Eliminate tricky punctures this autumn Offer as an add-on to all services
FROM THE
EDITOR
RESHAPING URBAN SPACES
LONDON’S Oxford Street is, at last, to be pedestrianised. In many ways, it is amazing how long it has held on in its current form, with traffic thundering along between reams of shoppers. There are multiple questions on how that pedestrianisation will be delivered, but for this most famous of shopping streets, it’s surely about time.
The shape of the high street and our urban areas has a direct impact on active travel and has been hotly debated for as long as I can remember. One newish element being thrown into the mix is the advent of autonomous cars.
Coming from a cycle perspective, the prospect of autonomous cars has brought its own worries – will they be able to adequately detect and safely negotiate bicycles and their riders? And their arrival is not exactly going to reduce congestion, as they won’t be encouraging people into active travel…
I recently attended a seminar at the E-Commerce Expo. There, Jason Bradbury gave a wide-ranging talk with a more optimistic view on autonomous cars. Believing them to be not as far off in the future as many of us think, he pointed out the disruptive effect they will have on urban spaces. How so? Well they’d spell the end of the urban car park. It’s worth picturing that for a moment. You arrive by car in town, you step out and said car promptly drives off to pick up another passenger. The removal of car parks will provide drastic scope for the reshaping of town and city centres. That disruptive effect applies to car ownership too. One vision of the autonomous car future sees car ownership plummet. Why would you bother to own one when you can simply request one on your app, get from A to B, then leave the car to drive off and pick up someone else?
Maybe it’s overly naïve to expect autonomous cars to provide an indirect boost for active travel, but it’s worth remembering that urban spaces weren’t “always like that” and positive change is possible, even if it is coming from unusual sources.
Jonathon Harker
jon@cyclingindustr y.news
Jerr y Ramsdale jerr y@cyclingindustr y.news
Editor Jonathon Harker jon@cyclingindustr y.news
Sales Manager Lloyd Ramsdale Lloyd@cyclingindustr y.news
Head of Produc tion Luke Wikner production@cyclingindustr y.news
Head of Marketing Shona Hayes shona@cyclingindustr y.news
Designers Dan Bennett Victoria Arellano
THE PRICE IS RIGHT?
The RRP of bikes is under the spotlight, but the ‘are bikes too expensive?’ debate is only the tip of the iceberg. Customers are price and deal orientated as the cost of living crisis endures, while the UK’s newly formed Trade Remedies Authority is recommending relaxing high tariffs on China eBikes which – if enacted –will bring more cheaper eBikes into the market. But is that actually going to benefit the trade?
POST-BREXIT, THE UK’S TRADE REMEDIES AUTHORITY RECOMMENDS THE REDUCTION OF ANTI-DUMPING TAX ON CHINESE EBIKES. NOW IT’S EXAMINING WHETHER LEVIES ON NON-ELECTRIC BIKES AND CERTAIN P&A FROM CHINA SHOULD BE RELAXED… DO WE NEED CHEAPER EBIKES AND ‘NORMAL’ BIKES (AND ‘CERTAIN’ P&A)? IS PRICE REALLY WHAT’S HOLDING THE INDUSTRY/ CYCLING BACK RIGHT NOW?
Gavin Hudson, Butternut Bikes
There’s no doubt that cheaper eBikes would sell in big numbers, but it wouldn’t be through bike shops, and it wouldn’t be bikes of a quality that could be repaired and used for years to come. P&A can be bought very cheaply at trade prices, so other than benefiting D2C channels (eBay, Amazon), I don’t see that it would help a lot. If people can buy a cheap bike really cheap, they probably won’t spend the same money on a quality bike, they’ll just spend less, and it will make the genuine quality bikes look more expensive. It’s not an issue that is particularly on my radar, I’d prefer to make it easier to import from Europe, perhaps some sort of trade bloc...
BECOMING A PANELLIST
If you are an independent retailer and would like to take part in future issues, e-mail: Jon@cyclingindustry.news
PLAYING DEVIL’S ADVOCATE – BIKE OWNERSHIP IS PRESUMABLY QUITE HIGH IN THE UK RIGHT NOW, AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS AND SUSTAINED BIKE SALES TO CLEAR STOCK. THIS HASN’T APPARENTLY RESULTED IN A BOOM TIME FOR THE INDUSTRY, OR HIGHER NUMBERS OF CYCLISTS… SO CHEAPER BIKES AREN’T NECESSARILY THE WAY TO GROW THE MARKET? WOULD YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THAT?
Gavin Hudson, Butternut Bikes
There are a limited number of cyclists in the UK, perhaps something that the trade could do to encourage new bike sales is to find better ways of recycling used bikes? People are reluctant to throw away a low-quality bike, or one that is beyond economic repair. Perhaps if we could tell people that there are genuine, good recycling/reuse schemes in place, it would free up some space in people’s lives for a new bike? Here in London the number one thing holding us back is the risk of theft. People are crammed into flats, upstairs and don’t have spare rooms, garages or even gardens. They don’t want their bike to be stolen from outside the house or when they are using it. Insurance and locks can only do so much, but they don’t want the emotional distress of bikes being nicked, let alone feeling that they will be jacked for their £5,000 eBike.
“WE ARE TRYING TO REMAIN OPTIMISTIC AS BIKE ENQUIRIES HAVE INCREASED THIS YEAR, BUT DESPITE SALES TURNOVER AND VOLUME OF BIKES BEING UP 30% VS THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR THE PROFITS ARE DOWN DUE TO THE HIGH DISCOUNTS WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO OFFER TO TRY AND WIN THE SALE.”
Gemma & James RedSky Bikes
CONSUMERS ARE PRESUMABLY MORE PRICE CONSCIOUS THAN A FEW YEARS AGO, SO ARE CUSTOMERS COMPLAINING ABOUT PRICES (MORE THAN USUAL) AT THE MOMENT?
Gemma & James, RedSky Bikes
Customers are all so deal driven at the moment. Yes, they want to spend as little as possible but they also want to know that they are getting a deal. We see so many customers with new bikes that are the wrong bike for them, perhaps wrong size or wrong spec for what they want to do with it. But they bought it on the internet because it had 50% off and it was a bargain it should have been £8,000 and it was reduced to £4,000.
I don’t think this is helping create lifetime cyclists. Your local bike shop is there to make sure you get matched up with the right bike to make sure you have years of enjoyment on it because it’s the right bike for you and your adventures. We do get asked a lot at the moment if we offer finance so customers can spread the cost and more uptake on cycle to work schemes recently.
Gavin Hudson, Butternut Bikes
The process of offering finance seems to be more hassle than it’s worth. Having said that, cycle to work schemes are still driving a lot of business. My gut feel is that people are making the most of them before they are watered down. You can’t listen too much to the people complaining about price. Let’s take an example of charging £100 or £90 for a service. If at
THE PANELLISTS
£90, all ten customers go ahead, you’ve got £900 in your till. If at £100, one customer turns it down, you’ve still got £900, but you’ve dodged the price conscious customer, and only had to do 9 services instead of 10.
WITH A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK OF THE YEAR’S TRADING NOW UNDER 2024’S BELT, HOW ARE THINGS COMPARING WITH 2023? JUST AS BAD, OR JUST ABOUT BOBBING ABOVE THAT DIRE YEAR?
Gemma & James, RedSky Bikes
“We are trying to remain optimistic as bike enquiries have increased this year, but despite sales turnover and volume of bikes being up 30% vs the same time last year the profits are down due to the high discounts we have been forced to offer to try and win the sale.”
Gavin Hudson, Butternut Bikes
Everyone likes to complain, it’s in our nature. 2023 was a record year for Butternut Bikes, and 2024 is 43% up on that, to date. So not so much bobbing above, as surfing the storm. Any business can do well in nearly any market conditions, it’s all about how you adapt and market yourself. We don’t do nearly enough marketing locally, there’s loads more we could do. If every LBS spent one day a month doing some good quality marketing and not just managing the day to day, we could probably all do a lot better.
BIKE JOBS + RECRUITMENT
Gavin Hudson Butternut Bikes
Gemma & James RedSky Bikes
WHO SHOULD PAY FOR DEMO FLEETS?
CIN plunges into some tricky retail matters with the help of 2024’s Market Data and takes a look at how governmental priorities align with those of the industry’s front line. Hint: Actually slightly more than you might assume, with a few sizeable exceptions..
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATIVE TWEAKS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PASS?
ANALYSIS
By the time you’re reading this, 2024’s new UK government will have delivered its first budget. It seems pretty optimistic that it will include VAT removal or reduction on cycling goods, or on workshop servicing – two priorities identified by the nation’s bike shops. 2024 has, it turns out, revealed an entirely different set of cycle-related governmental priorities, with the political wheels of Westminster instead looking at anti-dumping duties on eBikes imported from China. Whether the front line of the trade believes that to be useful in delivering meaningful sustainable change to the market is moot. As they used to say on Big Brother: “You decide.”
