International
PURE Sports Nutrition Launched in Australia
Christchurch, NZ NZ family-owned business PURE Sports Nutrition has signed with Melbourne-based distributor Bikecorp to introduce Australia to its range of natural products. Brother and sister Simon and Marewa Kraak started PURE Sports Nutrition in 2012 after “failing to find sports nutrition products that sat well during training and racing”. “Everything was artificial, full of…
Container Rates Forecast to Drop Below Pre-Covid Levels
Hamburg, Germany Shipping container rates are poised to drop below pre-Covid levels according to a report published this month by Container xChange, an online platform for container logistic companies to book and manage containers. The German company attributed the price drop to a fall in China’s exports in September and global economic downturn, saying market…
POC Moves to Direct Sales Support in NZ
Christchurch, NZ Swedish helmet and apparel brand POC is establishing direct sales support for its retailers in NZ, beginning with snow sports businesses from the start of this month and incorporating cycling retailers from April 2023. “Christchurch-based POC New Zealand, a subsidiary of POC Sweden which launched in 2019 as an APAC regional support office,…
Pierer Industrie Buys Syntace and Liteville
Wels, Austria Austrian motorcycle giant Pierer Industrie AG has acquired a majority stake in high-quality componentry manufacturer Syntace. The takeover includes Syntace’s MTB branch, Liteville. “The innovative strength of Syntace and the expertise of its technical staff is complementary to the Pierer Group, where technology and the transfer of know-how between the business units is…
Sea Otter an Incubator for New European Micromobility Festival
Girona, Spain A new European mobility festival was launched last week as part of this year’s Sea Otter Europe Bike Show. The Spanish city of Girona hosted Sea Otter Europe and the Euromobility Festival (EMF) from the 23rd to 25th September. A Sea Otter statement says EMF aimed to be a catalyst in the innovation…
Fashionable Bike Brand Veloretti Purchased by Pon.Bike
Cloppenberg, Germany Dutch bike conglomerate Pon.Bike announced this month it is acquiring fashionable bike brand Veloretti, also based in Amsterdam. Veloretti is one of Europe’s fastest growing direct-to-consumer bicycle brands, founded 10 years ago and now active in 27 countries. A statement from Pon said Veloretti will “continue to function independently under the leadership of…
Riese & Müller CEO Steps Down for Innovation Focus
Darmstadt, Germany The CEO of one of Europe’s most enduring and important players in micromobility, Riese & Müller, has stepped down from executive duties to focus more on innovation and product development. Markus Riese, who co-founded the e-bike specialist company in Germany almost 30 years ago, last month announced he was relinquishing the top executive…
Letter From America: Infrastructure Over Subsidies for Cycling Boost
Santa Fe, US There’s been much wailing and gnashing of teeth of late among e-bike advocates who’ve long hoped the federal government would loosen its purse strings and subsidise the purchase of new e-bikes. And it almost came to be. But a bold plan to offer a 30% tax credit toward the purchase of an…
Hopper Stays Close to Driving Experience
Frankfurt, Germany Luring drivers out of cars and into more sustainable transport options could require alternatives as close as possible to the automobile experience, according to the developer of a new light electric vehicle (LEV) prototype. German company Hopper Mobility, launched only last year, attracted plenty of attention when it exhibited its three-wheeler prototype at…
Cargo Explosion Delivers a Wealth of Innovations
Frankfurt, Germany The exploding cargo bike market was an unmistakeable feature of Eurobike 2022, with a growing array of global players occupying much of one exhibition hall. A vast spectrum of designs whizzed around the test tracks and many industry folk and members of the public took the opportunity to try the multitude of cargo…