June Rd4 Dyfi Forest, 16th-17th August Rd5 Grizedale, 6th-7th September www.ukgravityenduro.com
buildingcover To celebrate the launch of our 2014 Product Collection here’s how the cover was produced 1. Start looking for some inspiration... 2. get an idea! 3. mock up possible location 4. call a quality photographer, russell burton nick “russ hows it going” russ “Good thanks coxy” Nick “Wanna shoot our cover?” russ “yeah” nick “cool”
5. mock up cover for russ and explain what i’m after 6. sort out a date, location and find some pretty staff to BE MODELS FOR THE COVER, “scot, charles, jason, you guys busy?” nick “bike park wales” russ “for a road bike shoot???” Nick “yeah trust me” russ “ok coxy on your head be it” nick “no worries”
7. pick out the kit they need to wear and bikes to use 8. ARRIVE AT LOCATION AND BEGIN SHOOTING nick “TOLD YOU IT WOULD WORK RUSS” russ “You got lucky” Nick “yeah i know HA HA HA”
9. ARRIVE BACK AT THE OFFICE TO AN EMAIL FROM RUSS TEASING ME WITH ONE THE SHOTS 10. place on cover and show the boss nick “what do you think andy” andy “change the wording a bit?” Nick “done!” andy “get it printed!”
11. off it goes to the printers
12. tea break
Stages record their first World Tour win courtesy of Team Sky and Richie Porte.
The first World Tour race of the new season marked another achievement for Stages Cycling, not only a race season debut with Team Sky but also Stages first UCI Pro Tour stage win! Team Sky’s Richie Porte took a very special win on the 151.5km stage 5 in the Tour Down Under, Australia. andrew griffiths
this month’s best sellers
1 Stages Ultegra 6800 2 Lemond Revolution 3 Castelli Diluvio Glove 4 Castelli Quindici Sock 5 Arundel Stainless Cage
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5 staff choices
This month harrison shares with us his pick of the bunch
enve riser bar Enve’s 740mm Riser bars are the perfect accompaniment to any mountain bike, offering the perfect width to any trail rider. When first riding my bike, I found that the bars it came with were too narrow at 640mm. When I moved to the Enve Riser bar, I immediately noticed the difference a wider bar can make to how a bike feels. After adding the Enve bars, my bike was a lot easier to control, a lot more responsive and more fun.
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MEDIA coverage
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The latest reviews from the media world 1 felt and castelli Cycling Plus 285 2 felt and enve Cycling Plus 285 3 enve MBUK 300 4 enve Triathlon Plus 63 5 felt Triathlon Plus 63 6 enve MBUK 300
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pricelist front_outline.indd 3 FINAL_OUT.indd 5
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Br o u g h t t o y o u b y
exclusive UK DISTRIBUTOR Saddleback Ltd Unit 10 Easter Court Woodward Avenue Yate, Bristol BS37 5YS 01454 285 285 info@saddleback.co.uk sb2b.co.uk If you’d rather receive this digitally the please email: incycle@saddleback.co.uk c o n ta c t s Area Managers Oli Hunter 07917 462 225 South West Justin Hoy 07917 462 224 South East Michael Fish 07917 462 223 North DESIGN Nick Cox Senior Graphic Designer nick.cox@saddleback.co.uk MArketing Andrew Griffiths Marketing Manager andrew@saddleback.co.uk
t he on ly v i e w o f th e n e w r i ot tr i you r o p p os i ti o n w i l l s ee. www. saddl e b ac k.co.u k