The latest Cycling Industry News magazine is now live

The latest issue of Cycling Industry News is on its way to bike shops and suppliers – and online now.

There’s reportage from the first big European cycle show of the year, analysis of the bike-related stock market, data (of course) and plenty more, including:

• The big picture: CIN trawls its exclusive market data for long term trends
• Analysis: Is there really a shortage of bike mechanics?
• Show report: Velofollies gets in early as the first major European bike trade show of the year
• Eddy Merckx: We report on the return of a Belgian classic
• Adaptive DCS on shaking things up by offering a plethora of services and routes to market for brands.
• What did the stock market tell us about listed bicycle businesses in 2023?
• Thinking big: Cristóbal Pérez argues the case for mimicking best practice from the big players
• David Wilsher on 50 years in the bicycle business
• “We need more voices to form a chorus”: Director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift, Kate Veronneau

That link again, to read the latest issue, is here.

From the Editor: 

A big year: “From a consumers’ perspective – the market is still buzzing and cycling continues to be a hot topic.”

That quote from the Belgian cycle market orientated Velofollies show (page 10) makes a degree of sense. Consumers naturally have a limited level of attention for what’s going on in the bike industry, but will be  significantly more interested in the many discounts and sales that are available (and have been available for a while).

The problem with that is there are not as many consumers with cash in their pocket at the moment to take advantage of said sales.

The British Retail Council says that retail sales have remained slow as the high cost of living enters a third year. January sales helped boost spending in the first two weeks, but did not sustain throughout the month. Larger purchases, like furniture, household appliances and electricals remained weak (can we include bicycles in that category? Probably).

Meanwhile we recently heard from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders how the canny automotive industry has had a comparatively decent 2023 (its best year since 2019) because it doesn’t solely rely on consumers cash flow, it also sells to the corporate fleet market. In fact, corporate sales delivered almost all of the growth in car sales in 2023 in the UK. I can’t get over that cold hard fact, I’ll be honest.

2024 has all the hallmarks of being a significant year. Europe-wide the cycling industry appears to be prepping for the tide to (finally) turn for the market, having patiently hunkered down and trimmed back for many months. Here in the UK we have a general election to enjoy and presumably a bit of confidence to go with it when that’s settled. The Bank of England is talking about interest rate cuts this year, which should have a direct impact on consumer cash flow.

Let’s not get too carried away, for sure, but there are a few opportunities ahead and indeed some light at the end of the tunnel. Possibly there’s the chance to do things a bit differently too, for a more sustainable (in every sense of the word) cycle industry.