MONTRÉAL (BRAIN) — On our first day touring bike shops in this proud and historic city, the BRAIN Dealer Tour saw a mature market and riding community, with stable, long-standing retailers who serve passionate roadies, commuters and adventurers.

Our group of BRAIN editors, sponsors and guests is just getting started — we stopped by four shops, not nearly enough to get a grasp of the bike retailing scene in this city of 1.6 million people with deep ties to French culture, including its love of cycling. But in our first of three days here cycling from store to store, we visited four very professional, well-merchandised locations, and enjoyed a perfect early summer day riding bike paths, bike lanes and shared streets with largely respectful drivers. 

Quilicot with a T

Our first two stops were two locations of Bicycles Quilicot, a retailer with roots dating back to 1915, when Italian immigrant Louis Quilico opened a store, adding a "t" to the end of his surname to make it look more French.

The business was bought by Marc-André Lebeau, a former Canadian junior racer, 11 years ago. We first visited the store on Rue Masson in Montréal, but the business runs four locations — one sells e-bikes only and was acquired in February of this year.

The Rue Masson store is the smallest in square footage, but biggest in volume. Most of its business comes from commuters, who make up half of the store's sales. The store sells lots of hybrids. The other half? Recreational road bikes.

With so much of its revenue from commuters and recreational road, the business has seen a significant impact from the decline of the Canadian dollar. Prices have crept up on entry-level bikes in the last three to four years about CA$300. "That has had a huge impact on entry-level bikes and customers," said Remy Leduc, store manager.

This year, Bicycles Quilicot has benefitted from a mild winter, said Alexandre Hamel-Jetté, assistant manager. Fat bike sales took a hit, but sales and repairs of other bikes took off earlier. "A big part of sales growth in Montreal is commuting," Leduc said.

Bicycles Quilicot bought Velo Branche, an e-bike shop, earlier this year. The store caters to an older clientele that often comes in two to three times before purchasing a bike. But known for e-bikes, Bicycles Quilicot kept the name and added an espresso coffee bar so customers can sip on java when they come in to check out bikes.

The store, on Avenue Papineau, has a very modern feel and look. Leduc said aside from e-bikes, the store plans to grow its selection of accessories.

"In Montreal we're late in the market on e-bikes," said Leduc, especially compared to Europe, but he's seeing growing interest.

The e-bike store carries a selection of Felt, Specialized, BionX, Evo and Velec (a Quebecois brand) e-bikes ranging from CA$2,000-$4,000.

All Louis, all the time

Next, we visited a store devoted to a single brand — Dealer Tour sponsor Louis Garneau Sports, conveniently enough.

The Velo 2000 Garneau store is not owned by the Quebec City-based brand, but is instead a family business, now owned by Sebastien Lucier, who bought it from his father, Michel,  a few years back. The store was founded in 1988, and carried a typical array of brands for its first dozen years: Specialized, Norco and others. But 10 years ago, the Luciers decided to focus on the brand named for and run by Olympian Louis Garneau, a Canadian sports hero.

"All the other stores, all our competitors, had the same brands we had. We had seen the Trek and Specialized concept stores in the U.S. and we liked those and we thought, here, the best brand for us was Louis Garneau," Lucier, 35, said.

Garneau makes more than enough products to fill the 12,000-square-foot store. The store stocks LG hybrids and kids' bikes (which are not sold in the U.S.) as well as its road, cyclocross and triathlon bikes. Roughly half the store is devoted to soft goods, almost all from Louis Garneau. The LG brand is on a surprisingly large array of products, many rarely seen in the U.S. — the store even stocks LG sports nutritionals. 

"They make more than enough," Lucier said. "Too much, really. We can't stock it all."

Lucier said the focus paid off immediately. For example, before the changeover, the store stocked three or four helmet brands. When the store switched to all Garneau, helmet sales went up 40 percent in the first year. "It was easier for customers to choose," Lucier said.

The store also is seeing growth in its indoor training center, which features nine Computrainers. Members can store their bikes at the store for the winter, bringing them out for classes — and getting a tune-up in the spring. Many members pay around CA$1,000 for a winter membership, taking two or three classes a week. The store is expanding the training business more this year with the addition of a sports lab offering VO2 max testing and other services. Lucier also is planning to add a cafe next winter. "Then they can eat here, train here and buy bikes here," Lucier said with a smile.

La Cordée serves the average Joe.

Our final stop on Day 1 was La Cordée, a four-store operation that blends bicycle sales with a strong offering of outdoor gear and ski sales in the winter.

David Tringle, the store's bicycle product buyer, said the three-level store caters primarily to midmarket consumers.

"It's the average Joe who comes here," he said. Trek is its main U.S. brand, but it also stocks Devinci, Wilier, Focus and Kona bikes. Another store, La Cordée Boutique, which the company bought last fall, taps the touring and bikepacking market with Salsa and Surly among its most popular brands.

The main store boasts almost 12,000 square feet of space for bicycle products and service in a brightly lit and well-merchandized basement including a four-person service center.