Broadening of the Cycle to Work initiative was among the other priorities for UK bike shops and, happily, that is something that appears to be on the agenda in Westminster, with bodies like the ACT blazing a trail and pushing for positive change that benefits all of the industry.
What else? Infrastructure. Here too there is some alignment between governmental and bicycle industry priorities, but
surely not at the pace the market would choose. London continues to plug away at largely useful and meaningful cycle pathways and the establishment of Active Travel England has provided developers of new housing estates (England-wide) cause to step up their active travel infrastructure as well as squeezing as much profitability as possible out of their sites.
Infrastructurally speaking, there’s cause for concern for the industry particularly in relation to Wales’ MTB trails which are facing an existential crisis in some cases as Natural Resources Wales struggles with budgets. Cycle lanes in urban areas may tend to grab the cycle infrastructure headlines, but here is a reminder that pro-cycling bodies have to be on the ball on the sports/leisure side of cycling too.
To end on a more optimistic note, a national eBike subsidy scheme has the air of achievability around it, although there doesn’t appear to be a serious push for such a thing. Maybe the campaign needs to start here?
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON SHOP DEMO BIKES AND FLEETS?
ANALYSIS
Who pays for demo fleets? Well, that’s a potentially thorny question in the world of retail. Does a brand or distributor splash out on a shop’s demo fleet? Or should a cash flow-struggling shop grit its teeth and pay out for bikes that will hopefully lead to customer purchases? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle?
The overwhelming number of respondents felt that demo fleets are important to help sell bikes. No surprises there perhaps. The ‘bums on saddles’ and ‘eBike smile’ phrases have been around for a good while and reflect long-established wisdom that if you want to sell someone a bike, it’s a damn good idea to get them onto one of them so they can experience the sheer fun and joy of doing so before they buy, easing their subsequent handing over of thousands to repeat that feeling at their convenience.
The next set of responses is a lot more split on the topic, with far fewer shops believing demo fleets are “essential” to help sell bikes. An equally large proportion of bike shops believe their impact on bike sales is negligible. And another similar proportion of bike shops – and it is here we are at the nub of the topic –believe their cost to bike shops outweighs their usefulness in selling bikes. Hard words but if getting bums on saddles really is so important to converting would-be purchasers into actual bike customers (and there have been fewer of those around lately) then we’re touching a challenge that is hindering sales for shops, distributors, brands and impacting on the whole lot of us. So, a pretty important topic, we’d argue.
The smallest proportion of bike shops felt that “while costly, I couldn’t imagine running the business without demo bikes”, which rather paints demo fleets as a necessary evil for many bike shops, which is quite a long way away from a sales tool that shops welcome without gritting their teeth. What’s the answer to these demo fleet woes? Greater minds than CIN’s have been mulling the challenge for decades, no doubt, but maybe the answer is indeed somewhere between the black and while extremes of demo fleet costs falling on either just shops or just distributors.
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ENORMOUS ACCELERATION
Innovative bicycle tech has seen the likes of eBike drive units become vastly more efficient and powerful… and more in need of equally powerful braking solutions. Some of the latest innovations arriving out of Magura’s Swabian HQ have been created to tackle these modern challenges...
Bicycles are riding faster, for longer and carrying more load. Offering a legitimate alternative to a car, bikes – particularly cargo bikes – are highly capable vehicles. But, Magura contends, braking system innovation has not necessarily kept up with these developments and being subjected to excessive strain are prone to wear our more quickly. In short, bicycle brakes today have never had to perform so well.
When you apply that to a commercial application, brakes wearing out fast and requiring more frequent maintenance intervals cut into margins.
Cargo and ABS
Magura has been an established supplier to the motorcycle industry since 1893, and manufacturers have relied on high-performance components from Magura’s Bad Urach headquarters for both road motorcycles and racing. So, naturally, there is enormous expertise in brake construction and Magura is well placed to develop braking systems that can handle heavy demands, like the frequent stop-andgo and regular commuting in urban areas. Magura says: “Special low-wear, stable and precisely modulated components are necessary for an eBike to decelerate in a safe and controlled manner. Many manufacturers still rely on standard brake systems for eBikes, but brakes are among the most safety-relevant components on a motorised bicycle.”
One of Magura’s newest innovations are cargo-specific brakes, for “more miles and less worries”. MAGURA has doubled the time to maintenance compared to normal brakes. Extra thick brake pads with 40% more volume and thick 2.5 mm brake rotors with a 2.1 mm wear limit help keep bikes out of the workshop. Offering
“MANY
MANUFACTURERS STILL RELY ON STANDARD BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR EBIKES, BUT BRAKES ARE AMONG THE MOST SAFETYRELEVANT COMPONENTS ON A MOTORISED BICYCLE.”
IBS combines braking of the front and rear wheels, which noticeably stabilises the vehicle and provides safer braking
Road tests have shown that Magura’s IBS shortens braking distance by up to 40%, the brand says
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more control for even the heaviest cargo bikes, other innovations like a super easy bleeding procedure and installation with EASY LINK have simplified maintenance routines.
Delving back into Magura’s history, the firm was reportedly the first to launch a hydraulic bicycle brake (in 1987) and more recently, in 2018, Magura and Bosch eBike brought ABS to bicycles.
During the development of the eBike ABS, both companies made use of their experience with anti-lock braking systems for motorcycles. As a specialist for eBike drive systems and ABS, Bosch ensured the integration of the eBike ABS into the eBike-system, while brake specialist Magura developed ABS brake components designed specifically for eBikes.
The Bosch eBike ABS supports riders during braking on a wide range of surfaces and in most of the hazardous situations that can arise. To achieve this, the eBike ABS possesses two crucial essential functions; During harsh braking, the Bosch eBike ABS control unit regulates the brake pressure on the front wheel, preventing it from locking. As with a car, the bike then brakes at intervals until it comes to a stop. Steerability is maintained, and the rider sits safe and secure on the saddle. The intelligent rear wheel lift control also reduces the possible lifting of the rear wheel in the event of extremely harsh front wheel overbraking. This prevents hazardous handlebar drops and rollovers, especially on nonslip surfaces and downhill gradients. A Bosch accident research study showed that 29% of all electric bike accidents could have been avoided if the bikes had been equipped with the eBike ABS.
Cargo bike stabilisation & safety
Last year’s Eurobike saw Magura unveil its study of an Integral Braking System (IBS) for cargo bikes. The IBS functions as a brake force distributor between the front and rear brakes. Combining the two brakes in this way provides much better deceleration and stabilisation, the firm explained. Road tests have shown that combined braking with the Magura Integral Braking System shortens the braking distance by up to 40%. The first customer – CA GO – is now bringing IBS to market, with more to follow.
www.magura.com
Above: Magura’s cargo-specific brakes; Below: Ca Go is the first to integrate IBS into its range
DETAILS OF THE MAGURA INTEGRAL BRAKING SYSTEM:
The IBS goes into action whenever the rider brakes, ensuring continuous optimisation of the driving dynamics. It is independent of other components and operates without a power supply or sensor system. The advantages include:
VEHICLE STABILISATION
Combined braking of the front and rear wheels noticeably stabilises the vehicle and ensures safe braking.
SHORTER BRAKING DISTANCE
Optimised distribution of the braking force significantly shortens the braking distance, especially in critical situations without a load. The braking distance is up to 40% shorter
than with single-handed operation, making it equal to that achieved by highly experienced professionals, says Magura.
MORE EVEN WEAR
Combined braking of the front and rear wheels prevents uneven wear, in this way permitting longer maintenance intervals (especially for wear on brake pads and rotors).
POTENTIAL FOR ONE-HAND OPERATION
The IBS can easily be operated with one hand – without sacrificing safety (however, two redundant brake systems are installed in the vehicle for compliance with statutory regulations).
MAKES LIGHT OF HEAVY BIKES
stops a light bike. But MAGURA brakes stop even the heaviest with ease. And we´ve doubled the time till maintenance! Extra thick brake pads with 40 % more volume and thick 2.5 mm brake rotors keep you out of the workshop. For more miles. Less worries. Do you want maximum safety? Add ABS or IBS.
MILLIONS DELIVERED BY CARGO BIKE
Could Amazon become an ally for cycle campaigners working for better bike infrastructure across the UK? With the vast retailer investing in micromobility hubs across the nation and becoming more dependent on bikes to complete last mile deliveries, there’s a strong chance, writes Jonathon Harker
The UK is regularly blasted for not having the right conditions for the use of cargo bikes in last mile delivery scenarios. The weather isn’t right, it’s not like it is in Europe in terms of bike culture, things are not correctly set up to facilitate it and vans work just fine, thank you very much.
Yet the biggest names in last mile deliveries and logistics are clutching cargo bikes (particularly those that are electric-powered) to their mighty chests.
