Features
TURBA Charging the Eyewear Market with Great Style, Fit and Price
~ Sponsored Content ~ Sports eyewear brand TURBA has quickly built a strong and devoted slice of the online market since its launch in mid-2020. Underpinned by a range of very distinctive and eye-catching designs, a hyper-responsiveness to consumer tastes and expertise in digital marketing, TURBA is reaping the rewards of delivering ultra-light, comfortable and…
Heart and Soul of Shoe Evolution
Are cycling shoes that automatically tighten and adjust their cleat position on the horizon? US patent applications reported by the UK’s road.cc website suggest Shimano is working on both features. In April, road.cc reported Shimano had applied for a patient for dial-adjusted cycling shoes that automatically adjusted their tension in response to sensors on the…
Stick With Leatt for Maximum Confidence
~ Sponsored Content ~ Leatt’s ever-evolving range of shoes, helmets, body armour, braces, guards, hydration systems apparel can be summed up in one word – confidence. Confidence in the quality, in its rider-based research, its technology and its focus on doing whatever it takes to keep committed thrill seekers safer. Mountain biking is a confidence…
Crankbrothers Finds Perfect MATCH for Shoes and Pedals
~ Sponsored Content ~ Let’s chat about Crankbrothers. From humble beginnings in a Laguna Beach garage, Crankbrothers has grown into a globally recognised and leading brand of pedals, wheels, dropper posts, pumps, tools and accessories. That growth has been underpinned by a very large focus on delivering quality products at affordable prices, especially after it…
Divine Quality With Riders at its Heart
~ Sponsored Content ~ Deity is a premium MTB component manufacturer that lives by the creed, “all heart, all passion, and all in”. The US manufacturer prides itself on being 100% rider owned, operated, designed and funded – so every decision is made by riders, for riders. Eric Davies, the founder of Deity Components, has…
NZ Success Story Brings Rush of New Energy for Ridley
~ Sponsored content ~ A New Zealand distributor putting Ridley firmly on the map in its home country has been granted the brand’s agency for Australia. Auckland-based Rush Velo, owned by former NZ elite men’s road cycling champion Darien Rush, introduced Ridley to NZ in 2019, focusing on the brand’s gravel range initially and gradually…
Business Focus Gives Huge Sea Otter an Interbike Feel
Monterey, US A total of 528 exhibitors, representing more than 1,000 brands, came to the Sea Otter Classic last month, jamming the Laguna Seca Raceway exhibition area, setting records for attendance, reaffirming the event’s hold on the US bicycle industry, and enhancing its growing cachet among a bevy of foreign exhibitors. Australia was represented by…
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…
Letter From America – Banks Shaping Bike Industry
Sante Fe, New Mexico The US banking industry – turned topsy-turvy with the demise of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in March – is quietly reshaping the bicycle industry. Retailers, facing a raft of cash flow issues, are finding it increasingly difficult to refinance older loans, refinance and pay for overpriced inventory, or seek loans to…
Bicycle Academy Growing and Evolving to Train the Nation’s Mechanics
~ Sponsored Content ~ Expanding training organisation the Bicycle Academy is swiftly implementing its own lessons, to ensure Australia’s only national bike mechanics apprenticeship program accurately matches the needs of the industry. It’s a little under a year since the Bicycle Academy, a joint venture by training provider Industry Graduates and leading bicycle wholesale and…