Mar
2
Of all the things I’ve posted about here on this blog since it launched back in 2006, there’s one page that has remained as the top visited page since it was written. And it’s not bike business-related or about Interbike. Well, at least not directly related. It’s about a fun website that allows you to design your dream fixie. And many of those readers who visited that page found it by searching for the top ranked search term for Interbike Times, “fixie design.”
Not one to avoid going back to the same well for more of the same traffic, I give you Design Your Dream Fixie 2.0: trendy fashion retailer Urban Outfitters has been selling bikes through its website–even going so far as to call it the “Urban Outfitters Bike Shop” and give it its own vanity url: bikes.urbanoutfitters.com.
The site lets you design your own bike and preview how it will look as you go along. Once you’ve designed it–by selecting frame, wheel and component colors–and placed your order, they (or rather their partner Republic Bike) build it and ship it to you (some assembly required). All for the incredibly attractive price of $399.
Is this mass-merchant/big box-style bike selling or a popular and fashionable non-endemic retailer helping to spread the gospel of bikes to their customer base? Does the simple and straightforward nature of fixed gear bikes alleviate some of the concern that U.O. don’t have service departments in their stores at all? If fixies hadn’t developed into the trend that they are, would U.O. be selling any bikes at all? Is a fixie just a fashion accessory to the U.O. customer or are they being used in a very practical way as a means of transportation with some lasting impact on the buyer’s lifestyle?
Feb
1
New York Times on the Business of Electric Bikes
Filed Under Cycling, Gear, Green Efforts, Industry News, Interbike | 8 Comments
While making breakfast for the kids in the morning and preparing their lunches to take to school, I listen to the radio. More often than not, it’s set to NPR. You know: news, weather, little tidbits on what’s going on in the world while the oatmeal cooks and the eggs are boiling. Between slicing up a banana and buttering some toast, I heard the words “electric bicycles” come from the speakers. Ears perked, I moved a bit closer, but it was only a brief mention of the growing importance of electric bicycles in China, with a passing comment that while in China there are currently 120 million ebikes cruising the streets, we bought “only” 200,000 of them last year here in the States.
“Interesting,” I thought to myself and made a mental note to use it as a reason for a post here. Later, while skimming through the most popular articles area in the New York Times app on my iPhone during lunch, I saw that a piece on ebikes was in the top 10.
“An Electric Boost for Bicyclists – Born in China, Electric Bikes Gain a Toehold in the West” is the article featured in the Global Business section of the February 1 edition of the Times. Confirming the high popularity ranking, there are already 95 comments to the piece as of this writing.
The article by J. David Goodman is worth a read and features comments from some industry notables such as consultant Jay Townley and ebike expert Ed Benjamin who is quoted as saying that ebikes are a “gift from God” for bike makers. Sure seems like the industry is treating them like they are.
Proving that there’s always something left to learn, here are a few things I learned:
- Electric bicycles are not officially permitted on the streets of New York.
- While producing far fewer emissions, a typical Chinese ebike goes through five batteries in its lifetime – each containing 20 to 30 pounds of lead (!). Ouch.
- Two distinct types of bikes are emerging as their popularity grows: the very bicycle-like pedal-assist in the US and Europe and the more scooter-like variant in China.
- Government planners are seeking to address the challenges that the increase in ebikes on the streets are causing traditional cyclists: do they belong in bike lanes/paths?
And again I ask, considering that Best Buy is taking on the category, that specialty bicycle retail has a general lack of enthusiasm toward them (described here in a previous post), and that many traditional cyclists not exactly embracing the concept (according to the article), who will own the electric bike retail channel going forward?
Dec
2
Urban Cycle Fashion & the Cult of Transportation
Filed Under Cycling, Gear, Industry News, Interbike | Comments Off
Arrggghh! Can’t seem to get away from the urban cycling culture coverage in the media! Actually, this one hit me way back in May and, aside from bookmarking it and making a mental note to post about it, it’s just sat around gathering dust. It’s still no less relevant and intertesting to those of us in the biz, though, so here it is, finally.