Millions of Amazon packages have already been delivered by electric cargo bikes across the UK and not just in London. We’re also talking Glasgow, Manchester, Belfast… and Norwich, among others. Those aforementioned cities have micromobility hubs, which are usually located within delivery stations and are where packages are sorted before the final leg (or ‘last mile’) of their journey.
Manchester and London saw the first Amazon micromobility hubs created in 2022, and there are now four separate hubs in London which
alone deliver millions of packages yearly (Wembley, Southwark, Croydon and Shoreditch). 2023 saw that expand into Glasgow, with its first Northern Irish micromobility hub open in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. Also in 2024, Amazon opened its eighth micromobility hub, in Norwich, from where eCargo bikes deliver thousands of packages across the city every week.
Previously, Amazon packages arrived from Amazon fulfilment centres before being loaded onto delivery vans. Micromobility hubs, however, facilitate electric cargo bike (and on-foot) deliveries.
Amazon is just getting started on this. The giant business plans to become net carbon by 2040 and is planning a €1 billion investment in electrification and decarbonisation of its transport network across Europe, including its micromobility hubs, which now operate in more than 40 cities across the continent.
Amazon’s €1 billion investment includes a cool £300 million for the UK to
promote innovation in the logistics industry, which has identified the encouragement of development of public charging infrastructure as a priority.
Amazon clearly has the financial clout to experiment with technology, often with quirky ideas that have captured a few headlines along the way, including drones delivering packages and robots doing the same on the streets of Milton Keynes and elsewhere – both looking to help solve the challenges inherent to the last mile sector. Micromobility hubs have not had quite the same level of publicity, but there are clear signs that Amazon is wedded to the concept, with positive implications for the cycling industry.
One of those is the potential for Amazon to become a lobbyist for better bike conditions in the UK. Perhaps we haven’t traditionally seen the retailer as a cycle advocate, but there is strong potential here that Amazon could become an ally for the industry. How’s that for a positive slant to developments in 2024?
“THE GIANT BUSINESS PLANS TO BECOME NET CARBON BY 2040 AND IS PLANNING A €1 BILLION INVESTMENT IN ELECTRIFICATION AND DECARBONISATION OF ITS TRANSPORT NETWORK ACROSS EUROPE.”
Amazon’s vast logistics efforts have to overcome challenges over the so-called first, middle and last mile stages
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CBAM: COMING TO AN INDUSTRY NEAR YOU
Europe’s trail blazing legislation to curb ‘carbon leakage’ and improve industrial decarbonisation is getting underway and once it is in full flow, the cycling industry is unlikely to escape its spotlight…
CBAM might not be on your business radar right now and who would blame you for that?
On the face of it, the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is a dry topic that does not directly mention bicycles. Yet.
Currently, CBAM is looking at the supply chain for components and raw materials, like cement, electricity, nuts and bolts, hydrogen… But there are strong signs that the wind is blowing in one direction and will, in time, include more ‘downstream’ products, like bicycles and indeed P&A.
Addressing carbon leakage and encouraging industry to reduce its carbon emissions is an aim that few of us would argue with, and CBAM aims to do precisely that, cross borders. What’s the use of a UK warehouse running with LED lighting and with its own wind turbine if the product sitting within it are imported from factories with less respect for the environment?
That’s the kind of point CBAM is looking to address – an all-encompassing look at the supply chain of product.
“The best solution to carbon leakage is an international one. The UK and many others around the world are working to reduce carbon leakage risk by pushing for ambitious climate action. But progress on international solutions takes time,” says the official word from the government.
While CBAM looks at the whole supply chain, there is considerable
emphasis on importer responsibility. The UK government’s CBAM portal explains: “CBAM liability will lie directly with the importer of imported products within scope of the UK CBAM on the basis of emissions embodied in imported goods. This system will not involve the purchase or trading of emissions certificates.”
Keeping track of carbon emissions of a product originating hundreds or thousands of miles away is a challenge and that’s partially the reason that CBAM is slowly transitioning into practice. The European Commission has not yet, for instance, nailed down all of the processes of reporting, checking and even paying for CBAM certificates. But it’s working on it and in all likelihood, CBAM will mean an increase in the prices of the items it currently has in its sights, with importers paying tax on those items where there is ‘carbon leakage’. The short version is, some materials will be getting more expensive. Pundits in the know say that the construction industry, a sector that will be among the first to be affected, is currently “underestimating the cost of CBAM”.
Will CBAM increase the attractiveness of manufacturing closer to home eg near shoring? Some pundits say yes. Europe has been accused of protectionist measures in the past and some will no doubt say CBAM isn’t exactly encouraging the use of far off suppliers where it is potentially harder to prove their carbon credentials.
You may reasonably argue that CIN is ringing alarm bells with no justification, as there is little if any mention of cycling in the same breath as CBAM, currently. Individuals can decide if they think CBAM will stick only within the current items it has within its remit. But we can say with certainty that – even before the initial tranche of CBAM has been fully implemented –an enquiry is already underway, looking at what other items and products should next be included within CBAM.
The life of an importer has become more complex in recent years and the introduction of UK CBAM – being implemented by 2027 – will add to that complexity, particularly initially as importers grapple with the new rules. The – some would say inevitable –rolling out of CBAM to other items, materials and ‘downstream’ products will doubtless add to the challenges, and likely increase the need for local knowledge and experience. But it seems reasonable to expect the distant prospect of CBAM affecting cycling will not look quite such a far off prospect in the years to come.
“CYCLING IS NOT WITHIN THE CURRENT SCOPE OF CBAM, BUT PUNDITS SAY THE BREAKTHROUGH LEGISLATION WILL, IN TIME, INCLUDE MORE ‘DOWNSTREAM’ PRODUCTS.”
www.cambriantyresb2b.co.uk
www.lyonequipment.com
goodyearbike
COMING UP FOR
All we’ve been doing for four years is taking stock of the here and now, but what about the future? Taking a crystal ball view an industry analyst looks outward at some potential tailwinds and some new headwinds that may come to govern how we plan for the next 10 years…
It’s been just about long enough already, hasn’t it? The bike industry has felt as though it has been the metaphorical deer in the headlights now for a few admittedly tough years. It’s been incredibly difficult to feel anything other than paralysed in the face of extreme uncertainty. How do you plan for a party when there’s rain forecast for months?
While the stock overload is easing overall, albeit slowed by a mix of poor weather and a dire economic backdrop, there’s still far too much of certain lines clogging the pipes. To this day to speak of the overstock issue is to suck the air out of the room. The risk takers and market makers remain sat on their hands, waiting. There’s not much more to say about Covid’s effects on our industry, other than to forewarn the young blood in our industry that next time euphoria hits you must have the foresight to know the music will stop and there will be less chairs.
I distinctly remember 2020. It was pandemonium the second that the trade understood that the set of conditions before us were unprecedented and positive. In the lead up to 2019’s close the trade was gloomy. A popular thread on a trade forum titled only ‘tracking closures’ was (and still is) the most read of all; it’s little wonder that when the tune changed the pure joy at first overwhelmed and then extrapolat-
ed outwards. You may recall at the time crashed stock markets, except leading the rebound was medical science, toilet roll manufacturers and bike industry stocks. Then came the vaccine and all of a sudden everything went back to normal for about a day. Then all of a sudden nobody knew what normal was and nobody has since.
Anyway, you know the story. You’ve lived it day and night. I promised an attempt at futurism and with each case made I’ll reference a book that has got me thinking about the subject and its effects on our bubble. Briefly on that note, to this day, nobody does this better than Jay Townley and his Human Powered Solutions email is well worth your signing up to, even accounting for its US-focused content.
MISINFORMATION, CULTURE WARS AND THE JUDICIARY
Oh boy, isn’t this wound fresh? While this may seem a relatively new phenomena, truth be told we just live in a digital world now. Everyone became a publisher and then the actual publishers were told they’re no good by an empowered masses. Then came the us vs them formula, turning news channels into entertainment shows with experts and, erm, other people of varying relevance competing for decibels.
How does it relate to the cycling industry? Going back through the
archives of the Cycling Industry News Market Data, which is now in its seventh edition, the authors previously adapted a question on the challenges the trade faces on an ongoing basis. When I saw the data I remember glossing past the obvious and, staring me in the face, I recall in the top three adverse outside factors affecting trade seeing ‘cycling’s image in the national press’.
