Read the latest CyclingIndustry.News digital magazine online

Read the latest CyclingIndustry.News digital magazine online

The sixth print edition of CyclingIndustry.News for 2022 is now live and available to read online and download here.

Starting with this edition, the topic of conversation for our regular panel of retailers is “how much do rider sponsorship, signature merchandise and event attendance ripple effect sales and popularity?” ‘consumer influence’.

This is followed by our usual excerpt from C.N.’s annual market report. Focusing on the salary structures of mechanics and retail management personnel, the year-over-year comparisons make for interesting reading and tend to show a faster upward trend in salaries at the far end. higher than at the lower end.

Reporting from the cycling paradise of Girona, the team at CyclingIndustry.News traveled to this year’s Sea Otter Europe in a bid to understand just how important this event has become to the European calendar. Head to page 14 for a deep dive into an animated event.

Sticking to trade shows and visitors to Eurobike earlier in the year may have noted the emergence of the Hyena eBike Systems brand, which now supplies motors to many of the world’s leading brands. Starting on page 18, CI.N explores the brand’s under-the-radar progress and what’s next for an innovative Taiwanese company.

Economist, well-known cycle trade representative and occasional CyclingIndustry.news columnist, John Styles, deepens the analysis of the data in this edition with an examination of posts from hundreds of online bicycle retail stores. His angle is to find out if companies are prioritizing tools to help convert sales at a time when consumers are dominating spending. See page 20 for this overview.

Next, the age-old question about the progress the bike industry has made in attracting women to cycling is explored in detail with four industry experts. Read the takes from Rachel Burnside, Frank Aldorf, Mary Wittenberg and Tomas Van Den Spiegel in a long read starting on page 26.

On the subject of cycle tourism, journalist Jo Beckendorff reports on the territory of Japan, exploring how one region has aligned its activities to provide an immersive and complete cycling experience for visitors.

Our second magazine interview with an e-bike OEM builds on Bosch CEO Claus Fleischer’s broad overview of the market and the challenges the industry faces to stay on the growth path. . Date with Claus on page 38.

There’s plenty more in this 68-page edition, so keep scrolling for:

  • Profiles with Nalini, Abus and Spokesafe
  • Marketing strategy advice by Advntr Media and business coach Emma Cole
  • An assessment of who in the industry most claims to be “the Patagonia of the bike world”
  • Our ‘Ask the Boss’ interview with Gernot Moser from Vaude

From the Editor – Loyalty That Lasts and Lasts

When Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, announced in September the groundbreaking decision to divest his company, split it in two and channel all profits to the planet through a charitable trust, the reaction online was immense. Virtue is not forgoing profits estimated at $100 million a year, going further than ever to tackle the ever-worsening climate crisis.

He, like most of us in the cycling world, started his business out of a passion for the outdoors and the life it gave him. This passion has never been disregarded of the negative externalities of doing business and so the company has become known for being a pioneer in sustainability and carrying this message upstream and downstream.

Chouinard is ultimately said to have become “horrified at being considered a billionaire” and has long espoused the value of reinvesting profit into the original vision of enjoying and preserving nature. When we start in business, everyone wants to be successful, but success is not measured only in money. More than ever, as we look to the future, it’s something to reflect on.

Now, as the editor of a trade magazine, I’m not going to tell you to stop making money. It would be suicide on my part. What I will reveal is that I am not a buyer of things. I rarely buy things and when I do, it’s out of necessity rather than want. It’s a simple life, when you’ve got a bike that’s built to last and a world uncharted, all that’s really needed is a good mechanic afterwards.

Built to last is one thing that creates brand loyalty. Once you’ve worn technical fabrics that provide comfort and durability, you’ll never buy fast fashion again. The market has got to educate the masses here and somehow we have to get people trying to understand the value of paying more to get more use out of a product… in the end account, pay less over time.

Another thing that creates brand loyalty is understanding, unambiguously, what a company stands for and that it is more than just a slot machine for its owners. For this reason, I always chose the Patagonia brand above others when I came to clothes shopping. It has been shown that young Gen Zers, if their limited funds permit, have a greater sensitivity to such things and with each generation passing, this message becomes stronger as the urgent need to improve the fortune of the planet resounds.

These are things the bike industry as a whole needs to consider and they have real circular value. Why did we get into this business, was money really the only motivation and what good are we doing to inspire others in the future to follow and improve the tire prints left?

I want to end this column with a very special introduction to our team that probably needs no introduction, our new Head of Sales, Frazer Clifford. If you want to seek business opportunities or catch up, you can contact him via email here.

Amanda P. Whitten