BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Salt Plus
Another new introduction to Cycling Sports Group’s ever-growing catalogue is premium extension of the Salt line – Salt Plus.
With much of the attention from the pre-Eurobike ‘Ride the Revolution’ show focused on the premium extension of the Xposure line (Infinity), Salt Plus wasn’t given a mention. It is on the way though, confirms BMX guru at CSG UK, Chris McCardle.
Expect to see the full line soon, which if Eurobike is anything to go by, consists of cranks, pedals, grips, forks, bars, complete wheels, saddles, sprockets, pegs, chains, gyro equipment, hubs, hubguards and much more.
Clarks Cycle Systems and C4
Surprising visitors to its stand with 57 new products, Clarks not only had diversified its own branded offering, but had in fact launched an entirely new brand – the BMX specific C4 label.
Without mention of Clarks Cycle Systems, small print aside, the C4 line sits entirely separate in the catalogue and will see the introduction of anodized braking components for BMX bikes, including gyro cabling, as well as components such as cranks and pedals further down the line.
In stock at present, dealers will find brake pads, including colourways that glow in the dark, coloured chains, both half-link and standard, as well as grips.
Paul Toon of Clarks told BikeBiz: “The demand for well-priced BMX product was there and we’d had requests for more tailored bits off the back of existing kit. That’s where this dedicated branch comes from.”
BMX aside, Clarks has diversified its main brand offering introducing a wide variety of saddles, spanning performance slimline models, through comfort models, all of which are made in Italy. 29 models of saddle were debuted and a select few had hidden features, such as flexy rails on the comfort and touring saddles for greater absorption of bumps on the road.
Bottle cages, individual hose fitting kits, handlebar tape and some new anodized coloured disc rotors were also shown to the trade for the first time. Matching mounting brackets are available in the six colours present on the disc rotors.
Surface
Tucked away in the evolving Charge Carousel were samples of what to expect from Surface in the coming months. Many items that hadn’t landed in time for ‘Ride the Revolution’ debuted, including an innovative backpack with pre-curved removable backpack straps. It’s a big unit, designed to easily accommodate a large volume of gear, as well as offering dedicated sections for a laptop, among other things. The tough, water resistant Cordura body and suede lower give a classy finish, while a drawstring cord makes gaining access quick and easy.
Further to this, a new softshell with a similar cut to last year’s successful Pertex jacket features. Taped seams and mesh lining keep the elements at bay and the unit packs down for ease of storage.
Electra
Once again commandeering an entire corridor in Friedrichshafen, Electra’s range was out in force, but you would need to have ventured to the very depths of the brand’s personal showroom to discover the latest update from this colourful brand.
Now with Surf Sales in the UK, dealers who already deal with the brand will be pleased to hear that Electra style is coming to the mainstream audience with the launch of four new bikes.
Unrecognisable as Electras on first glance, the discreet line neglects the ‘Flatfoot’ technology for which Electra is renowned, but retains some of the design features synonymous with the brand.
Director of product development at Electra, Mark Pippin told BikeBiz: “We’ve two models for men and two for women. They’re all leisure bikes with that little bit of extra Electra attention to detail that differentiates us from the competition and ultimately screams style and grace, as with our main bike catalogue. These are Electra bikes, designed for the rider who isn’t just cruising the beachfront, but is more likely to have a hill or two to conquer day-to-day.”
Pippin confirmed to BikeBiz that this is a long-term category for Electra and in the coming years we’ll see plenty more everyday bikes with a touch of Electra style.
Moore Large
Eurobike 2011 was the first outing abroad for Moore Large’s house component and accessory brands – with Outeredge, Savage Components, One23 and ETC in tow.
In an apparently successful attempt to gather interest from international distributors, the Derby supplier introduced BikeBiz to a few new products key to its branching into overseas territories.
Savage Components had two new pivotal saddles on show, one apparently inspired by a Bond villain from Live and Let Die.
Again borrowing inspiration, the ETC line has developed some new lights based around the best sellers of the premium Torch line, condensing them into budget friendly versions spanning £6.99 through £16.99, with the top of the line package comprising both front and rear light units. Six of the eight new units use LEDs and batteries and brackets are included with all.
Outeredge introduced a new £19.99 waterproof shoe cover, zipped at the rear and totally seamless for total cover against the elements. Fleece-lined waterproof gloves, available in black or yellow, both with reflective piping, also made a debut appearance and will retail for £20.99.
“Strong margins are available on all house brands,” said a spokesperson manning the stand.
Sigma Sport
Visitors to the Sigma Sport stand would have been given the guided tour of the firm’s latest software package, designed to make feedback from computer devices plain and simple for all to understand.
Handy tick box selection of the readings desired will correspond with a selection of graphs, which can detail your performance mile-by-mile. So detailed are the ride reports that even cadence readings are now able to be accurately measured showing the consistency accurately throughout the duration of a ride.
Hard goods wise, Sigma introduced the Rox 8.1 and 9.1 computers, with a ‘Ghost Race’ function introduced to the latter, meaning riders are now able to race against their previously set times. The latter also is delivered with the aforementioned software and a docking station, whereas with the former these are sold separately.
Sigma computer batteries have also been upgraded with the claim that all will arrive fully charged and remain this way while on the shelf. This is thanks to the introduction of a new zero discharge battery technology, dubbed Accu Tech, something that will feature on all road safety products in 2012.
Avid
Evidently the SRAM Group has prioritised dealer needs this year as, launching five new products aside, Avid has introduced on all levers an ‘Air Trap’ chamber, which prevents any air re-entering the system during or post-bleed, even when a bike is flipped upside down.
“This system, alongside a repositioned bleed port will make servicing all Avid product far easier, as well as making the product more tolerant toward a ‘bad service’,” said Oswald.