Long before things were ‘woke’, cycling and cyclists were being beaten with a variety of sticks and with the digital age that expanded onto social platforms. Often verbatim attacks and misrepresentations of truths. The bingo card: ‘You don’t pay road tax’. ‘You always ride two abreast’. ‘You weren’t wearing a helmet, you deserve to get hit’. ‘This isn’t The Netherlands’. You’ll know as well as I that this stuff sticks, even though each point is refutable in seconds with either a Google search or basic decency. No amount of evidence can replace a widely shared, repeated lie. The language permeates deeply. You’ll no doubt have been frustrated time and time again to see the headline ‘car kills cyclist’. Did it? By itself? Language really matters, because those headlines dehumanise us. How about ‘drunk driver kills 10year-old cycling to school?‘ That felt different, didn’t it? It should, because that’s what happened. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a position where
ISON DISTRIBUTION
Ultra-Tough Anti-Angle Grinder D-Lock
Cycling’s image in the national press has struggled to be positive for long, and the recent spate of misleading headlines about eBike related fires has had its effect on punters
this dehumanisation and the thinking of motornormativity has seeped into the legal system. How often can you recall an ultralight sentence handed down for a killer driver, or a licence handed back because ‘they need it for work’?
“SO,
HOW DOES DISINFORMATION
BUILD?
IN RECENT YEARS DIALOGUE HAS DUMBED DOWN TO SLOGANS ON
REPEAT.”
So, how does disinformation build? In recent years dialogue has dumbed down to slogans on repeat. Numbers can quickly amplify an idea, then herd mentality comes into play. Then as more emotion piles in conspiracy becomes emboldened, unchecked by the mob who pile in on any challenger. This is how Donald Trump came out of the shadows and into the light, emboldened by a feedback loop of stirred emotions that draws in a larger and larger crowd. It’s no different when it comes to minor-league culture wars either. The misinformation formula, so outlines author Sander Van Der Linden in his book Foolproof, is to DEPICT: Discredit, emotion, polariSation, impersonation, conspiracy and finally trolling.
In making notes for this series I came to recognise the pattern again in observing how cycling and cyclists have been lesser targeted in the past 18 months or so. Now the focus has turned to ‘electric bike fires’, ‘speeding eBikers’, ‘criminals on eBikes’. It
is the familiar generalisation and misinformation formula in a different era. Now, two things can be true at once. All of the above are problems, but they are also misrepresentations. Insurance firm Laka dug up the stats on e-mobility goods fires this summer and found that of the half million e-scooters and bikes on the market, 0.011% encountered a fire. 99.989% did not, but if you check Google news at the time of writing with the term ‘electric bike’ headlines mentioning fire are available on tap. This is what’s known as an availability bias, which in simple terms is our tendency to be able to recall recent examples without considering the broader probabilities over an extended period of time.
The vast majority of bike shops I’ve spoken to in the past year say that 50% or more of customers mention fires when buying, which is obviously wildly disproportionate when you consider that the same person would never question the shop assistant in TK Maxx when buying a candle about how often they cause house fires, or to be less silly about it, ask a car dealership the same. By the way, car fires happen more often than eBike fires; a rate of 0.1%. Who’d have thunk it?
entering bike shops
The perception and education challenge facing the cycling industry on eBikes is sizeable and, often, hindered by misinformation
“BIKE SHOPS SAY 50% OR MORE CUSTOMERS MENTION FIRES WHEN BUYING, WHICH IS DISPROPORTIONATE WHEN YOU CONSIDER FEW WOULD QUESTION THE SHOP ASSISTANT IN TK MAXX WHEN BUYING A CANDLE ABOUT HOW OFTEN THEY CAUSE HOUSE FIRES, OR A CAR DEALERSHIP THE SAME.”
Call me crazy, but if I were to sow the misinformation seed that this is right out of the big oil playbook to keep the advancing eBike industry at bay as cars become a harder sell, well you might find yourself repeating it, just to test the water with likeminded folk. Just a little suspicion goes a long way nowadays when such things can amplify at unprecedented speed. See how easy it is to say something plausible, without any true basis and just see which way the wind blows? Of course, the oil and motor industries have run larger, more effective campaigns to paint it as a superior transport in the past, so who knows.
When it comes to combating misinformation Van Der Linden commissioned a game designed to pre-bunk and immunise against misinformation. The theory goes that a weakened, light-hearted dose of a piece of misinformation can reduce the credibility down the line and help people susceptible to falsehoods better spot them in advance.
When you’re in the process of selling an electric bike, you might pre-warn that ‘there are some crazy stories about eBike fires are out there in the press, but that really there’s no difference in the battery to that of the phone in your pocket. Just
don’t try to strap a can of Nitrous Oxide to it like in the Fast and Furious and you’ll be fine.’ Keep it light, and informative then show them where they can find more information if they want to. Job done.
Drawing somewhat closer to a conclusion, we have a perception and education problem and it’s big. Because of the press amplification of this subject landlords, transport services and major buildings like Canary Wharf are now banning electric bikes from premises. That is absolutely a stone-cold sales killer on all fronts and it may well be the industry’s most underrated threat at this moment. Not a problem of our creation, but ours to fix all the same. We absolutely have to fall in line behind the idea the electric bikes should not be tampered with, that conversion kits must be tested and regulated, also that universal charging kits from mass merchants be prohibited from entering the market.
I raise this because it’s serious and in witnessing the powder keg the UK became on the basis of misinformation this summer I know how susceptible so many people can be to a lie repeated often. I also just don’t want to have to spend another ten years arguing about a ‘road tax’ equivalent for the eBike.
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PROFILE A ROCKSOLID DISRUPTOR
ONGUARD
Under the stewardship of Extra UK and Cyclex, OnGuard is aiming to increase its presence in the market, building on its combination of protection, features and value, boosted with some eyecatching products like the angle-grinder resistant RockSolid…
OnGuard made a splash when it launched RockSolid at COREbike earlier this year. Touted as the world’s lightest angle grinder-resistant D Lock, this Sold Secure Diamond rated D Lock has earned a place in the market by offering eye-catching security performance and levels while balancing value for money.
It’s a balance that can pay off when you get it right, with RockSolid making a firm claim for market cash particularly in the emerging category of expanding ownership of high value eBikes. Understandably, OnGuard and its UK and Ireland distributors Extra and Cyclex (which picked up the brand earlier this year) are using the RockSolid D Lock as a lynchpin hero product to build the rest of the brand around. And retailers can do too.
OnGuard’s New Sold Secure Diamond-rated RockSolid angle grinder resistant D Lock plays to the brand’s strengths of high security level and value for both consumers and dealers alike and solidifying its strength in the D Lock category alongside the Pitbull D Lock which was the first lock to be awarded the Sold Secure Diamond rating.
As aforementioned, producing high quality product while balancing appro-
priate price is only one part of the battle – staying in tune with market needs is equally important, and for an international brand that also means staying on top of territory-specific quirks. OnGuard says it is well in tune with UK market needs, which means hitting market leading or matching SRPs and specifications in addition to producing product that is correct for the market.
There’s a strong service element that the brand offers too, which is reassuring for customers parting with their cash (and for bike dealers too). OnGuard offers key registration and OnGuard locks have a lifetime warranty for the original owner.
OnGuard has also used patents and self-owned technology within its products and designs, helping it achieve its high scoring independently tested scores from the likes of Sold Secure and Secured by Design.
RockSolid for bike shops
For dealers, OnGuard may be relatively new to Extra, but the distributor’s experience in the bike locks and security sector mean many are used to stocking locks via Extra. And of course, OnGuard is no stranger to the UK market, having been well established by previous partners, explains Extra:
“OnGuard has a stronger and more competitive range offering than many others. Packed with features inside and out, OnGuard locks deliver the best in security, value and service. We aim to capitalise on existing OnGuard retail distribution and Extra UK category knowledge and customer base.”
“OnGuard is one of the best value and volume lock brand propositions in the category.
The firm says that it has a simple ranging proposition to help underscore OnGuard’s quality of product and value for money, adding that dealer margins are excellent with comprehensive support from Extra and Cyclex in terms of customer service, sales team, pricing and terms.
With attention shifting to 2025, OnGuard has a number of plans in the works to develop, including increased marketing support and refreshed brand imagery. Retailer support has been factored into plans, of course, with an in-store POS project being worked on. Doubtless COREbike 2025 will be among the best ways for dealers to stay in the loop, or for something sooner, there’s the option to get in touch directly.
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The angle grinder-resistant RockSolid joins OnGuard range staples like the Pitbull D Lock
Are bike journos and PRs akin to the proverbial gamekeeper and poacher?
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BIKE PR COIN
Last issue, an anonymous bike journalist shared their shortcuts for marketeers to increase their chances of getting coverage, including some light hearted tips on how best to approach bike journalists. This time, we hand over the reins to a bike marketing guru for their take on how to make the most of the marketing/pr and bike journalist relationship…
As a bike industry marketer reading ‘How to catch a journalist’ last issue l gladly confess that much of it struck a firm chord and I found myself agreeing with most of what the writer had to say.
Now that surprised you, didn’t it?
But seriously though the article raised several valuable points all of which really should be taken on board by those of us on the ‘poacher’ side of the ‘gamekeeper poacher’ dynamic that is the perceived marketer and media relationship. This is a description that is all too often used and one I am keen to come back to (spoiler, I hate it) but for now, let me bri efly explain why I found myself nodding my head like a Churchill dog as I read it. Then I will happily try to put across the marketing teams’ viewpoint in response.
