TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Taichung Bike Week organizers set Nov. 12 to 15, 2013 as the dates for next year’s show, sticking to an earlier timeframe that proved successful this year.

The format will stay the same in 2013 with exhibitors spread among three hotels in downtown Taichung—the Tempus, the Evergreen and the Splendor—although the Splendor is likely to get busier, according to organizer Steve Fenton, owner of Pro Lite, a Taichung-based frame and wheel manufacturer.

Fenton expects the Splendor will sell space to 150 exhibitors in 2013, double the number of this year. That was up from just a dozen brands in 2011. SR Suntour and Asahi served as anchors at the Splendor drawing more product managers to walk the 10 minutes from the two main hotels. The traffic was a welcome change from years’ past when the Splendor was so desolate that some people abandoned their booths to hang out in the lobby of the Tempus or Evergreen where they were sure to see more potential customers.

“Everybody is so happy,” Fenton said.

Fenton estimates about 2,500 people stayed in the three hotels this week to attend the casual OEM show, which ended Friday, and that doesn’t account for the number of industry folks who live in Taiwan who attended.

Taichung Bike Week has grown greatly in importance over the past several years with more than 200 brands using the week as a casual atmosphere to present next model year products to key spec decision makers from North American and European brands.  

It’s come a long way since a decade ago when folks from smaller brands would nearly stalk product managers from big brands like Specialized, Trek and Cannondale who were in town to make final spec decisions for the next model year.

Fenton remembers the early days of tracking down product managers at local restaurants or hotels to pitch his products, working with other industry folks to keep an eye out for potential targets.

“It was like an undercover operation,” he joked.

The show in its current form will likely peak next year or in 2014, however, as the hotels can’t accommodate anything much larger, Fenton said. Many of the Taiwanese companies are pushing for the show to be more formalized and held under one roof, but Fenton has resisted in order to maintain Bike Week’s low-key character. Organizers work for free and hotel space is relatively cheap—about $1,500 for four days—and it’s a comfortable atmosphere in which to do business. As Bike Week and the accompanying Ride On—Taichung’s original OEM show, which is much smaller and held at the nearby Hotel One—gain more exposure, their intimacy is at stake.

Noting “nothing is forever,” Fenton said Bike Week works for now because its timing coincides with when industry drivers like Shimano and SRAM release products and pricing. But, with ever-earlier product timelines, its relevance could eventually change. Taipei Cycle, held in March, was once the industry’s prime sourcing event, but has morphed into an aftermarket show.

“Getting to the top is the easy part. Staying there is difficult,” Fenton said.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Stages Cycling, which is manufacturing a new crank-based power meter, has slightly changed its product name prior to its planned delivery in January.

The company has changed the product's name from StageONE to Stages Power. The company name remains Stages Cycling.

Spokesman Matt Pacocha said the change was due to some consumer confusion over the old name, as well as difficulty securing worldwide trademark rights to the StageOne name.

Pacocha said the company is on track to deliver the product in January, on the schedule the new brand announced when it revealed its product at Interbike earlier this fall.

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (BRAIN) — USA Cycling has released its calendar of 2013 national championships events for road, mountain bike, track and BMX.

The calendar's marquee event is the professional road and time trial championships, to be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after being held in Greenville, South Carolina, for many years. Besides the venue change, USAC has added women's events to the race for the first time. 

“Our new locations in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and North Carolina have really stepped up and we’re looking forward to great events for our members. What’s also exciting is that our relationships with our existing venues continue to get stronger and those events will continue to grow,” said USAC's vice president of national events, Micah Rice.

HAVERHILL, MA (BRAIN) — Industry veteran Douglas Ritter has joined Mavic, Inc., representing the brand as sales rep in Nevada and Arizon effective November 1.

“Doug has bike racing in his veins, which is exactly what this company was founded on,” said Mavic's acting general manager, Larry Burke. “He’s goal-oriented and hard working, and he brings a great track record to our sales force. We’re excited to see him in action,” added Burke. 

Ritter has been in the cycling industry since 1976. He was a competitive road and track cyclist until 1989, and qualified for the Olympic trials on the track in 1988. From 1990 to 1993, Ritter was a team mechanic in Europe, working for the Motorola cycling team. He started the DDR sales agency in 1994; he is based in Desert Hills, Arizona.

CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN) — If you dream about how Lewis Tardy’s Free Wheeling or one of the other SRAM Part Sculptures you saw at Interbike would look in your home or shop, now is your chance to buy. SRAM is offering Part Project Art sculptures for “Buy It Now” prices until Friday, prior to its November 29, auction in New York City.  

