Raleigh Recap: The Heron show highlights

During February Raleigh once again invited its many customers to its Eastwood showroom with a view to plan for the year ahead. Many products, as usual, caught the eye, including some very clean new belt drive and hub gear Raleigh Stradas.

But it was far from just about fresh lines though, as Raleigh’s marketing man Ben Hillsdon explained to BikeBiz: “The main Dealer Support programmes we were promoting were Raleigh Rewards (points/saving scheme), Raleigh TV in-store consoles, My Shop Online – providing online shopping platforms for those without e-commerce technology or know-how, the updates to our B2B ordering site, Raleigh Service Centre status and event and rider support programmes.”

Grassroots cycling development remains a keen focus of Raleigh, with the distributor aiding shops with ‘supported rider’ pricing and an emphasis on partnership with local cycling clubs. Futhermore, Team Raleigh will be supporting several Bums On Saddles events and also competing around the UK in almost 100 races this season. Such events will have plenty of opportunity for visitors to engage with Raleigh’s demo fleet, we were told, potentially further driving sales toward the local dealer.

Raleigh
Building on its long heritage of building wheels in the UK, Raleigh will now offer 27.5 and 29er complete wheels, all laced from scratch at the Eastwood headquarters.
Offering two price points, dealers can pick up entry Tru Build wheels from as little as £20 at retail, while Pro build wheels will satisfy the customer demanding a bit more performance from their purchase. Childrens wheels are also being offered.
The Strada bike line now also provides dealers with a stylish platform to offer the urban and commuting customer with slick belt drive and hub-geared builds now in stock.

Diamondback
Perhaps the talking point of the show, Diamondback has, in part thanks to some favourable exchange rate swings, managed to bring in its 2014 line at some much reduced price points over initial forecasts.
An example is the Mission Enduro, originally set to be a £2,000 bike, but now in the Raleigh catalogue as a £1,850 Deore spec build. A greater investment in the Mission Pro saves £550 over the initial forecast that this would be a £4,000 bike. The performance all mountain frames now all come Reverb internal routing ready should your customer be in the market for this upgrade.
Tweaks have been made to ensure that the bikes perform better in 2014 too, with the fork on the Ascent 29er switched out in response to bringing down the bike’s overall reviews last year.

Burley
A new addition for Raleigh, Burley begins with a strong incentive to make it the choice of dealers looking for trailer stock.
With the purchase of any trailer and tag along, retailers can earn an extra ten per cent discount on their buy in price, free point of sale material and 90-day payment terms.
There’s also a promotion where with the purchase of the Rental cub model you’ll be supplied a free Classic Hitch worth £25.

OTE Sports
Newly added and sitting alongside High 5, British-made OTE offers the chocolate and vanilla flavours you’ll not find much of in the High 5 catalogue. The label’s tablets, gels, bars and powders are PH neutral throughout and ideal for the rider who may be lactose intolerant. There’s also a Soy-based recovery drink available.
Raleigh is already offering interested stockists a £300 package with point of sale included, which will hold a selection of the brand’s starter kits, bars, gels and powder formulas. Starter kits are said to be a great way to introduce your customer to nutritional goods, with a £10 bottle housing two tubes of 20 tablets.
Most recently introduced to the line, OTE has added a rice-based Duo bar, which is split into two pieces, each packing 20 grams of carbohydrate. Currently the only flavour is chocolate, though we’re told a vanilla bar is on the way.
The OTE line is free from preservatives throughout, bar the gel product.

Galius
Having leant its support to Team Raleigh and Team Movistar, Galius skincare products are now found within the Nottingham distributor’s stocks.
A strong selection of Chamois, massage and post-ride creams and sprays are carried by Raleigh, with the brand’s formulas boasting High SPF, UVA/UVB filters, a non-greasy application, resistance to sweat and strong longevity for those putting the miles in.

New Looks
Netherlands bicycle luggage firm New Looxs has impressive depth in its catalogue, with bags sealed against the weather from just £60, as well as some very slick full leather satchels for those looking for a sturdy bag that will only mature with age.
The label has also recently introduced a universal clamp that’ll fit handlebars or quill style stems, among other tube sizes.

Clarks
No new product additions from Clarks Cycle Systems, but an interesting point of sale unit offering a 75 per cent profit margin may have turned a few heads.
With a £515 buy in, retailers can earn over £2,000 through the stock of 14 cable reels and 14 tubs for ferrules and the like.
With a UK warehouse now open, Clarks is promising excellent stocks of all of its products going forwards, which will be music to the ears of many dealers.

XLC
Raleigh’s entry-level clothing label, sitting below Lusso, MOA and RSP’s offerings, XLC has a good selection of garments to satisfy the beginner’s needs, including a £20 pair of padded shorts in both men’s and women’s cuts.

Meqix
Going head-to-head with Leyzne, Taiwan’s Meqix inflation label aims to bring the same CNC machined style and subtle finishes to the trade, but with a strong emphasis on the margin achievable by the dealer.
Offering a selection of track and hand pumps, as well as puncture repair kits and select multi-tools, the Meqix product is designed to be compact and stylish, with features such as fold away gauges on the floor pumps, among other things.

JVC
Newcomer to action cameras, or perhaps you need an alternative label? JVC has entered the action sports market with a robust unit that touts itself as being ‘Quad-proof’, or in simple terms, waterproof to five metres, shock proof from two metres, as well as dust and freeze proof. With built in Wi-fi, it’s a capable unit that can stream full HD (1,920 x 1,080) utilising a high power 7.99 Megapixel sensor.
www.raleigh.co.uk