Firstly, I wholeheartedly agree that press releases should be tailored for each media title and should include key facts and contacts. Help the journalist help you! Imagery should not be difficult to arrange given the wonders of 2024 technology and embargoes should always be clearly stated and enforced fairly (this does work both ways I must add). I also agree that marketing lingo and buzz words have
no real place in a press release in my opinion. We need to remember that the end consumer is the true audience, not our university marketing professors. It impresses no one and frustrates many!
So anonymous media writer, I salute you and agree with most of what you said. Now it’s my turn to respond.
Let’s dispel some myths right away, shall we? Bike industry marketing people do not sit watching YouTube ‘rad’ edits all day whilst chugging Monster (other brands are available) and discussing the brand equity values of a social media influencer campaign. OK, we do actually do that from time to time, but not exclusively.
The reality is that we want the same thing as you guys do. In other words, we want good content that informs the consumer and, in our case, raises awareness of our brands. This is why the ‘gamekeeper poacher’ analogy annoys me so much. We’re on the same side and we want the same thing.
Now before those amongst you of a certain age break into a Belinda Carlisle song…oh just me? OK, I’ll move on, here are my thoughts on what our media friends can do (and in some cases already do) to help us all get to where we want to be.
COMMUNICATION – we’re all in the communication business, aren’t we? Like plumbers with leaky pipes, this all too often appears to breakdown between marketers and media. Communication is two-way and only two-way communication will be effective. We know you’re busy as are we (between our rad edits obviously) but acknowledging a release or communication takes seconds and reassures the sender. You can guarantee the sender will be asked for an update by their bosses too so having one to give is always appreciated.
FEEDBACK – this follows on from communication. We need to know what your thoughts are and whether you have all the information you need, if it is of potential interest to you and whether you have any questions. We’re all grown-ups, we can take rejection. Having been a single person for many years I’m quite the expert at it in fact, but knowing it’s not for you on this occasion saves us both time in needless chasing and, importantly, we learn ahead of our next release. Please note that, despite the rejections over the years, I eventually got married so there is proof of a marketer learning right there.
RELATIONSHIPS – despite my last point, don’t worry, I am not now giving out relationship advice but instead agreeing with my anonymous media colleague that relationships matter. People buy people! These are key but again they must be twoway. All taking and no giving never ends well in any walk of life. We’re all busy but being human takes no time and costs no money. If we work together and understand each other, we get better results for all parties. It’s also nicer (and easier) to work with people you’ve made the effort to get to know and understand right? So come to us from time to time and run ideas past us instead of waiting for us to appear in your inbox or on your phone.
PRESS EVENTS – we get it! Time is precious and we all rightly must be mindful of the impact of our actions on the environment. Here’s another consideration though, money. The industry is, as we all know, going through a rough patch and marketing budgets have been slashed pretty much across the board. Even if we wanted to, it is very hard for most of us in marketing world to try and justify a press event these days. But we still need to speak and us marketers need to get our products in front of you. As such, many of us would love to come to you, to your offices or local ride spot and strengthen those important relationships we all want whilst showcasing our products and improving communication. Heck we might even get to ride a bike together and discuss the latest rad edits we’ve seen (we know you do it too so don’t deny it!). Surely this is possible.
ASSUMPTIONS – we all know ‘that’ saying about assumptions so let’s not make them. If in doubt about anything,
please ask or check in with us. I have seen many an ‘internet fact’ presented in an article as real fact which unless taken from the brand’s website offers no guarantee of accuracy. OK, I admit that some brand websites are wrong too and for that, fellow marketers, you only have yourselves to blame, don’t you? However, fact checking with the brands if any doubt at all is hugely appreciated and avoids any mishaps.
PACKING BIKES FOR POSTAGE – please, please, please pack with care. Damage will happen from time to time and is to be expected, to an extent, on review bikes but I have seen all too many bikes poorly packed and protected into boxes and returned over the years. These bikes must be paid for and maintained from our marketing budgets so if we spend more on those, we have less to spend on things like…ad spend with media. I’ll leave that one there. It also holds up any further use of the bike by media or retailers until replaced or repaired. Most people do pack responsibly but some occasionally leave me speechless. By and large, I love working with you wonderful media folk. Some of the nicest people and wildest characters I’ve ever met are living and riding amongst you. Working alongside you is a pleasure but please ladies and gents, let’s remember we’re on the same team here. There is no ‘us and them’ but simply one bike industry full of good people who need to support each other and work together for all our collective futures. Be awesome to one another and, above all, communicate. Don’t be a plumber.
HAVE YOUR SAY.
Contact us at: jon@cyclingindustry.news
We’re not (yet) initiating a ‘cycling industry relationship advice’ column, but we *can* advise that relationships in the industry matter. Just not like that.
“LET'S
REMEMBER WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM HERE. THERE IS NO 'US AND THEM' BUT SIMPLY ONE BIKE INDUSTRY FULL OF GOOD PEOPLE WHO NEED TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER FOR OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES.”
SUCCESS in the face of adversity PROFILE
VELOCIPEDE CYCLES
Independent bike shops rarely follow a ‘cookie cutter’ template, with a huge variation of outlook, premise and indeed premises. Duncan Moore uncovers the quirks of Tunbridge Wells-based Velocipede Cycles with owner Jack Ward…
There’s no denying that the cycle trade is going through a bad patch, it seems almost every week that there’s news of another IBD shutting down. Whether it be the cost of living crisis, the bust of the boom after Covid or other issues it seems like cycle shops are closing at a rate never seen before. However, every now and again there’s a ray of light, a glimmer of hope that rumours of the cycle trade’s demise have been exaggerated.
One such example of a bike business bucking the downward trend is Tunbridge Wells’ Velocipede Cycles. Granted it’s no recent upstart, having been open for 10 years. However, it has not only outlived a concession of Cycle Surgery that opened in the town centre, but it has also outlived an independent triathlon store and the well-known and award-winning bike store and coffee shop Velo House.
It is not just longevity that marks Velocipede Cycles as a success as this is a business that during Covid managed to open a second store and now maintains that second site as a specialist eBike retail store. All of this success is down to owner Jack Ward getting knocked off his bike when he was 13 years old and on his way to school. The bike he was knocked off was the one his parents had just bought him, his first brand-new mountain bike but the accident meant it was no more. While an insurance payout covered the cost of a direct replacement it was not going to pay for the mountain bike the
young Ward really wanted. His solution was to go to his local IBD and ask for a job in return for the bike he wanted. “I walked into the shop and said, I want that, GT, with those forks on it and these upgrades but I can’t afford it so can I have a job? And the guy was like, “How old are you?” Knowing I was old enough for a Saturday job he took me on and I earned the money to get the bike.
“That’s where my life in the trade started. I was quite into it, I enjoyed it, and it turned out I was quite good at not only doing what I was told but actually working on bikes and speaking to customers. And it evolved from there. I stopped working in shops when I was about 18 to go travelling.”
Life as a global traveller took up the next 10 years of Ward’s life. “I used to come back to the UK to see my family and do as little work as possible just to earn the money I needed to go back out again.”
It was on one of those trips that the idea for Velocipede Cycles was formed. Ward takes up the story. “I was camping with a mate, literally sitting a field, and we were having a beer and watching the sun go down, talking about bikes, and we just thought, there’s a bit of an opportunity in Tunbridge Wells for another bike shop.” At that time, the main competition was the long-established and still very successful Wildside.
Once back in the UK, Ward and his camping partner set up shop, each brought different riding styles, experience
Velocipede Cycles owner and founder Jack Ward
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PROFILE
“THE CHANGE IN STOCK BEGAN ONCE WARD HAD FULL CONTROL OF THE BUSINESS AND WAS IN A POSITION TO EMPLOY A FULL-TIME MECHANIC.”
and knowledge to Velocipede Cycles. Ward was the mountain biker and his partner was more touring orientated. It would soon turn out that they had different expectations of shop life too.
“Nobody tells you it’s difficult with two people with different personalities. And yeah, it doesn’t always work how you want it to, because we had very different work ethics and visions for the business’s future.”
It was during this early stage of the shop’s life that Ward was being as frugal as possible, not taking an income from the business and by his own admission being fortunate to have a now ex-girlfriend in a well-paid job who made that possible. It also meant that a few years in Ward was able to buy his partner out.
Stock evolution
It is not only the ownership that has changed over the years. “Initially, we had budget brands, because that was kind of what we were pitching ourselves at. So, we had brands like Claude Butler because we only had a small pot of money to start with and we didn’t want to borrow loads of money to see if this idea of opening a bike shop was going to work.”
The change in stock began once Ward had full control of the business and was in a position to employ a full-time mechanic. As both Ward and Chris Ball, the mechanic he took on to help him out in the early and who is still there, are both ardent mountain bikers that has become the focus of the store, which is now stocked with brands like Yeti, Orbea, Mondraker, EVIL and Kona. It also differentiates Velocipede Cycles from Wildside down the road, which specialises in the high-end road market.
