New Farm Bikes is Closing After Over 30 Years

New Farm Bikes, located at 77 Merthyr Rd in the inner eastern Brisbane suburb of New Farm only a couple of kilometres from Brisbane’s city centre, is closing its doors. Long time owner Tina Quintner’s late husband Alex Quintner founded New Farm Bikes back in the late 1980’s.  Tina has decided to close the business,…

Will Your Customers Start Hiring and Subscribing to Bikes Instead of Buying?

Tech savvy media commentators, futurists and other technophiles are very eager to tell anyone prepared to listen that this is the age of the shared economy. They say that instead of buying products, customers, especially younger generations, are happy to share, hire, subscribe, rent or swap. While this may be beyond dispute for products such…

Landmark NSW Rail Trail Opening Soon

A rail trail is created when abandoned rail corridors are converted into shared-use paths for walking, bike riding and sometimes horse riding. Rail trails are a proven generator of business for the bicycle industry with some popular Australian rail trails recording counts of 3,000 cyclists on long weekends. NSW currently has only 11 rail trails…

Reid Cycles Launch Global Environmental Pledge

Reid Cycles is best known in Australia for their retail stores in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne of the same name that sell budget priced bicycles. But this Melbourne based business also has significant international operations. According to their website they’ve expanded into other countries including in the following order since 2014: England, New Zealand,…

MTBA Launches Bushfire Appeal for MTB Trails and Clubs

A significant number of mountain bike parks and trails have been devastated by the ongoing bushfires that have swept through Australia this summer. Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) the peak body for mountain biking activity in Australia has launched a national appeal through the Australian Sports Foundation (which provides tax deductibility) to help rebuild these trails…

Cyclists Deaths are No Accident

Oslo, the capital city of Norway has just recorded its first full year without a single cyclist or pedestrian fatality. In contrast, pedestrian deaths in New York City were up from 203 to 219 in 2019 and cyclists deaths were up from 10 in 2018 to 28 in 2019, which is the highest level in…

Tariff Case Loss A Multi-Million Dollar Blow to Our Industry

There has been a story, bubbling away in the background that we’ve chosen not to report upon until now, because it has been the subject of a legal case. It’s also a somewhat complex issue, so we’ll start with some background explanation. Australia’s federal government has the power to impose import tariffs on any imported…

Sea Otter Australia Officially Launched

A new cycling festival experience – Sea Otter Australia – is set to debut at Canberra’s Stromlo Forest Park on 2nd to 5th October 2020 following an official launch at the venue on Wednesday 18th December. Sea Otter Australia will offer spectators and riders a contemporary cycling adventure like no other, nestled in Stromlo Forest…

Wiggle CRC Posts A Massive Loss After Writedowns

Wiggle CRC Logo

Mapil Topco Limited, which trades as Wiggle CRC, has just released its financial statements for the year ending 30th December 2018. They shown a pre-tax loss of £132.5 million (A$253 million). But as is often the case with large entities, that single figure does not tell the whole story. Wiggles sales rose 15% to £453…

Earlier Dates Mean Closer Trips for Show Attendees

Eurobike

For those Australian or New Zealand bicycle trade members looking to attend both Eurobike and Taichung Bike Week next year, they’ll not have long to unpack their bags between trips. Eurobike is only a fraction later than its traditional dates at 2nd to 5th September 2020, but Taichung Bike Week has decided to move four…