Cycling Industry News – Issue 05 2023

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GETTING INTO YOUR CUSTOMERS’ HEADS

“WHEN your average customer walks into a bike shop, they can be blinded by all the product on offer.”

Like yourselves no doubt, we spend quite a lot of time trying to get into the heads of cycle consumers. Second guessing the tricky blighters is quite the challenge, but one that virtually all of us in the industry (and those of us that watch it) have committed to answering, in some way.

But it’s not even as easy as that, we’re also trying to get into the heads of those who are not yet cycle customers but could be. In a way, that’s easier. That initial quote, about being intimidated by a vast array of product (see page 32 of this issue), applies to both current cycle customers and future ones too. Where do they start when they come into a shop? Good signage, helpful advice, decent packaging… all these things and more, to which the independent bicycle dealer is well placed to offer.

Getting future customers into a bike shop in the first place is also part of the challenge.

Our market data, gleaned from the UK’s independent bike dealers, tells us that the over50s and cycle commuters are among the biggest demographics with potential to grow the market in the near term (page 8). A few pages on, one senior cycle industry exec points out that very few cycle brand’s websites currently have many images of the over 50s on bikes (page 12). That’s a conundrum and needs addressing – or we can just keep doing things the way we’ve always done them.

Is the replica football kit industry worried about not having ads featuring the over 50s? Probably not, but is it bothered about selling football replica kits to the over 50s? Also, possibly not. Is the cycle industry bothered about selling to the over 50s? That’s for you lot to decide, but it’s a safe bet that you are.

The cycle market is vastly different to the replica football kit market (it was a stupid comparison to choose, I’ll be honest) and it is vastly larger too, or should be. With products seemingly tailor-made to appeal to a wider demographic, it feels like there remains huge opportunities ahead of the cycle market which, we hope, will be grasped. And getting better at standing in the shoes of future and existing customers is going to help convert those opportunities.

Publisher Jerr y Ramsdale jerr y@cyclingindustr y.news

Editor Jonathon Harker jon@cyclingindustr y.news

Staff Writer Simon Cox simon@cyclingindustr y.news

Head of Sales Frazer Clifford frazer@cyclingindustr y.news

Head of Produc tion Luke Wikner production@cyclingindustr y.news

Designers Dan Bennett Victoria Arellano

Jonathon Harker

Published by Stag Publications Ltd 18 Alban Park, Hatfield Road St.Albans AL4 0JJ t +44 (0)1727 739160 w cyclingindustr y.news

TOUGH TIME? WHAT TOUGH TIME?

Are inventory levels normalising? How have retailers managed with supplies while some distributors have sadly gone out of business? We quiz retailers on how they’ve negotiated what are, arguably it seems, tough trading conditions…

IS IT STILL HARD TO GET HOLD OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES/PRODUCTS DESPITE THE GENERALLY OVERSTOCKED SHELVES?

Gavin Hudson, Owner, Butternut Bikes

In general, we’ve been really responsive in making sure that we carry stock of parts, probably too much in many cases, which is a hangover from founding the business during the pandemic. We never ran out of cassettes or chains in nearly any combo, but are now running stocks down a bit to let distributors hold stock. Where we do struggle is proprietary parts that are not profit-making items for distributors, so they don’t invest in stock. Specific bearing sizes, headsets, or small spares to repair items for example.

Len Simmons, Highway Cycles

It is harder to get hold of certain products, but it is improving every month.

IN YOUR VIEW, IS THE MARKET’S NOTORIOUSLY HIGH INVENTORY BEGINNING TO NORMALISE?

Gavin Hudson, Owner, Butternut Bikes

We are seeing bike brands move away from model years. They say that it’s in order to manage inventory, but then also model years create demand and give them something to talk about, so I’m sure that will come back when it’s best for them. Don’t be afraid to resist brands who put pressure on you to hold too much stock, and support the ones that support you.

Just this week we’ve had Frog announce that they are selling bikes to Fraser Group and cutting some margins to 10%, vs Marin who lowered prices, offered to credit dealers holding stock who were affected by this and in general have awesome and transparent communication rather than just paying lip service. If brands have too many bikes, offer to hold a demo bike for them. It might as well be in your shop as in a warehouse.

Len Simmons, Highway Cycles

There are indications that OEM stock is reducing with certain products.

WITH A FEW DISTRIBUTORS SADLY LEAVING THE MARKET THROUGH ADMINISTRATION, HAS THAT HAD A KNOCK ON EFFECT, MAKING IT HARD TO GET HOLD OF SPECIFIC PRODUCTS – OR HAVE OTHER DISTRIBUTORS STEPPED IN?

Len Simmons, Highway Cycles

It seems that other distributors have stepped in the cover most products if there is a market demand.

Gavin Hudson Butternut Bikes Len Simmons Highway Cycles

TOUGH TIME? WHAT TOUGH TIME?

Gavin Hudson, Owner, Butternut Bikes

Having attended Eurobike, there are still quite a few good products out there that don’t have distribution in the UK. It would be good to see distributors looking at that, rather than just trying to nick brands off each other or the fallen distributors. We miss Moore Large for a good range of products (particularly their own branded stuff), but in general it seems to have worked out OK. It’s good when smaller distributors get brands, as they really seem to care about them and put effort in, rather than just slinging them onto a B2B. Have a look at how Cyclorise really put effort into explaining their (pretty niche) products to the trade and customers. Big brands and distributors could take note! We are seeing more and more distributors selling direct to the public, and that is a vicious circle. IBDs aren’t going to invest in a product to compete with their own distro, as a result the IBD channel becomes less important for the distributor, and they invest more in selling direct. With some distributors it’s cheaper to buy from their eBay store than it is from the B2B, and it’s not like we don’t notice that. Support the distributors that support you.

ARE CERTAIN CATEGORIES BUCKING THE DOWNTURN? WE HEAR THAT GRAVEL BIKES, EBIKES AND THE HIGH END/EXPENSIVE PRODUCTS CONTINUE TO BE POPULAR DESPITE TOUGHER TIMES ALL-ROUND. HAVE YOU FOUND THAT TO BE THE CASE, OR ANY INDICATIONS OF THAT?

Gavin Hudson, Owner, Butternut Bikes

Yep, as in life, plenty of people have got plenty of money, they use excuses to not be parted from it, it’s identifying those people and then also doing your best to help those who can’t afford it which is tough. Cycling is still an affordable way to get around and overall is booming. We are doing great with eBikes for family transport, and looking to grow that too. We are lucky as we are in a hilly area of North London, so our market is right on our doorstep. A few years ago the responsible parent would drop their kids at school in a huge SUV. These days you’d be a pariah and also stuck walking them about as far from the school as your house is. We also sell bikes via bike fits, I can’t imagine holding

If you are an independent retailer and would like to take part in future issues, e-mail: Jon@cyclingindustry.news

a £10k road bike in stock these days just in case someone walks through the door.

Len Simmons, Highway Cycles

Overall, there is still demand for those products, but it has decreased compared to the previous year. Our entry-level products, however, have a lower level of interest.

I KNOW YOU WON’T WANT TO GIVE AWAY ANY TRADE SECRETS, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHTS/ADVICE TO OTHER SHOPS AND WORKSHOPS TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS TOUGH TIME THEN IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR IT.

Gavin Hudson, Owner, Butternut Bikes

Tough time? What tough time? The workshop is busy, cycling is as popular as it was at any time in the last 20 years, people are normalising £5k for a mid-level bike! In the workshop we have had a laser-focus on profitability. We aren’t a charity. If you come in with your 12 spd Canyon wanting “just a DOT fluid replacement” then it’s gold level service for your first visit. Odd jobs will happily be done in the future once we’ve got to know you and your bike. When a customer walks out saying “that’s too expensive” it really hurts, but it happens far fewer times than you think. Having a good relationship with most local shops has been good too, there’s no point in competing on price with each other. Other advice is to build good relationships with distributors and suppliers, we didn’t need to go to Eurobike, but we did. We make sure we chat to all the staff at distros and brands, and when we need a favour (or eg to be able to supply a bike where we’re not a stockist) we generally get a good response. We’ve got a great relationship with nearly every distributor in the UK and we’re working on the other one :)

Len Simmons, Highway

Cycles

It’s a challenging market at the moment and only those who adapt quickly to changes will survive.

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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM MANUFACTURERS, BRANDS AND SUPPLIERS?

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ANALYSIS

It’s about model year churn, of course it is. A regular bugbear, this topic has been pushed ever further up the priority list at a time when high inventory is being exacerbated by the need to clear stocks ahead of new model years arriving. It’s such a problem that we hear stories of certain manufacturers holding back product launches as they can foresee their new products aren’t going to get a good crack at the market thanks to current conditions.

But the broader issue is, of course, much of the market is also about the excitement of new product which is better, faster, shinier, swankier than last year’s boring old model. So, we’re not suggesting this is an easy challenge to overcome.

WHICH DEMOGRAPHIC DO YOU BELIEVE HOLDS THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY TO GROW CYCLING IN THE NEAR TERM?

ANALYSIS

We hear a lot about the potential eBikes hold for the market and that message and view is replicated at the front line of the cycle industry. Most dealers – almost three quarters – believe that those drawn into cycling by electric assistance is the second largest demographic likely to grow cycling in the here and now. Good news for eBike makers, brands and retailers. So what is perceived to be an even larger driver of market growth? Commuters seeking cheaper or cleaner transport.

‘Really?’, you might be tempted to ask?

That doesn’t seem to be reflected in the headlines and articles circulating in the cycle press, you might argue. The commuter market is rarely perceived to be as sexy as cycle sport or as exciting as electric but the nation’s bike dealers, famed for having their own perspective, see commuters as an alluring bunch, and likely with good reason. You also might reasonably argue that commuters and eBikers aren’t exactly mutually exclusive. Likewise the over 50s – the third most likely demographic to grow cycling, according to bike dealers – are another group that plays to the eBike sector. That poses a question – when was the last time you saw someone over 50 on a bike advert? In an editorial article, maybe, but likely not in an advert or a cycle website home page. Here there are marketing questions for the cycle brands to address. Are they reaching out to the over 50s? How would they go about that?

So, leaving aside that vast conundrum, other ‘asks’ from dealers include making product easy to service. It probably depends on the brand on how much of a priority ease of service is, but if something is easy and fast to fix then it’s a boon for shops, workshops and customers too, benefitting the whole cycle eco-system (and maybe even keeping products in operation instead of languishing in landfill).

More recyclable packaging is also high on the list of priorities, whether for ecologically and/or practical reasons. Interestingly, demands for greater packaging protection for products was far less of a priority. Tighter control on grey imports remains a worry for dealers, listed fourth most important requests of brands from dealers – interesting as some of the grey import market was defeated when Brexit finally took place. Enhanced quality control was the next major demand – a partly concerning point. Are dealers concerned about on-shoring and servicing investment, yes, but not above all else.

Cristóbal Pérez

THE BIG QUESTIONS

For many businesses in the cycling industry, getting through this market mired in overstocks and inflation may seem challenge enough. Yet there are equally (if not larger) questions to tackle ahead, not least moving the industry to be ready to punch through to new customers –the kind who will never consider themselves a cyclist. Those familiar with Cristóbal Pérez, former Accell Group’s Country Manager for Spain and Portugal, will already be familiar with his enthusiasm for tackling these big questions and CIN managed to pin him down for a one-toone interview on how to break down some of these big challenges…

You’ve said that most of the business for the bike industry in coming years will be thanks to newcomers to the market. I think this point is broadly acknowledged in the industry, but it has been a struggle to turn that into practical action. Do you think that’s fair to say?

Absolutely. Bikes are one of the strongest contributors to a healthier and cleaner environment, especially in cities. People will come from the car and public transport to join cycling and use bikes as a tool. You will not find cyclists among the newcomers, but bike users for practical, healthy and environmental reasons. They’ll have no interest in Tour de France, but in cycling daily as a solution. Of course, we need a proper framework that includes infrastructure, but also regulations, incentives and the support of

governments at all levels. We in the industry – more clearly in some geographical areas – use, promote and make sports bikes. So, the bike approach is traditionally sporty. The share between sport and other diverse bike usage will shift dramatically. Society seems to run ahead of us in that. We must speak the same language as those in whom we will find the upcoming business.

You see so many race-orientated products. If you hit any of the big brand’s websites right now, you will see a guy riding in the Tour de France, or you will see a bike with a big fork and big tyres… they would show you other kind of bikes as a product option but the communication or the language is not adapted to that new user, who has no clue about cycling. It is clear that we need to catch up.

“THEY WILL BE BIKE USERS FOR PRACTICAL, HEALTHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS. THEY'LL HAVE NO INTEREST IN TOUR DE FRANCE, BUT IN CYCLING DAILY AS A SOLUTION.”

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Cristóbal Pérez

Do you think part of the problem is that it’s easier to reach out to existing types of customers, rather than reach out to new ones or risk alienating existing customers?