Buy It Now pricing ranges from $2,500 to $25,000 for Tardy’s Free Wheeling and Illtyd Perkins Cycloidoscope, and all proceeds will go to World Bicycle Relief, a bicycle transportation advocacy group that works mostly in Africa. SRAM sponsors the benefit auction and plans the event.  

“The artists are more than happy to donate their time to help assist World Bicycle Relief get bikes to people in need of transportation in Africa,” said David Zimberoff, SRAM’s gobal communications manager. “The auction is at Cedar Lake Theater and we have already sold more than a third of the tickets,” he added. 

Tickets go for $268 each, which also happens to be the cost of two bicycles supplied through World Bicycle Relief.

Zimberoff is hoping to get some of New York’s cycling advocate celebrities like David Byrne and Matthew Modine at the auction as well as art mad Five Boro Bike tourists. SRAM hopes the auction raises in excess of $150,000 for World Bicycle Relief. 

All 84 artists showing sculptures at World Bicycle Relief New York City Part Project received the same 100-piece parts box from SRAM, but that is where the similarity ends. The artists had three months from receiving their assorted parts to create their sculpture, which is then donated to the auction. The art pieces at the auction can be seen here (link http://www.sram.com/partproject/new-york/art.php).

Artist sculptures are being judged on their artistic merit and criteria such as whether a minimum of 25 of the 100 parts was used. The artist winning the grand prize receives a roundtrip for two to Africa to join World Bicycle Relief as it works to bring bikes to those in need. Second and third place winners receive SRAM-equipped bikes.

This is SRAM’s third benefit auction after its inaugural auction in Chicago last year, which raised $96,000 for World Bicycle Relief. This past summer SRAM raised $25,000 at an auction in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. After the New York event, the next auction will be in August in Park City, Utah, to coincide with the Tour of Utah.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) — Norco Bicycles has signed on a four-member enduro team that will compete in the burgeoning all-mountain race discipline aboard the Canadian brand’s new line of 650b, or 27.5-inch-wheeled, full-suspension bikes.

Based out of Switzerland, the Norco World Enduro Team consists of team leaders Lukas Anrig and Ludo May as well as Lorraine Truong and Michael Schärer.

"We are super excited to be creating the Norco World Enduro Team for 2013 and beyond. Our Sight and Range ‘Killer B’ models are the perfect tool for the team and we are excited to see our all-mountain bikes being proved on the international stage," said Peter Stace-Smith, PR and marketing manager for Norco.

Norco said the athletes will serve as a valuable feedback and product development resource for the continual refinement of the company’s 650b models — similar to the way the Dirt Norco Team was instrumental in developing the Aurum downhill bike.

PITTSBURGH, PA (BRAIN) — Fueled by strong online sales, third-quarter net income at Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. rose 21 percent, to $50.1 million from $41.5 million a year earlier.

Dick’s, which also operates golf retailer Golf Galaxy and owns the rights to Callaway’s Top-Flite brand, reported a revenue increase of 11 percent, with same-store sales rising 5.1 percent. Online sales, meanwhile, surged 46.7 percent.

Dick’s does not break out sales figures for its cycling business.

“Looking to our progress on the digital front, we’ve accomplished much in the third quarter. We continue to grow our e-commerce business while improving transaction profitability, increasing inventory productivity, and providing customers more choices about where, when and how they shop,” CEO Edward Stacks said in an earnings conference call.

The company opened 21 new stores during the third quarter, raising its total to 511 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores and 81 Golf Galaxy locations.

WALNUT, CA (BRAIN) — Cycling website BikeRoar is offering U.S. dealers free listings to market their businesses, with an eye toward rolling out premium services that would display retailers’ in-stock inventory and pricing as well as detailed shop information such as videos and store tours.

BikeRoar launched in Australia in 2011 as a consumer information site populated with product reviews, maintenance and tech tips, and cycling advice columns. In December of that year, Dax Neech joined as business development manager to begin compiling a comprehensive list of U.S. dealers that consumers can search by location, using GeoIP database architecture, or by brands sold.

“We wanted to emphasize the local aspect of the search so that retailers in that city or town can maximize their exposure to cyclists nearby,” Neech said. “BikeRoar is a great tool for dealers to have in their belt to let cyclists know who they are and what they carry.”

The free dealer function beta launched with Colorado retailers over the summer during the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Since that time, BikeRoar has been compiling shop data from other markets and encouraging dealers to submit their own information.

“One of our biggest hurdles has been the lack of current information out there,” said Patrick McBride, BikeRoar’s national accounts manager. “There are 4,000 stores in the U.S. and not one website lists all of them. We want to represent the stores as well as possible. We want to direct online shoppers into in-store traffic.”