“I’ve tried to grow the business organically,” Ward explains. “In the early days, every time there was a bit of profit available, we bought stock instead of taking money out. And that’s something that I’ve tried to continue to do to stop the shop becoming stagnant, trying to keep it evolving. If a product’s not working, get rid of it and replace it with something else that is working, or, you know, a product that maybe you get a better margin on, or something like that, or a brand that’s popular, because brands are popular for only a short amount of time, quite often.
In the eBike showroom, customers can take a seat on the sofa and have a coffee while the sales assistant discusses the options
With a new shop available and an increase in electric business, it became clear Velocipede could create a customdesigned eBike showroom
VELOCIPEDE CYCLES
VISIBILITY ALWAYS ON HAND
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PROFILE
“I’VE TRIED TO GROW THE BUSINESS ORGANICALLY,” WARD EXPLAINS. “IN THE EARLY DAYS, EVERY TIME THERE WAS A BIT OF PROFIT AVAILABLE, WE BOUGHT STOCK INSTEAD OF TAKING MONEY OUT.”
That could have simply been the ongoing story for Velocipede Cycles, keep reinvesting and turning stock over had Covid not turned the world upside down. Like so many others in the industry, Ward was able to keep the store open during the multitude of national lockdowns and like some many others.
“I thought this [the current Velocipede Cycle store] was kind of a big shop but during Covid, we had extra bikes in stock and the repair and service side of things was just crazy. The space that we had just got smaller and smaller,” Ward says. “I had to take on warehouse space, which was out of town, which was inconvenient, because as soon as we’d sold a bike that was in a box out of town, somebody had to drive there, sort through a whole load of boxes, drive back. It was a massive time soak.
“Then I heard about a shop just across the road becoming vacant because the business had closed because of Covid. I walked in there, looked upstairs, went into the basement and I was like, it’s a nobrainer. The new shop space was going to cost me nearly what the storage space was costing me, and immediately, obviously, I could sell out of a shop, no more transport costs, no more me having to drive to the warehouse to find something which takes an hour. And obviously, an hour when you’ve got 50 repairs, hanging out is quite expensive. The second shop happened because of that, mainly
because I needed the storage space.”
However, it quickly became apparent that this second store could take on a life of its own, operating as a specialist ebike store. “We started to do more and more eBikes during Covid and as soon as I committed to that space, I thought, I need to move the ebikes over there. So, we took the ebikes completely out of this shop and have everything separate in a customdesigned space.
“Ebike customers can be a little bit different, not like everyday bike customers; a lot of ebike customers can be a couple in their 50s or 60s. They are not your traditional bike shop customer. So quite often it can be quite a long affair, and you might have to get 10 bikes out and when you’ve already got a very busy shop which has only really got one way in, it just doesn’t work. You can’t have people in there with six or seven bikes out trying to give them all the information that they need, which is more than a normal customer, and still be able to run the shop.
“With the second shop just for eBikes, it’s just a bit more comfortable because when the customers are looking, not only can you give them tons and tons of information, all the of bikes in there are electric, and because of the way we have the shop laid out they can have a seat on the sofa and have a coffee while discussing the options. The whole space was designed from the ground up as an eBike showroom.”
Velocipede Cycles has been retailing in Tunbridge Wells for a decade
VELOCIPEDE CYCLES
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Two branches on one street
VELOCIPEDE CYCLES
“WE FIND A LOT OF PEOPLE PUSH THEIR EYES UP AGAINST THE GLASS OVER THERE AND THEN WALK DOWN HERE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION.”
Not only was the space designed as a dedicated eBike showroom but the work was done by Ward himself. He admits he is lucky to have a friend with a CNC machine who was able to cut all of the custom-made, wooden shop fittings.
Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of Velocipede Cycles operating two stores on the same street is how the two are staffed. The original store is always open but the eBike store generally runs as an appointment-only business. However, any passing trade is cordially invited to ring the bell, which is monitored in the other shop or simply make a quick phone call and the shop is opened. “Ward also
notes that “we find a lot of people push their eyes up against the glass over there and then walk down here to have a discussion, or just to say, can we have a look inside? So, people do make the connection that we are all one business even though we have subtly different branding.”
While at first, it may seem a strange thing to do having two branches of the same business on the same street with different branding Ward has his reasons. “I thought initially it wasn’t sensible to take on a second premises and potentially load this business up with debt, so I just wanted to keep them separate. That’s why it’s a slightly different logo with the same name, but it works.
“I’ve got no plans to expand anymore and have another shop or anything. I think maybe that’s where a lot of small businesses go wrong; they start expanding and open multiple premises, but I’m happy with what we’re doing here.
“I said I’d never have a second shop, but I classify it all just as one because they’re so close together. I have looked at fully staffing it and having it as an open shop but at the moment, in this current economic climate because people aren’t buying electric bikes in great numbers it doesn’t make sense to do so. There’s certainly not enough footfall to generate the profit needed to pay a member of staff and to sit over there. However, I have potentially got other plans for some of the storage space over there. That’s something that you’re gonna have to wait and see what happens. It might not just stay as it is. There might be some other things happening.”
MTBs have become the focus on Velocipede Cycles, stocked with brands like Yeti, Orbea, Mondraker, EVIL and Kona
The whole space has been designed from the ground up as an eBike showroom
AMBITION M&A AND GROWTH
In part 7 of this 7 part feature series, Cristóbal Pérez – a seasoned cycling industry professional with a track record of leading change – explores what the future could bring to our industry; the good, the bad, and the ugly. In each of these there is opportunity – if you can embrace the change required to unlock it. This time, M&A and growth are under the spotlight...
First, bikes have lately sorted out crises very well. No matter if they were economic, or social/healthy ones. 2008, 2012, Covid… any of them meant a thrust for bicycles. It is easily justifiable that you get a bike because you lost your job, want to keep a healthy body and mind, it is affordable, you can share cycling time with family…
Next, the non-sporty bikes that are landing in our lives should bring a flourishing panorama, despite the bike industry. The hard work performed by advocates of the bike’s daily usage, the urgent need for solutions to life in cities, and the expected adaptation of the sector to the new landscape can only conclude an appealing future for the bike. Despite some Governments.
Beyond that, eBikes are as attractive as honey for bees for the market. We should be careful and not think of eBikes as MTB only, which are already reaching up to 90% of this category in some countries, but any other type of electrically assisted bike.
Bike makers should have the power to glimpse what is around the corner. Should. For good and bad, it turned bikes into a shelter for money, ambitions and Biblical-sized egos.
Maybe it is a good time to recall what I understand as a frequently forgotten motto: if you aim for sales only, you will never make it. First, you need to arrange the right framework for sales to become a consequence of your having done things right.
The first reaction of (some)
vendors is increasing the product category in the naïve dream that, the more I offer, the more I sell. They want to cover you with any kind of bike gear with their logo on it: eyewear, shoes, saddle bags, helmets, and, of course, wheels. Pretending to be a head-to-toe source.
There are a few able to do it: Specialized / Roval, Trek / Bontrager, and Shimano. Sorry if I skipped any. For this, they previously had to become a brand, not only a maker. And it did not happen overnight. In many cases, those who have not achieved that brand status will have poured their time and money down the drain because their expectations were too high and their approach focused on money-only, too ambitiou$.
On the up: It has been tempting for businesses to bring broader product categories to their catalogues when times are good, argues Pérez
“THE ESTIMATIONS OF THE BUSINESS SHOULD BE BASED ON DEEP DATA ANALYSIS, THE TRUTH COMING FROM THE MARKET THROUGH THE COMMERCIAL TEAM, AND THE RESOURCES OF THE COMPANY TO COPE WITH THE WORST SCENARIO IMAGINABLE.”
If you Google “bike news”, you will come across plenty of the bike/sports industry’s big companies willing to become a conglomerate by acquiring eyewear, saddle bags, helmets, and, of course, wheels makers to add to their crowded catalogue. That is, instead of becoming a comprehensive brand, they pretend to become a one-stop supplier.
Keep on scrolling down where you left off and discover how big guys who own a few bike brands, wanted to have more: one for road, for MTB, one for e-mtb, one for gravel, one for titanium, the one ruling here, the other one reigning there.
On some occasions, these movements obey a deep analysis and careful considerations that seem to advise you to go in that direction. As it happens in business, you can be mistaken. Normal to me. On some others, this happens because there is an empowered cyclist on the board of management/advisory. Someone with a power and racing victories-based background. Finally,
there are times when this happens because of the messianic perception of (some) themselves. They did a simple math: more products, more turnover.
Maybe it was predictable or not, but now it is time to release the ballast, (try) to sell brands to competitors/funds, and tighten your (company) belt, if it was enough. This could be understood as a logical movement in the face of a sectorial crisis, but also as a costly response to the mine-is-bigger-than-yours poor understanding of what a business is.