"We do sell a lot of gravel bikes, but we don't know how much a gravel they see," Tringle said with a chuckle. Most customers buy gravel bikes for the larger size tires and the greater sense of stability the bikes offer on Montréal's rough streets. But gravel bikes are eroding sales of road bikes, he added.

As for the season, Tringle said it has been mixed. It got off to a slow start as cold, wet weather kept customers out of the bicycle department.

"When we think we have the season figured out, it then flips on us!" he said.

La Cordée takes advantage of the winter season when it turns most of its bicycle section into a Nordic ski center specializing in classic and skate skiing.

Its other store, La Cordée Boutique, is well known in the area for its alpine touring equipment as well as its Nordic selection, Tringle said.

"It's good for us. We can keep staff by giving them regular hours throughout the year," he said.

The BRAIN Dealer Tour of Montreal is sponsored by Louis Garneau Sports, Finish Line, PeopleForBikes and Interbike. 

Wednesday will take riders south of the city center to Allo Velo, Cycle Neron and Cycle Technique.

The last day, the tour will stop at five shops within close proximity of the city center including ABC Cycles, Momentum Solutions Velo, Cycles Gervais Rioux, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, and Fitz & Follwell. 

Follow along and message participants on Twitter via the #braindealertour hashtag. You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch for web updates during the week and a full report in the July 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.

AUBURN, Wash. (BRAIN) — Ortlieb USA has updated its website, adding a “more robust” B2B portal and SmartEtailing’s Buy Local Now function for connecting consumers to shops selling the brand’s waterproof bicycle bags and accessories.

“It only stands to reason that if we are truly committed to the specialty channels, we need to deploy the tools that make it seamless for our loyal consumers to find our products at engaging, professional and knowledgeable retailers who can provide a well-rounded experience,” said Jeff Scully, Ortlieb USA’s president. “Since our strongest market is with our bicycle product line, it was a logical choice to go with Buy Local Now.”

The updated B2B portal allows authorized dealers to log in and see inventory, place orders, communicate via chat, and access all of their account details including invoices, credits and shipment tracking, Ortlieb stated.

“As we move forward, we will continue to roll out features on our website that truly allow our retailers to act as partners in supplying our best-in-class products to enthusiastic end-users,” Scully said.

KAILUA, Hawaii (BRAIN) — The Bike Shop has moved its store in Kailua three blocks south to a more spacious and visible location. The retailer, which also operates stores in Honolulu and Aiea, has served Oahu since 1970 and Kailua since 1987.

“We love this new location. It’s right next to a bus stop, so as soon as tourists get off the bus they see our rental bikes,” said general manager Mel Nakahata, who has worked for The Bike Shop since 1986. “It’s a very competitive rental market and three or four other shops rent bikes, so we’re happy to be a little more visible.”

The 3,000-square-foot full-service shop caters to both locals and tourists and carries Specialized, Electra, Dahon and Norco. It rents cruisers and city, mountain and road bikes in all of its locations, and offers fit services and consumer clinics.

The Kailua location employs seven people, but Nakahata said he plans to add several more staff members to help meet demand in the new store.

OLNEY, Ill. (BRAIN) — Rob Aguero has joined Magura USA as brand manager for Lightweight. Magura USA is the exclusive distributor of Lightweight wheels and frames in North America.

Aguero joins the company from Reynolds Cycling, where he served as director of sales and marketing and, most recently, OEM and key accounts sales manager. He has also worked in sales at Orbea USA, Gita Sporting Goods and Pivot Cycles/BH Bikes.

“Rob is a solid addition to Magura USA and Lightweight. His experience speaks for itself, and we are looking forward to great success with his lead on the Lightweight brand,” said Jeff Enlow, Magura USA’s president.

Aguero said: “Throughout my career in the bicycle industry, I’ve been fortunate to work with great people and amazing, innovative brands. With Magura USA and Lightweight I feel I’ve found that again. It’s a great fit and I’m excited to get started.”

He can be reached at rob@magurausa.com.

SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — Stromer’s ST2 S e-bike strives for the highest level of integration, with a touch-screen interface, integrated USB charging, anti-theft protection, GPS tracking and lighting system with a daytime running light and low- and high-beam modes.

Stromer’s cloud-based platform, Omni, establishes a link between the Stromer mobile app (available for iOS and Android) and the Stromer portal. Through Omni, bike owners can lock and unlock the bike, activate a theft mode, and track a stolen bike through the GPS system.

Shifting is handled by an 11-speed Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain, and the ST2 reaches speeds up to 28 mph through the 500W Syno drive motor.

The ST2 S is available to dealers now at an MSRP of $9,490.

For more information, visit the Stromer website.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Reflecting the shifting product mix over PressCamp Winter’s three editions so far, owner ECRM has rebranded the event Bike PressCamp Road.

“We saw the trend organically moving this direction over the past three years: more road bikes, apparel, helmets, components and the like. So we recently decided that we would like to host the first open media event specifically for exciting new road products,” PressCamp stated.