Label Networks is a site that focuses on “youth culture intelligence and news” and is fairly well known in the more fashion-centric industries like those served by Interbike’s sister trade show, ASR. With that said, the bike industry’s young (in both tenure and demographic) fixie/urban category appears on their trend-spotting radar screens unlike our traditional “technical” bike apparel. Like my recent post on outdoor retailers and cycling, this is an interesting view into how this category is being exposed and explained to the non-endemic fashion community.
It’s a tad old, but still worth a read: The Urban Cycle Fashion Movement and the Cult of Transportation. The piece mentions cycling inspired apparel from Adidas, New Era and Outlier among others.
Note: Just noticed a more recent and updated version of the article from this Aug: Urban Cycling and How Fixies Are Transforming the Cult of Transportation Into a Lifestyle
As any strong movement grows, so too does a new industry, including of course the growth of bike shops in urban centers, and events such as Midnight Rides in various cities, plus art shows showcasing the creative energy of the of movement, and self-made videos and documentaries as seen during the touring Bicycle Film Festival.
Nov
13
BikeHugger and Russell the Nippletwister
Filed Under Gear, Interbike, Photos, Rides | 2 Comments
Arriving back at my cube yesterday morning after a trip to visit a client, I was pleasantly surprised to find a box with the Sun-Ringle logo on it waiting for me. I guess I knew the wheels were coming, I just didn’t know what model to expect. Turns out that the wheels I won at BikeHugger.com’s Interbike Mobile Social raffle are a set of Sun-Ringle Accelerator X2.0 wheels. In swanky gold, no less!
I’ve always had good luck with Sun’s rims, so I can’t wait to throw a cassette and some tires on them this weekend and take them out for a spin. SR’s website describes the intended use of this model as “cyclocross or performance commuter riding conditions.” From the tough looking design and build and the kind of riding I do, I’d put them in the “spring classics riding conditions” category. I don’t race any more, but I still like to ride like I do. I also don’t plan on running with a bike over my shoulder anytime soon, so the cross use is out the picture. And having a tougher set of wheels on the bike for when I commute will be very welcome, too.
I can’t say I’m familiar with their hubs, but they look solid and feel smooth.
While I don’t consider their just over 1,800-and-change gram weight unreasonable, I think most reviewers today would fall into the trap of calling them heavy because of the seeming abundance of sub 1,500 gram aluminum rimmed wheels on the market. The X2.0’s look like they’ll be able to take anything you throw their way without complaint: wide rim, eyelets, 32 14gauge db Wheelsmith spokes in a classic reliable lacing pattern. And while I can’t confirm this at the moment, from the hand-written sign included in the box, it looks like the wheels were built by one “Russell the Nippletwister.” A wheelbuilder with a name like that guarantees a quality build, right? Anyways, I like the personal touch, Sun-Ringle.
And that’s the kind of component I like on my bike: reliable, reasonably light, attractive and tough. I also like having some insight into the people behind the brand and design (like Russell here). I drool over the cool high end stuff as much as the most passionate bike geek (I still have to post my review of Shimano’s Di2 that I rode at the OutDoor Demo), but I’ve been pretty good at reigning myself back in to what I should be riding. Oh, and it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg (I have two kids and a mortgage, you know?). Come to think of it, before I get a bruise from patting myself on the back too much for my practicality, maybe economics play the biggest role in the selection of parts that I ride.
On a fun note, you can see in the photo that Sun-Ringle include a bunch of stickers with the wheels. This is a nice unexpected touch that I’d recommend to all manufacturers. It’s a small gesture, but adds to the overall experience of buying something in a not too expensive way. They’ll be going right up on my tool chest at home.