Here it underlies a surprising inability to foresee, which is way different than predicting. The estimations for the future should be based on deep data analysis, the truth coming from the market through the commercial team, and the resources of the company to cope with the worst scenario imaginable.
It is about a wise mix of facts and intuition. Information is a powerful tool that along with the perception at the
Brands face a choice of growing by stamping their logo on a broader range of goods, or consolidating their company, brand and culture...
“IF YOU ARE DOING WELL WITH A STRONG TAILWIND, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT WILL KEEP ON BEING LIKE THAT... YOU WILL HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS AND NOT BLINDED BY MAGAZINE HEADLINES AND BONUSES.”
shopfloor level should help you to make a bravely prudent decision. You can think that bike A is doing well according to your knowledge and/or planned fabrication, but it might be happening that bike B is emerging to the detriment of A. If you do not step into shops daily, when you are aware of this, you will have already ordered one thousand bikes more with a nine hundred days delivery time. It is time for tears, dismissals, and red numbers. It is human and natural the ambition of growth. I admire people driven by it. But if you are doing well with a strong tailwind, it does not mean that it will keep on being like that with a strong headwind. For this, you will have to be cautious and not be blinded by magazine headlines and bonuses.
You can argue that this situation has no precedent, sure. Nobody was ready for the rise and fall of that magnitude because of the erratic behaviour of the world due to Covid-19. Sure. Agree, but
you are paid to do things well. There are two kinds of errors: operational or daily ones, a venial sin in the end. A different thing is judgment mistakes. Those are serious, if not mortal, and are not contemplated in your job description. You can choose to become bigger just by buying all that surrounds you to stamp your logo on it. Or you can opt-in to consolidate your company, making a brand of it, having a culture, a different way of doing things, a motivated team, the right product for your targeted market, boosting your service capabilities, and reinforcing your awareness. Maybe this will not drive you to spectacular numbers but to a more stable and controlled growing outlook.
Cristóbal Pérez is a seasoned cycling industry professional with a track record of leading change. Find him on LinkedIn… www.linkedin.com/in/c41
PROFILE
Designed for the IBD
Since its inception in 2019, KranX has gradually branched out into different product categories, while resolutely sticking to its philosophy of succinct and straightforward ranges. CIN speaks with Stephen Elswood Area Sales Manager & Brand Development for the inside story of the Bob Elliot house brand…
BOB ELLIOT | KRANX
CAN YOU TAKE US BACK TO THE EARLY DAYS OF KRANX?
It came about midway through 2019. We looked at plugging some gaps where existing suppliers or brands couldn’t quite fill in. We were struggling to get the right lines we wanted. And we had been continually growing gradually over the last 20 years and had got to the point where we wanted to start taking control, so, an in-house own-brand made sense.
I was on the road full time, covering London and the South East, then spending some time working on the own brand ranges. A few months before Covid hit we had reached out to a few contacts in the Far East and when we went into lockdown I wasn’t on the road, so Paul Elliot passed those contacts on to me and it went from there.
I came from more of a product background, so I was able to liaise with these suppliers. They were sending samples and dealing with it all was quite a steep learning curve. Packaging was a big issue for us. We could meet the minimum orders for products, but then the minimum order for individual packaging was 1,000 pieces. So, we learned about how we can adapt packaging and use nice quality labels instead of having 1,000 cards printed for 500 products. We built some good relationship with the manufacturers. And it’s all been natural growth. There’s not been
any external investment, so we it had to be done quite gradually.
IT MUST HAVE FELT LIKE A BIG STEP UP FOR BOB ELLIOT, GETTING INTO OWN BRAND PRODUCT FOR THE FIRST TIME?
We’d had a few OEM items from time to time but never fully taken control with our own brand, through the process of registering the brand name and sourcing specific products.
WAS IT GOOD TIMING IN A WAY?
OBVIOUSLY COVID WAS AROUND THE CORNER WITH ALL THE SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION. WAS IT HELPFUL TO HAVE A BRAND THAT YOU HAD A BIT MORE CONTROL OVER?
It was. Initially it started off with a little range of pedals and some sort of aftermarket tools… workshop items because we weren’t quite getting what we wanted. And then 2020 came. We knew products were so in demand that if we were getting it in, we were going to start selling it. And it gave us a really good jump start on the brand. It gave us that ability to reinvest and we could move onto the next stage. It sped up the initial set up.
THE RANGE IS SUBSTANTIALLY BIGGER NOW?
One of the things we focus on with KranX is that it’s designed for the IBD. A range is
Pedals were among the first lines from the Bob Elliot house brand
IBDs have played a central role in the development of the KranX range
KranX ranges are kept neat and succinct; the light range has less than 10 models
ACID offers top-quality cycling accessories and parts. The products are packed with clever details, great functionality and smart innovations, offering real added value for cyclists. All of the designs follow the same goal: keep it clear, clean, function-oriented, and unique.
BAGS
PROFILE
BOB ELLIOT | KRANX
never vast, take for example the lighting range. It’s less than 10 models, covering as big an area as possible, but with as few products as possible. So, it’s very easy for the shops to stock. There’s very little risk. That seems to be a key part of KranX’s success, keeping ranges neat and succinct.
I HEAR MORE TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO SIMPLIFY THINGS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, HELPING CHANNEL THEM INTO CERTAIN DIRECTIONS AND AVOID GIVING THEM MULTIPLE CHOICES… I liken it to buying a loaf of bread. Unless you specifically want a pumpkin and oat seed loaf, you can go into a supermarket and you can wonder where you start with all the choice. We’re trying to keep it neat and easy for shops to stock and that’s been very well received.
The overall range covers all sorts of spaces. It’s all high turnover consumables, so not specifically workshop parts. A lot of the stock goes into a shop and goes on the shelf, but the vast majority of it goes out on repairs, on new bikes or second-hand bikes. So, most of the stuff we do goes through the workshop, even if it’s not stocked there.
IS IT DIFFICULT WHEN YOU’RE DESIGNING PRODUCTS TO BALANCE AFFORDABILITY WITH QUALITY?
Actually, it’s not been that difficult. Lights were tricky for a while because we initially had options that were either too expensive or used cheap, old technology. We had samples turn up that just didn’t work. In the end we reached out to someone completely different
and they have been great. A big factor is, I find, asking specific questions and giving as much information to the manufacturer in the first place, whether that’s about your target prices or referencing stuff that’s already out on the market. A lot of it can be solved by asking the right questions in the first place, and then you can tweak from there. It is always forefront in our mind that it has to be cost effective, but not at the detriment of quality. We’re never going to compete bottom end with the chain stores selling low value products so we need keep finding a nice mix of affordable quality at a level the shops are happy to stock.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE WITH KRANX, WHAT ARE THE BIG GOALS FOR THE BRAND?
There is no ultimate goal at all. This is the nature of the business, and what Covid has taught us is that you’ve got to react. We’ve got to be small enough to adapt and change. We’re still running from one base and we’re in a position to keep reacting to market demands.
We’re growing as quick as we can. We might look at maybe attending some of the shows again to raise our profile with the public but it will be just that, we don’t and never intend to sell direct. We rely on our sales force promoting the product to the dealers and the dealers liking it. And for their customers, if their bike needs new bar tape, dealers can recommend our tape and unless the customer asks for something specific, the workshops are happy. That’s a £300 job out the door and they can rely on our product.
It also remains important for us to be out the road and not just to help sales. We go out quite a lot and we listen to our sales team. The feedback we get can lead to changes and also helps guide how we expand the range. We can take things to shops we know really well and ask them, is this the right thing? What do you reckon to this?
It’s really important and a big part of how we’ve been able to come up with the right products. I can get something and go, that’s nice, but I don’t have the day-today experience that they do. So we’ll keep working with the shops.
KranX doesn’t sell as a brand. It sells because the dealers know it and they trust the product. You don’t have customers coming in asking for KranX pedals. But it works. Packaging is important as well, we’ve worked on that a lot. You need succinct information. For example, you don’t necessarily want to spend 10 minutes selling a £15 pound light the customer picks off the shelf.
Making sure the package is right as a large part of the process. And again, if you go and talk to the shops, they’ll have an opinion about packaging.
It’s been considered and slow growth, and sometimes I think that’s the best way. KranX and [fellow own-brand] KX Wheels are very much focused on the IBDs, and everything we do is to try and make it as low risk and easy for them as possible. Feedback is always welcome. We want shops to be free to point out what they like and don’t like, or to point out gaps we’ve missing. That’s how a large percentage of our ranges have grown.
www.bob-elliot.co.uk
ASK THE BOSS
Will Fripp, CEO | Extra UK & Cyclex
KEEPING AHEAD
Will Fripp has decades of experience in the cycling industry working in senior roles at some of the biggest names in the biz. Now three years into his role as CEO at Extra UK & Cyclex, Fripp has been at the helm of the major distributor whilst the industry at large has faced some of it’s biggest challenges yet. Despite the trade’s current difficulties, Extra UK and Cyclex are ahead of where they expected to be. CIN grabbed the opportunity to quiz the Extra boss on some of the big questions, the importance of facetime with customers, the challenges of importing product in 2024 and aligning to new retail trends...