I would fine-tune this assessment. When we say new clients, we can distinguish between new ones in the same category or new ones in a different category. For instance, phone carriers usually offer the best benefits to chase new clients, forgetting their existing ones. Big mistake. Our case is somehow different. We need to chase a new user, a new profile, but without forgetting the current existing ones. We need to provide bikes and services for those we’re aiming for, but it does not mean that we have to forget those already in the house. You can keep making products in sports cycling, but you also have to pay attention to those who will be your business source for the coming years. We don’t have the right framework for that to happen.

The share of each category will change and so our production, language and approach should as well. We need to adapt ourselves to our clients, not the other way around. You need to prepare the right atmosphere. They are interested in fixing their problems. And maybe the solution is a bicycle. We need to change our state of mind to be able to grab their attention.

You’ve mentioned that there are potential lessons to learn from the car industry, can you elaborate on that?

In places where the bike is prominent or will become prominent, many who are stuck in a traffic jam will consider hopping on a bike because it will fit his/her new needs.

We have to consider that those coming from cars have well-implemented brand and service concepts in their purchasing and user mindset. We need to be ready to

offer a similar landscape. Just an example: when you buy a car, there is a question that constantly comes up: when should I service it? The dealer has a clear maintenance plan they can share with you or the car will warn you when to do it. So, those leaving the car behind in favour of bikes will come to our dealers with the same requirements and questions, but with a lot more hesitation because it is quite likely that they do not know that bikes have sizes or gears. We have to prepare our network and communications for this new outlook. We have to prepare ourselves to fulfill these new demands. We need to be ready for those conversations.

It’s a blessing for us that the car industry has given customers this clearly structured mindset. The car industry tells you when you need to go to the workshop for servicing. We need a clear and understandable message. In a bike shop there’s usually a mix of brands, which is different. We must remember the new client is not a cyclist and never will be.

The UK cycle industry is typically seen as sports-orientated, rather than focused on utility cycling/cycling as transport – unlike other north European markets. How do south European cycle markets compare?

In Spain, we all drive like Fernando Alonso and ride like Contador! This is us, this is in our DNA. Perhaps it comes from the favourable weather and our geography. You have more chances to ride all year long and find challenging places to do it. Italy is quite similar. But the future proposal is not to quit sporty bikes or sport bike stuff, but to have a range that covers all of the kinds of demands. We should adapt our bike offer to the users’ wishes and its diversity. Period. This diversification will bring new oppor-

“YOU CAN KEEP MAKING PRODUCTS FOR SPORTS CYCLING, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE WHO WILL BE YOUR BUSINESS SOURCE FOR THE COMING YEARS.”

Diversification will bring new opportunities to the sector

The age old premise of someone stuck in a traffic jam and considering a change remains a powerful springboard into cycling

tunities for our sector. Phone screen size and car category options ranging from urbanite cars to massive e-SUV proved to be the way to gain a new clientele. Why shouldn’t we?

Looking at the short term, the market is obviously in a difficult place; We see companies struggling and there are overstocks. There is a lot of discounting going on to try and work through the stock… how long will we be feeling the impact of this? Are companies reacting to these challenges in the right way? Will there be long term consequences of this, even when the overstocks are over (eg will we see a lot more caution in terms of purchasers in the medium term?)

Companies face a situation for which nobody was ready. I read about other sectors such as computers in similar situations to ours. The rolling coasting demand was unpredictable and unprecedented. We are now diving into deep stocks in the makers’, distributors’ and dealers’ warehouses. The channel is stuck. I know that the bike industry did not wish to be in this situation, but this is something we all have to go by. Since we had no idea of what was coming, it makes it really difficult to cope with the situation.

So, aiming to keep everything afloat, drastic decisions are being taken regarding discounts, staff, MY24, MY25, etc. The coming times will be anything but easy. So, big problems, big solutions. I am not in a position to guess the day and hour in which all of this will have ended and there will be a more favourable ratio between

stock/sales, but it is going to take time and funding muscle. People keep on buying bikes, but it seems not to be the only solution to clear the cycling industry skies. I hope that we all learn from this and that concepts such as seasonality, and production plans, among others, will be reconsidered to avoid stumbling twice across the same stone.

Can we talk a little about Accell too? You joined during a disrupted time in the market. What are some of the challenges facing Accell South Europe at the moment? Accell is a great company. With the money from KKR [an investment group that acquired most Accell shares in mid-2022] and the clear ideas Accell shows, I am positive about its preponderant position in the cycling industry worldwide in the coming years. No doubt. It does not mean that Accell will skip the tough times we are going across. But if there is someone doomed to succeed, it is Accell.

Accell obviously has a great range of brands to service both the cycle sports markets and the utility cycling/transport cycling markets. So, it is well placed to grasp the opportunities to grow the transport cycling side of things? Is that fair to say? Yes. Clearly. If my memory serves me well, Accell runs nearly twenty brands. Some are more sport-oriented, some are more clearly on the commuting/ trekking/utility side, and some others are global brands to offer a comprehensive proposal. Accell also owns the most powerful P&A companies that working

Pérez advocates a switch around for the market: “We should adapt our bike offer to the users’ wishes and its diversity”

Is customers simply buying more bikes enough to clear the cycling industry skies? Or is a more fundamental rethink required?

“IT IS A BLESSING FOR US THAT THE CAR INDUSTRY HAS GIVEN CUSTOMERS THIS CLEARLY STRUCTURED MINDSET. THE CAR INDUSTRY TELLS YOU WHEN YOU NEED TO GO TO THE WORKSHOP FOR SERVICING... ”

along with the bike side will be able to cover any need, including the cargo bike demand with their dedicated brands. I am convinced that Accell will optimise their brands and their ranges to be ready for the times to come.

Diversity in the cycle industry’s personnel is a challenge that is potentially linked to some of the topics we’ve talked about –including how to reach out to non-traditional customers eg the aging population. In your view, is diversity something that is on the agenda in the cycle industry? When we discussed these newcomers heading to our dealers or websites, keep in mind that they are a vast amount of people of any social, age, gender or situation. So, we should be thinking of how to satisfy them with products and services.

If you look at France, UK or New York, the Netherlands… it proves that bikes are happening in many places. We also have to factor in how happy we would be if we could ride daily as our commuting solution, according to the data in Shimano’s State of Nation. So, it means

that our society wants to make it happen. We, as an industry, have to catch up with the times and adapt to the new landscape. There are cases in which some bike brands saw it coming and reacted. Some others still have to go through that perception process. Nevertheless, we cannot forget about the situation in which we are, that might favour putting things on hold and focusing on.

If you distill the big topics that the cycle industry needs to tackle, how would you summarise them?

The challenge for many in the industry is surviving, crossing this desert. We need to focus on it, we need to be cold-minded and survive. But I guess that we need to clear stocks and survive with profits in mind. Not easy.

No matter how it sounds, at the same time, we have to prepare ourselves for the new society’s demands in which bikes will play a starring role. It means product, distribution network and communication. Supply and delivery should also be improved, even if it means shifting the

Cristóbal Pérez

“THE CHALLENGE FOR MANY IS SURVIVING... WE NEED TO FOCUS ON IT, TO BE COLDMINDED AND SURVIVE... AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THE NEW SOCIETY’S DEMANDS IN WHICH BIKES WILL PLAY A STARRING ROLE.”

Throwing open the doors to those who won't consider themselves 'cyclists' will likely also broaden the diversity of the industry

®

fabrication from far away to Europe or USA so that you can control everything, reduce costs, pollution and the dependence on third party risks.

Bike seasons need to be considered –bringing out a new bicycle with a new colour so that you have to wipe out existing stock with future discounts… this is not something acceptable.

So, we need to reconsider what worked in the past. We need to think ahead about not only bicycles but also about distribution. B2C, D2C, C2M… what’s the role of the traditional shop? We should keep all this in mind, because all of these counts. What counts the most is the user – they are the ones who decide. We need to integrate all this in a new approach coming from the market. It’s not that you want to sell to that channel, or that model or that colour… the market will tell you where to go. We must use the tools we must adapt to the new reality and the new reality comes from the user experience.

Finally, the integration between the actors in distribution seems mandatory. Makers, distributors, and dealers should

consider the others as partners, not only providers or sellers. We have to work as one and select with whom we want to link our future.

But any movement should be planned having into account our existing network. We need to work sharply to optimise demand, stocks, and availability with the best benefit for all the involved as a goal… I am sure that I am not discovering Newfoundland here.

I also think the vast majority of the business will come to rely on eBikes or any size, profile, usage, whatever. There’s a lot of evolution in the bike industry regarding eBikes. They next 3-5 years we will have completely different eBikes, able to satisfy any kind of clients, either cyclists or non-cyclists. In Germany in 2022, 90% of MTBs were eMTBs. At the moment, brands making seven versions of an enduro, non-eBike makes no sense to me. You should cancel all of those crazy projects and put your money where the business will be. www.linkedin.com/in/c41/

Cristóbal Pérez

“YOU SHOULD CANCEL ALL OF THOSE CRAZY PROJECTS AND PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE THE BUSINESS WILL BE.”

“There’s a lot of evolution in the industry regarding eBikes, they

will

have completely changed in the next

3-5 years...”

Often set against each other for the purposes of political points or online hits, bicycles and cars are rarely considered two parts of the solution to the big mobility challenge which (whisper it) they almost definitely are. IAA MOBILITY made waves when it invited cycling to its automotive-centric event of many decades. CIN speaks with IAA MOBILITY Director Christine von Breitenbuch about joined up thinking…

The world of trade shows has been disrupted, to say the least, and the really bold ones took the opportunity of the pandemic to switch things up. Eurobike did the unthinkable and parted with Friedrichshafen and then the automotive-oriented IAA show blew the proverbial doors off by opening its doors (the ones still attached) to the cycle industry, for the first time in 100 years.

“We took a bold step in 2021, presenting mobility to our visitors and exhibitors, for the first time and as a completely new concept,” Christine von Breitenbuch, IAA MOBILITY Director tells CyclingIndustry.News

“We totally changed the concept from Frankfurt to Munich, with the content, but also with the concept of the show. And at the time, we were, of course, very curious

to see how the concept would be received.”

…Which we imagine is a bit of an understatement. But the move to Munich and to include cycling proved successful, with visitors from 95 countries visiting, in numbers approaching more than 400,000. And, lest we forget, that was with the tricky conditions of the pandemic and full travel restrictions still in place for the likes of China.

“So, we were happy. We brought the experience to the people, we had 9,000 test drives, with cars, bicycles, scooters… with everything.”

IAA MOBILITY´s media reach also cemented the show’s success, with a potential 137 billion international media reach. To put that in perspective, that was third behind the Olympics and the European Soccer Championships worldwide.

“IF WE ONLY LOOK FROM ONE PERSPECTIVE, WE WON’T OVERCOME OUR CHALLENGES”

“IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES, WHEN EVERYONE ONLY LOOKS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE AT THE PROBLEM AND LOOKS FOR A SOLUTION ON THEIR OWN.”

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You can also get a good sense of the scale of IAA MOBILITY by the conference element (“The heart of the summit,” Von Breitenbuch tells CI.N), which sounds like a logistical challenge likely to keep show organisers up at night. Circa 500 executives are brought together over three stages to speak on hot topics in mobility. So naturally, it would be impossible for a single show visitor to soak up all that expert opinion and debate in person, but IAA has that covered too.

“Content is so important, bringing people together to talk about the visions, the strategic goals they have, and also the challenges they want to tackle. We are very pleased about the big mixture of executives that are coming to our event, but we broadcast it and publish highlights to our platforms on YouTube or LinkedIn, Insta and all the channels we're using [which readers can catch up with if they didn’t make it to the show]. And also our partners from the conference and also from the whole show are broadcasting different highlights. So it will be visible for everyone who can't join our event.”

JOINED UP THINKING

There’s a multitude of mobility challenges facing the planet, whether that’s working out how to move people or goods around increasingly population-dense cities and towns, coping with the mete-

oric rise of delivery services or ensuring that air quality doesn’t decline even further. With city bosses like London Mayor Sadiq Khan utilising a number of different methods like London’s cycle hire and ULEZ, the capacity we have to tackle these big challenges are not limited to a single channel. Or, to put it another way, there are a combination of ways to tackle big challenges. Happily for IAA MOBILITY, that kind of joined up thinking plays directly into its whole ethos.

“It’s one of our main goals,” explains von Breitenbuch. “There are these different industries, which worked for a long time on their own, not really connecting. In the meantime this has changed. Automotive suppliers are active in the bike business, car manufacturers produce bicycles or enter into partnerships. Our goal is to create a mobility community, which is facing these challenges, like everyone is facing supply chain challenges worldwide, circular economy, sustainable mobility, etc. they are similar for cycling and automotive and technology and public transport. We’re making this more visible, and to help show the different perspectives, and maybe find the solution would be the best way to move forward. We also have the attention of politicians worldwide.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges, when everyone only looks from their perspective at the problem and looks for a solution on their own. Together we’ll find a solution. If you, for example, want to develop living

“ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS IS TO CREATE A MOBILITY COMMUNITY... HELPING SHOW THE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.”

