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Geraldton, WA. Northern WA bike store owner Leighton Thomas has received plenty of puzzled expressions in recent weeks, as he outlined plans to reinvent his business as a “bike store with no bikes”. “I’ve never stumped so many people before,” according to the industry veteran of 33 years, including stints as some of bicycle retail’s leading players. “They can’t imagine …
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Lilydale, Victoria. The Latz Report recently wrote about Yarra Valley Cycles purchasing a 1,500 square metre premises to be transformed into one of Australia’s largest bike shops. On 13th September, we had the chance to visit the almost completed store to take photos and interview co-owner Ash Swann. Lilydale is 42km east of the Melbourne city centre. It was a …
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Scooter Hut is looking to add another couple of stores to its national retail chain by the end of this year – convinced the market is set to enjoy sustained healthy growth. Headed by recently appointed CEO Josh O’Neill, the company has been busy in recent weeks examining possible locations for new stores in Melbourne, encouraged …
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As every bike shop mechanic knows, optimally functioning bearings are vital to the performance of any bicycle. Australian mechanics will now be able to access the full product range of global market leader Enduro Bearings through its new exclusive Australian distributor, Lusty Industries. We recently spoke with Enduro Bearings co-founder Matt Harvey and executive director Rick …
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Welcome to How’s Business, brought to you by Knog - Australian designed and lighting up the world. Even though it’s one of the first things dealers talk to me about, it has been six months since we last specifically asked our How’s Business participants about the ‘d’ word … discounting. So for this month’s follow-up question, we asked, “What proportion …
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Adelaide, SA. If you look back through the Opinion section of The Latz Report, you’ll see I use my prerogative as publisher to voice an opinion very sparingly. There are only a couple of dozen opinion pieces since we started in 2019, most of which are non-controversial and two of which were written by guests. That’s because I’m always mindful …
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Brookvale, NSW. Back in early 2021, I phoned Sticky Bottle as part of our monthly How’s Business column, in which we speak to bike shop owners and managers across Australia and NZ. As you can see in that column, owner Justin Roscoe made the rare revelation that they sold a lot of cycling apparel through their store. In fact ...
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Frankfurt, Germany. A remodelled Reid Cycles was on display at Eurobike 2023, including the Australian brand’s escalating shift into e-bikes and e-scooters. Reid Cycles founder James Reid, group CEO Rob Akam and the Reid team used the Frankfurt trade show to unveil several new e-bike and e-scooter models, including the company’s first folding compact e-cargo bike, and a few updated …
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Sydney, NSW. Two relatively young Sydney organisations – one a subscription business specialising in children’s bikes and the other a recycling operation created to serve the bike industry – have joined forces to strengthen the sustainability objectives of both ventures. Bike leasing company The Pedal Club last month announced it is partnering with Revolve Recycling and is transitioning to offering …
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Sydney, NSW. Authorised Shimano dealers in Australia will soon have access to an app to help deal with a voluntary inspect and replace program for the brand’s HOLLOWTECH II road cranksets. Shimano will launch access to the Shimano app during the week starting Monday 16th October, after Shimano Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)..
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Palencia, Spain. MAHLE SmartBike Systems has bolstered its technical customer service in Australia by partnering with Melbourne-based distributor BIKEBOX. The Spanish manufacturer, established in 2015, is a subsidiary of German automotive parts manufacturer Mahle Group and has quickly established a strong presence in the bicycle industry after releasing the lightest and most compact e-bike drive system. Its components have been …
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Dunedin, NZ. NZ bike rack specialist aeroe has officiallly arrived in Australia, after partnering distributor BikeSportz Imports. The Dunedin-based company, established five years ago, is renowned for its patented Spider Rear Rack, a versatile system designed to fit on virtually any bicycle. The brand has won multiple Design & Innovation Awards, one of Europe’s premier design prizes, and this year …
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Melbourne, Victoria. Bike retailers have one more week to complete Bicycle Industries Australia’s survey on the recycling habits of stores throughout Australia. The survey is the latest initiative by BIA’s newly formed Sustainability Committee, comprising delegates throughout the industry, and asks retailers whether they recycle products such as batteries, tyres, oils, frames and cardboard. BIA general manager Peter Bourke said …
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GMAIL users - click on the blue "View Entire Message" link below to read the rest of the newsletter.
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Bergamo, Italy Italian bike helmet and eyewear manufacturer Limar is reinvigorating its position in the Australian market, appointing seasoned industry member Julian Green as its brand manager for the region. A new product range is scheduled for launch in Australian and the wider Oceania region this month, including the latest helmet models and the full range of new Limar eyewear. …
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Adelaide, SA. One of Australia’s highest general classification finishers at the Tour de France, South Australia’s bike industry veteran Patrick Jonker, has been appointed as the State’s sales agent for TEBCO. The Melbourne-based brand confirmed last month it has appointed Patrick, who has just clocked up four decades working in the bike industry. He was born into the industry, the …
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Taichung, Taiwan. Taiwan bicycle industry leaders have signalled their intention to use next year’s Taipei Cycle to achieve a global memorandum of understanding (MOU) for greater sustainability in the industry. US and European industry representatives focused on sustainable practices in their own markets would be invited to attended Taipei Cycle 2024 to take a global view of the ...
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Giant has released fifth-generation ranges for both its Defy endurance road bikes and Avail Advance line-up, featuring totally reengineered frames and purposed built components for each line. The Avail range, released under the company’s Liv brand of female-specific bikes, trims more than 100 grams off its framesets compared to their predecessors – 128 grams for the range-topping Advanced ...
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Cycling participation levels are falling in Australia, dropping to a rate lower than in 2011, as the Covid pandemic surge quickly peters out, according to a national report released last month. The National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey, conducted by Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand, found the number of people who rode a bike in the week leading …
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Michigan, US. A US energy storage technology company recently announced further progress in the range and energy density of its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system, as a safer option to nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) and with greater availability of raw materials. Michigan-based Our Next Energy (ONE) says its Aries II LFP battery pack has closed the gap in range …
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Melbourne, Victoria. Cycling garment manufacturer Santini and advocacy organisation The Amy Gillett Foundation have joined forces to foster safer cycling. As part of the partnership, Santini Australia released a limited-edition reflective cycling kit for last month’s Amy’s Gran Fondo. Designed in Australia in collaboration with the Amy Gillet Foundation, the jersey is a distinctive bright pink colour, and features innovative …
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