“Of course, cyclocross, gravel, adventure, touring, urban and e-bikes are also welcomed, but we would really prefer to allow these road segments to have more focus and quality time with vertical and active lifestyle media.”

Bike PressCamp Road will return to PressCamp Winter’s venue of the past two years, the Westlake Village Inn in Southern California, from Jan. 23-26, 2017.

For more information, visit the PressCamp website.

COSTA MESA, Calif. (BRAIN) — The National Bicycle Dealers Association will offer 16 new NBDA Super Seminars at this year’s Interbike expo, with sessions planned Sept. 20-22 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center’s South Pacific ballrooms A and B.

A complete breakdown of the seminars — speakers, subject, description, time and location — can be found on the NBDA website. A summary of subjects and presenters: 

Tuesday, Sept. 20

• 10-11 a.m.: “Social Media: What's Next? Are You Doing it ‘Right’?” Nancy A. Shenker, founder and CEO, theOnSwitch
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “The 8 Essential Elements to Managing a High-Performance Selling Floor,” Karen Barry, The Friedman Group
• 1-2 p.m.: “Millennials and Boomers: A Bicycle Built for Two?” Nancy A. Shenker, founder and CEO, theOnSwitch
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.: “5 Ways to Make Your Small Business More Successful,” Dave Fellman, author/trainer/consultant
• 4-5 p.m.: “What if I Train People and They Leave? What if You Don’t Train Them and They Stay?!” Karen Barry, The Friedman Group 

Wednesday, Sept. 21

• 10-11 a.m.: “Discounts Suck. Loyalty Rocks,” Sam Dantzler, CEO, Powersports Garage
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “Driving Growth Through Innovation: How Leading Firms Are Transforming Their Futures,” Robert Tucker, president, The Innovation Resource
• 1-2:30 p.m.: “Three Great Store Enhancement Projects (and What They Can Do for Your Business),” Brian Hawkins, president, Fixturelab
• 3-4 p.m.: “Trends and Opportunities in the Bicycle Industry,” The NPD Group
• 4:30-5:30 p.m.: “The Blueprint for Effective Hiring,” Lori Richman, director of organization development, Quality Bicycle Products

Thursday, Sept. 22

• 8:30-9:30 a.m.: “Looking Forward: The IBD in 2021,” Donny Perry, SBCU program manager - Asia & Europe, Specialized Bicycles
• 10-11 a.m.: “The Science of Attitude,” Sam Dantzler, CEO, Powersports Garage
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: “Secrets from the NBDA Profitability Project Revealed,” panel of bicycle retailers, chaired by Chris Kegel, owner, Wheel & Sprocket
• 1-2 p.m.: “Why Great Experiences Are Losing Value in Bike Retail,” Donny Perry, SBCU program manager - Asia & Europe, Specialized Bicycles
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.: “The Ultimate Customer Journey to ROI/ROE- Designing & Digitizing the Store for Maximum Impact!” Brian Dyches, managing director and principal, Atmospheric Design + The Digital Experience Lab
• 4-5 p.m.: “Learning Lessons From Three Napoleons,” Chris Kegel, owner, Wheel & Sprocket

MONTRÉAL (BRAIN) — David Bryson has been a specialty retailer since the 1980s, first riding the windsurfing craze from boom to bust and then running a well-regarded ski shop that sold Specialized bikes in the summer.

But Bryson was forced to shut it down in the mid 1990s as the bottom fell out of the ski market and Canada struggled through a major recession.

"I had to close it," he recalled. "We were just losing a boatload of money."

But Bryson is back with Cycle Néron Sud-Ouest — a tidy operation tucked away in the Saint Henri neighborhood astride bike lanes that lead to a major network of paths that flow off the 14.5-kilometer Lachine Canal.

Bryson's store was one of the three that the BRAIN Dealer Tour group visited on Wednesday as we biked around the city. While pedaling the streets and a long-established network of multi-use paths and separated lanes, we once again discovered a city with a passion for road riding and triathlon — despite a tough climate that forces many athletes to train inside for many months.

Cycle Neron

The 63-year-old Bryson, a native of Montréal, is back in retail and back with Specialized, thanks in part to his many years of friendship with Larry Koury, Specialized's longtime managing director in Canada.

"I wouldn't have started this store without the brand," said Bryson, who launched the operation in 2012 with the owner of three other Cycle Neron stores. But the store has prospered since its opening and does a vibrant business in what Bryson calls the "mid-market" category. While he sells some high-end S-Works bikes, it is midprice bikes that are the store's bread and butter.

Montréal is a tough market, Bryson admits. "There's something like 200 stores in the region and there's three or four within a mile or so of here," he said. "I'm used to doing it, and the market is still growing and we're quite lucky because of the bike path," Bryson added. On a busy weekend several thousand cyclists will go past the store.

Like other stores BRAIN has visited, service plays a significant role at most operations. That's the good news. The bad news is that Montréal's thousands of cyclists brush off the winter mud and flood local shops with repairs and tune-ups that surge in April and May.