Bosch’s multi-modal businesses are a good fit for IAA, with the firm back at this year's event

IAA Mobility’s relevance to politicians has helped cement its importance to the mobility world

Christine von Breitenbuch I IAA Mobility

spaces, how can we make our cities more livable? How can you change them?

“If everyone is working against each other, and fighting for their perspective, it won't work. So, I think this is one of the main topics, why we should have a mobility community. But if we want to have climate friendly solutions and C02 neutral mobility we also have to work together. Also, it’s not just the industries but with the politicians with the deciders of the city of the country, that they understand what's the topic and how they can all work together.”

That cross-industry approach could pay dividends for one of the other big challenges facing multiple industries including cycling – of making the industry (and its products) appealing to a more diverse range of people.

“We believe that mobility knows no channel boundaries, so we invite all enthusiasts to join us. Yet we do see a gap in the share of women when working in this industry.” Elements of IAA MOBILITY like its Open Space programme – have managed to bridge the gap and attract a broader range of visitor. Free to attend, Open Space takes place in Munich’s inner city, giving opportunities for visitors to experience diverse, sustainable transport options in famous locations. “They expe-

rience it and they get excited. If I remember correctly, we had about 40% of women among the visitors in the Open Space.

“I think if you get into the topic and get inspired, you begin to think about it in the context of your profession – maybe it could be an industry I can move to? We also partner with Women in Mobility in the context of the conference and try to bring a lot of women on stage. So, this is also a topic we are interested in. We try to make it visible and help attract women to this market.”

Is it too early to talk about IAA MOBILITY in 2025? (the show runs every two years). The IAA team are already laying the groundwork for the show: “We want to build this community, so we have a continual exchange in the lead up to the 2025 event with clients.

“Not only that, but to keep the relevance we are looking at a mobility platform, that will be open even to those not yet exhibiting. This perfect blend will make this a world-leading mobility platform, taking in sustainability as well and bring everyone together.

“This is a transformation. We all know transformation takes time, but we are working hard for it and we have a longterm plan.”

www.iaa-mobility.com

Speaking to different markets: IAA Mobility

“WE PARTNER WITH WOMEN IN MOBILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CONFERENCE AND TRY TO BRING A LOT OF WOMEN ON STAGE. WE TRY TO MAKE IT VISIBLE AND HELP ATTRACT WOMEN TO THIS MARKET.”

MOTUL BRINGS ITS EXPERTISE TO THE CYCLING MARKET

Probably best known for its leading line of motorcycle lubricants and care products – in which it is the UK market leader – Motul has now turned its attention to the bicycle market and is bringing across its expertise in lubricants and vehicle care. Eight consumer products will kick off the range off, as well as a partnership with Orange.

170

YEARS’ EXPERIENCE

Celebrating its 170th birthday this year, Motul has been at the cutting edge of lubricant innovation over the last three quarters of a century. A long line of innovation has seen it produce Multigrade motor oils in the ‘50s, Semi-Synthetic oils in the ‘60s and in the ‘70s, the world’s first Fully Synthetic Oil – Motul 300v. The brand has now launched the next major step forward: NGEN, which offers a fully recyclable, sustainable lubricant, featuring regenerated oil, which offers top performance.

There’s a good deal of cross-over from motorcycles to bicycles, in terms of experience and technology, eg two different chain lubricants use innovative ester technology - originally developed for motor sports - to guarantee exceptionally long-lasting lubrication with a particularly stable molecular structure.

WHY MOVE INTO CYCLES?

Motul product manager Rebecca Ramos explains how growing demand and the trend for people switching to new types of mobility helped bring about the move: “We thought it was a good opportunity as it’s a growing market and allows us to get into more diverse products. After our market research, we decided to target hobby cyclists, especially people who are really passionate about their bikes and want to gain some efficiencies.”

“The bicycle market is a fantastic mix of enthusiasm and embracing a very modern, efficient way to travel, to move, to exercise and much more,”

explains Callum Goodland, Motul UK Country Manager.

THE NEW MOTUL RANGE:

The Motul Bike line comprises a highly effective and environmentally friendly range of products.

“We wanted to be the experts for performance and sustainable productsto mix both,” continues Callum Goodland. “Some of our competitors are really good on the performance side of bicycle products but are lacking in sustainability. Others are strong in sustainability but not on performance. So, we see that sweet spot as a good market for us, as we offer both qualities.”

This new range answers the four most important and essential needs for bicycle users: degreasing, cleaning, lubricating and providing preventive maintenance. This new range initially comprises eight products:

CLEANING:

Motul Frame Clean, Motul Dry Clean, Motul Chain Clean, Motul Brake Clean. LUBRICATION AND PREVENTION: Chain Lube Dry, Chain Lube Wet, EZ Lube, Tubeless Tire Sealant.

PERFORMANCE WITH SUSTAINABILITY – THE SCIENCE

All Motul Bike Care products are sustainably produced and packaged, employing biodegradable care and maintenance fluids wherever feasible and all contained in 100% recycled packaging or made from bio-source plastic.

The Cleaners have been developed with the best materials for great performance, yet specially formulated not to damage either the health of the user or the planet.

The results are unique formulas, making use, as with the Chain Lubes for instance, of Motul’s experience with Ester technology, which it introduced to the automotive world, having seen its benefits in aircraft lubrication, to offer

the highest protection and optimal chain functioning, whatever the conditions.

“With our chain lubricants we rely on a variation of the innovative ester technology used in our engine oils. But the extra effort in production certainly pays off later on,” explains Motul UK Technical Specialist, Has Tahier. “Lubricants with ester technology retain their excellent lubricating properties even after a long period of use and provide optimal protection, especially for the hardestworking components such as gears, chains, or sprockets. This means they surpass the performance of existing chain lubricants, such as those which use PTFE. All bicycles are ideally protected against wear with these new products, no matter whether it’s a road bike, MTB or eBike.”

“We see a lot of synergy between the arenas of Powersport, Motorsport and bicycles,” comments Motul UK Sales and Marketing Manager, Andy Wait. “Professional riders and race drivers invariably train on bicycles. These products are for really passionate people who love using their bikes, and who also look after them well. The feedback, internationally, has been fantastic!”

PARTNERSHIP

Partnerships with OE manufacturers are a key part of Motul’s global activities and in the automotive sector include the likes of Suzuki, Subaru, Honda, NISMO, MV Agusta and Caterham. Moving into the bicycle sector, Motul has also been looking to establish partnerships with manufacturers and so the brand is delighted to be able to announce an OE tie-up with leading manufacturer of premium sports and mountain bikes, Orange.

For further details of Motul’s Bike Care Range, other Motul products, its history and partnerships, and the latest Motul news: www.motul.com

Or email: enquries@uk.motul.com www.motul.com

“WE ARE STILL IN A VERY GOOD POSITION”

During a visit to the SRAM headquarters in Chicago, CEO Ken Lousberg gave us an in-depth look at the state of the bicycle industry and how the renowned bicycle component manufacturer weathered the Covid-19 pandemic.

With more than 5,000 employees and 16 locations worldwide, SRAM is one of the world’s most important manufacturers of bicycle components. During a visit to the company’s headquarters in Chicago, we sat down with SRAM CEO Ken Lousberg and spoke with him about the current business developments at the US manufacturer, the effects and consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the general status quo of the bicycle industry.

Mr Lousberg, you have been with SRAM for six years. What were the most critical challenges during this time?

I joined SRAM from outside the bicycle industry. But since I have always been an avid bike enthusiast, the first years felt more like a passion than a job – especially since the company’s overall development was pretty smooth. However, when the pandemic struck, that was when the situation shifted. That period marked the first time I had to make some really tough decisions. No one was prepared for such a situation, and we surely had to adapt and navigate through many unexpected situations. It was quite a journey, but we managed to make it through.

“I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN AVID BIKE ENTHUSIAST – THE FIRST YEARS FELT MORE LIKE A PASSION THAN A JOB.”

Can you take us back to that time when Covid-19 started?

One difficulty for us was that we are a global company with locations all around the world. Another one was that no one in the industry had an idea of the economic consequences of a pandemic. After the first weeks, we went through various scenario planning exercises, predicting how long the pandemic would last and its potential impact. We planned for scenarios ranging from a 20% downturn for 4-6 months to a worst-case scenario of a 50% downturn for a year. To make it short: None of these scenarios was even close to being correct. I remember very well a meeting with our German office in April 2020. They told me a sentence I will never forget: “Bicycles are the new toilet paper.” Instead of a decline in sales, there was a massive surge in demand. This was, of course, very positive for us and the entire industry –despite challenges such as lockdowns, etc. that came with the pandemic.

How did your business adapt to the increasing demand?

We have expanded our capacities – in

Taiwan, Portugal and North America. But we were also constantly aware of the fact that the sudden demand surge was a pandemic-induced phenomenon and wouldn’t last forever. So that is why we acted with some restraint and accepted slightly longer delivery times at the peak.

A situation that then also occurred last summer...

Exactly. We already started talking about the so-called “bullwhip effect” already over a year ago, even though things were still pretty positive at that time. That’s why we waited until the demand started to decrease before adapting and reducing our production volume. That means: We were prepared. But, of course, no one wants to believe that such a boom could end.

How would you describe the current status quo at SRAM and in the cycling industry after the pandemic?

What we all in the bicycle industry have recently been facing is a typical example of the “bullwhip effect”. Due to the consequences of the pandemic, inflation, supply, demand, supply chains, etc. were entirely out of balance. Nevertheless,

“WE PLANNED FOR SCENARIOS RANGING FROM A 20% DOWNTURN FOR 4-6 MONTHS TO A WORST-CASE SCENARIO OF A 50% DOWNTURN FOR A YEAR.”

SRAM’s global footprint includes production in North America, Taiwan and Portugal

While the jury is still out on Covid-19's long-term impact, SRAM is currently expecting a 20-30% drop from the pandemic peak, but still up on pre-pandemic levels

many have continued to operate bullishly for too long, resulting in overstock situations in many places. After a period of excessive growth in 2021 and 2022, we are also seeing a slight decline. However, this is complaining at a high level. Compared to 2019, we are today still above the prepandemic level. This is also the reason why I am generally very optimistic about the future, despite the current overstock situation and the cautious buying climate.

How do you anticipate the pandemic will impact SRAM’s revenue in the long term? It’s a bit too early to predict the long-term changes definitively. We’re currently still working with our key customers to adjust and figure out the new dynamics. I believe we’ll be able to assess more accurately by the end of the summer. My current feeling is that we may see a 20-30% drop from the pandemic peak, but the annual growth compared to pre-pandemic levels will still be significantly higher. But I also have to say that we, as a company that is traditionally rooted in the high-end segment, have been hit less than companies in the lower price segment. There, the overstock situation is more serious. High-performance bikes, however, continue to sell well. There is still quite a bit of channel inventory though, so we expect the current situation to continue for another six months or a bit more.

How important is the British market for SRAM? What specific challenges do you see here besides the aforementioned global challenges?

The British market remains a vital market in terms of rider trends across applications and the associated business it drives for us. It influences specification trends globally and it is clearly an enthusiast market for us. We value the relationships with our bike brand partners and distribution partners across the market. Brexit was a bit of an adjustment for us, but I feel we are in good shape now and will continue to invest in the British market.

That you are sure that demand will remain high in the future is also shown by the fact that you are currently building a new factory in Taiwan. Please tell us more about this latest investment. Please tell us more about the strategy behind that expansion. Taiwan is the country with the most bicycle assemblers. We have also been established here with a factory for more than thirty years. But with an increasing demand, it was time to expand our on-site capacity. This is all the more true as it is part of our strategy to produce as close as possible to our partners in order to avoid long transports by ship or plane. Taiwan was already our primary production location before. We have now strengthened this commitment.

You mentioned the shortening of supply chains. Many companies are getting involved in sustainability these days and the supply chains are a big part of that topic. How are you addressing the subject of sustainability in general? This is an issue that we take very seriously – even before the public began to talk

“I AM GENERALLY VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE, DESPITE THE CURRENT OVERSTOCK SITUATION AND THE CAUTIOUS BUYING CLIMATE.”

Ken Lousberg I SRAM

“30 years ago, the bicycle itself was a symbol of sustainability. Today it is also about acting more sustainably as a bicycle company.”

about it more in recent years. An example is our commitment to the World Bicycle Relief in the area of social sustainability. We also have staff explicitly looking at how we can improve in different sustainability areas. But we also feel that the pressure on the bicycle industry, in general, is increasing. Thirty years ago, the bicycle itself was a symbol of sustainability. Today it is also about acting more sustainably as a bicycle company.

Apart from that: What are the next challenges for SRAM and the bicycle industry in the coming months and years?

As I said before: I firmly believe that the bicycle industry will be well off. Regarding the lead times, we are already experiencing

a normalisation. And as soon as the overstocks are released and the overall buying climate improves again, this will positively impact the entire industry. Ultimately, the pandemic brought millions of new riders into the industry. Although some may leave, many have fallen in love with bikes. So while we might not reach the peak of the pandemic demand again soon, there is undoubtedly a larger customer base. That’s why I believe that we all are still in a very good position. However, companies that thought the boom would never end might suffer during this downturn.

www.sram.com

words by: Werner Müller-Schell

“ULTIMATELY, THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT MILLIONS OF NEW RIDERS INTO THE INDUSTRY. ALTHOUGH

SOME

MAY LEAVE, MANY HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH BIKES.”

