BRANDS
FUTURE I
ndoor cycling is a Marmite issue for many. While advocates see the culmination of fitness, community, and technology,
critics see turbo trainers and statics bikes as the antithesis of the cycling spirit. Regardless of your personal view, the indoor
market has been one of the fastest growing cycling sectors, even before the coronavirus pandemic confined people around the world to their homes. But as the world emerged from the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, and as the cycling industry wave has peaked, what does the future of indoor cycling hold?
The non-cyclist Richard Baker, CEO of British indoor trainer brand Wattbike, believes cyclists of the future will be very different from the traditional performance-based image we’re familiar with. “I think the smaller growth area is in that core cycling, racing hardcore. I think that’s still going to grow, but it will be slow growth and you’ll get people feeding in and out. “More generally I think we’re seeing people using cycling as a form of fitness. We’re now seeing a lot more of that in general fitness.
50 | February 2023
CYCLING
Indoor cycling was a rapidly expanding sector even before the coronavirus pandemic, but could this discipline offer an insight into future cyclists? Alex Ballinger spoke with Wattbike CEO Richard Baker to find out
Wattbike CEO Richard Baker
“What’s interesting now is you’ll get people that are doing multiple sportives, for example, or people riding for clubs, doing time trials, but still don’t classify themselves as cyclists. “That’s been quite eye opening for me.” This shift in cycling identity could partially
be explained by the coronavirus pandemic, when many people in the UK turned to cycling to get their daily
exercise, while many other activities were banned to prevent spread of the virus. Baker, who has been CEO for the past 11 years, said
Wattbike was growing even before the pandemic, and following the unprecedented cycling boom during Covid, the company continued to grow in 2022: “Pre-pandemic we were growing quite nicely, and I’m sure other brands were doing exactly the same. And then the pandemic just changed everything. Indoor cycling is still growing globally, and I think there’s still a long way to go. Things have levelled out a bit, and I don’t think we fully understand how much the pandemic pulled things forward. In another six to nine months we’ll start to understand. “Then we’ll need new products as well, and new innovations to engage new people, while also having our
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