"At the peak we may have an average of a week wait, but we want to do better and see if we can get that down to 48 hours and maybe 24," he said. Like other stores, Bryson gives cyclists who make a reservation preference.

Allo Vélo Boutique & Cafe

On noisy Notre-Dame Ouest in the Saint-Henri neighborhood in southwest Montréal is Allo Vélo, a boutique specializing in European city and cargo bikes, served alongside your choice of coffee or espresso. Saint-Henri is an up and coming area that's gentrifying, with many folks moving from the northern part of the city. As such, the streets are abuzz with construction crews.

Allo Vélo is relatively new shop, in business for four years. Lamar Timmins manages it, and owns it along with his mother. We rode the Lachine Canal bike path, a scenic waterfront route, to the shop.

Timmins, 28, who led bike tours in Germany, said four years ago he saw a growing trend for bike commuting in Montréal, but most shops were performance oriented and not very friendly to transportation cyclists. "We just wanted to offer a comfortable space, more of a boutique," he said.

So he opened up the 700-square-foot shop and decided to differentiate by focusing on European bikes with internally geared hubs, lights and fenders. He carries Crème, Vanmoof, Gazelle, and cargo bikes from Danish brands Bullit, Butchers & Bicycles and TrioBike. He doesn't have to compete with other nearby retailers on many of the brands, because he is the Canadian importer for several of them.

That unique selection is matched by a comfy ambiance inside — where there's a chandelier made of handlebars, a rustic table, bench and couch and handlebar art on the walls.

Timmins is a cargo bike enthusiast — so much so that he rode across Canada, from Montréal to Vancouver, in 40 days on a cargo bike.

He ships cargo bikes all over the country. Online sales make up 30 to 40 percent of his overall business.

"I would like to see cargo bike share in the city," he said, adding that families rent his cargo bikes to ride on the Lachine Canal on summer weekends.

While there are two cargo bike retailers in Montréal, the category is still very much a niche here.

Timmins said Montréal is a tough market. It's heavily taxed, entrepreneurs have to work through lots of red tape to get their business up and running, and there isn't as much discretionary income compared to Vancouver or Toronto markets. It's also saturated with shops.

"Here, people like to negotiate or ask not to pay taxes," he said.

While ridership has grown in Montréal, Allo Vélo still closes over the winter.

Cycle Technique

Cycle Technique doesn't have a lot of curb appeal: from the street it's barely noticeable, with its dark doors and windows protected by security bars. Inside - what a surprise.

The store, which began as a tiny service-only shop 11 years ago, is now a 15,000 square foot pro road and triathlon emporium with nine high-end bike brands on display, plus a large selection of high-end clothing, racks of uber-fancy wheels and other drool worthy items on sale.

Gilbert Ayoub, an avid triathlete recently retired from a successful career in clothing manufacturing, bought the store about seven years ago. He now focuses on athlete coaching, while his son Michael Ayoub is store manager.

While the high-end gear in stock was impressive, what was more striking was the store's emphasis on selling service, including bike fits with a Guru Fit Machine and perhaps the largest tech area we've seen on any of our Dealer Tours.

Building, repairing and customizing triathlon bikes is a specialty. When we visited, one technician was soldering what he called a "Di2 hack," splicing together four Di2 sprinter shifters to serve as shift buttons to be paired with the hydraulic rim brake levers on a Cervélo aero bike.

Then we went downstairs, where we saw an indoor cycling room with 24 CompuTrainer stations on two-tiers. Next door to that was an indoor running and core workout room, with four treadmills and a running gate analyzer and other equipment. Next to that was the swim room, with a two-lane Endless Pool with underwater cameras for stroke analysis.

Hundreds of Montreal triathletes and cyclists buy memberships for classes and coaching at Cycle Technique, with many storing their bikes there for the winter in between classes. The operation also has lockers and showers downstairs.

It's all part of the plan to emphasize service over sales in the Internet Age, several managers and owners told BRAIN during our tour.

"We know it's getting hard to make money selling bikes, even when you are selling very expensive bikes like we are. So we are more and more looking at ways to do what they can't do online," said sales manager Sean Finkel.

SAINT AUGUSTIN-DES DESMAURES, Quebec (BRAIN) — Louis Garneau Sports is launching a new program that will share revenue from online sales and custom clothing sales with committed Garneau dealers in the same sales territory. 

" The company believes that the health of its brand depends on a strong IBD network, an optimal consumer experience across all touchpoints, and the reality that some customers choose to shop outside the IBD world," the company said in a statement this week. " To address the changing market conditions, Garneau launches its HUB Dealer Program, a new framework for success and partnership with the IBD that pulls from Garneau's strength in the custom clothing space as well as its tried-and-true inline gear and apparel.
The HUB Dealer Program will recognize the best and most committed Garneau dealers throughout North America and create a partnership with those dealers to represent the Garneau brand in the cycling community."

