Opinion
What Does Our Bike Industry Future Look Like?
As we all know, Australia’s bike industry went through an unprecedented two-year boom from about March 2020 until it started to taper during 2022. During that boom, I wrote two opinion pieces here and here predicting what would happen next and then, early this year, this article in which I summarised which of those predictions…
How Accurate Were Our Covid Bike Industry Predictions?
During the Covid pandemic I wrote two articles predicting what would happen in the future of the bike industry as a result of Covid’s ‘big disruption’. The first one was posted on 17th December 2020 and the follow-up was posted on 23rd September 2021. There’s a strong chance you might have read either or both…
The More You Learn, The More You Earn!
Wollongong, NSW Years ago, a long-time friend and long-distance mentor of mine, Marc Sani (author of our Letter from America column), taught me a lesson I’ve always tried to implement. “Your readers don’t care what you think, they just want to know the facts! So just report the facts and keep your opinions to yourself.”…
Letter to the Editor – Melbourne Bike Show Concerns
Bentleigh, Vic To the Editor, Any news on the onslaught of people asking for refunds for the Melbourne Bike Show over the weekend? They didn’t engage directly with industry players (the ones I talked to), super short planning period, BIG talk online and advertising, but they delivered bunk. They turned off comments to their posts…
Thanks to Your Support, We Made It!
Wollongong, NSW Nine months before my 60th birthday was due to arrive on 17th March 2022, I decided to do something significant to mark the occasion. That was, to try to ride from Melbourne to Sydney and hopefully raise over $20,000 for two cycling-related charities I’ve long supported. Well, my 60 or Bust! charity ride…
Why I’m Asking For Your Help
Just over two weeks ago I turned 60. Fortunately, I’m not asking you for donations towards a mobility scooter or a deposit on a room in aged care accommodation. But being a bit of a planner, early last year I started thinking about what I might do to mark this significant life milestone. Whatever I…
Reflecting Upon the End of Two Intertwined 50 Year Eras
Boulder, Colorado When I recently read a press release that VeloNews was ‘merging’ with its sister magazine, Peloton, and would no longer exist in print format, I was startled by the strength of my emotional reaction. I have neither read, at least in print format, nor written for VeloNews magazine for many years. So why…
Welcome to 2022! Here’s Why I’m Still Optimistic…
Wollongong, NSW Welcome to this brand new year called 2022. I hope you were able to have at least some holiday time over the New Year period. I’ve just returned from three weeks of travelling through the back roads of NSW and Victoria. Holidays are always a good time to learn, reflect and set yourself…
Letter to the Editor: Retailers Should Have Freedom to Choose
To the Editor, I own Tower Systems, a local Aussie software company serving several hundred bike retailers with locally made and supported software. I was disappointed to discover that Specialized has advised retailers that the new version of their electronic invoice platform will only link with the Lightspeed and Vend software products. Lightspeed recently bought…
If You Read Nothing Else Read This! Bike Supply… The Sequel
From conversations with various industry members over recent weeks it seems that, after a brief respite, bicycle stock supplies are tightening again – just as we lead into our busy summer season, potentially leading to a bike shortage in Australia. Right now, some of the biggest questions on most Australian bicycle retailers’ minds include, ‘When…