Dealers can set up their own free information pages. The basic listing includes an “About Us” section, store logo, hours of operation, contact details, the option to review products and a section to showcase brands and products carried. Consumers can search for shops based on location or brands carried.

In the coming months BikeRoar also plans to introduce three tiers of premium services, including the ability to display real-time inventory and an online video feature. Premium pricing will range from $60 a month to $1,500 a year, McBride said, with the slate of services and timing of their rollout still to be determined.

Also uncertain is the technology that will be used to show in-store inventory, though BikeRoar has had discussions about the function with outside vendors and is still deciding whether to use a third party or develop its own technology.

The site will be partially supported by manufacturer advertising, but dealer fees for premium services will be its primary source of revenue. “We don’t want to be too ad-based because consumers get burned out on that,” McBride said.

For smaller retailers, McBride asserts, BikeRoar’s premium services will be a viable substitute for a pricier dedicated shop website.    

“I know what shops pay for a full-fledged website, and what we’re offering comes in way less for what dealers need to have,” he said. “We want the give the LBS an online edge.” 

LA FUYE, France (BRAIN) — No need to wait for Black Friday. Holiday shoppers with a cycling fan on their list can get started today thanks to The Robb Report's "21 Ultimate Gifts" issue. The magazine for the disturbingly wealthy consumer features a $181,000 cycling vacation centered around next summer's 100th edition of the Tour de France and a visit to the Cyfac factory to pick up a custom Absolu V2 bike.

The "factory delivery event" also includes a pro wind tunnel session.  From there, the recipient and five friends visit Cyfac's factory for a behind-the-scenes look at the bike building in action.  They then ride a closed-road stage of the Tour ahead of the pros, meet the pro team of their choice, attend the jersey presentations at the Tour podium, and follow a stage in a Tour vehicle.

An additional full week of riding taking the riders through the Alps includes a special daily custom riding kit, custom shoes and custom-painted helmet. The package also includes first-class travel, a dedicated support vehicle, team soigneur, helicopter transfers and top-notch cuisine, accomodations, wine and more.

The Robb Report's gift issue also includes a $14 million boat, a $995,000 pen and a $1.5 million wine collection. 

Cyfac's Eric Sakalowsky is happy to let Robb readers know that the company also "offers much more accessible factory delivery options and custom bike builds to starting at $3,500."

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN) — Consumers will be allowed into the Interbike trade show via a retailer invitation soon, according to an announcement by the show's organizers.

The organizers plan a news conference call for Monday, Nov. 26, to reveal details of the the consumer access. 

The next Interbike will begin at OutDoor Demo, Sept. 16-17, 2013, in Boulder City, Nevada, followed by the Interbike Expo Sept. 18-20, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

LOUISVILLE, CO (BRAIN) — Juergen Eckmann is stepping down as president of Pearl Izumi, the company announced Tuesday, after 11 years with the company. Eckmann will be replaced by Mike O'Connor, who is being promoted from vice president of consumer service, retail & distribution. Pearl Izumi is a division of Shimano.

Eckmann announced his departure to company employees this week. He will stay with the company until April 1, 2013.

“Together with Shimano, Pearl has achieved unprecedented growth in revenue and is set to move into its new home next year. I am beyond grateful. It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Pearl Izumi and Shimano. I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this amazing company,” Eckmann said.

O’Connor has had a long career in retail and worked with numerous retailers as a consultant with both Deloitte Touche and KPMG/Bearingpoint. He graduated with a BS Degree from John Carroll University and earned his MBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management. He has been with Pearl Izumi for nine years.

“The Pearl Izumi tradition of excellence is unmatched in the industry,” said O’Connor. “I plan to continue our relentless focus on crafting great products, on servicing and maintaining our unique emotional connection with our consumers, and really building on our strong relationships with our core channel of independent cycling and specialty running retailers.

The company broke ground last week on a new headquarters building in Louisville. The building will open next fall.

BOSTON, MA (BRAIN) — BMC USA has hired Roman Cantelearist as its sales manager for Southern California. He replaces Soren Krebs, who had worked on contract for BMC USA since 2009. 

BMC USA is a division of BMC Switzerland with corporate offices in Boston, Massachusetts. It formed in 2009 after BMC decided to go direct, taking distribution over from Quality Bicycle Products. 

“Soren has been a tremendous asset since late 2009,” said Karim Pine, general manager of BMC USA. “Soren is passionate about the sport of cycling, and about BMC in particular, and for his hard work and dedication we’re extremely thankful.”

Cantelearist previously worked at Cynergy Cycles, a Specialized concept store in Santa Monica, California. 

