PREVIEW | ICEBIKE
Madison’s Winter warmer
IceBike* Summer has rolled around again, hopefully signalling the imminent arrival of warmer weather. Whether that materialises or not, retail will plan its purchases in anticipation of sunshine. Mark Sutton talks to the event planners about product highlights, guests and seminars.
WITH PERHAPS the most diverse line-up of adventure sports brands available, much of the UK bicycle business will be rounding on Madison's Milton Keynes headquarters come February 21st through 23rd. It's no wonder the distributor is popular too,
with a whole host of big name brands bringing exciting product to market – from GoPro's world famous helmet cameras to the staple of any bike shop, Shimano.
As is often the case with IceBike, product debuts are abundant and Shimano's Tech Zone will provide a must visit for anyone with a workshop business. Brand managers and experts will be on hand to go over any technical queries and discuss improvements to its product in recent years, such as the introduction of IceTech and Shadow Plus. According to Madison communications officer
Ian Carter: "Last year we had 1,100 dealers attend from over 450 shops. In terms of offers, I’m afraid we can’t give out the offers prior to the event, but needless to say there will lots of exclusive show offers." Fans of Madison's complete bike offering, for both skinny and big tyres, will be pleased to hear there's plenty to look forward to. The highlights come in the form of the Cervelo mid-season launches, a redesigned Saracen Ariel with 160mm of travel becoming available and a first chance to see the new Fortitude 29er and CdF (little brother to the Croix DeFer). For more on the latest developments from Genesis see page 28.
BIKEBIZ.COM
“Last year we had 1,100 dealers attend from over 450 shops...”
Madison's own branded mountain bike-suited clothing line has undergone a thorough testing, having adorned the increasingly unavoidable Madison Downhill Team. The summer and winter lycra lines will also make an appearance. Sticking with clothing, Pearl Izumi's new Kissaki shoe will debut, as well as the entire Giro footwear catalogue, which now spans both men's and women's models for on and off road, bringing with it some unique footbed comfort technology. If, like BikeBiz, you're increasingly taking note
of the opportunities available to retail in the outdoor sector, checking in with Easton Mountain Products', which plans to debut a brand new 1KG tent dubbed the Kilo, will be time well spent.
As is often the case with IceBike*, there will
be a number of guest exhibitors too. ATG Training will be present, giving those in search of Cytech accredited training a chance to ask questions on anything from funding criteria, to what each course module covers. Bookings for courses can be taken at the show. Meanwhile, Gait analysis specialist MAR
Read more on one of IceBike’s guest speakers on page 9
Systems joins the party on the back of a trade trend for proper bike fitting and tailored analysis. In addition, Mar Systems will also be displaying their new analysis software that has been specifically designed to calculate the ideal bike set-up for any rider. There's still time to register for the show, so if
you've yet to express an interest in visiting, or accommodation visit
www.icebike.co.uk
ICEBIKE* SUMMER SEMINARS HIT SPEAKERS Mercedes Ross, a merchandising expert and all-round industry expert Jay Townley return to IceBike, hosting often quickly filled daily seminars. Townley has a three day schedule
packed full of fresh content based loosely around trends crossing the Atlantic. Day one kicks off with a lecture on 'discontinuous change, which discusses responding quickly to local trends as and when they emerge. The second day discusses the 'inflexible supply chain' and lead times. Townley discusses how to simplify the ordering process, working with suppliers in order to achieve the best for your business.
On the final day, Townley will discuss moving with the times as online retail becomes a whole new, frightening beast. Social media and competing with the likes of Amazon will be discussed.
BIKEBIZ FEBRUARY 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88