Much to my surprise, I was the lucky winner of one of the many raffles that the BikeHugger crew held at their tent at the USA Crits Finals, part of their Mobile Social ride down the Strip from the Sands Expo Center to Mandalay bay. By the time I realized I was free to do the ride, it was too late to secure a bike. I ended up just watching and photographing the start of the ride and then meeting up with them at the crit. Someone handed me a raffle ticket, and lo-and-behold, they called out my number. Can’t rememebr the last time I won anything – much less something as nice as a set of wheels!
Byron and his team at BikeHugger had some great schwag to give away and I came back home with a Breezer Bikes t-shirt and cool mini Swiss Army Knife/USB flash drive along with the promise that they would ship me the wheels I had won. I felt a little funny as the “Interbike Guy” winning a prize, but everyone good naturedly insisted that I accept. As the host of the event, I don’t ask for or get much schwag (everyone there is my customer, essentially, and it’s best reserved for the retailers in attendance), so to actually come away with something like this was a real treat and definitely appreciated. I also remember seeing a set of Hed wheels and a Novara bike raffled off that night to happy attendees.
Despite the somewhat bewildering summary of Interbike 2009 in theirwrap-up story, I like what BikeHugger.com is trying to do and had a lot of fun the crew at the Mobile Social this year. You should visit their site and read up about their M.S. MoSo events that they piggyback off of various trade shows and conferences around the country like Interbike and South-By-Southwest. As the intersection of social media and riding, they’re a blast and a great way to bring passionate cyclists together.
I’ll end by saying thanks to Byron and the BikeHugger team once more for a great event and a big thanks to Sun-Ringle for supporting the Mobile Social with these wheels – I’m really looking forward to enjoying the fruits of Russell’s handiwork!
Nov
4
Electric Bikes Fill the Void at Tokyo Motor Show
Filed Under Cycling, Gear, Industry News, Video | 3 Comments
Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with a very knowledgeable industry expert and the topic of electric bikes came up – as it seems to more and more often lately. We chatted a bit about the opportunities in the category, and he mentioned how Yamaha had made a splash a few weeks back at the Tokyo Motor Show with their line of e-bikes. Not having been aware of the famous motorcycle (and piano, stereo and flute) maker’s e-bikes, I did a quick search for coverage. Here’s what I found.
It turns out that many car makers decided to not exhibit at this year’s big Tokyo Motor Show due to the effect the economic slowdown has had on that industry, and electric bikes helped fill the void on the show floor. Click the image to watch a brief video report from the show by CCTV. The video mentions that Yamaha actually created the first electric assist bicycle back in 1993. I can’t vouch for that claim, but it’s encouraging that the company sees great potential for e-bikes in the near future.
On a side note, it’s interesting that these electric bicycles are on display at the Motor Show. I caught a glimpse at an industry survey, recently, of IBD’s and their interest (or lack of, as it turns out) in selling electric bikes and have to wonder if the specialty bicycle dealer channel will be seen as the place to go for e-bikes in the future or if it will be served by others as well in a significant way. These could be motorcycle dealers or mass merchant electronics dealers like Best Buy. I know there has been a debate in the bicycle community about whether e-bikes should be considered bikes or essentially the equivalent of motorcycles that happen to run on batteries. Designed the proper way, I believe that they can fit into the bicycle category.
I have to say, I finally got to seriously try out an electric assist bike (a Giant) at our East Coast Demo event in Providence a few weeks ago, and I’m now convinced of the potential for the category. If a dealer can get the right customer on one, it’s an instant eye opening experience. Providence’s Mayor David Ciclline (in the photo below talking to Brad Klipping from Giant) came out to the event to try some bikes and I had to really talk him into trying the Giant. The mayor is a cyclist himself, and I think his pride was preventing him from giving the bike a try. He gave in and the smile came across his face right after the first electric-assisted pedal stroke as it did for me. To give him full credit as a cyclist, after the e-bike ride we hit the demo trails on a pair of the new Breezer MTB’s.
I would recommend a deliberate look into e-bikes for bike dealers out there who are on the fence. And give them a second chance if you have had less than stellar experiences with them in the past – it’s a whole new ball game with some high quality innovations by many companies.