FSA bulks up European office

Full Speed Ahead has bolstered staff at its European office, bringing on a structural engineer and an aftermarket sales manager. 

Maurizio Passarotto will work in the R&D department of FSA Europe and handle development of all FSA and Vision wheels. Passarotto’s past experience includes seven years of wheel-related R&D at Campagnolo and Fulcrum. 

Edoardo Girardi will handle aftermarket sales. Girardi was a pro rider until he decided to retire this year. He raced for several teams including UtensilNord, Ceramica Flaminia and Amica Chips-Knauf. He has a degree in economics and society administration.

Mark Still to head expanded consulting team at SmartEtailing

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — SmartEtailing has promoted Mark Still to consulting team manager. 

Still described himself as a “passionate cyclist, occasional triathlete, and longtime gear junkie.” He will remain based in Athens, Alabama, where he lives with his wife, two daughters and a garage full of bike gear.  

“As a former bike shop owner, I understand the complexities and demands SmartEtailing customers face daily while operating their businesses,” Still said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed working with our retailers in my role as a SmartEtailing consultant to strengthen their online presence and add value to their businesses through our Buy Local Now and other service offerings.  In my new role, I look forward to helping our Client Services Team build even deeper relationships.” 

TRAVERSE CITY, MI (BRAIN) — “Custom” and “local” are the guiding forces at One of a Kind Cycle, a new boutique shop opening this week in Traverse City.

“It’s a definite commitment to more American-made products. It’s hard to do in the bike business, obviously, but we’re trying to keep a good Michigan-made, American-made product line,” said Bernie Fontichiaro, who owns the retailer along with wife Gretchen and son Sean.

While One of a Kind will sell ready-to-ride city bikes from New York’s Bowery Lane Bicycles, its main bike focus will be custom builds done in partnership with Grand Rapids-based 616 Bicycle Fabrication, maker of custom steel 29er, 650b, cyclocross and fat-bike frames.

“Pretty much all the box lines are represented here (in Traverse City), so we figured that since we like to build we’d stick with the frame build-outs,” Bernie said.

For apparel, women get more attention than at most shops, with a 50/50 split between men’s and women’s clothing. Brands include Sheila Moon, Twin Six and Showers Pass.

Nearly a third of the shop’s 1,000 square feet is carved out for service, which should represent a significant portion of business — no surprise for a venture that got its start with Bernie and Sean fixing bikes out of the family garage.

Now One of a Kind is at home in a former mental hospital that’s been converted into a mixed-use retail and residential center, where merchants selling everything from jellies and jams to handmade clothing and Michigan-brewed beer share the Fontichiaros’ “buy local” ethos.

“It’s kind of a green theme here and a focus on Michigan-made products,” Bernie said.

LAGUNA HILLS, CA (BRAIN) — Bicycle Retailer & Industry News offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday and Friday this week.

BicycleRetailer.com will be updated only in the case of major news in the bike industry. Web editor Steve Frothingham can be reached at sfrothingham@bicycleretailer.com if necessary.

Our staff wishes all our colleagues in the bike industry a happy holiday.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (BRAIN) — A bike is a bike is a bike, and a motorbike is something else. But where to draw the line between an electric bike and a motorbike is a thornier question.

The European Parliament on Tuesday voted that electric bikes with motors of up to 250 watts and top speeds of 25 kph (15.5 mph) will remain regulated as bicycles. Anything faster or more powerful will remain a motorbike.

Some lobbyists had pushed for the parliament to open up the regulations, allowing more powerful electric bikes to be exempt from regulations governing motorbikes. Or, in another way of looking at it, lumping in all bikes — including human powered and low-powered e-bikes — with more powerful machines, possibly leading to more regulatory scrutiny for the entire category.

European industry groups and riders' groups welcomed the decision, which must still be approved by the European Council.

“We need a clear border line between what a bicycle is and what exceeds the definition of a ‘bicycle’,” said Ceri Woolsgrove, of the European Cyclists' Federation, an advocacy group.
  
“The minute you start changing the definition of a bicycle, you’re opening up cycling to a whole range of nasty legislation. It could mean compulsory helmets, insurance, licensing to name but a few of the negative consequences. You don’t want to damage the reputation of cycling, and lose all the wonderful benefits that cyclists’ have.” 

The European bike industry group, COLIBI, also supported the decision and was active in lobbying for it alongside the ECF.

CARLSBAD, CA (BRAIN) — Campagnolo North America is planning a holiday toy drive and bike ride for Saturday, December 8, leaving from the company's offices here.

