News
NZ Based Chapter2 Appoints Exclusive Australian Distributor
Chapter2 is the creation of Michael Pryde. After a successful career in Architecture, he joined Neil Pryde Limited in 2004. This company, founded and run by his father since 1970 is a diverse global sporting goods brand, best known for its windsurfers. Michael established the Bike Division under the brand NEILPRYDE in 2008 where he…
Life Time Buys Sea Otter Classic
Frank Yohannan, who has owned and operated the Sea Otter Classic for more than 30 years since he founded the event from scratch, has sold to Life Time, a multi-billion dollar fitness and event company. Life Time already owns a range of major cycling, running and triathlon events across the USA including the Leadville 100,…
Specialized E-Bike Battery Recall Includes Some Australian Bikes
Specialized is recalling about 2,500 first-generation Turbo Levo and Kenevo electric mountain bike battery packs. Water can penetrate the seal around the LED control pad on the bicycle’s lithium-ion battery pack and cause the battery to short circuit, posing fire and burn hazards. No injuries have been reported from the fault. The recall involves Specialized…
Director of Cycling Fund Arrested, Charged with Fraud
Samuel J. Mancini is the managing director of a Denver, Colorado-based fund that had plans to acquire iconic global brands De Rosa, De Marchi and Limar. But Mancini was arrested in Denver late July and faces US federal securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges. According to civil and criminal complaints, Mancini’s company, Outdoor…
Exclusive Interview with an Aussie Bike Expert Stranded in Taiwan
Aldo Contarino would be best described as an inventor and manufacturing expert who’s been in the Australian bike industry for over three decades. Through his Quantum Bicycles workshop in Perth, he and his team have manufactured and repaired frames and taken on all sorts of tricky jobs that most bike workshops would pass on. He’s…
Inside Information: Trade Show Wars and Industry Trends in Europe
Pre-covid, many Australian bicycle industry members made an annual pilgrimage to Eurobike, hosted by the scenic, small city of Friedrichshafen, Germany. Recently major changes been announced regarding the dates, ownership and host city for Eurobike, which will be hosted in July in Frankfurt from 2022. Plus, there’s a huge new competitor, in the form of…
Influencers! Launching 1st August with Osher Günsberg
On Sunday 1st August we’re launching a brand new YouTube Channel and interview series called influencers! Through influencers! we’ll be interviewing a wide range of people, both face-to face and via video link, throughout Australia and around the world. Everyone that we speak to in influencers! is making a difference in some aspect of cycling…
How’s Business? August 2021
Welcome to our monthly chat with bike shop owners and managers across Australia and New Zealand. Usually we call a mixture of city and country bike shops, but with Covid lockdowns affecting several of the major cities across Australia, this time we focused upon shops in the capital cities. The lockdowns also made us feel…
E-Bikes Attract More Women – Study Suggests
A new study of electric bike use in New Zealand has found that pedal assistance has acted as an enabler to empower women to ride. Ebikes could be the catalyst for bike retail environments becoming more female friendly. Part of the reasoning for the shift put forward by the bike shop managers interviewed for the…
BikeExchange Co-Founder Returns to New Full Time Role
Sam Salter has returned to work in the company that he co-founded with Jason Wyatt 15 years ago. He will take up the newly created role of Chief Sales and Partnerships Officer. Sam is currently a non-executive director of BikeExchange Limited, a role he’ll retain. Sam is also the co‑founder of Marketplacer, which operates a…