Aug
26
iPhone Bike Fitting App
Filed Under Gear, Industry News, Interbike | 4 Comments
Amid all the craziness that is my job less than a month(!) away from the big show, a post on the Wired Gadget Lab blog caught my eye. As an iPhone junkie and, obviously, bike nut, I’m always on the lookout for bike-related iPhone apps, or programs. There are a bunch already that map your rides and keep stats about them using the built in GPS and various training diaries and gear calculators, but this one that Wired mentioned is pretty unique and thought provoking. It’s called “Testrides” and it’s a “virtual bike bike fitting room.”
It’s been great to see the evolution and widespread adoption of more scientific fitting among bicycle retailers over the last 10 years from the old standby of standing over the top tube and seeing how much clearance there is. Testrides, developed by a company called Wildlab in Japan, uses the phone’s built-in camera to snap a profile photo of the cyclist’s body. With the photo on the screen, the user taps on the touch-screen to specify their body’s joint positions. The cyclist then can input the geometry specs of a particular bike from either a catalog or the manufacturer’s website to “model” it. The app puts the two together so that you can examine a “virtual fitting” to decide whether a particular bike, geometry or size works for you.
I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet (in the iPhone’s world of mostly free or $0.99 apps, $4.99 seems like a fortune), but the screen captures here give an instant idea of how it works. The developer mentions a few limitations of the program that maybe they can work out in future updates if they get a good response. One is that the app does not account for drop handlebars or bar height variations. They clearly state that the app is designed for the casual cyclist, “so please do not use this app for competition or advanced sport purpose,” as the website says. I think this could catch on and see some pretty cool evolutions of the app.
In thinking about the impact that a program like this could have, I wonder why there hasn’t been something like this available already for cyclists to fit themselves. I mean there’s nothing about this app that screams that it needs to be mobile, so why now and why on the iPhone? I don’t envision people whipping their phones out while in a shop to check out the fit of a bike that’s right in front of them. I just think that it’s because of the nature of the iPhone and its bundle of features. It’s got a camera, a touch screen and the processing power all in one. It just happens to fit in your pocket.
So what does this app mean to cyclists? What are the implications for manufacturers and shops? Is this a tool that will help cyclists to appreciate proper fit since they can play around with it on their own time? Will shops be able to whip out their iPhones and snap a picture of a customer and do a quick and dirty fit on them? Maybe manufacturers could offer their geometry specs in a downloadable format compatible with Testrides that shops could have pre-loaded with the models they sell. Maybe Testrides could then suggest a range of bikes that would fit customers well. How about different profiles set up with different fit philosophies? Just think about the fun that the triathlon segment could have all of their new thoughts on fit and different aerobar designs? I bet Dan Empfield over at Slowtwitch could have some fun with this… Come to think of it, I could have some fun with this. Where’s that iTunes giftcard I got for my birthday…
The app just launched about a week ago and there are no reviews of it yet in iTunes. Anyone else out there try it yet?
In related news, Serotta will be launching their next generation of Size-Cycle bike fitting tools at Interbike this year. Check out the schedule on our site for info and times.
Apr
13
Hope for the mass channel?
Filed Under Cycling, Gear, Photos | 3 Comments
Was at one of the big national big box mass merchant chain stores over the weekend. Of all the large chains, it’s the one I tolerate the best because of their tasteful sense of design and style and general (perceived?) quality of the merchandise. Unfortunately, that well known sense of style has not generally extended to the bikes they sell. So I was surprised last night to see a bike that transcended the typical mass merchant offerings of triple crown-equipped full-suspension downhill racing-inspired tanks and Barbie themed kid’s bikes last night.
The usual path to the Star Wars (sorry, Clone Wars, according to our 3 year old obsessed fanboy) section leads past the bike aisle. We don’t usually stop in there, but with our daughter’s birthday coming up, and a new bike high on her list, I was curious about her opinion of BMX vs. beach cruiser bike style (about all that’s available in 20″ wheel bikes for 7-year-olds), so we took a detour.