The program includes shared sales on custom team/club orders from the dealer's territory, shared sales on consumer sales through Garneau.com to customers in the territory, stock rotation for under performing inventory, expanded in store merchandising, special pricing and terms on custom dealer apparel, in-depth staff training and priority access to new Garneau products and styles. 

The program is being announced as Garneau prepares to launch a new consumer website later this month. The brand is also showing its Summer 2017 collection to dealers this month.

"We have a vision that the HUB Dealer Program can provide the most comprehensive and collaborative service to dealers. We recognize the changing landscape of the cycling marketplace, but we also recognize that the heart and soul of the cycling industry is the IBD," said David Cathcart, U.S. & international sales director for Garneau.

For more information contact Vincent Gauthier at vgauthier@louisgarneau.us. In Canada, contact Michael Britten at mbritten@louisgarneau.com.

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (BRAIN) — When the only bike shop in Leominster, Gear Works Cyclery, closed in March, Nate Jones decided it was finally time to open his own store. Jones, who has been in bike retail since 1997 and worked at Gear Works prior to it closing, signed a lease on a space on April 1 and opened Tomten Biketown in May.

“We spent just six weeks building it out,” said Jones, who has worked in shops in San Francisco and New York, including brief stints at REI and Performance. “I wouldn’t recommend doing it that quickly, but it came out beautifully.”

The former Gear Works staff, which now work for Jones at Tomten, helped build out the 4,200-square-foot space. Jones and his staff also opened a separate warehouse and service center prior to the retail store.

“We were getting so many requests for service after Gear Works closed because there isn’t a shop around for miles,” Jones said. “So we set up service and started working on bikes right away.”

Tomten, named after the high-end knitting business Jones’ mother owned in the 1980s, carries Trek, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Orbea and Haro. Jones said service is already at maximum capacity and that the shop is selling more high-end road and mountain bikes than he expected.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Highway Two has hired two new sales agencies for the Pacific Northwest and Southwest.

Montcorsa Sales Agency, headed up by Aaron Malone in Portland, Oregon, takes on the company’s Oregon and Idaho territory. Malone most recently served as global bike sales manager for Anomaly Sports. Before that he was the inside sales manager for Highway Two for six years.

The company has also hired All In Sports Group, headed by Colin Brown, to take on the Southwest territory. Brown most recently worked in inside sales for Highway Two at its Aliso Viejo office. 

“It is exciting for us at H2 when we can partner with high quality, proven people who understand our products, message and company culture,” said Simon McNair, Highway Two’s sales director. “We have seen great growth over the last few years with our eight brands. Aaron and Colin have been a big part of our past growth and we are excited for them to be an even larger part of our bright future.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (BRAIN) — Todson has introduced a dealer-direct program, effective June 1, that employs independent agents throughout the U.S. to represent all of Todson’s brands — Topeak, OnGuard, Elite, MET and Velox.

Todson said the move is a response to changing market conditions that have made it necessary for the company to provide dealers more product education and business support.

“We feel the best way to achieve this goal is to have dedicated agents in the field communicating with and supporting dealers, their staff and consumers,” said Rick Dyer, national sales manager  “This new business strategy will benefit all of our partners by providing more relevant information to both the dealers and consumers and will also allow us to receive a higher degree of market feedback — a critical factor in order to insure that our brands are relevant, innovative and serve the needs of the independent bike dealers.”

Topeak, OnGuard, Velox and Elite will continue to be available from Todson’s long-term distribution partners as well as from Todson’s warehouse. MET Helmets will be available exclusively from Todson.

MONTRÉAL (BRAIN) — On a cool, sometimes blustery day, the BRAIN Dealer Tour of Montréal wrapped up Thursday with visits to four stores: a third-generation powerhouse retailer, a basement-level store that began just a few years ago as a bike tour operator, a new, elegantly designed store that serves commuters and winter indoor fitness athletes, and a high-end road shop founded by a Canadian racing hero.

ABC Cycles & Sport

ABC Cycles & Sport is one of the oldest shops in Montreal, founded in 1932, during the midst of the 20^th century’s worst depression. Today ABC Cycles is owned and managed by Francois Sylvestre, grandson of the founder. This third generation store bears all the familiar hallmarks of a modern-day operation, but it’s easy to see that Sylvestre deeply feels the store’s heritage built up over 84 years by his grandfather and father.

Sylvestre recalled how when cleaning out the basement finding six, five-gallon buckets filled with used nails that his grandfather, who left Italy as a youth, had found and straightened as a source of income. 

But the store has evolved over the years and stocks an array of bikes from Norco, Cannondale and Specialized. And Sylvestre has taken advantage of entry-price point bikes from Diamondback and Raleigh to better serve customers wary of spending big on higher-end models. 

But last year Sylvestre foresaw deep changes arising in the industry and at retail. At one point he had been managing 55 employees, but has reduced that number to 25. He has aggressively managed his inventory, especially bicycles. Sylvestre pays his bills on time, trimmed his orders, and made it clear to suppliers that he will buy what he wants when he needs it. The result? “I feel a lot less pressure from suppliers now,” he said.

