Posts by Phil Latz
E-Bike Battery Forum Focuses on Fire Risks and Recycling
Adelaide, SA E-Bikes have transformed both the Australian and global bicycle industries in terms of making them larger and, at least potentially, more profitable than ever before. But two serious challenges are threatening to derail this growth. Of these, fire is the most acute right now. The second, battery recycling, is only just entering many…
Bicycle Industries Australia Members Vote to Increase Fees
Adelaide, SA Bicycle Industries Australia (BIA) which is the national industry body for the Australian bicycle retail and wholesale sectors held its annual general meeting in Adelaide on Thursday 18th January. Retailers currently pay $99 + GST in annual membership fees, while wholesalers pay a flat rate of $1,800 + GST, regardless of their size.…
World News Round-up
The End of WiggleCRC in Australia? A recent article in Bike Europe implied that WiggleCRC’s days in Australia could be over for ever. At their peak about from about 15 years ago to a decade ago UK based Wiggle and Northern Ireland based Chain Reaction Cycles were both widely disliked names amongst Australian bicycle retailers.…
Elite Store Offers Unique Opportunity for Exceptional Mechanic
~ Sponsored Content ~ Brookvale Bike Factory is located in the heart of Sydney’s affluent Northern Beaches region. It’s one of the largest, longest established and most successful independent bike shops in the entire region. “We’ve been in business for over 30 years,” recalled second generation owner Andrew Taylor. We started out as Favourite Cycles…
How’s Business – December 2023
Welcome to How’s Business, brought to you by Knog – Australian designed and lighting up the world. With Christmas approaching, for this month’s follow-up question I asked, “What do you think the Christmas holidays and summer season will be like for you and your store?” In keeping with this holiday theme, I spoke to a…
Ongoing Pain for Shimano from Huge Malware Attack
Sakai, Japan Cycling media around the world have been reporting on a malware attack that has seen thousands of confidential Shimano documents leaked to the public. The source of these reports is this article in the tech website Escape Collective. In case you don’t want to wade through that fairly long and detailed article, here’s…
E-Bike Import Value Is Approaching Conventional Bikes Value
Canberra, ACT As all Australian bicycle industry members know, for more than a year now we’ve been in a situation of overstock, leading to discounting that is eroding profit margins for both wholesalers and retailers. Therefore, while it would normally be a concern to see import levels falling, right now it’s good news. We recently…
Rob Eva Retires After Over 25 Years Leading SRAM Australia
Warburton, Vic One of the best known faces, and voices… in the Australian bicycle industry is retiring on Friday 15th December after a lifetime of deep immersion in all aspects of cycling. When I first started Bicycling Australia magazine, Rob featured prominently as a mountain bike racer, including our front cover photo in late 1993…
Tasmania Becomes First Australian State to Subsidise E-Bike Purchases
Hobart The Tasmanian Government has launched a rebate program for e-mobility devices. The program is a national first and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport, particularly from daily commuting. The program is an initiative of Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan 2023-25. Rebates of 12 percent of the purchase price are available for e-bikes,…
Dirt Works Co-Founder Goes Bush!
Yarralin, NT Dirt Works co-founder Wayne Chapman just let us know that he and his wife Kyria are moving to one of the most remote corners of Australia Yarralin, in the Northern Territory is five hours’ drive from the nearest towns, Katherine NT to the east and Kunanarra, WA to the west. Kyria has always…