Production capacity remains an area of investment for SRAM, currently building a new factory in Taiwan

Key componentry for the IBD

INVESTED IN BEING A ‘PROPER DISTRIBUTOR’

It’s always heartening to see investment at a time when we hear a lot about the woes of the industry, so a trip to see Oxford Products is a bit of a tonic. If you’ve not made the trip recently (or ever) then you can expect to find a vastly expanded warehouse, swathes of showrooms that exhibit product lines and best practice examples for retailers, plus a very well equipped and staffed product research and development facility. It’s all part of what Oxford Products modestly describes as its commitment to being ‘a proper distributor’.

Working with dealers and the trade – and not going direct to consumer – is core for the business, which is vastly experienced in its role, having served the bicycle market for 20 years and the motorcycle business for 50 years, with all the learnings and tricks of the trade accumulated along the way.

The showrooms play a core role for Oxford, not only showcasing new and existing ranges but – just as crucially – showing shops how they can help lift profits significantly.

“We have countless product display options. Some shops have more wall space, some only have floor space to play with… every shop is different. We can help planogram shops to maximise sales,” Henry Rivers Fletcher tells CIN

“When we started to push this into the cycle industry, we met with some resistance and comments like ‘this isn’t how we do it’. But we persisted and those that tried it saw it worked for them. We’ve learnt how to do it very well, from all our years in the motorcycle industry where dedicated POS is the norm.

“When dealers visit us here in Witney, they see how their shop could be enhanced and often come around to the idea of having this kind of well-lit display in the shop. They might try a row of three units and when that goes well they go for more. We have dealers that have enjoyed a 100% jump in sales with a full refit.

“When the average customer comes into a bike shop, he or she can be blinded by all the product held on display. It’s hard for them to know what to go for if there is no form of navigation.

“Impulse purchases are vital for shops. The things the customers didn’t come in intending to buy, help keep a shop profitable. The retail space has to work hard. If you look at Next or Lidl or wherever, everything has been calculated – the whole flow of the shop, the customer journey. We can help dealers with this.”

Packaging has to work hard too, he notes, and showcasing products in the optimum way plays into Oxford’s start-to-finish philosophy of product development, with the same marketeer working on everything from packaging, to sales packs, displays and adverts, helping to bring a product along the journey to the customer.

“We are continuing to invest in these areas, to help dealers sell our products. We see this as part of the deal of being a distributor.”

That deal also includes a team of six nationwide sales reps, as well as another level of staffing support for dealers – ambassadors that traverse the country merchandising and assisting the sales team.

What are the traditional features of a cycle distributor? Offering a retail solution that boosts sales for dealers, avoiding D2C, investing in brands and R&D… Oxford Products ticks all those boxes and more, revelling in dedicating itself to being a ‘proper distributor’. CIN takes a tour of its HQ with Marketing Director Henry Rivers Fletcher

“IF YOU LOOK AT NEXT OR LIDL OR WHEREVER, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CALCULATED –THE WHOLE FLOW OF THE SHOP. WE CAN HELP DEALERS WITH THIS.”

Shop looking dark and in need of some TLC? Oxford Products aims to help dealers invigorate their displays with some clever solutions

Countless product display options can help lift dealer profits, says Oxford

EXPANDING FOR THE FUTURE

Oxford hasn’t been shy of spending lately, not only mending the roof while the sun is shining, but going considerably further than that and investing for the future. Put it this way; Oxford Products’ recent warehouse expansion might prompt you, if you had a unit on a plot near their HQ, to wonder if you were next.

Oxford Products’ seven acre site includes multiple warehouse units (which are supplemented by off-site warehouses). Oxford typically handles 400 orders a day, including 20,000 items a day. Those are picked from a SKU range of nearly 20,000 items.

“We hold a lot of stock,” Rivers Fletcher explains. “We’re probably overstocked but we’re comfortable with that and it’s coming down.”

Oxford’s turnover this year will be a healthy £50 million at trade, with approximately £26 million currently residing on the shelves.

2018 saw the firm buy a neighbouring block and warehouse (part of which is now a bespoke photography suite for the products marketing team). The most recent warehousing unit, opened last year, features appropriately new technologies that squeeze more efficiencies out of the unit – including a dizzyingly high forklift device that brings the driver up as well as the forks – thanks to which, an extra 20cm has been squeezed from each aisle, so the warehouse can handle more pallets. Efficiencies here will trickle through to Oxford’s older (but not exactly old) warehouses, which will eventually

free up space for a fully automated warehousing area. The likes of which, by our reckoning, are pretty unusual in the UK cycling industry (possibly unique).

As it stands, there is already a degree of automation in the warehouse, with hand barcode scanners in operation. Pickers grab product and scan as they go, then the process is repeated at the packing stage, double checking and minimising the opportunity for mistakes. Automation is likely to go a bit further than that. Once newer efficiencies in the new warehouse are implemented in the new old warehouse, there will be space for an automated warehousing area.

Around 60 staff handle the growing and ever more efficient warehouse portfolio.

“We operate a no quibble return service. We credit returns straight away, saving time for shops. They don’t have to wonder if we’ve issued them a credit not yet, it’s peace of mind for them.”

THE BUSINESS BALANCE

The motorcycle side of the Oxford Products business is by far the larger. For now…

“Cycling should be the largest proportion of the business,” explains Henry Rivers Fletcher. “No more than around one million people in the UK can ride a motorcycle, and a proportion of those don’t do it very regularly or at all. It’s similar in a lot of other nations, like Germany. In contrast, how many people can ride a bicycle? The market should be larger.

“So, why are we bigger in motorcycles? Because we’ve been at it for longer. We’ve had about 50 years doing it. It’s only since 2010 that we’ve been working properly in the cycle world. And in 2016 we started to work directly with independent dealers.”

Oxford’s motorcycle DNA is critical to its success in the cycle market, which might seem a bit of a shocker for dyed in the wool cycle traders, but learnings from operating in the market (and dominating it in many categories) have given the firm a significant leg up and that all-important insight from outside the industry that it can bring in, surely something crucial to the future.

That experience of the UK motorcycle market also offers some tantalising morsels for cycle industry pundits, not least on the topic of broadening cycling’s reach. Rivers Fletcher explains: “When we started out, motorcycle apparel was all leather. It was a mixture of boy racer gear or what rockers used to wear, that kind of thing. Around 20 years ago there was a big shift to textile utility wear and around a decade ago that changed to more everyday fashion-related gear.”

Cash has been ploughed into not only fixing the roof when the sun was shining, but also investing in the future of the business

Oxfords' own brands are complemented by high-end third party brands

“OXFORD

TYPICALLY HANDLES 400 ORDERS A DAY, INCLUDING 20,000 ITEMS A DAY. THOSE ARE PICKED FROM A SKU RANGE OF 20,000 ITEMS.”

The style we’re talking here is chinos, jeans, leggings… but all items of PPE that will protect riders on the bike, despite looking like the kind of thing everyday folk would wear on a trip to Costa or Lidl.

“It doubled the sales opportunities.”

That might be ringing some bells for the cycle world, especially those of us looking to bring in more ‘non-cyclists’ –could the cycle market follow the motorcycle market in this way?

R&D

Oxford Products has been developing its own ranges virtually since year one, but it is now taking things to a new level, bringing in expertise and developing a prolific product development team.

Using CAD technology like SOLIDWORKS and the latest visualisation software, the R&D team can completely analyse new products before they get anywhere near the prototype stage –checking tolerances and analysing all aspects of a product, including finishes –even to a photo-perfect visualisation of how the product will look in the flesh. “We can specify every element so there is no guess work, and all details are fixed and specific. Nothing gets lost in translation and samples come back how we asked for them.”

Thanks to a £100,000 investment, the R&D team also has access to a 3D printing suite, which can turn out product that can be tested on the bike. Laser sintering ensures 3D products come out as solid products (and not the gradated 3D printed results of old). They cannily recycle waste 3D materials (you would too if you knew how much they cost).

Oxford’s big apparel business has seen an influx of talent from other industries, not least the fashion market, which can be working on up to 120 projects at any one time. Garment technologists determine and specify how every stitch, zip and button is put together.

Testing can an expensive business, so ensuring products at prototype stage have already jumped through the hoops of the aforementioned programme is essential. Having spent out on sending product out of house for testing, the firm has brought ever more testing equipment in-house –though it has stopped short of plonking a wind tunnel on the side of its expanding facility… so far.

The test lab aka torture chamber puts products through more stress and extremes than they will reasonably be asked to bear in the real world. Tensile testing exerts huge 5,000 kilo pulling

forces or – for apparel testing – more appropriate levels on clothing materials. One unusual bit of kit is the Q LABS’ accelerated weather testing machine. This Florida-based company knows a thing or two about product exposed to high levels of UV and humidity, and its machines exert 35x or more natural levels of those on products. The firm showed Cycling Industry News its CLIQR phone mount, which had been undergoing high UV and humidity testing in that machine for the equivalent of 102-plus years, amazingly retaining its integrity and colour.

The testing equipment (also including an incubator and multiple multimeters) is used in the QC process too, ensuring that factories continue to use machines that are operating optimally with regular spot checks on products arriving at Oxford Product’s HQ. The machines are also handy for taking apart (sometimes literally) competitor products, analysing what rival brands are getting right and wrong.

UPWARDS TREND

Oxford Products remains on an upward trajectory in the cycle market. At the end of June, cycling was 10.2% up, by July end that number was 13.4%, representing an accelerating growth level.

In the last year alone, Oxford has expanded its dealer number by 122. It is also seeing an upswing in the number of those buying via its B2B site. The door is open to new bike dealers, figuratively and literally (if they wish to visit the showroom).

As part of being a ‘proper distributor’, Oxford complements its vast own label range with a few carefully selected global brands. Most are distributed on an exclusive basis (ACROS components; G-Form protectives; Kali helmets; Sigma lighting & computers; Taya chains), then there are a couple of other popular essentials such as Schwalbe & Weldtite.

Get in touch via email (info@oxprod.com) or phone 01993 862 300.

That’s

“IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE, THE BUSINESS HAS EXPANDED ITS DEALER NUMBER BY 122. IT IS ALSO SEEING AN UPSWING IN THE NUMBER OF THOSE BUYING VIA ITS B2B SITE.”

torn it: The testing lab includes tensile tests that exert extreme forces on products before they reach dealer shelves

RETYRE YOUR RUBBER

reTyre is making a bid to revolutionise the trade’s sustainability credentials one bicycle tyre at a time. CIN met the brand at Eurobike to hear how it’s betting on elastomer-based tyres to offer brands an estimated 82% greenhouse gas footprint reduction in production…

Rubber is one tricky substance to truly recycle. Sometimes it’ll be ground up and scattered on football pitches, but rarely does it have much of a second life; in fact, often tyres are simply incinerated to generate energy, something that isn’t the greenest nor cleanest practice. For your information, it’s estimated that every day in Britain over 100,000 tyres from cars, vans and lorries are removed. Bike tyres only add to the tally.

The scientific reason why rubber is hard to repurpose, if you were curious, is that as an insoluble and infusible thermoset material, it cannot be directly reprocessed. As for those that end up in landfill, they are among the least desirable pieces of waste thanks to the void space tyres create. Often tyres can trap

methane gases, latterly bubbling up and damaging landfill liners designed to keep everything buried. The EU’s landfill directive actually prohibits tyres from entering landfill, which has prompted businesses like Velorim to take the bull by the horns when it comes to recycling. Bike shops up and down the land can now employ this specialist to collect and recycle customers’ used rubber on their behalf.

Rubber is, then, a considerable blight on the bike industry’s supposed green and clean credentials. Efforts from brands like Schwalbe have begun to scratch the surface of the subject of endof-life rubber re-use, but for the most part, one of the most regularly changed bicycle components remains a stain on efforts to use less oil and creates smaller

“THE SCIENTIFIC REASON WHY RUBBER IS HARD TO REPURPOSE, IF YOU WERE CURIOUS, IS THAT AS AN INSOLUBLE AND INFUSIBLE THERMOSET MATERIAL, IT CANNOT BE DIRECTLY REPROCESSED.”

CEO Paul Magne Amundsen [right] and team at Eurobike 2023

waste piles at the end of a product’s life.

Step in reTyre. You may well recognise the name; it’s the same company that came up with the zip-on tyre replacement idea, admittedly a concept that got mixed reviews in the trade. These are still available on reTyre’s website, should you wish to try switching from road to mountain bike tyres in one ride.

Go on to the brand’s website today, however, and front and centre is talk of revolutionising the bicycle tyre business by bringing to the masses a solution where pneumatic bio-based elastomers replace our rubber tyres.

