Issue 98 | March 2014


EDITORIAL NEWS 4-6


Shiny new stuff, bike fit discussion, cycle celebs and much more in our round up from London’s ExCeL bicycle extravaganza...


FOCUS ON… BIKE & TRI SHOW GEARED 2014 Sponsored by 33


Didn’t get to Moore Large’s house show? We’ve got a round-up over on page 33


REVOLUTION


E-BIKES Our regular electric bike section is enhanced with extra pages this month. Throttle not included


OUTDOOR & FITNESS ISPO Munich is a record breaker, a new triathlon insurance product is launched plus plenty more


MEDIA FOCUS 59 COMPUTERS 39 DEALER PROFILE PEOPLE


New faces arrive at ActSmart, Claud Butler, Fibrax and BikeBiz publisher NewBay Media


NEW PRODUCTS


Fresh product from Fizik, Weldtite, Genuine Innovations, Vulpine, Giro and more


70 SPOKESMAN EVENTS 77 NUMBER CRUNCHING 86 OFF TRACK 88 90


Carlton Reid on the new British Cycling and Bicycle Association team up for future cycling


67 COMMUNITY


Stan’s Cycles comes under the steely glare of the BikeBiz dealer profile spotlight this month


62 SPONSORED BY Jonathon Harker, Editor


68 73


When did you last send a letter? Exactly. We get with the programme for our community page


COMMUNITY IS a word that I’ve heard cropping up repeatedly over recent months at industry roundtables, shows and over informal chats with the trade. It’s the kind of thing that the bike industry has traditionally been pretty good at, forging links with (or starting) cycle clubs and yes I am going to mention coffee in bike shops again.


We kick off the March edition with a look at some of the latest news taking place across the bike trade


LONDON BIKE SHOW


15 33


Manchester’s Bike & Triathlon Show returns for its second outing this month. We take a look at what to expect at Manchester Central


47


Revolution Series is heading into London for its finale. We speak to the brains behind it


51 But the topic is being pushed ever further to the fore,


particularly with the rise of online retail, as a way to stand out against increasing competition that is after a slice of the cycle market. It’s not just physical retailers taking a long hard look at community. From team sponsorship to video blogisodes, online retail powerhouses in the trade have long realised how vital it is to be doing more than simply exchanging product for cash – with increasing options as to where a consumer spends their hard earned money, you’ve got to keep customers coming back for more than just cheap prices. After all, who’s to stop another retailer launching and then undercutting you? It’s not a long-term


You’ve got to keep customers coming back for more than just cheap prices. After all, who’s to stop another retailer launching and then undercutting you?


sustainable business model to simply be cheapest, unless you can guarantee you’ll *always* be the cheapest (or can convince the consumer of that). Community is one of the tools available to all retailers to compete with Joe Blogg’s Cycle Bargains down the road. Of course it’s not just bike shops that are looking at


developing their links with customers – or ‘getting their hooks in’, if you prefer. Brands, marketeers and publishers of websites and magazines have well and truly tuned into the importance of social media, video content and generally reaching out to their audience, whether potential or existing (see page 39). On that topic, we at BikeBiz


are all about celebrating the cycle community, which was one of the reasons we put together the BikeBiz Brit List (in association with The London Bike Show), listing influential members of the UK cycling community, included with this edition of BikeBiz. We’ve already been told off for missing some obvious candidates, but thanks to all who helped us put it together. Let us know what you think.


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