SHOW REVIEW | RALEIGH
Teaching an old bike new tricks…
It’s been a busy period for Britain’s best known Heron, which recently celebrated its first125 years in the bicycle business. For those who may have missed Raleigh’s many recent road shows, Mark Sutton checks in at the Nottingham headquarters for the latest scoop…
AS DOCUMENTED in last month’s BikeBiz, with 125 years in the trade under its belt, Raleigh is celebrating its heritage and its business this year. Those who made it to the first of the dealer-targeted roadshows may have had been papped alongside a classic of their choice – a Grifter, Chopper, or perhaps a tandem for couples who’ve enjoyed the pleasures of cycling together aboard a Raleigh. This was part of the current ‘Me and My
Zero is High 5’s take on the current disclosable tablet trend (above)
Raleigh’ campaign, live on the distributor’s website at present. This nostalgic reminder bears little resemblance to the Raleigh of today, however, with distribution central to the Nottingham’s firm business, alongside a retail franchise and a stubborn refusal to give up all in-house manufacturing and building to the Far East. On that note, here’s a round-up of the brand and product developments you may have missed.
DARE2B
A new addition to the Raleigh portfolio, many will be familiar with the Dare2B brand which has quickly grabbed a slice of market share in cycle clothing.
32 BIKEBIZ MARCH Catering extensively for the budgets of
beginners, as well as offering a few advanced pieces, the line starts at £10 for a fast-wicking base layer, covering more or less head to toe with affordable and largely reflective clothing. At the performance end of the market,
things remain competitive, with the firm’s stretch fabric cycling jackets selling for £100 and coming packed with details that ensure that cyclists will be comfortable, visible and will enjoy the perks of headphone ports, among other small features. 2012 sees the introduction of the brand’s
first stab at fluorescent jackets in bright yellow and pink shades, including ladies’ specific cuts. Dealers are looking at around 50 per cent
margins on most garments and there is no buy -in minimums, though there are rewards for commitment, as well as point of sale material.
SKS
SKS continues to broaden its catalogue and while not exclusive to Raleigh, certain items have been given a revamp solely for the Nottingham distributor’s catalogue. A one-off white version of the Velo 42 mudguard is
among these unique items and is currently selling very well to the fixie enthusiast. We’ve talked about the Raceblade Long in
BikeBiz before now, yet it’s worth reiterating how strong a product this is for the cycle club rider. With that extra few inches of coverage there’s no danger of splattering the rider behind or in front with muck. Workshops should look out for the
Professional Shock pump, a do-it-all solution to maintaining the correct air pressures in forks and shocks from any brand. POS material is available for larger stock commitments.
UNIOR
Another impressive notch in Raleigh’s belt, Unior is a giant of tool manufacturing for more than just the bicycle trade and one certainly worthy of the professional workshop. As demonstrated in the brand’s
comprehensive tool chest package (costing £1,500) the catalogue of tools available from Raleigh is likely in the hundreds, the chest itself holding everything a workshop could wish for, excluding perhaps some of the newer, more brand-specific tools.
BIKEBIZ.COM
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