BIG INTERVIEW
AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE
Daniel Blackham speaks to Wattbike CEO Stephen Loftus to discuss the indoor cycling market and how the brand’s latest products will benefit a different audience
I
ndoor cycling has often held a unique position in the perceptions of the bike industry and its consumers.
Some decry it as the antithesis of the sport, others see it as a necessary option to maintain fitness in the colder months and a growing portion is opting to solely focus their efforts indoors as road dangers, patchy weather and reduced maintenance make it a more attractive option. Throw in the significant product development, alongside the gamification with software such as Zwift, Rouvy, MyWhoosh and the like, it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t at least consider it as a very convenient and fun alternative. But how has it fared post-pandemic? According to Stephen Loftus, Wattbike CEO, many of the market headwinds faced by most cycling brands are the same. “At a macro level it’s followed a very similar trend,” he says. “At the beginning of the pandemic, you could say the indoor
market was harder in terms of the peak of the demand. “The challenge was familiar. It wasn’t just the demand. It
26 | October 2024
was supply chain commitments suddenly stretching out for a long period of time. “You had to be a magician to make the right decisions at that time when demand was at such a high, and then you were having to forecast for 24 months when you wouldn’t normally have to.”
With demand pulled forward as people looked for indoor training equipment to stay fit and entertained during multiple lockdowns, the market stalled in a similar fashion to outdoor counterparts. Other world events did nothing to ease the situation, merely compounding supply chain and cost of living issues. Despite this, momentum appears to be swinging back in the right direction.
“It’s been really positive in the last three or four months,”
says Loftus. “You can look at it on search trends. From a category perspective, the tide is starting to turn. It’s not dramatic, but you can start to see category search, brand search,
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