BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

One of the chief selling points of the wildly-popular 56-mile London to Brighton bike ride - this year held on 20th June - is the availability of special trains to whisk riders and bikes back to the Smoke. But the service will not be provided this year: South Central Trains has acquired new, bicycle-averse rolling stock and cyclists now face forking out £20 to pay for return travel by juggernaut. Yes, very integrated...

The re-launch of the Chopper - revealed on this site mid-week - is now official: Raleigh has appointed a PR agency, product details are being firmed up, and IBDs are being asked to pre-order, but must book other Raleigh bikes at the same time. Halfords - said to have pre-ordered 10 000 of the cheaper Choppers - will initially stock one Chopper per store, and take customer orders from that.

British businesses can now print their own stamps, with or without headshots of the Queen. Business logos and messages can be printed direct to envelopes, with no need to pop to the post office to buy books of stamps. The service is aimed at small businesses, with relatively low mail-out needs, and costs £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year, with users buying credits to enable them to print their own stamps. The SmartStamp software - available on CD or as a download - enables users to turn their inkjet printers into mini post offices, making boring old franked mail look decidedly last century

Dahon sold 160 000 folding bicycles in 2003 compared to 125 000 units in 2002, a company record. The February introduction of the £5 London congestion charge led to a 105 percent uplift in folding bike sales in the UK, said Dahon. The US-based company with factories in taiwan and China expect to sell 250 000 bikes in 2004.

Uwe Weissflog, and his Stuttgart-based PR agency, inMotion mar.com, will sell booth space and provide "sales support and enhanced customer service for European manufacturers," said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's show director. Weissflog handles the PR for Dahon, Sigma, Velo and other bicycle trade brands.