BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Industry leaders have doubled down on their committment to cycle advocacy. This was stressed at a meeting at the recent Taipei International Cycle Show in Taiwan.
"Being a true leader is not about market shares and annual turnover," suggested Kevin Mayne of the European Cyclists’ Federation, who organised the meeting. "It is about setting the tone for future agendas with ambitious targets and strong alliances."
The leaders are members of ECF’s Cycling Industry Club, a group of companies that contribute towards cycling advocacy at a global level.
Schwalbe president Frank Bohle said: "Advocacy was one of the first lessons in my cycling life. It is essential to support advocacy to grow the market."
WTB president Patrick Seidler added: “As an industry, we cannot afford not to act. Working with advocates in Romania I saw the importance of training local and national advocates to claim the funding reserved at EU level and turn it into infrastructure. That makes the difference on the ground. Programs such as these should inspire those cycling companies that are on the fence to join the ECF’s Cycling Industry Club to bring proven sustainable transport techniques to places in Europe that are less familiar with such alternatives.”
"The Cycling Industry Club is how [the industry supports] the work being done to grow cycling in every part of Europe," explained Mayne, "and more cycling means more bikes, more accessories and more sales."
Members of Cycling Industry Club include Accell, SRAM, Shimano, Cycleurope, Bosch, Schwalbe, and many more.
