Features
Letter from America: Signs of Major Market Contractions
Santa Fe, US Here’s a prediction and if it’s wrong … well, that’s the way predictions go. Nonetheless, let me go out on a limb and suggest that the US bicycle market will contract, perhaps significantly, over the next 12 months. And the outlines of that trend are starting to emerge. Anecdotal evidence suggest inventory…
Expanded Hubtiger Builds Stronger Customer Connections
~ Sponsored Content ~ Imagine a software platform and app that keeps track of your customers’ bikes and how much work key parts have done. What if that app could then automatically notify a rider when a part has reached a certain number of working hours or mileage, and alerts the cyclists to bring the…
HJC Sports Helmets – For The Moment
~ Sponsored Content ~ Originating from Korea and enjoying huge popularity in the Europe, HJC has half a century of experience in producing premium-level motorbike helmets. More recently they’ve taken on the cycling market, leveraging off their experience with advanced materials and in-house wind tunnel facility to compete directly with the big players. South Side…
Electronic Upgrade for Shimano 105
Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan Shimano’s 105 group set has been upgraded to electronic shifting, as the model celebrating its 40th anniversary. The move to Di2 electronic shifting technology for the 105 R7100 group also incorporates a step up from 11 speed to the company’s flagship 12-speed system. Shimano 105’s Di2 utilises a hybrid system, with a…
Letter From America: Rationale Behind the Great White Feeding Frenzy
Santa Fe, New Mexico It’s as if someone tossed a ton of chum into the turbulent waters surrounding independent bicycle dealers, attracting a scrum of swift-moving sharks snapping up prime retail locations in the prosperous suburbs of major metropolitan areas. Look at a map and it’s easy to see where the Great Whites — Trek,…
Letter from America: Taking Stock of the Chaos
Sante Fe, New Mexico So much change, so much disruption, so much unknown—that characterises much of what can be discerned from the steady drumbeat of economic news today. “Where there’s chaos there’s often opportunity, and it takes an optimist to find those opportunities.” Most of it has been decidedly downbeat. It’s a bull market for…
Bike Tourism Brings New Journey for Travel Cases
Bike cases were once the almost exclusive domain of the travelling elite athlete but a surge in cycle tourism promises to bring a major market upheaval. It’s not that long since the appearance of a bike box or bag in an airport’s oversized baggage collection point could inspire a confident enquiry about the owner’s upcoming…
On the Pulse for Growing Massage Movement
~ Sponsored Content ~ More cyclists, from many disciplines, are giving greater attention to proactive recovery, and Pulseroll’s percussion guns offer an affordable, simple and effective way for riders to take recovery into their own hands. The UK company’s Pro Massage Gun and Mini Massage Gun strike a balance on price and quality, to provide…
Tech 4’s Big Power Boost Without Losing Trademark Hope Feel
~ Sponsored Content ~ New products are a particularly big deal for UK company Hope Technology.Despite its massive research and development team, brand new Hope products and updates to its existing lines are relatively few and far between. “Tech 4s deliver 30% more peak power, while maintaining Hope’s trademark calibration and feel.” “Hope isn’t the…
Bike Protection an Open and Shut Case with B&W
~ Sponsored Content ~ German manufacturer B&W has long been recognised for its premium, high-security cases. With a background in products for search and rescue, and the transportation of dangerous goods, B&W products have well and truly proven themselves for dependency when uncompromised protection is essential. Similarly, B&W’s bike cases and bags sit among the…