BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Saris group is rebranding to include everything under the Saris name.
Raleigh UK has said it is pleased to further the relationship and exclusive distribution of Saris products in the UK and Ireland by supporting its customers with new products under the Saris brand name.
The first product is the H3, which replaces the H2. The H3 is ‘virtually silent’ with only drive train noise audible and a new retail price point of £849. It has a new belt and internal drive system to achieve this result and a new black paint job. The H3 is in production and Raleigh will have stock in the UK by early September.
The MP1 is the new motion platform which moves ‘side to side’ and ‘fore-aft’. The MP1 features Nfinity Technology will increase comfort, maximise use of muscles and is compatible with nearly all Indoor Trainers. It will be available from October. The RRP is £999; the unit will ship as a bike, is serviceable, is the size of a trainer mat and has a real wood top.
The H3 and MP1 come as a bundle with RRP £1,600.
The other fundamental change to a trainer is the M2’s price point. It now matches Wahoo’s wheel on trainer the snap at £425.
Saris car racks will remain the same and include the Bones cycle carrier, the Bones 3 having sold over one milllion units since its launch into the market.
“That’s right – we’re putting “Saris Cycling Group” to bed and welcoming “Saris” as the endorser brand for all three of our categories; Car Racks, Indoor Training and Infrastructure,” Saris said. “With your feedback, we realised that our passion for creating great places to ride and our dedication to American manufacturing could be amplified by linking our brands together under one endorsing name.”
Along with the new products, IBDs will have the option to become a demonstration centre so consumers can try before they buy.
The indoor training market has seen considerable growth over the last few years with the rise of online training platforms such as Zwift. To support retailers, Raleigh UK will soon be retailing Zwift subscriptions along with the new Saris indoor training products.
Raleigh will further this support by holding Saris indoor training events across the UK throughout October and November. This will raise the profile of indoor training and the Saris brand with the aim of driving consumers into stores.
Raleigh UK’s parts and accessories business manager, Lee Kidger, said: “We are extremely excited by the brand realignment change to the Saris portfolio and will be a massive benefit to our customers. This will bring continuity into stores stock, both car racks and indoor training with in-store POS and online digital assets to assist with sell-through of the brand.
“Alongside Saris, we both have the same ethos – give consumers the best brands, offer extremely good availability and industry-leading logistics services with 9 pm cut off time for next day delivery.”
For further information on Saris, visit the Raleigh B2B at www.raleighb2b.co.uk or email sales@raleigh.co.uk.