Speaking to us at Eurobike, where its brief was to capture OEM interest, CEO Paul Magne Amundsen explained why the business is turning heads again.

“Scientists now say that of all ocean pollution is 28% rubber, which is of course not naturally recyclable. In fact, a lot of the time tyres are melted and then shipped around, which compounds their dirty footprint. The vulcanisation process alone is

hugely energy intensive. Extrapolate this to apply to the 1.8 billion tyres disposed of every year worldwide and you get an idea of just how dirty the footprint is. That’s why reTyre is now encouraging an alternative in our patented thermoplastic elastomer material, which itself is 100% reusable and uses no fossil fuel content.”

In the first instance, the brand is starting small. By that, it intends first to target the balance bike market, bike trailer and stroller segments, gradually developing products that fit larger wheels.

“For the kid’s bike industry, in particular balance bikes, we think reTyre could replace the entire rubber supply and we are closing lots of deals here, including some very cool luminescent tyres that shine at night. The manufacturing method is patented and allows us to produce any size. So, it’s definitely not just a small wheel solution, we have a tractor company speaking to us about solutions for some very large vehicles,” says Amundsen.

“FOR THE KID’S BIKE INDUSTRY, IN PARTICULAR BALANCE BIKES, WE THINK RETYRE COULD REPLACE THE ENTIRE RUBBER SUPPLY AND WE ARE CLOSING LOTS OF DEALS HERE, INCLUDING SOME VERY COOL LUMINESCENT TYRES THAT SHINE AT NIGHT.”

Big wheel: The patented manufacturing method can produce any size, even solutions for tractors

Importantly, where rubber can degrade over time, eventually cracking and allowing greater ingress of unwanted grit and grime, reTyre’s elastomer product apparently doesn’t degrade and it may selfrepair too. With rubber tyres a UV blocker is an additive that features, yet that is again not a requirement with reTyre’s product. Such is the firm’s faith in its solution and its recyclability that the business will even buy back material once it is no longer deemed up to scratch.

Of course from both a bike shop and customer’s perspective, the concern has always been how such innovations perform against the tried and tested tyre. Here reTyre again doesn’t flinch, suggesting that the overall weight is comparable to that of conventional setups and that if desired by partners a layer of Fiberguard protection can be added in. “You can’t recognise the performance difference in most applications and there are four separate compounds currently available to ensure compatibility with the terrain,” so says the gathered reTyre team as they introduce the samples at Eurobike.

At the present time, reTyre is making products in Norway, but in the future it sees no reason why the technology cannot be exported, enabling a brand to

produce a white-label product locally. reTyre is convinced that once promoted by brands, the sustainability message will resonate with consumers. It has been shown that younger demographics in particular have warmed to brands with genuine low-carbon credentials and will divert their spending on occasion where viable. KPMG research states that 86% of households consider that sustainability is important and that has a 5% uptick for households with children present. Boardrooms increasingly see the worth too. Research by the Capgemini Research Institute has 69% of executives now stating that sustainability credentials increase brand value, while 77% acknowledge that such kudos can have an effect on customer loyalty. Finally, 63% said that investing in sustainability initiatives has already helped boost revenues.

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Tyre pressure: Sustainability-savvy consumers, particularly in younger demographics, are helping push brands towards more eco-friendly product

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Women and cycling: The Movers & Shakers

THREE FEMALE FOUNDERS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2024

As the bike industry is still heavily dominated by men – and rider numbers mirror this inequality – Caz Conneller is shining a light on the women doing groundbreaking work and inspiring others…

The Bicycle Association of Great Britain recently announced the results of its Diversity in Cycling’s International Perception Survey, and it showed that senior leaders in the cycling industry are overwhelmingly white, heterosexual men. It also shows that 71% of women are

considering leaving the industry.

Change needs to happen. And women who have identified gaps in the market and founded businesses and initiatives that solve problems play a vital role in changing the landscape of the industry.

Whether it is increasing participa-

tion and reaching underrepresented groups, or launching businesses that look to revolutionise segments of the industry, these four female founders are all putting passion, talent and action into play to drive the cycling industry forward and reach out to more women.

JEYDA HESELTON FETTLE

KAREN GEE CYCLE SPROG

GEORGIA YEXLEY LOUD MOBILITY

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OPINION

Women and cycling: The Movers & Shakers

JEYDA HESELTON

Role/Business:

Co-founder and CEO > Fettle

Years in the industry: Four – just with this business!

What bike do you ride?

Day-to-day, I ride a ‘pub bike’ which I can leave anywhere. It’s an old Raleigh frame which I spray painted a vibrant yellow and red and has been pimped up with some snazzy parts. On the weekend, you might catch me zipping around on my Liv road bike. It’s a sleek, black number with orange branding, which makes me think of a tiger. My main requirements for a bike are being light and stylish.

Jeyda got in touch with me about three years ago, as a fellow female founder, to tell me about her startup, Fettle (then Handlebars), a network of repaironly bike workshops, underpinned by a home pick-up and delivery service. It aims to take the faff and hassle out of bike repair. As someone who doesn’t really like to get my hands dirty fixing my own bike, and having had some less than pleasant and efficient experiences getting my bike fixed, I immediately saw the value. And so, it seems, have many others.

Fast forward four years and Fettle has raised £1.3 million in funding from crowd investors, opened five workshops in London and is now branching out to Bristol and Cambridge. The company announced an ingenious partnership with Kwik Fit earlier this year and won an award for best start-up at the Micromobility Industries Summit in May 2023 in Amsterdam.

In my experience, the entrepreneurs that really go the distance and build something big are those who see a gap in the market and have a great idea, but also have a vision for how their venture will grow, grabbing each opportunity along the way. Jeyda’s vision to build a national network of modern, friendly, faff-free bike service centres to cater for

the growing and evolving market, alongside her business acumen to move into eCargo bikes and fleet servicing, have put her in an incredibly exciting position as we move into the age of e-mobility. Jeyda is an inspiration for future female founders in the industry. But also, Fettle’s service helps women overcome a common barrier to cycling, getting their bikes out of the shed, fixed up and ready to get out on the road. The company also ensures that customers receive a digital quote before any work is done, which is all part of being fair and transparent.

I caught up with Jeyda to find out a little more about how they are riding the wave of growth and what’s in store for the future:

“Life at Fettle has been a bit of a whirlwind recently, developing the exciting partnership with Kwik Fit and opening up new workshops, including finally venturing outside of the capital! With our services proving popular with customers, we’re keen to extend them out across the most densely populated towns and cities for cyclists, and there’s a tonne of work involved in doing that. Next stop is Cambridge and we’re excited to see what the reception is like there.

“FETTLE ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WITH KWIK FIT EARLIER THIS YEAR AND WON AN AWARD FOR BEST START-UP AT THE MICROMOBILITY INDUSTRIES SUMMIT.”

Women and cycling: The Movers & Shakers

“We’re also simultaneously launching custom-built trailers, which will be towed by eBikes, and replace the vans we use for our collection and return service. As a much greener solution, as well as way more efficient, we’re really looking forward to getting going with this. Watch out for bikes towing trailers full of bikes around the city!

“As well as building a network to support cyclists, we’re doing more and more work for businesses. We’re growing out the service partnerships we have with manufacturers, particularly as many customers are choosing to buy bikes online and want peace of mind when it comes to servicing. We’re also collaborating with lots of employers who want to make sure their staff are cycling to work safely by offering onsite servicing as well as workshops teaching people basic maintenance skills. Finally, we’re offering servicing for businesses using eCargo bikes to make sure they’re able to keep on the roads. We see this as the future for delivering goods and services in towns and cities so we’re really supportive of all the businesses taking the leap to try this new way of working now.”

www. fettle.cc

jeyda@fettle.cc linkedin.com/in/jeydaheselton/

GEORGIA YEXLEY

Role/business: Founder > Loud Mobility

Years in the industry:

It’s been six years now, and the longest I’ve stuck with any industry throughout my career. I started out working in micromobility when I joined Mobike in 2017 during the early days of its rapid global expansion, while I was living in Beijing, China. I haven’t found a better way to make a positive impact since.

What bike do you ride?

I ride just about any bike I can get my hands on. I love to try new things and have loved exploring all kinds of different cycles this last year. Recently, I’ve been exploring cities on a borrowed Brompton, getting into the great outdoors on my Forme Gravel bike and have been thoroughly enjoying using a Volt eBike while working on the World Bicycle Relief charity partnership with the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. I’m thinking about trying out an eMTB next. I borrowed one from a friend while holidaying a couple of years back and I’ve learned that the combination of exploring nature and the speed you get with mountain biking is very much my cup of

tea. I also saw one or two I’m keen to try while at the Specialized event during the UCI World Championships. It was a delight to meet Mike Sinyard, Specialized founder and longtime ambassador of the value cycling has to offer to those of us with ADHD. I’m excited to delve deeper into the studies and projects championed by his Outride Foundation and hopefully bring some of those learnings to the UK.

I met Georgia on International Women’s Day 2023. After an exhilarating meeting exploring projects we could work on together to tackle the gender gap in cycling, we went for a cycle and e-scoot around King’s Cross in the snow. I knew this woman meant business!

“LOUD MOBILITY IS ADVOCATING FOR SYSTEM CHANGE IN SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY, AND A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.”

Women and cycling: The Movers & Shakers

Having had a highly successful career in the fast-paced world of shared mobility at Tier and Beryl, Georgia now brings her skills and wealth of experience to her new startup, Loud Mobility. Loud Mobility’s mission is to make sustainable mobility more inclusive with an emphasis on cross sector collaboration and system change… but also with an element of play!

Georgia has a number of exciting projects on the go, many of which involve cycling and I’m excited to be collaborating with her and Loud Mobility on She’s Electric, a national behaviour-change campaign to introduce more women to the benefits of riding an eBike in 2024.

I have seen Georgia identify an issue or problem within the cycling community and very quickly and effectively turn it into a project, connect with people, source funding and get on the road to fixing it. It’s immensely inspiring to see someone move at such pace with such deep insight into the system change needed in the cycling and active travel space, particularly within underrepresented groups.

Georgia is also on the board for the Bicycle Association of GB’s Diversity in Cycling project and a trustee for the Women of Colour Cycling Collective. She is a powerful spokesperson for women and cycling and I’m excited to see what the future holds for her in 2024 and beyond.

I caught up with Georgia to find out a bit more about her current projects and her plans for the future.

“Right now I’m wrapping up a fivemonth project supporting World Bicycle Relief and delivering their charity partnership with the largest cycling sporting event in history, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Throughout my career I have seen firsthand the tremendous impact crosssector projects of this sort can make in widening participation and shifting the culture/narrative towards the positive.

“The energy in Glasgow was palpable and I wasn’t alone in learning I am indeed a cycling sports fan. I tried my best not to fangirl too hard when joining a panel with the impressive Kadeena Cox OBE, but could barely hold back the emotion of seeing the two-week crescendo with the Women’s Elite race.

“It’s been an incredible experience to see Women and Girls championed through this historic event and has filled me with excitement and ideas as we dive further into the next stages of our collaboration with She’s Electric. Again we have the opportunity to bring cross sector organisations and change makers together to help more women and girls enjoy cycling, with a specific focus on making eBikes more accessible, approachable and exciting.

“This year I’ve had the opportunity to connect with so many incredible women who are the diverse role models we will all benefit from championing. Our collaboration is about changing the image and rhetoric about eBikes, but also about creating low-barrier routes to actually being able to experience them.

“Last, but certainly not least, I’ve been working with our strategic advisors, a wide group of supporters and the Trans-

Caz Conneller is the founder of Cyclechic.co.uk, an ecommerce business catering for stylish female cyclists. She has written for The Sunday Times and is The Author of The Girls Bicycle Handbook and is the creator of She’s Electric – a behaviour change campaign to inspire more women to ride eBikes.

Caz has a p roven track record for getting more women cycling and works with companies to unlock the female market in the cycling, active travel and micromobilty sectors. Get in touch if you’d like to collaborate .

Email: caz@cyclechic.co.uk

Website: Cyclechic.co.uk

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cazconneller-n%C3%A9e-nicklin2505b18/

port Research Laboratory on a longerterm research and development project that seeks to evidence and help scale the impact of community cycling projects. As national and local transport bodies speak of the importance of widening participation in active travel, and political ‘leaders’ continue to prioritise polls over the planet, we’re collaborating to push forward policies, funding routes and innovation that is pro-people and pro-community.

“With everything we’re working on, it’s also critical that the Loud Mobility team grows, and I’m excited to share news about our growing strategic advisory board, team and ambition.

Overall, Loud Mobility is advocating for system change in sustainable mobility, and a shared responsibility to make it happen. I think we get there by saying it how it really is, pushing forward and championing the change makers, welcoming everyone to experience and influence the sustainable mobility space and shouting about all the benefits we get when we do.”

www.loudmobility.co.uk

loudmobility@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/georgiayexley

“THIS YEAR I’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH SO MANY INCREDIBLE WOMEN WHO ARE THE DIVERSE ROLE MODELS WE WILL ALL BENEFIT FROM CHAMPIONING.”