Fitz & Fowell

While ABC Cycles may be one of Montréal’s oldest, Fitz & Follwell is one of the city’s newer operations as it works to blend traditional retail with what began as a fledgling service that took tourists on guided bicycle and walking tours of historic Montréal.

Shea Mayer, the company’s founder, said the name reflects his grandmother’s maiden name, Fitzgerald, and his grandfather’s name, Follwell. The store, tucked downstairs along a busy street, is just minutes from Mount Royal Park, one of the city’s largest green spaces. The park’s namesake, a 233-meter hill, towers over the city offering tourists—and tourists taken there by Mayer’s guiding staff — a sweeping view of the city and the waterways that surround it.

Mayer’s approach is a nicely diversified operation. It combines guided bicycle tours, walking tours, and winter snowshoe tours up Mount Royal, all tied to a small but growing retail operation where Mayer sells European-style city bikes and some cargo bikes, from brands including All City, Linus, and Yuba. Last year Mayer’s 12 guides took some 5,000 tourists, 60 percent of whom were Americans, around the city. This year he’s on track to boost that number to more than 8,000.

The store, all 1,300 square feet, has a limited inventory of bicycles and accessories. Helmets from Nutcase and Giro; locks from Kryptonite and Abus, and other small items, plus a selection of guidebooks that appeal to those visiting the store. He also has a small service center to maintain his fleet of 80 bicycles, and to repair bikes brought in by customers who live in the so-called Plateau neighborhood.

Mayer has plans for the future, but those would require a move. He would like to offer his customers beer, wine and coffee; and expand his retail operation. He also is considering the pros and cons of adding fat bike tours in the winter and overnight guided tours. But when it comes to revenue and margins, his tour business still produces that highest margins and pays the bills.

Momentum

Momentum has the polished, designed, feel of an upscale clothes retailer. In bike retailing, that’s a look normally reserved for pro road shops. So it’s a little unexpected for visitors to learn that Momentum’s bread and butter business is in sales of modestly priced hybrids for nearby commuters. 

The store, which has three locations, owes its design elements mostly to co-owner Alexandere Shareck, who invested in the Momentum, joining store founder Yannick Guimond, after a career in architecture. 

“We wanted to give the boutique a warm feel, with a lot of wood,” Shareck said. “We want to be welcoming to a lot of people and be the local shop for the young families and students in the area.”

Guimond founded the store when he was still in his early 20’s. A pro racer sponsored by Marin, the store began as a Marin concept store. Now, it still carries Marin, but also BMC, Trek and Louis Garneau bikes. 

Like all shops in Montréal, Momentum has had to come up with a plan to stay afloat during the long winters. And, like several other stores we visited the week, Momentum’s solution is indoor cycling. Come winter, the store clears out an area of bikes and brings in a row of Louis Garneau spin bikes for classes about four times a week. Momentum also has Tacx stationary trainers and a library of 250 training videos available for rent. 

The store also supports a club and a racing team and hosts regular group rides from the store in season. It offers bike fitting services, with a relatively low tech approach using a Juteau-Cantin bike fit machine. 

Cycles Gervais Rioux 

Gervais Rioux is one of Canada’s road cycling heroes: a three-time national road champion and a participant in the 1988 Olympic road race in Seoul. Rioux is also increasingly well known, world wide, as the owner of the Argon 18 bike brand.

But Rioux is also a retailer. After retiring from racing in 1990, he bought a bankrupt store in Montréal named Argon 18. He renamed the store with his name, and later resurrected the Argon 18 brand for the bikes. The bike brand began as a shop brand and slowly expanded to now have worldwide distribution.

The store is focused on a deep selection from a small number of brands: Argon 18 for bikes, Assos for clothes, Rudy Project for helmets and glasses, for example. 

Alain Pelletier, who has managed the store for about 13 years, said   there’s no reason to carry more. Customers know what brands the store stands behind, and know that the store is the best place in Montréal to buy those brands.

“Oakley makes fine glasses, but I can buy them anywhere,” Pelletier said. “No one is going to leave downtown Montréal to come here on their lunch hour to buy Oakleys.”

The store also does more with less when it comes to staff, with just nine employees, including several who have been with the store for decades. Mechanics serve a long apprenticeship in the store before being entrusted with assembling the most difficult builds, like aero bikes. 

The store is crisp and clean, with white counters and glass cases. The workshop area is especially tidy, complete with a custom-made indoor bike washing station designed by Rioux (whose father was a plumber).

As the Argon 18 bike brand continues to grow, Rioux said he figures he is one of the few owners of a world wide bike brand with extensive experience as a pro racer, pro mechanic, and store owner. 

“I don’t think there are many of us with the same experience, I’d challenge you to find another one,” Rioux said with a smile. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and I’ve learned a lot of things.”

