ELECTRA BICYCLES | INTERVIEW
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Fashion accessories have become increasingly important to the brand – what can the dealer now get hold of to complement bike sales? Pippin:We have a wide variety of items available. Retailers of our bikes can get hold of bells, fenders, racks, baskets, liners, bags, saddles and grips, to name a few. We are also expanding into lifestyle clothing and accessories to bring the brand to more consumers.
Some designs seem to be themed – owls and Indian styling for example – how do you decide which theme to roll with next? Vallaire: It’s throwing a bunch of ideas and
Electra’s fashion expert Robin Vallaire has been busy recreating matching accessories to complement bike sales
tears on a wall and weeding out what will translate the best on a bike. Each concept evolves through different stages and forms before we actually see it on a bike and it’s thinking of all the details, such as the perfect colour combinations, saddle and grips that complete the concept.
Are the finishing touches, such as customised saddles, all manufactured in house? Pippin:We work with a variety of suppliers to make the parts and accessories for the bikes. Our factories cannot possibly be experts in all the disciplines of bicycle manufacturing, so we leave that to the experts in their specialised
fields. We focus our efforts on creativity and design on the core product.
What are your aspirations for the brand in the coming years? Pippin: To be in the Tour de France! Not really, Just to continue to grow and develop products that inspire people, as well as get them on bikes.
In the coming year, which shows will we see the brand exhibit at? Pippin: We will of course continue to support the major international fairs, Eurobike and Interbike, as well as regional events through our local distributors.
24 BIKEBIZ DECEMBER
BIKEBIZ.COM
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