Women and cycling: The Movers & Shakers

KAREN GEE

Role/Business:

Founder & Editor > Cycle Sprog

Years in the industry: 11 years

What bike do you ride?

A Liv Avail Advanced 1 road bike for fun fast rides and a second hand Boardman road bike for daily commuting. Plus a second hand Laura Trott Mountain bike for riding at trail centres, and a Bamboo Gravel bike for local off road riding.

Karen Gee had the idea for Cycle Sprog as she endlessly and unsuccessfully trawled the internet for useful information on getting out cycling with her own two young children.

“Someone should start a website for family cycling,” she told her husband, and he replied: “Why don’t you start it?”

And that’s exactly what she

did.

Eleven years on, Cycle Sprog gets over a million visitors a year. Karen’s team has grown from one to four staff members, plus a host of freelancers. The website is

a valuable source of guidance and inspiration to help parents get cycling with their kids.

Whether it’s getting them onboard with them as tots, riding a family ecargo bike or getting them going on a bike of their own, Cycle Sprog has given millions of families the push and support they need to get cycling.

I caught up with Karen to find out more about Cycle Sprog and what’s in store for the future.

Karen told me her key principles when starting the website was to create advice that “was not full of technical jargon and that was really easy to understand if you are starting from scratch” and to provide the practical advice that parents need. As a cycling parent of two boys, Gee is always writing from experience.

This is what I love about Karen’s story and I fully identify with it, as it was a very similar point of both frustration and inspiration that led me to start Cyclechic.co.uk. I saw no inspiring imagery, advice or products for women who wanted to look good and not be Lyca-clad.

Frustration with the void of information for a certain niche demographic can be a powerful force, and instead of sitting about moaning about it, Gee took the initiative to fill that gap and provide what was missing from the market. She opened cycling up to a whole new demographic that was not being effectively communicated to… parents.

Karen told me: “I’m really proud that our audience is 48% female. Getting that

level of gender parity in both the cycling and parenting media is quite rare. Cycling websites generally tend to cater for male audiences and parenting websites for female.”

Karen also currently employs more women than men in Cycle Sprogs’ growing team, something she puts down to following the Bicycle Association’s advice on inclusive recruitment which has opened up the number of female applicants for each role.

Current project: Cycle Sprog recently launched a Kids’ bike search directory. This is music to the ears of any parent who doesn’t know where to start when buying a kids’ bike when the ocean of options available online can often feel bewildering. You can input your requirements and the directory will provide you with brands the team or their readers have tested and can wholeheartedly recommend.

This not only helps parents but also ensures children will enjoy cycling and can progress with a suitable set of wheels, and it benefits brands and retailers as it points the right customers to the right bikes/dealers.

Karen is also a big advocate for buying a good bike second hand or leading, rather than buying a new bike of lower quality: great advice for both your wallet in the current cost of living crisis, but also a way to reduce waste and boost a circular economy.

Cycle Sprog is also increasingly focusing on family cargo bikes as more parents seek ways to reduce reliance on car journeys, whether for reasons of health, cost, environment or time.

I asked Karen whether she had a ‘career high’. She told me it’s every time she gets an email from a parent thanking her for enabling them to get their child cycling.

“I never get bored of that,” Karen says, and let’s hope Cycle Sprog gets many more children and families cycling as the business grows and as active travel plays an increasingly important role for future generations.

www.cyclesprog.co.uk

karen@cyclesprog.co.uk

linkedin.com/in/karenlgee/

The results of the Bicycle Associations International Perception Survey are available to view – along with the campaign’s 7 Actions For Change here: www.bicycleassociation.org.uk/diversity -in-cycling/?jump=perception-survey

“SOMEONE SHOULD START A WEBSITE FOR FAMILY CYCLING,” SHE TOLD HER HUSBAND, AND HE REPLIED: “WHY DON’T YOU START IT?”

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INSPIRING PRO CYCLING

Putting on an elite level road race like the UAE Tour Women is not solely about attracting top level athletes and paving the way for a riveting, exciting spectacle. It’s also about getting more people in the saddle and promoting cycling to locals… CIN speaks with UAE Tour and UAE Tour Women director Fabrizio d’Amico about the broader legacy of this year’s new cycle road race and its impact on bringing cycling to women…

2023 has had its challenges, to understate the case, but it has undoubtedly been a cracker for women’s sport being broadcast. The BBC has been screening the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Netball World Cup, the Tour de France Femmes was aired on GCN+ and Discovery+ streaming services, and most recently we’ve had plenty of cycle action – male and female – in Glasgow’s UCI World Championships shown on the BBC and iPlayer. What has that got to do with your bike shop or distributor profit/loss sheet? Quite a lot, as it happens. Five million Brits said they have tried a new sport after being inspired by a female athlete (see inset) and regular readers may also recall Caz Conneller’s discussion about the importance that role models play for consumers.

Add to the above roster of screened women’s sporting events the newly minted UAE Tour Women, taking place for the first time earlier this year. UAE Tour and UAE Tour Women director Fabrizio d’Amico takes us through how the race came together:

“We launched the Dubai Tour in 2014 and in 2015 the Abu Dhabi Tour. Then after discussions it was decided to merge the Dubai and Abu Dhabi Tours in 2018 to create

one unique tour. Since the beginning we had clear in mind that one day a dedicated women’s tour in the UAE should be organised, in practical terms it took around a year to put it together. I remember being at the annual UCI WorldTour seminar, and I received a call and was asked to launch a new women’s race in three months. In the end we agreed to launch it in 2023 – it takes time to launch something like this.”

Measuring the success of a race or any sporting event is not necessarily straightforward. Attracting big names, sufficient viewers (more on that later) and delivering memorable moments on the road are factors that all add up, but legacy has – over the past decade or so – become a bigger priority for many events and the UAE Tours are no different, explains d’Amico.

“It was very successful under different aspects. In terms of both the men’s and women’s races I think we left a big mark and we’re setting a benchmark to many organisers, and we are attracting some of the most important athletes in cycling.

“We are showcasing and promoting the country to show that the UAE is a beautiful place that everybody should visit. It’s not only Dubai city or Abu Dhabi, but

Coverage matters: A live audience close to 14 million tuned into the races this year

UAE Tour and UAW Tour Women director

“SINCE WE LAUNCHED IN 2014, WE NOW HAVE THOUSANDS OF KILOMETRES OF CYCLE PATHS. THE BIKE ECONOMY HAS EVOLVED CRAZILY WITH BIKE SHOPS, WE HAVE THE BIGGEST BIKE SHOPS IN THE WORLD.”

there are Emirates which are unknown.

“We also have the goal to promote sport as a lifestyle. And this is one of the major – if not the major – important pieces together with promoting the country to bring people to the sport and conduct a healthy lifestyle.

“The most important thing is to leave a legacy and that means to inspire future generations and people to do sports, to prepare people with the values of sports. Since we launched in 2014, we now have thousands of kilometers of cycle paths. The bike economy has evolved crazily with bike shops, we have the biggest bike shops in the world. There is a lot of interest, there is a lot of support. Now we can mention that Abu Dhabi has been awarded the 2028 UCI Road World Championships and the 2029 UCI Track World Championships.”

In a place well known for its startling ability to build infrastructure quickly, cycling’s progress has taken a similarly speedy pace, with a new velodrome among the forthcoming developments:

“Thanks to the vision, the willingness and support of our leaders of the country we have all the resources and the tools to succeed. The structures here and the facilities are as best as

we can make them but to achieve the best is not enough. We need to be beyond that. There are so many cycletracks and so much infrastructure that have been developed and will be developed in the coming years… creating such a passion behind this sport and sport in general is something that I would have expected to happen, but not as fast as it is happening now.”

Measurables – who’s watching?

Onto measurables – how many viewers tuned into the UAE Tour and Tour Women? And how important is that? The race had in excess of 1,300 TV hours (seven day race) and circa 15,000 articles on the events. There were more than 585 hours of live broadcasting (race hours and live shows) and 775 hours of TV broadcasts (including for the UAE Tour Women (four day race) there was 540 hours of TV coverage, approximately 3,000 articles were published and the live audience was close to 14 million and for the races (men and women) period. “So, it wasn’t bad at all,” understates the Tour Director: “The goal for us is being broadcasted live, promote the territory, promote the sport. And we saw the peaks during the weekends.”

WOMEN’S CYCLING INFLUENCERS

UAE Tour Women Director Fabrizio d’Amico noted how many pro women cyclists are social media savvy and statistics from Redtorch analysts on the Tour de France Femmes revealed that social media interest in womens cycle racing is indeed sizeable. The report found that there was an overall 72.5k follow growth and 2.7m engagements during the ‘Femmes’ race. Teams gained a combined 91.7k new followers (to a total of almost 7.3m) and generated 1.5m engagements and 1.2m video views.

Scan this QR code to visit the Redtorch sport website

Trek–Segafredo's Elisa Longo Borghini won the inaugural race

ANALYSIS

The impact of elite racing

Harder to gauge is the impact that coverage of elite women’s racing, such as that the UAE Tour Women, and how it has a positive impact on female participation in cycling.

“I believe women’s sports and women’s cycling are the future. At the present, UCI regulations state we must guarantee 45 minutes minimum live coverage, but from ourside we committed to guarantee the full live coverage, every day from start to finish. Why? Because we need to promote the sport, we need to promote women’s cycling and we need an opportunity to showcase the territory.

“In order to provide the quality, between men and women, the first commitment we made was that the women’s race must be at the same demanding level.”

The role of TV and coverage is key, says d’Amico: “TV coverage is important because we need to give teams visibility, and we need to have the best conditions to ride safety, which has been challenging for some organisers. Then there is the prize money. Women’s cycling is evolving and needs the right support like mens’ racing has had. We want prize money that is similar. Our vision is to promote equality. TV also brings up opportunities for both teams as well as the sport itself and the organisers.”

Even if you handed in your TV licence many years ago, you’ll likely have seen that women’s sport in general has changed dramatically in the last 10 years in terms of coverage. One UK survey said that the public believes there should be equal coverage for men’s and women’s sports on TV. The times are finally chang-

ing, but there is way to go, says d’Amico.

“I think there is a lot to do still. If I focus on women’s cycling, that boomed in the last 2-3 years. So now we have a calendar of racing that is full. I feel that the UAE Tour Women is a real benchmark and other organisers now also understand the importance of women’s cycling.

“However, now the calendar is getting really full every year with new races. But the question is ‘Are they ready to compete in all these calendars?’. The answer is not yet. Why? It’s not a negative thing but we need time for the teams to adapt to all these new races. If a men’s team is organised with 30 riders with 50 staff, and maybe a women’s team has 15 riders and 20 staff, it’s tough for them to cover all these races.

“The teams are moving forwards and evolving themselves to create a more sustainable model, with the support of the UCI. They are moving towards making cycling full time work for the team, so they don’t have to have another job, it allows them to be fully committed and dedicated, because you need to give equal opportunity.”

The UAE Tour Director also points to the developing Under-23 category, providing further racing infrastructure to the growing women’s racing scene.

The industry impact

The diversity challenge ahead of the cycling industry was recently spelled out in a report from the Bicycle Association and Cycling Industries Europe, which laid out stark reasons for definite change in the trade (we recommend you seek it out

Broadcasting cycling: “TV also brings up opportunities for both teams as well as the sport itself and the organisers.”

Role models: Coverage of womens' sport has boomed in recent years

“IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE QUALITY, BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, THE FIRST COMMITMENT WE MADE WAS THAT THE WOMEN’S RACE MUST BE AT THE SAME DEMANDING LEVEL.”

if you’ve haven’t already seen it).

While we’ve outlined some of the ways pro cycling can impact on wider participation in cycling, but could it help attract more women to the trade? D’Amico points to an interesting commercial opportunity for the market to work with women.

“Of course we discuss this growth with manufacturers and, in my opinion, we are seeing women cycling embrace the social media in a way that is more advanced than men’s cycling.

“A few months ago, I was reading that the winner of the Giro d’Italia last year (2022) had way less followers than the 2022 UCI Women road world champion Annemiek van Vleuten. I think that, for athletes, social media is their best vehicle, combined with TV because to be honest, women’s sports was not broadcast until a couple of years ago. There is a gap that needs to be filled and the numbers are increasing and it is creating the appetite. We can see that there is interest, especially when races are broadcast in primetime. But also what is

creating, I think even more of a leverage is that these assets are also influencers on social media. There is a lot of opportunity, in my opinion, for different companies to cooperate and partner up with the athletes with the teams to promote their products or their services, giving them an end-to-end reach with a broader audience.”

The grand plan

The immediate future will see the organisers busy with the Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo, taking place on 18 November 2023. As for the UAE Tour Women, the aim is to continue to provide an interesting race and attract even more of the best athletes from the women’s cycling landscape. D’Amico concludes: “Going back to that earlier point, we want to have all the best athletes at our race, which we know is difficult with limited team rosters. But the overall goal is to be one of the top races in the world for women. We want to be there.”

www.theuaetourwomen.com

WOMEN’S SPORT

A report released by rugby team the London Lions found that 5 million Brits have tried a new sport after being inspired by a female athlete. It also found that 56% of Brits believe there should be equal coverage of mens and womens sports on TV. Also on the positive side, 10% of females say they have been inspired to pursue a career in sport due to seeing a female role model.

