BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

Hero Cycles, Atlas and TI Cycles have increased prices of their bicycles by 4 percent, with more prices rises on the cards. Bike prices are likely to increase worldwide as the global steel shortage continues to bite. And it's not just gas-pipe steel bicycle frame-tubes that are in short supply, raw materials of all types - rubber, alloy, cardboard, everything - are being gobbled up by the fast-growing Chinese economy.

Earlier this week a topic was started on this site's bulletin board concerning the discounted prices available to the public from wiggle.co.uk. Frames and P&A from American Bicycle Group's Litespeed, Merlin, Tomac, Quintana Roo and Real Design brands were available deeply discounted. The topic-poster warned IBDs who invest time, money and effort into stocking these, and other premium brands, to be aware of the discounts and perhaps vote with their wallets. Trevor Gunning has now written to Wiggle's Mitch Dall warning a beautiful relationship could be about to end...

That's the reading-between-the-lines conclusion reached by most bike bigwigs at the third annual Cycling Forum for England meeting held at the Department for Transport in London yesterday. Dr. Kim Howells, a transport minister since last July, told the assembled great-and-good that despite wearing a cycle helmet himself – he's a GT-riding roadie – he doesn't believe any helmet compulsion law could be enforced in England. Therefore Eric Martlew's private members bill will likely not be supported by the DfT.

800 entries. 22 categories. 163 judges. The PPA Awards for Editorial and Publishing Excellence are the Oscars of the publishing industry in Britain. Magazines up for gongs include BBC Top Gear, Condé Nast Traveller and Wallpaper*. The awards will be presented at a gala awards dinner on Wednesday 5 May.

Despite the name, Scott USA is not a US-brand. Not in bikes, anyway. It has been a Swiss/European brand for some number of years, and Scott bikes have not been available in the US. Last year, BikeBiz.com said this was a shame because Scott's Genius platform was a world-beater yet not accessible to an American audience. This is about to change, and heading up the US operation is Scott Montgomery, the ousted VP of marketing at Cannondale, son of Cannondale founder Joe Montgomery.