The BRAIN Dealer Tour is sponsored by Louis Garneau, Finish Line, PeopleForBike and Interbike. Watch for complete coverage of the  tour in the July 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. 

PHILADELPHIA (BRAIN) — Starting in July, qualified brick-and-mortar dealers will be able to sell brand-new Fuji bikes online through their e-commerce sites for in-store pickup as parent Advanced Sports International enhances the brand’s website to drive customers to Fuji dealers. Previously, approved Fuji dealers could only sell old stock two model years or older online.

In a letter sent to dealers on Friday, ASI president and CEO Pat Cunnane stated: “During our U.S. sales meeting last week I announced Fuji’s online sales strategy and a timeline for its implementation. Before I go any further, I want to let you know that our program revolves around our retailers selling our bikes to consumers.
“Beginning July 1, 2016, all of our retailers will be eligible to qualify to participate in ASI’s ‘click and collect’ program. ASI’s model has the retailer solely responsible for the transaction and delivery of the product to the consumer in your store. Most importantly, there will be no revenue sharing,” he added.

Instead of just providing a general dealer locator, the Fuji website will direct consumers who hit a “buy now” button to qualified online dealers. ASI is using SmartEtailing’s Supplier Sync service to blend retailers’ in-store inventory with real-time availability from ASI’s warehouses. If the product is not in stock at the store, the dealer then initiates the order from ASI and maintains all direct customer interaction.

“We’re not taking the money and we’re not automatically shipping the bike. We’re not owning the customer relationship,” Cunnane told BRAIN. “One of the most significant reasons for that is we don’t have the overhead, we don’t have that ability. And it would be duplicating those retailers that have that ability.”

Fellow ASI brands Kestrel, Breezer, SE Racing and Oval Concepts are already sold online through qualified retailers, and the company is looking to make cruiser brand Phat Cycles available for online sales later this year, Cunnane noted. ASI is building new consumer-facing websites and mobile platforms for all of its brands to direct consumers to qualified retailers.

Fuji dealers will need to be individually vetted before they can take part in the new online program for the brand.

“We’ll look at floor space. We’ll look at sales volume, but not only sales volume. And then we’ll look at their website and make sure that if we’re sending a consumer to it, they can actually buy a bike,” Cunnane said.

“The No. 1 complaint that I get from consumers is, ‘You sent me to a place that didn’t want to sell me the bike I want to buy. Why did you do that?’ We are working to catch up with what a consumer’s expectation is from a brand website. They want to be able to buy stuff. And we’re not a retailer, so it’s important for us to work with the many, many retailers who are good at it,” he added.

The program could be a boon for smaller retailers in displaying more product breadth online than they could possibly keep in store, Cunnane believes.

“We have some very small dealers who will do great with this — physically small stores that are really committed to our brand. They don’t have to make a huge financial commitment, they just have to make a floor space commitment. When the consumer goes into the store, we want them to be in an environment where they see Fuji bikes” he said.

To boost participation in the program, ASI has created a new Retail Services Department headed by Joe Wentzell, who owned Philadelphia specialty shop Breakaway Bike Shop for 16 years. The department will help educate retailers who don’t have an active e-commerce site and help bring them up to speed to sell online.

“Some dealers want help with this kind of stuff, some dealers don’t — they’re a big believer in the ‘I’ in IBD. But for the ones that want help, we’ll help them,” Cunnane said.

In addition to working with SmartEtailing, ASI has hired Oris Intel to monitor its brands’ MAP policy via the PROWL software service, which alerts businesses of MAP violations and identifies anonymous sellers.

DENVER (BRAIN) — Gates Corporation has added two new positions on its engineering team.

Michael Jasch has been hired as a product development engineer, where he will develop new cranks and integrated crankset assemblies. He joins the expanding team of engineers working under Gates' global product engineering manager Chris Vasiliotis, who was hired in January to expand new product development.

Jasch previously worked for Fallbrook Technologies, where he was instrumental in developing testing programs and systems for cycling and automotive applications before focusing on the design and manufacturing of bicycle shifters for the NuVinci brand.

Todd Sellden, the director of Gates Belt Drive, said Jasch's hiring shows Gates' continuing evolution as a brand that provides complete systems of belts, sprockets and crankset assemblies.

"We are known primarily for our belts and sprockets, but we are increasingly focused on manufacturing Gates-branded cranks and crankset assemblies at a wide range of pricepoints that simplify the process of OE factory installations," Sellden said.

Ryan Osborn has been promoted to the new position of advanced drivetrain engineer and will focus on integrating Carbon Drive with electric bike drive systems, gearbox systems and internally geared hubs. The e-bike market, particularly in Europe, as well as the growing popularity of internal hubs such as Shimano Alfine and Nexus, are key drivers of Gates Carbon Drive's sales growth, the company said.

Osborn is one of the founding members of the Gates team that helped commercialize the Carbon Drive system. He previously worked as an applications and special projects engineer, a role in which he was instrumental in integrating Gates belts with land speed racers and electric motorcycles, spin bikes and brewery bottling lines, as well as helping to develop the supercharger drive for the Ecosse Heretic Titanium — known as the world's most expensive motorcycle. He will now concentrate on validating and developing new products and integrations for e-bikes and the growing range of alternative bicycle transmissions such as the Pinion gearbox.