Less positively, 20% of females say they have experienced some kind of discrimination or exclusion which deterred them from participating in a sport.

“The overall goal is to be one of the top races in the world for women.”

BRITISH EBIKE BRAND, ESTARLI, IS EXPANDING AND INCREASING ITS UK RETAILER NETWORK

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AFTER CORONA: NIHON E YŌKOSO (WELCOME TO JAPAN): JAPAN’S BICYCLE TOURISM MAKES A FRESH START

During the pandemic, Japan was virtually closed to tourists. Nippon’s tourism industry had to bring the tourist market back to life. Among the many saddled with this task is bicycle tour operator Kenichi Kawamura, reports Jo Beckendorff

Kenichi Kawamura is an enthusiastic surfer and cyclist. Since 2012, he has successfully offered special bike trips to local and foreign tourists. While his home market business runs under the name Aloha Biketrip the one for the international market runs under the name Cycling Japan. In 2020, Corona brought down both businesses to zero. What’s the situation right now?

Japan did not allow tourists into the country until June 2022. Nevertheless, CIN contributor Jo Beckendorff had the opportunity to visit Kawamura at his new home in Miyazaki Prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. Up until 2011, 70% of travel bookings in Japan came from abroad and 30% from the domestic market. After the Fukushima disaster, the ratio fell to 50/50. Yet the industry rebounded quickly as the Japanese government proclaimed tourism an important economic sector and invested accordingly.

Interest in Japan as a tourist destination has increased dramatically in the West, but even more in Asia, where Kawamura sees the greatest potential. As such he generates 90% of his sales with foreigner-oriented

Cycling Japan, with the remaining 10% coming via Aloha Biketrip.

Taiwan leads the pack towards Japan

Taiwanese cyclists in particular have discovered Japan as an attractive travel destination, thanks in part to Giant Bicycles founder King Liu. In 2007, the then 73-year-old triggered a craze in his home country of Taiwan with a sensational island round trip by bicycle – a feat that continues to have an impact today. Before, the Taiwanese have been better known as leading bicycle manufacturers than as enthusiastic cyclists. But in the wake of Liu’s ride Taiwanese interest in cycling outgrew Taiwan’s cycling routes, leading to Giant Adventure Tours offering bike tours to Japan.

Even before this, Kawamura had been assisting more than a hundred Taiwanese cyclists every year at the Mt. Fuji Hill Climb cycling race. In the meantime, he says, there is a trend regardless of nationality toward an “all-around worry-free package tour with longer routes on asphalt.” This can encompass adventure tours with overnight stays at campsites as well as cultural and leisure tours with

Rolling from Kirishima Mountains with its all in all more than 20 volcanoes down to the coast

Above Left: Before starting the tour we all have to pray to the gods for a safe overnight trip

Above Right: Tour operator Kenichi Kawamura explores a new road bike day trip route with Jo Beckendorff into the more hilly inner country of Miyazaki prefecture

overnight stays in classic Japanese minshukus (guest houses) or ryokans (upscale hotels).

Thanks to the gravel bike boom and the micro-adventure trend the adventure cycling tour market in particular has grown. Kawamura expects that he will be able to attract a lot of cyclists from the West where, as he explains, “road bikes and gravel bikes are the focus.”

Asian customers, on the other hand, tend to prefer a more leisurely approach, gravitating toward touring bikes and eBikes. Mainly from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and now China, many have little experience cycling for long periods of time. For these customers, Kawamura offers comfortable day trips under forty kilometers.

Thinking positive

The 2018-19 pre-Corona season was the most successful to date for Ken Kawamura and his seven-member team. During the pandemic years, his company survived thanks in part to government aid. For 2022, they were been cautiously optimistic. “Since 10 June, 20,000 people per day have been allowed into the country,” Kawamura reports – a number that later grew to 50,000. “These first tourists were required to arrive in groups, led start-tofinish by locally registered tour guides. Unfortunately, individual travelers like the customers we attract had to wait.

“Nevertheless, we have a good booking situation for autumn – not like before Corona, of course, but enough for a promising new start.”

Since 11 October 2022, the visa-free regime for 68 countries has been reactivated. On 29 April 2023, Japan lifted the last Corona entry restrictions. Since then, neither a triple Covid 19 vaccination certificate nor a negative Covid 19 test result has been required for entry.

Since 2018, Kawamura and his business, originally based on the Izu peninsula near Tokyo area, have called Miyazaki Prefecture home. Although the Tokyo region is attractive, the southwestern main island of Kyushu offers active volcanoes, great beaches, and numerous hot springs, all in an alluring subtropical climate.

Laid-back mentality

According to Kawamura the people on Kyushu, the most southwestern of the main Japanese islands, are not as officious as one from the West would imagine Japanese people to be. “Kyushu’s Miyazaki Prefecture exudes a certain laidback charm. Because of the sub-tropical climate alone, people tend to take it easy. Yet they are happy about every foreigner who is interested in their homeland.”

Miyazaki is dominated by agriculture and everything you plant seems to grow. With its surfing beaches, inexpensive self-sufficiency (e.g. home farming) and

Tour operator Kenichi Kawamura guides through Cape Toi National Park. Cape Toi is the most southern point of Miyazaki prefecture

Having a rest on one of the countless beaches at Miyazaki’s coastline

“THANKS TO THE GRAVEL BIKE BOOM AND THE MICROADVENTURE TREND THE ADVENTURE CYCLING TOUR MARKET IN PARTICULAR HAS GROWN.”

housing options it is attracting more and more young Japanese.

Jonathan Yamakawa, the “Belgian Japanese” who also lives in Miyazaki, would agree. “Corona has given the whole rural life idea another big boost. Many young Japanese have had time to think about their lifestyle. In addition to ecological cultivation and organic farming, there are many old houses in the countryside that can be rented cheaply. So why not move to the countryside and work out of your home office? More and more young families are taking this step.”

Yamakawa is an avid surfer and has bought an electric car. Together with his partner he runs Natural Junk Food, a “100% organic and plant-based” natural food supplier. He accompanied us on a pedelec along the coast to Cape Toi, the southernmost point of Miyazaki, about 40 kilometers away. The national park is best-known for its wild horses.

A tour Cycling Japan offers to the town of Obi, right up the road from the city of Nichinan in Miyazaki prefecture, is short yet particularly interesting for cyclists interested in culture. It is not so much the remaining vestiges of Obi Castle, ruled over 14 generations by the Ito family, but rather the well-preserved samurai houses that attract visitors to this village. The old streets lined with traditional shops and samurai residences harken back to the Edo period (1603 to 1868), and have been

designated as one of Japan’s Preservation Districts of Historical Buildings.

Today, Obi Town is also known as “Little Kyoto of Kyushu”, but it is not as plagued by visitors as the Imperial City, which before Corona suffered already from over-tourism.

Kirishima Mountains: a Road-, Touringand Gravel-Bike destination

Another tour takes us into the Kirishima Mountains, which stretch from Miyazaki into the neighboring prefecture of Kagoshima. Boasting more than 20 volcanoes, these mountains are part of the Kirishima Kinkowan National Park.

The starting point of this adventure tour is Lake Miike, 305 meters above sea level and, at 103 meters deep, the deepest crater lake in Japan. We pitch our tents on a campsite right on the shore. In the evening we sit around a campfire, enjoying Kawamura’s cooking skills on tiny utensils.

The next morning, after a hearty campsite breakfast, we ride along old country roads to Kirishima Jingu, a nationallyrecognised shrine where the gods are said to have once descended. The highlight of this shrine, located in the forest, is a sacred tree that is considered the ancestor of all pine trees in southern Kyushu. The 35-metre pine is about 800 years old.

From there, we take a forested road over a pass to Ebino Kogen, a plateau 1,200 meters above sea level framed by several active volcanoes. Ebino Kogen means “crab plateau” because the pampas grass takes on a pink hue in late summer due to the iron in the groundwater.

Up here, even in the height of summer, one encounters a mild climate that seems detached from the subtropical conditions in the lowlands. The steam rising from several volcanic craters and the smell of sulphur in the air leaves no doubt that one is standing on “living earth” here. After a 17-kilometre descent and a ride through the lush farmland at the foot of the Kirishima Mountains we head back toward Lake Miike, finishing a 73-kilometer tour covering 1,760 metres of climbing.

With some new tour ideas including Kyushu in mind Ken Kawamura and his team are now welcoming bikers in Japan. Current season 2023 is a promising start. What definitely helps: while flights are currently expensive the cost is offset to a degree by the exchange rates of the weak yen.

www.cyclingjapan.jp

Words: Jo Beckendorff

Photos: Jo Beckendorff/Kenichi Kawamura

In Obi Town – nick-named "Little Kyoto of Kyushu“ – koi carps are enjoying their life in the clean street canals

The wild horses in Cape Toi National Park graze peacefully near and on the campsite

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Evans Cycles

EVANS CYCLES UNVEILS MASTERPLAN

Few in the cycle industry will be unfamiliar with Russell Merry, from his days in the 1980s at family business Hot Wheels – which became a multi-million business before being sold to Dorel – to an international leadership position as General Manager of Cycling Sports Group USA. April 2022 saw Merry join Frasers Group – owner of Evans Cycles. One year (and a bit) later, CI.N quizzed the industry veteran for his take on the state of the industry and what Evans Cycles has up its sleeve…

Clearly the industry is undergoing a challenging period at the moment… Pre-Covid and post-Covid have been radically different. This period is as acute and dynamic as the peak of Covid. It’s just completely opposite. It’s gone from massive demand outstripping supply to considerable supply outstripping demand. It was a fight to get stock and prices were climbing. And now it’s a decision to choose to buy the right stock. Prices are challenged and margins are challenged.

Do you think things are normalising with a bit more stability this year?

Not yet. The bike market was challenging in 2019 and wasn’t thriving. Then Covid was a boom for some, but it’s been challenging again since. Some businesses went ahead with enormous and extraordinary purchasing, although there were obviously challenges that pushed them, like climbing raw material prices. People felt inclined to make big purchase orders higher up the chain, because of the never-ending rising prices, which pushed orders down the chain. And no one wanted to be left holding the baby. But now we’re seeing a lot more businesses in difficulties. ProBikeKit becoming available was unforeseen.

Frasers Group has gone on to buy ProBikeKit. Can you tell us how that fits into your plans or is the dust still settling on the deal?

The acquisition demonstrates Frasers Group commitment to cycling and belief in the management team – and wider employee group – of the Frasers Group ‘Wheels’ team.

Obviously, this is a massive period of change for the cycling industry, but Evans Cycles itself has been through some huge changes itself. 2018 was a tough year while it was looking for buyers. Clearly, in 2018, I was a supplier. I saw

first-hand the pain that Evans went through. Then came the acquisition carried out by the Frasers Group and I personally got on with the group straightaway. As a supplier, I thought I can deal with these people, they’re honest, they have integrity and they want to see what they can bring to the bike industry.

I think that’s one of the ways we’re trying to achieve things here. And it’s not only Evans Cycles. I’m Managing Director of Wheels at Frasers Group, which is everything with a wheel on, in all the countries where we sell them. And that does have to fit together with the rest of the management team.

Evans Cycles is the core and the UK is at the centre, but the wider Frasers Group is expanding internationally and Wheels will come along with that.

It’s been a challenging timeline for Evans if I’m honest. There was the 2018 administration, then things paused before it started to integrate into the group in 2019. Then it had to come up against Covid in a period where it was still finding its feet in a new group. Now we’re dealing with the post-Covid market so that really takes us from 2018 to 2023 without much normality. However, we are very much finding our feet and foundations and they’ve brought me in from the bicycle world. As Managing Director of Wheels I drive strategic action. My view is that the bike industry was not healthy prior to the pandemic, it was sickly. Things needed to change. The best way to do that is to take the skillset of someone like myself who’s a bike guy and you take the skills of the people who took Sports Direct from one store in Maidenhead in 1982 to a £5.2 billion organisation. Using that retail skill set from all the Frasers Group and using it in the bike industry.

You have to recognise that the bike industry is unique, special and challenging. It’s technical, there are safety issues and concerns, and training is required,

etc. So, it’s specialist retailing. I’ve always said that you need to mix the business people with the bike people. If you have too many bike people, you can get sucked into lovely product. If you have too many people that purely look at numbers, they don’t necessarily always take into account the idiosyncrasies of the bike industry. So, we have to look at new ways to do things. If we pick out all the best bits and add it to the strength of the process, then I think we have a unique proposition.

And you have an Evans Cycles flagships project?

We have three pillars of opportunity. One is to utilise the power of the Sports Direct network and get cycling into more of the Sports Direct stores. We are developing a range of own brand bikes that will be sold across the wider Sports Direct network under the Universal brand name, with an opening price point which will welcome people into cycling in an affordable way but still offer a quality product.

