Posts by Phil Latz
Ebike Sales in Germany Surge to 1.36 Million Units and $4 Billion Value
German ebike sales have been growing by over 100,000 units per year since 2015, up to a total of 980,000 units for 2018. But the figures for 2019 which have just been released show further growth of 380,000 units in just one year to make total ebike sales for 2019 of approximately 1.36 million ebikes.…
Sea Otter Classic Announces New Dates
Sea Otter Classic has announced new dates, with the event now taking place between 1st – 4th October 2020, subject of course to the corona virus situation improving before then. Other than the date changes, the location and racing schedules for Sea Otter will remain essentially the same. The show, which was due to take…
How to Increase Your Lifespan by Years
A study published on 2nd March in the scientific journal Cardiovascular Research has concluded that air pollution reduces average life expectancy for all people worldwide by three years. In comparison, tobacco shortens life expectancy by 2.2 years, HIV and Aids by 0.7 years and violence and deaths in wars by 0.3 years. The researchers from…
Lowering Speed Limits Will Save Cyclists’ Lives
This was one of the key messages to come out of a series of two Road Safety Symposiums held in Sydney on 11th March and Melbourne on 12th March. Speakers included Professor Fred Wegman from the Netherlands who is widely regarded as a world leading expert on road safety, John Merritt, former CEO of Vic…
How’s Business? March 2020
What Impact Will the Corona Virus Have? Welcome to our monthly survey of a wide variety of bike shops spread throughout Australia and New Zealand. We’re always mindful to call a mixture of city and country shops with a wide range of bike dealerships and never more than one shop in any state or territory.…
Mountain Biking’s $100 Million Jump!
On 7th February 2015, 20 kilometres of world class mountain bike trails were opened at the then almost ghost town of Derby in a relatively remote corner of Tasmania. The rest, as they say, is history. Derby has boomed. People of all over the world have come to visit. International events have followed with successfully…
Bikes International and Five Bike Barn Stores Acquired by The Pedal Group
The trend for closer integration between Australia’s and New Zealand’s bicycle industries is about to continue with a major acquisition by the Queensland based Pedal Group, the entitity includes Advance Traders and 99 Bikes. “We take over five shops on 1st July and we also buy the Bikes International wholesale stock on 1st July,” said…
Four Children Killed, ‘Riding Bikes’
Ebikes: The Next Big Thing Is Here Now
On 25th September 2014 I wrote and published an opinion piece in Bicycling Trade entitled ‘I’m Calling it Right Now!’ In that article I predicted that ebikes would become mainstream globally, including Australia, but that it would take, ‘…another three to five years to really make an impact in Australia.’ With the benefit of hindsight…
Why Dealers Love Australian Designed Dyson Bikes
– Sponsored Content – Naomi Dyson and David Metzke have spent years refining their range of ebikes and building a growing network of loyal dealers. From small beginnings Dyson’s total bike sales have reached the multiple thousands. “We started about eight years ago when we got some off the shelf bikes from China just to…