"Ryan has been involved with Gates Carbon Drive in a variety of roles since our initial launch in 2007," Sellden said. "In this new position we hope to utilize his skillset as part of our strategic goal to integrate with every leading e-bike system and the full gamut of geared hubs and alternative transmissions that are revolutionizing bike design and expanding cycling options for consumers."

ST. PAUL, Minn. (BRAIN) — Park Tool has added Mathew Wiest and Riley Thiesfeld to its engineering team.

The company said the new hires will contribute to designing the 20-30 new products Park Tool launches each year.

Eric Hawkins, Park Tool's president, owner and chief mechanic, said, "I am thrilled to bring these two quality guys with such impressive backgrounds and experiences on board. This gives us the opportunity to step up our efforts to innovate, expand our in-house manufacturing and stay current with the constant change going on in our industry."

Wiest joins Park from Polaris Industries where he was a project engineer in the motorcycle group. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Wiest is an avid cyclist and self-proclaimed motorsports gearhead. Wiest said, "My passion for the sport and product has me very excited to be joining the recognized industry leader in bicycle tools. I look forward to making an impact and carrying forward the strong presence of Park Tool in the industry."

Thiesfeld joins Park from Seagate where he designed high volume assembly machinery. A graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Thiesfeld is avid mountain biker, motorcycle enthusiast and furniture maker. Theisfeld said, "I first learned of Park Tool back when I was a bike mechanic in high school. From there, my interest in bikes, design, and wrenching has only grown. I'm extremely excited to be working for Park Tool and looking forward to being part of the team."

Both engineers will work out of Park's St. Paul headquarters and factory.

OLNEY, Ill. (BRAIN) — Magura USA has hired Aaron Bilsing for Magura and Bosch sales and technical support for the East Coast.

Magura USA President Jeff Enlow said, 'We are happy to continue building a strong support team for our Bosch e-bike services. All of our dealers can count on continued expert technical support and training for their mechanics."

Bilsing is owner and founder of Vertrimont Enterprises LLC, an adventure travel consultancy, and Every Day Carry, a custom kit building, emergency, travel, and situational preparedness consulting.

He has traveled all over the U.S. and Europe working on the World Cup and National Mountain bike circuit. He settled in Vermont in 1999. 

Bisling said, "I know the importance of a big smile, a sincere personality, and what it takes to make a connection with someone. Being self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and having a strong drive to make things better are some of the qualities that have helped me become successful in all that I have done. I'm excited to be back with Magura representing & servicing brands which I continue to use and believe in." 

He can be reached at aaron@magurausa.com.

PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — Cyclone Bicycle Supply is now distributing the Maxima Racing Oils BIKE line of chain lubricants, cleaning products, brake fluid, suspension oils and detailer.

"We are excited to have Cyclone offering Maxima BIKE products to their dealer network," said Sean "Griz" McClendon, BIKE brand manager for Maxima. "Cyclone is expanding its footprint and we're energized to boost the lubricant category and contribute to mutual growth."

Tyler Robertson, marketing director at Cyclone, said, "We're always on the lookout for new brands that provide quality product and better price points for our customers. Maxima is a leader in the motorsports industry and their BIKE line has helped propel pro racers to the podium; we're confident the products will play well in IBDs, as consumers become more familiar with the brand."

MADONE, Italy (BRAIN) — Vittoria Industries has invested in Zehus, a Milan, Italy-based start up that makes the BIKE+, a rear hub that contains a motor and all associated electronics and battery to power a bike. The product creates a hybrid-type vehicle as it regenerates energy from riding to charge the battery.

"Rather than simply a plug-powered recharging mechanism, humans will need to use and recharge energy as they ride, for the most eco-friendly solution," said Rudie Campagne, the chairman and president of Vittoria.

The company is betting on the development of the market for e-bikes in Europe and developing markets like China and India.

"Together with Zehus, Vittoria will create a complete product offering, consisting of a smart wheel system (Zehus all-in-one system, built in a Vittoria wheel), complete with Vittoria Graphene tires, optimized as a perfect match for green urban mobility," the company said.

Zehus and Vittoria will set up a new company called VZ Industries LTD in Taiwan for the production of Zehus power units. The first Zehus hubs will come off the new Taiwanese production line in September.

SMETHWICK, United Kingdom (BRAIN) — Brooks, founded by John Boultbee Brooks in 1866, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, the company has released a special Copper Edition series of its most iconic saddle models.

The 150th annivesary edition saddles have copper-plated frames with hand-hammered copper rivets and black leather and special anniversary packaging. The models available are the B17, its touring counterpart the Flyer, the B67 for city bikes, the B33 for heavy duty, and the Swallow for racing. Retail prices range from $120 to $190.

More information at brooksengland.com.