The toy drive and ride will be in memory of Troy Angwin, a long time bike industry member who died in June this year.

The ride will meet at 7:30 am for snacks and head out at 9 am. The ride will follow the same route as previous holiday rides, south to Torrey Pines State Park and then back to Campy's offices for more conversation and snacks. 

Please bring an unwrapped toy for any age child. These will be collected and taken to Rady Childrens Hospital and donated in Angwin's name.

The ride start is at  Campagnolo NA. 5431 Avenida Encinas. Carlsbad, CA 92008.

KESWICK, Ontario (BRAIN) — The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada announced that its annual trade show will be held Sept. 8-10, 2013, in Montréal. After a year in Toronto, the show returns to Montréal for the next two years, and will fill the halls of the Palais des Congres de Montréal convention center.

“BTAC, ExpoCycle and our exhibitors and sponsors are proud to partner with the City of Montreal for the next two years," said Kevin Senior, president of the board of directors at BTAC. "In addition to ExpoCycle, Montreal will also host the Grand Prix Cyclist de Montréal during the same weekend."

The theme of the 2013 show is “The Future of Bicycle Retailing Starts Here.”

Organizers said they plan to add more events and provide industry members more riding opportunities. ExpoCycle draws more than 800 brands and is Canada’s premier trade show for bicycle dealers. It features exhibits, product launches, in-depth educational seminars and meetings.

More information: www.expocycle.ca.

BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Leisure Trends Group projects that IBD sales for the year through September have reached more than $3 billion, up 7 percent compared with the same period in 2011.

However, the research firm also said that in all product categories, inflation is rising at a greater rate than prices being charged at retail, eroding dealers’ margins.

Using sales data from more than 360 independent bicycle dealers to represent sales throughout the industry, Leisure Trends reports a small uptick in bicycle unit sales (up 0.7 percent to 1.9 million) but a nearly 5 percent increase in average retail price for bikes, to $752.26.

Dealer margins for all categories stand at 41.4 percent, down 0.5 percent from 41.6 percent a year earlier. 

For the third quarter, bicycle unit sales sagged 2.5 percent, but dollar sales rose 2.3 percent during the period on the strength of the 29-inch mountain, transit/fitness and children’s categories. Road bike unit sales dipped almost 2.5 percent, with dollar sales inching up 1 percent.

July, traditionally the biggest sales month for retailers, turned out to be the only month so far this year not to exceed comparable year-ago performance. Bicycle unit sales were off  2.5 percent in July, but higher prices for those bikes lifted sales dollars 3 percent to $1.1 million.

Several factors may have contributed to the July doldrums, according to Greg Shoenfeld, retail relations manager at Leisure Trends. These include: a strong July 2011 sales comparison due to cold, damp weather the preceding spring; robust Q1 2012 sales amid favorable weather that dried up consumer demand later in the selling season; and supply difficulties at leading brands spurring consumers to hold out for 2013 product.

FORT COLLINS, CO (BRAIN) — Niner Bikes has hired Todd Grant as its vice president of global sales. He will manage inside, domestic and international sales. Grant will be based out of Niner’s Fort Collins, Colorado, office.

“Niner is growing and we are excited to add Todd as the head of our sales team,” said Niner co-founder Chris Sugai. “His experience will contribute to building best-in-class domestic and international programs for all of our dealers and distributors.”

Grant most recently was director of brand management for Pearl Izumi, where he worked for the past five years. He also was director of sales for Pearl’s cycling category. His background includes a stint as regional sales manager for Raleigh.

Grant can be reached at todd.g@ninerbikes.com.

*******

NEWBURY PARK, CA (BRAIN) — Giant is restructuring its staff as it puts a stronger focus on growing its parts and accessories business. The company announced this week that it’s promoting six people in its gear and quality assurance departments.

Among the changes:

-Galen Burk is now gear product manager for the U.S. He handled product planning for Giant’s gear department for several years and the new role puts him at the head of the department. He will handle product strategy and line direction.

-Giant is creating two new positions in the gear department: product coordinator and inventory control specialist and it has promoted Scott Ward and Mike Colbert to these new roles. Ward, who previously managed Giant's B2B website, will manage product in the existing line and identify new opportunities. Colbert will handle placement, follow-up and delivery of all orders and monitor inventory levels at Giant’s warehouses. He makes the transition from quality assurance.

-Greg Breault is now global product manager for men’s apparel. He was formerly one of two product planning managers for gear.

-In its quality assurance department, Giant promoted Jeremy Combs to after sales tech rep lead and Melissa Maresca, formerly a customer service rep, is also promoted to after sales tech rep.

A hands-on training event for professional bike shop mechanics.