How’s business for Extra UK right now?
Things remain tough for everyone in the trade, but here at Extra things are actually going pretty well. We have a good business that continues to support our customers and end users, with a refreshed focus, a small but talented team and a portfolio of great brand partners that are in higher demand than ever before. No one likes to mention the weather or use it as an excuse, but there is no doubt that this year’s unsettled spring and summer has added even more negative fuel to the fire. We are where we expected to be in terms of sales performance; that’s ahead of last year and ahead of our budget; so although no one is pretending all is great just yet, we are certainly grateful to be heading in the right direction.
And how about Extra UK’s sister firm Cyclex in Ireland – is that market going through largely similar challenges as the UK?
I think the situation is broadly the same as the UK, if not ever so slightly more acute, it remains tough but feels like it’s finally on its way back up! The situation is not helped by the continued challenges of importing goods and even the
biggest and best carriers don’t seem to be able to do this as smoothly as we would all like. Ireland faces lots of other macro factors beyond cycling, but many of these are shared issues and trends very similar to those in the UK. We are fortunate to have a great team supporting our Cyclex subsidiary, especially on the ground, it is certainly a more complex business that requires increased operational oversight.
Beyond Extra UK (and Cyclex), how do you judge the current state of the industry – are the overstocks largely worked through?
A really mixed bag, it certainly isn’t all doom and gloom. I admit I count ourselves lucky to be focused on P&A as bikes are an area of far greater pain and one we expect to remain so longer than P&A. In terms of overstocks in the market, for P&A I think most of these have been worked through, with a few stickier categories like soft goods. Moving forwards, it is less about a legacy of stock, more a change in habits formed at retail, with a move to just in time, significantly reduced stock holdings and assortments in the main.
Retail buying and ranging decisions
are far more organised and planned than ever before, so we have to align to that and support it. Cash remains tight for a lot of people, I mentioned bikes, well they have an obvious negative effect on P&A distributors as dealer’s open to buy and cashflow is tied up in slower moving bike stocks; to maintain brand dealership licences.
Despite our industry woes, despite broader macro pressures, the tradewinds remain good, and we believe strongly in the future of our sport, pastime and mode of transport. Underlying demand is there and will continue to improve in coming months and years.
Extra’s been through a positive few years in terms of management hires and the investment from Storskogen. You became Extra UK CEO in 2021, in the thick of the post-Covid disruption, which we’re probably still going through – presumably that was quite a difficult time to come in and also to move ahead with your aims for the business?
In what has been a very stable and consistent business over the years there has certainly been a lot of change recently; like all businesses trading since before the pandemic we have had
MANUFACTURING
Our exciting new range of KX Wheels are produced right here at Bob Elliot HQ Utilising our specialist machinery, we prepare the hubs using reliable, economical, high quality componentry and lace the wheels before finishing them to precise tolerances with the use of a robot which are then quality checked to deliver the perfect wheel every time. Competitively priced replacement wheels offering a wide selection for 700C and all MTB disciplines.
Built here at Bob Elliot HQ IN THE UK
All wheels FInished to exacting tolerances Comprehensive range, PRICED competitively
Quality componentry from all around the World
Over 50 years combined wheel building experience
Next day delivery available
ASK THE BOSS
Will Fripp, CEO | Extra UK & Cyclex
“I THINK GOOD DISTRIBUTORS ARE IN HIGHER DEMAND AND ABLE TO ADD MORE VALUE THAN EVER BEFORE, ESPECIALLY IN THE UK. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE IS NOW ESSENTIAL, WITH GREATER COSTS ALMOST ACROSS THE BOARD AND UNIQUE COMPLIANCE ISSUES.”
We might be able to expect one or two more brand signings, but the Extra boss says the firm is now focusing on its current fast-growing brands and customers
to improvise, adapt and overcome, and changes have been needed to address this. Yes, it probably was the toughest of times to join Extra, changes in ownership, the post-Covid disruption etc. but also a time where the changes required were ‘easier’ amidst other external factors. We remain blessed with great brand partners, mutually committed to Extra and the market and we have communicated and worked together closely on initiatives to optimise our shared positions. The past two years have been tough seas to navigate, but we leave them behind in far better shape as a business, with a pretty clean and balanced stock position, less focused on the previously required clearance and able to look ahead and trade positively.
You’ve previously spoken to CIN about investing in business systems and offering smoother and seamless interactions –is that an area that is ongoing? Is that areas like B2B ecommerce sites, etc? We are constantly trying to improve ways that our customers can interact with Extra. It’s more than simply making ordering easier. We are still great believers in facetime; so maintaining our investment in our team on the road has been important to us (over 30% of our team is out on the road full-time). It’s not just about digital or about sales, we also have three full time brand specialists out educating retail staff, supporting retail events, merchandising and much more. COREbike remains a key aspect of our interaction with the industry and our
customer base. Extra invests a lot of time and effort into this great trade event, with 2025 being its 20th edition with a few special things planned to celebrate.
Each year we survey our customer base and digital areas of development do feature in this feedback. We actively use this to guide our agenda for the following 12 months, with improvements constantly being implemented across all of our customer digital interfaces.
Extra has picked up a number of quality brands to distribute this year alone, like OnGuard, Moon, MET & Bluegrass, KMC… Were they filling gaps in the range? How are they going so far? Can we expect a flurry of more names joining the roster?
Extra has been known for its stable portfolio; but with our raised profile as a business, we have seen more opportunities presented to us over the last 18 months than we could have ever imagined, it’s easy to walk towards the new and shiny and we have been conscious not to do that. We have had a thorough review of every aspect of our business, a removal of distractions, negative forces and a refocus on the pillars of our business.
Where we have made changes, and yes, there have been quite a few, it has been where we really feel we can make a positive difference and where the brand joining our brand portfolio benefits not only them, our existing partners, but also our customers, each making it easier to build orders with us, carriage free.
Now it is time to focus on our current position, yes, we may have one or two
The consistently popular COREbike remains a key retailer touchpoint for Extra UK
Reduced waste Controls spend
Improves servicing efficiency
ASK THE BOSS
Will Fripp, CEO | Extra UK & Cyclex
brands to announce in the near future, but certainly not to the same extent as over the last 12 months. MET, Bluegrass, OnGuard, KMC and Moon Sport all have huge potential, sat alongside our mainstays of Topeak, fizik, crankbrothers, Pirelli, Ergon and CLIF and last year’s additions of Jagwire and Kids Ride Shotgun. We must now focus on these key fast-growing brands and move forward in a positive and proactive way.
The sand has shifted in a number of areas in the trade – there’s been a fair bit of consolidation in the retail area, there’s probably more focus on supply chains given disruption, there’s Brexit and regs like CBAM, and that a general reluctance to hold much stock… it seems like most of those have impacted hard on importers and distributors. Is that fair to say?
I think it’s fair to describe this as turmoil, more than shifting sands, but the ground seems to be settling and from it some green shoots of stability are starting to show through, at least in P&A. Yes, there has been significant consolidation, but not just in retail, also UK distribution, I think there are now at least eight less distributors in the UK bike trade.
Like retail, post-pandemic and postBrexit distribution is more complicated than ever before. I think good distributors are in higher demand and able to
A significant proportion of the Extra team are full time on-the-road (30%) getting face-toface time with customers. And the rest like to get out of the office every now and then too
add more value than ever before, especially in the UK. Local knowledge is now essential, with greater costs almost across the board and unique compliance issues that don’t sit so naturally. Managing heightened risks, suffering the higher cost of capital, like Extra, one needs to be well-backed and stable.
Good distributors are not ‘box shifters’, we aim to be brand partners, across the full marketing mix, so much so we use a 3PL so we can focus less on the ‘box shifting’ side. The post-Covid trends make doing business far more complex, changes in key accounts and the way they operate, yes a move to more just-in-time supply, even two out, one in stock reduction at retail, makes stock levels far less easy to plan and adds far more risk, cost and dependen-
cy on the distributor to fund and cover adequate supplies eff iciently to satisfy brand/market potential.
What is coming up next for Extra UK in the near future? And further ahead?
We already have a lot going on, so a significant focus on existing partnerships. Many of which have a wealth of new product introductions, even significant new category introductions, as well as a whole host of brand and retail partners new to Extra over the past 18 months that we wish to focus on. This sits alongside some significant projects in the IT and operational space, aiming to improve our customer service. Plenty to keep us busy!
www.extrauk.co.uk
Extra has picked up a number of quality brands this year, including MET
