Read CyclingIndustry.News’ May print edition online

Now readable online, CyclingIndustry.News’ third print edition of 2022 covers plenty of ground, packing in big name interviews, retail opinion, insight from a business coach and investigations into the auto industry’s approach on electric bikes.

Some key features in this Trade Journal:

• Big interviews with the CEOs of both Extra UK and Merida UK, plus an exclusive with Mavic‘s new ownership
• The usual front line opinion from our regular retail panel
• An outtake from CyclingIndustry.News 2022 Market data, which is available to purchase in full by emailing the Editor here.
• An assessment of commodity price movements and their forward impact
• An interview with SRAM discussing investment in production and the recent buying spree of brands
• Profiles with kids’ bike label Prevelo, plus retail businesses The Electric Bike Shop and Rat Race Cycles
• Should the bike business pay attention to car industry movements in the e-Bike business? CI.N investigates…
• An assessment of company vehicles and whether now is the time to go EV
• Opinion pieces with sustainability experts at Presca, plus business coach Emma Cole

If you are in the trade and wish to subscribe to receive either a print (UK only) or digital copy, then input your details here to join our database.

Editor’s letter

At the time of writing the sun is beating down and the first signs of Spring have arrived, but the accompanying cheer is somewhat lost in the headlines triggered by an unnecessary and brutal war. No good comes of such disregard for peace and at the forefront of our minds will be the predicament those fleeing find themselves now and for future resettlement. The bike industry, while powerless in many ways has rallied to the assistance of refugees of war in Europe and it was particularly heartening to see responses ranging charity efforts through to priority job location for those with skills crossing borders.

It feels horrendous to consider the business implications when the humanitarian efforts are far from concluded, but the effects could stretch out the rough ride global economies have endured over the past two years at a time when many were daring to speak of a ‘return to normal’. As industry sales agent and economist John Styles pointed out in our last edition, there may no longer be a normal that we will recognise, but that’s not to say the bike industry’s outlook has a set trajectory yet.

I shall continue briefly with the bad news as I’d like to conclude with some positives.

Commodity prices ranging oil through aluminium and battery metals have moved sharply north and so what little hope the trade had of a slowing of price increases has now faded and in the face of skyrocketing inflation and dire consumer confidence. For those customers that roll out the line “I could buy a car for that”, well not in this market they couldn’t, but then again who would want to right now?

That leads nicely into an opportunity for the bike industry. The fact of the matter is our transport system is largely malfunctioning, but it is nonetheless essential to move people. Train price increases remain above inflation, fuel for motoring is unlikely to return to sensible levels for some time and our bus network is now used less than half as much as it was in the 1960s. Now is the time to open a reasoned dialogue with those who have taken a dim view on cycling for transport; they will be feeling bruised every time they don’t cycle. Crucially, with the electric bike, you can bypass the walls put up simply by asking “have you tried these yet?”

While the road to ween ourselves away from oil dependence is a long one, severed ties with one of the world’s largest providers has provided, in the EU at least, a springboard for renewed focus on green mobility. Indeed, upon the market’s taking a dive with news of sanctions, clean energy held its ground, which is a good sign for sentiment surrounding all things deemed clean. Investors were already throwing their weight behind the ‘mega trend’ of green mobility prior to Russia’s aggression.

With cycling touted as one way to stick it to Putin’s oil demand and all of the aforementioned marketing ideas to tempt consumers to change habits, will we again find that bikes do brilliantly from a downturn?

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