I casually followed an online discussion recently about the role that mass merchants like these could play in getting more people on bikes. For a while now, I’ve felt that the mass is the perfect channel to introduce the non-cycling population to cycling by offering the right bike in a non-threatening environment that they are comfortable in. A fairly practical, easy to ride, sharp-looking bike in a store they already feel comfortable in. It would follow the same lessons that Shimano learned in researching their Coasting project on why 161 million Americans avoid specialty bike shops: They’re apparently intimidated by the perceived complexity of the bikes, the crowded technology-laden merchandising and oft elitist staff.
Here’s what caught my eye:
It’s a “just a bike” bike. With some added style thrown in. The Schwinn Tourist is a decent sporty-looking bike with light 700c aero-profile, paired-spoke wheels; flat bars; linear-pull brakes; tapered straight blade fork; quick release skewers; tasteful satin metallic gray paint. Didn’t really look into other component details, but at a quick glance it’s not exactly your typical department store bike. I know some of you are thinking “yeah, but it’s not a 3-speed internal hub.” Or it’s not a single speed, or have wide enough tires, or have fenders, or dyno powered light or a rack.
Curiosity piqued, I poked around their website when I got home to try to see full specs and how they describe the bike. I was surprised to find a number of other “urban” styled bikes and even two that approached full-on commuter status.
Check out the Schwinn Gridlock with fenders, rack, transparent chain guard, aluminum frame and Amsterdam-esque all black paint scheme:
Or how about the Huffy Commuter (bet you never expected to see those two words together)? Also with fenders and rack and simplified 1×5 drivetrain.
According to the website, these models are only available online and not in stores, which is a shame. It would be great to have models like this in front of the non-cycling public. Still, I think it’s another sign of the organic growth of the bicycle as a means of transportation that we’ve been experiencing over the last few years. (Though with most of these big box stores located in suburbia, you would expect the demand for this category to be weaker than if they were in urban areas.)
But alas, back at the store, I was jerked back to the reality of my surroundings and reminded of one of the top reasons why independent, specialty bike stores are by far the best choice for your next (or first) bike purchase. Just down the aisle from the Tourist was this beauty of a build:
It sort of looks like the curved down tube was designed to actually accommodate the occasional improper fork assembly by store staff, huh? With our litigious society, shouldn’t this scare the heck out of mass market suppliers like Magna? (If you’re new to cycling or didn’t notice, the fork is mounted backwards).
Any other examples of general merchandise or mass merchants starting to catch on to the growth in transportation/utility cycling?
Oct
8
Urban Legend Fashion & Art Show Video
Filed Under Attendee News, Cycling, Events, Exhibitor News, Gear, Industry News, Interbike, Video | 2 Comments
In case you missed this awesome event at this year’s Interbike. A lot of hard work went into producing the first Urban Legend fashion and art show by the Interbike operations and Momentum magazine teams in a few short weeks leading up to the show. Bravo!
Oct
3
Guitar Ted at the Demo on the Latest in 29″ers
Filed Under Cycling, Exhibitor News, Gear, Industry News, Interbike, OutDoor Demo, Video | Comments Off
So now that I’ve got more than one, I guess this is now a series: Guitar Ted on the Latest in 29′ers. I first caught him last April at Sea Otter for his comments on what was new in two-niner land and he did a great job in one take. Ran into him again at the OutDoor Demo last week and asked him to do another one. What a pro: on the fly in one take. Enjoy:
Oct
2
Salon.com Xtracycle Video
Filed Under Cycling, Exhibitor News, Gear, Interbike, Video | Comments Off
Got this from TJ at Sportgenic, sponsors of the Social Media Panels Seminars at Interbike last week, via Twitter this morning. As he put it, this video from Salon.com’s Mark Benjamin exploring the range of uses for his new Xtracycle is “classic”. Here’s the article that goes along with the video. Ed Begley Jr. would be proud.