They will be fully assembled prior to arrival in store or prior to arrival with the consumer. They’ll be brilliantly packaged with an excellent explanation of how you assemble it. Minimal technical skills will be required to assemble them correctly and safely. Then we’ll take more brands, because we’re elevating – a word that is used a lot in the group – elevating the bicycle offering in a wider range of our stores with more brands. Third party brands will be available in Sports Direct.

We will certainly be selling bikes that gets sold at Christmas, but not the kind that end up in the tip by July. We’re having bikes that are sold at Christmas and then handed down to the younger sibling. So, that’s number one in terms of how we’ll utilise the power of Sports Direct.

Number two is that we are creating a

very powerful website. The Evans Cycles website will be more comprehensive than, I think, any website has ever been in the bicycle industry, anywhere. We’re working with over 20 suppliers currently at various points of integration of doing dropship with us. And we’re doing that not because we want to abdicate responsibility for holding stock, but just so that we can have enormous breadth of range.

We call it the encyclopedia of cycling, it will be the most comprehensive website in the bicycle industry. These brands support us because we truly are omni-channel. We know how much of our businesses is click and collect. And we know that we have 70 stores. So, we have the brands that we can offer on the web.

Number three is to be the national retailer of choice for the premium brands.

Russell Merry, Managing Director of Wheels at Frasers Group

“EVANS CYCLES IS THE CORE AND THE UK IS AT THE CENTRE, BUT THE WIDER FRASERS GROUP IS EXPANDING INTERNATIONALLY AND WHEELS WILL COME ALONG WITH THAT. ”

Evans currently has about 70 stores. We will open some more. We don’t have quite enough in London or the South. I won’t give any specific locations, but it’s really easy to look at a map on our website and see where our locations are. There are a few places to fill in to make sure we are the national retailer, and also the premium brand which then fits in with being an omni-channel retailer, so that we can do click and collect better.

Within Evans, we’re going to break things out a little bit with flagships, one of which will be in Yeovil which has been a TRI UK location. There’ll be a new one in London, which we haven’t found yet. We’re looking for a site that will have to be quite prestigious. Then there’ll be one on our current site at Cheetham Hill, Manchester, which I think is the biggest bike shop in the UK 17,600 ft2. And then Glasgow Fort will be another one of our flagships.

The Evans flagships will carry the absolute latest premium offering from all those brands. So, when a brand like Specialized or Trek or whoever has a global launch of a new exciting bike, maybe with a global embargo on a certain day, those five stores will have that absolute premium offering in their flagship location. They will also have what’s called ship from store. So, we will be able to ship orders from there too.

We’ll be able to have those fantastic new and very premium products in store and on the web at the same time. That’s a very interesting efficiency for us that we can have them online and we can ship from the store.

Those flagship stores will have the absolute best of our offering, because it isn’t

ASK THE BOSS

Evans Cycles

of categories and omni channel is absolutely it. Having the locations, having bricks and mortar is complementary to the web. So, we need to fill in our bricks and mortar locations so we have more click and collect locations. The evidence is that the stores will significantly, ironically, strengthen us online. It’s a very unique proposition that we have, because I haven’t really seen it done before.

always possible to put the most expensive bike across 70 stores, that would be too much investment with all the different brands we have. That’s impossible. So, creating the flagships continues to elevate Evans Cycles. And then Evans, of course, has its network to grow.

The third part is we’re going to create stores called Evans Go. Evans Go is a bit like an Express version of Tesco. So what Tesco Express is to Tesco, Evans Go will be to Evans.

Do you have like a target store count in mind for the purely Evans stores?

I think it will go up a little bit in London, and it will fill in on the south coast with some adjustment elsewhere.

Okay, so you’re not aiming for like number targets or anything like that?

I think that much depends on great sites with the right footfall. We’re negotiating on a few sites in London but you’ve got to get the right rent and get everything lined up, so we don’t say we have to have this many stores by this time. Our ambition is to have the right stores in the right place at the right price.

You made the point about the balance of sales through online versus bricks and mortar, and that you need all those physical shops to facilitate click and collect… We have a motto that it only works if it all works. The group talks about an ecosystem where they have multiple brands that will complement each other. For example, we have gyms and we have sports stores, and we have a premium luxury retail. Pure play online is challenged in all sorts

I’ve obviously been in the UK bike industry a while and travelled a lot around Europe especially and I’m not sure that I’ve seen it quite like our model. And then we obviously get the regional variation. Now we’ve got stores 17,600 ft2 stores in Manchester, and then we’ve got stores in central London. So, the product mix that you have is very different. That’s where we have to be sophisticated and the group is helping us a lot to get the mix right.

I’m hearing more conversations about retailers specialising, such as a split between eBike-focused shops and more traditional bike shops. And you sort of touched on that, with different ranges in different areas. Is that something you’d look at? Would Evans ever open eBike only shops?

We’re not. We can see the benefit of eBikes but we are looking at welcoming people into cycling and when they progress we’re determined to take them on their whole cycling journey. That plays into the Universal brand. We’ll cater for everyone.

That obvious example of not selling many mountain bikes in central London or as many Bromptons in a rural northern town holds true. Getting your stock mix right is really complicated but we’re doing a better job of it. You’ve got different sized stores, all in different geographies.

Sticking with eBikes, do you see them grabbing a larger share of the market, mirroring northern European nations where they’ve taken share from traditional bikes. Do you have a view on that?

I think we’re very much in line with the big data and our share of sales is in line with the overall market. Where do I see it going? I think the technology will keep improving and changing, maybe the price point of eBikes will come down. Price points of bicycles obviously climbed during the pandemic. Some of that was to do with the fact that container pricing went to $20,000. It’s back down now but I don’t know what’s going

Evans’ flagship store proposition will see a select bunch carry the absolute latest premium offerings from bike brands

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to happen with the pricing of bikes in the medium term.

eBikes expand the market, because there are an awful lot of middle-aged people particularly who are spending good money on eBikes who weren’t before. Do I think that that’s going to kill off gravel bikes and kids bikes and everything else? Absolutely not. There are still plenty of people who want to feel the burn of cycling.

We recently heard that Decathlon is looking to launch hire bikes. Is that something that Evans is looking at? That’s not for us. I think we have still got quite a lot more people to figure out how to sell bikes to.

And also, things like subscription models, I’m guessing that probably won’t be right up your street. But I guess the idea of having 1,000s of customers paying Evans like a monthly fee must be sort of a nice concept. Basically, the answer is no. We’re not exploring that yet. I think we might wait and see on it.

ASK THE BOSS

Evans Cycles

And the second-hand bike marketplace? Halfords is now dedicating floor space to second hand bikes and there seems to be more emphasis on reusing bikes than having them end up in landfill…

Making better bikes that don’t end up in landfill is exactly what Universal is doing. But I do think there are effective platforms for reselling secondhand bikes at the moment. Also, at this time, there’s a considerable amount of excess inventory in the market at clearance prices. So, how much how less do you then have to offer this person for their secondhand bike and then spend some time and money mechanically checking it and maintaining it and then selling it?

I don’t feel that at the moment with excess inventory and current average prices that secondhand bikes work works at retail.

Something else you touched on is international expansion...

It’s a flag to a future, which is that Frasers Group is expanding internationally, particularly in Europe. There are six

Sports Direct stores in Austria and these are likely to have an Evans space, so there is international expansion afoot, but alongside the group. That’s obviously one of the advantages of being part of that bigger group. Evans has really gathered momentum. We are going forwards in the UK, we will then replicate the best bits of that model into other countries.

How about the trade shows? It seems they are making a lot of noise right now, in the post-Covid world?

I think people want to meet up again. I think trade shows are valid. People do actually like meeting each other. You do get to know someone in a social setting. I go to shows and will get stuff done by talking to people face-to-face and perhaps having a joke with them.

This year the market is very much about clearance. One of my anecdotes is bicycles are like ice creams. I’ve been saying that for 20 years. When the weather picks up, cycling picks up –we’re going into the season. We’re quite positive about our sales numbers and where we’re going.

“EVANS HAS REALLY GATHERED MOMENTUM. WE ARE GOING FORWARDS IN THE UK, WE WILL THEN REPLICATE THE BEST BITS OF THAT MODEL INTO OTHER COUNTRIES.”

Another thing I say to the brands at the moment is that bikes are just two triangles stuck together with some Shimano on. They are all really nice and the front end and the back end are two triangles that are glued together. And they all have third party componentry that levels them.

So, if global brand A reduces the price of its 105-equipped bikes, other global brands’ 105-equipped bikes are also affected by that price reduction. You don’t get that when Mercedes reduce the price of a car. Audi don’t necessarily feel quite so impacted because we don’t know who made the Audi gearbox. We don’t know who makes the Audi suspension. Whereas in a bicycle, you do. It’s all third party visibly branded with big stickers on it. So, at the moment there is considerable excess inventory in the market, which is why all the brands and all retailers are making special offers at the moment.

For the next year, probably the only way to make money in the bicycle industry is to buy things at a discount that you can sell at a discount, because there are, across the market, discounts. That will right itself. It’ll be more important to be absolutely onpoint with the latest product launch.

That is exactly why we are putting our flagship stores in place so that as the

market rights itself, we will be in the best position to have the latest product launch in stores on the day of release. The flagship programme is primarily for the post-overstock era.

Aside from obviously overstocks, what do you think are the biggest challenges that are facing the industry and the market? The biggest challenge is it is unique. The industry has obviously a lot of positive factors behind it; it’s positive for the environment, it’s positive for congestion. We’ve had some setbacks in UK government funding recently, but it generally is supported by central government and local government. It’s got many medium-term positives. It has some acute short-term challenges to do with over supply, which have unfortunate consequences. We’ve talked about some people suffering in the market and we’ve seen shops closing as well. Those short-term challenges are very serious, but the medium-term prospects for the industry remain good.

Evans update: A new own-brand (Universal) and a fresh set of store concepts represent a considerable shake up of the market

“FOR THE NEXT YEAR, PROBABLY THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE MONEY IN THE BICYCLE INDUSTRY IS TO BUY THINGS AT A DISCOUNT THAT YOU CAN SELL AT A DISCOUNT, BECAUSE THERE ARE, ACROSS THE MARKET, DISCOUNTS.”

In terms of sourcing bikes from the Far East, are there any sort of particular things, any shifts going on there? Because obviously, there’s a situation in Taiwan and China which you could argue was a risk at some point to the cycle industry. Do you think people are moving any production into different territories? I’m very fortunate that we have our own offices in Asia. Specifically, we have brilliant bicycle industry expertise. I think Taiwan remains the heartbeat of the industry in Asia. I don’t know if anyone has been particularly proactive about moving production to different parts of the world because they’re frightened of geopolitical events with China. I think that’s probably above our level. Really, I think we have bike people who should sell bikes and I think if we tried to worry about all those other things, we would make decisions that were not directly about selling bikes. I think we’ll cross bridges when we come to them. And obviously, for all the right reasons, hope that nothing ever goes wrong.

Unforeseen things happen, whoever saw Covid coming? But you have got to try and deal with what you know. All we know is, Taiwan is still the heartbeat of the bicycle industry.

ASK THE BOSS

Evans Cycles

Any thoughts summing up?

I’ve been here over one year. I spent a long time in the supply side, now I’m on the retail side, and learning a lot from the Frasers Group and trying to bring my bicycle industry experience. I think that’s a powerful combination. It’s been great, I’m learning and I think that retail is a fine art.

We call the industry a pre-consolidation industry. It has a very strong independent sector and it is still quite fragmented. And we do see consolidation coming. We see that as an opportunity, because we will take the retail strengths of Frasers Group added to our bicycle industry strengths and come up with the right formula.

Has it given you a greater appreciation of retailers?

Just because you can design a bike frame doesn’t mean to say you can run a bike shop. Because I’m a bike guy, I’ve been able to supply to dealers, or I’ve actually been involved in development of product. But that doesn’t mean to say I was going to be a brilliant retailer. So, I do every bit as much listening as I do talking when I work here. I think I’ve always had an appreciation for the retailer. When I was

the General Manager at CSG North America, I shut the three Cannondale stores, because we were not doing a great job of them.

I’ve always appreciated the skills of the retailers. Clearly some are better than others. There’s some brilliant IBDs and there are some that will not last industry consolidation. There’s a lot of different skills in retail. So, yes. In answer to your question, I do have a greater appreciation for retailers.

Running 70 of them is tricky. Some stores are 2,000 ft2 in the city centre, then you’ve got a 17,000 ft2 store in Manchester. That’s a lot to get your head around. There are some people who go into it just because they like bikes. And that is very much where we talk about getting this blend of getting the bike people in with the retail expertise. I think we’ve got a good formula. We are really happy with our brand portfolio and we’re really happy with our supplier base. Our brands are generally helping us to do better.

www.evanscycles.com

“WE ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH OUR BRAND PORTFOLIO AND WE’RE REALLY HAPPY WITH OUR SUPPLIER BASE. OUR BRANDS ARE GENERALLY HELPING US TO DO BETTER.”

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