BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Miss CoreBike? Though BikeBiz can’t offer you the same show deals, we can give you a taste of what product is on the way. For a full gallery, click here.
Silverfish
The first stop for anyone nursing a hangover as a result of Core’s generous beer supply, dealers were keen to sample Silverfish’s latest addition; Skratch nutrition.
Available in six flavours, one of which is best served hot, the low calorie drink is designed primarily to hydrate as opposed to energise. “It’s all about consistency throughout the day,” explained Silverfish marketing man Thomas Dibley. “There’s high quality salts in each blend, as well as dried fruit that retains all its goodness, releasing small doses of energy over a prolonged period. There’s nothing artificial in there either, so no danger of upset stomachs or cramps.”
E-thirteen has been busy taking on feedback from its athletes, who pointed to noise reduction as a key area for improvement. As a result new softer solvent resistant plastics have been implemented that run quieter and smoother. Most guides in the line also now have a better range of adjustment, as well as clearer alignment markers to assist mechanics in fitting. Finally, the opening mechanism has now also been isolated from adjustment on some guides to prevent re-adjustment when chain issues occur.
For those doing a lot of tubeless conversions, E-thirteen also now produces a water soluble sealant in 250 and 1,000ml bottles, as well as a kit supplied with one of the brand’s new valves.
On to Ritte and the Vlanderen frameset’s successor is now in stock. Dubbed the Ace, the £1,999 frameset carries the same geometry, but with revisions to the seattube, which now utilises an asymmetric design to assist with power transfer, as well as the removal of the integrated seatpost.
Other notable products include a strong challenger to ESI in the form of Supacaz’s foam grip, Spiuk’s new top-end Dharma and Easton’s Aero 55 wheelset available in clincher or tubular versions. The latter has a reworked hub with wider set bearings, improved Labyrinth seals and comes laced to a 55mm deep carbon rim.
Hotlines
Also jumping onto the demand for a nylon pedal, Nukeproof has added a £34.99 unit that has a slight concave revision over the metal big brother and will come in six colours.
With the Athertons now on the iXS team the brand will be riding on a fresh wave of momentum. New for 2015 is the Hack pad, which utilises Q-matter foam and is low profile enough to fit comfortably under trousers. It’s fully CE rated and retails for £39.99.
As mentioned earlier, WTB’s 27.5 plus offering is set to offer those who crave fat bike fun, but without the investment. The tyre is set to hit stock in March and will retail at £45 each, while the Scraper rim will cost only £25. A more UK-friendly, deeper tread version is currently in the works too, we’re told.
Among other changes, Lynskey has added a riveted, water-cut logo to its frames for 2015, while stock of the much-anticipated Zesty Ultimate is now available. A 1×11 build will sell for £5,399.
Extra
Corebike saw debuts for a number of new labels for Extra, with Cygolite, Scorpion, Walz Caps and Pogu getting their first outing.
Cygolite brings with it a deep range of lighting for commuters, road and off-road riders. Handlebar lights are generally all USB rechargeable, while the off road range spans 800 to 1,700 lumen outputs. There’s also a number of combination packages available for the customer looking for front and rear coverage.
Sticking with visibility, Pogu’s backpack covers and reflective sticker kits are now found with Extra UK. The covers are made with reflective 3M Scotchlite material and built to keep the elements at bay all while aiding visibility by up to an impressive 200 metres.
Scorpion’s bike stands, retailing at £59.99, will work both as in-store display stands, or as a home workshop workstand. The hooked design loops into a bike’s crank, thereby elevating the back wheel off the floor.
Finally, Walz caps have been brought in from the USA. Available in two sizes for men and women, the hats are deigned to fit under a helmet and will wick moisture away from the head.
Endura
In what now seems like an obvious oversight, we finally have a helmet with a detachable USB recharge rear light built in, thanks to Endura’s Extract and Luminite helmets. Retailing at £40 and £45, respectively, the difference between the two is simply some additional reflective detailing on the more expensive Luminite.
New to the autumn winter catalogue is MT500 remake, retailing at £169.99. Utilising a new fabric, the garment has both an incredible breathability to a 18,000 rating and waterproofing to 64,000. The PTFE in the old model has made way for the more eco-friendly material, which is also far more packable and adjustable than the prior model. Not immediately obvious, there’s clever detailing like anti-slip silicone on the shoulders to keep backpacks from moving around, as well as heat holding cuffs.
EBCO
Representing the electric bike business at Core was EBCO, who have taken on Bergamont e-bikes since last year’s show.
Paul Stanforth, co-director of EBCO, told BikeBiz: “In year one we’ll aim to have around 25 Bergamont dealerships and there are a few already signed up. We’ll have stock from this month and a range spanning £1,900 through to £4,500.”
AVE electric bikes are also now back in production following a restructuring in 2014 and EBCO has stock of a catalogue of bike ranging £2,000 to £3,000.
It was the own-label UCR 60 that had Stanforth most excited however. He said: “The new Trans X mid-motors are coming through now, though largely for £2,000 and above. Our UCR 60 retails at £1,499 so it’s an excellent choice for those who are wanting quality on a budget.”
EBCO’s business as a whole is enjoying the benefits of an emerging electric bike market in the UK, with the firm having grown turnover by 70 per cent in 2014. The firm has already set itself the goal of growing a further 100 per cent in 2015 and is looking to take its current 40 strong dealerbase toward 100 by the end of the year.
For prior round ups from Core, click here.
