Zyro Open House 2011 review

If you missed the feature in February’s BikeBiz magazine (which you can download as a PDF here or flick through on Issuu here), we’ve reprinted the show write up in full:

Abus
Locks are set to be a key focus for Abus and Zyro in 2011. The Sold Secure ratings are all-important for the UK market, which is a good thing for Abus as it says that no other company has so many Sold Secure approved products. And, the firm adds, not only do those locks hit those Sold Secure levels, but they’re usually up to 30 per cent lighter than those of competitors with similarly high ratings.

Product highlights include the Sold Secure Gold 53 Granit Plus – designed specifically for the UK, while the Sinus Plus D lock is back and available in two sizes – 23cm long and 30cm. Also new is the swish U-Mini 40. Combining good looks with a light weight, the U-Mini is expected to appeal to fixie riders, bicycle messengers and female cyclists.

Abus isn’t just about locks, with helmets also keen to build on a strong two years in the UK. Finally, Abus has a lot of POS for retailers – see the Orange Pages for more on that.

Prologo
Shape is key when it comes to saddles – a principle that Prologo has stuck to with its range, which includes saddles significantly redesigned to fit the not inconsiderably different anatomy of male and female cyclists. This year the number of women-specific performance saddles from the Prologo stable has increased, including the Nago DEA TS and Scratch Pro Dea. Both are available in black and white (the Nago in white/black).

Also new for 2011 is the Zero 1.4. With weight and comfort a prime concern for performance cycling, as well as comfort – the Zero 1.4 utilises lightweight foam padding, carbon fibre injection base and lightweight Ti rails. Other highlights include the Scratch Pro 1.4 – which uses slide control technology. The brand is also offering a ‘try and buy’ programme. Based on the premise that the only way to get the right saddle is to test it, the service is designed to take the pain out of saddle sales for retailers and customers alike by doing exactly what it says on the tin. Zyro added that it is investing in marketing in the tri market for the Prologo brand.

Zefal
Zefal has all-new track pumps and mini-pumps, as well as an enhanced custom bottle offering. One of those is the Air Profil LL, pitched as a UK market leader, being more efficient and easier to carry. It retails at £24.99, uses new packaging and is designed to inflate tyres to a higher pressure than a mini pump.

The range of floor pumps includes a wide variety of offerings, from the mid-mounted-gauge-utilising Air 3 (£29.99) to the robust but light Z-Race (£36.99 RRP). Zefal’s comprehensive range also includes it’s best-known, wooden-handled Husky floor pump, designed for workshops. The long-lasting stalwart includes a Presta adapter chained to it for convenience. Zefal is also offering new carbon cages, and the No Mud mudguard, designed for either the rear or front and priced at £14.99. Zefal also gave a demo of its innovative lock n’roll skewers, promising to make wheels and the like very tough to steal.

Zefal’s custom bottle programme, boasts short turnaround times and French manufacture, pitched at clubs and dealers.

Panaracer
Six times MTB champion Cedric Gracia’s team up with Panaracer has born more fruit with three new additions to his signature tyre range this year. Gracia was involved with the tyres from the beginning, providing design ideas – and being mindful of the fact that his needs are not necessarily the same as all consumers. The firm tells BikeBiz that CG tyres outperformed expectations when they were first launched, paving the way for the new ranges, with more on the way next year.

29-inch is, Panaracer says, very strong in the UK now, which has led to the CG 29er. Using chunky side knobs and a rounded tyre shape to provide top notch corner handling, the fast rolling tyres are available now. Also up from CG are the Soft Condition Tyres. Featuring wide spaced aggressive knobs and side knobs, the tyres are designed to stand up to soft and tough conditions. Also up from CG is the All Condition Tyres. Aside from CG, Panaracer has also launched the all-new Race series, with the Race A (all around) superseding the EVO 3.

Minoura
As the inventor of the magnetic trainer, Minoura’s patents may have now expired, but it is still wholeheartedly dedicated to magnets. These incredibly quiet trainers emulate the real road feel. Minoura has developed a cunning ‘stair step’ design that does away with the days of limited resistance. By dropping the magnet down or up levels, the resistance is greatly increased and almost double that than others on the market, according to Minoura.
The firm adds that there are more people on trainers than ever too, putting higher demands on the products available. Aside from trainers, Minoura offers the stylish Gamoh King Carriers, including the standard, rear and junior versions. Using real wood and strong steel tubing, the King Carrier has a handy integrated bottle opener.
Minoura also has a range of stands and the ever-popular Vergo in-car racks, designed to keep bikes secure and undamaged.

Altura Clothing
Zyro’s own-brand has undergone a new branding and logo launch, set to appear on everything from ads to products and more. Designed to simplify the plethora of ranges within the Altura portfolio, the brand now has its own website as well as new custom POS.

For product the Mayhem Bamboo Whoosh Tee is brand new, making use of the aforementioned comfortable bamboo material for £24.99. The Fatigue Baggy Shorts are casual look cargo shorts priced at £44.99. Altura has also upped its vintage line-up with the Classic Race Short Sleeve Jersey, also available in a women-specific version. The classic range also includes shorts and a cap.

The Discovery range includes several new lines, including the Discovery Baggy Shorts, aimed at long rides and the touring market.

Fenwicks
Fenwicks has developed its POS offering following requests from dealers, now with two sizes of free-standing POS and a counter top too. The firm tells BikeBiz that Open House feedback has led to doubling turnover and various product enhancements, including to the trigger of the FS-10, now sporting an improved ergonomic design.

The firm is offering a new sponge to work specifically with the FS foam and degreaser ‘chain bath killer’. Fenwicks has now enlisted a design and marketing agency to help put together some no-nonsense product names and boost their appeal still further.

Bryton
Bryton is a new brand for Zyro, taken on to develop the GPS market – a sector with a very small market penetration, according to Zyro director Simon Ellison, with a lack of knowledge among consumers and retailers and high prices a real barrier.

Which is where Bryton comes in. Pitched at being easy-to-use, the products allow cyclists to share data online with chums who can download routes onto their own device. In two models the Rider 30 retails from £139.99-£209.99 and the Rider 50 at £199.99-£269.99. The devices will be available end of Feb.

Ashima
Ashima cables are available in a three tier range – Action, Action+ and Reaction. Action is a quality range for the ‘cost conscious’, featuring galvanised steel inners and coated steel outers.

The Action+ performance cables have slick stainless inner cables and strong nylon braided outers. Finally, the Reaction has stainless Teflon coasted inners for a super smooth efficient glide to the cable, for easy shifting and braking.
Ashima is now offering Super Noodles (in 110 and 09 Degree versions), fully sealed ferrules offering articulated nose extension, and a host of other ferrule-related products.

Another important development from the Ashima stable is the used of new packaging – seen on the likes of the Aero Shoe – opening the product up for consumers to get a hold of and understand the product.

Cateye
Cateye has released the Q series of multi-sport watches. Available in April, they’re perfect for triathlon as they’re fully waterproof, and use 2.4GHz wireless technology for virtually interference-free transmission.

Open House was the first time many dealers and journalists got to see the Inou – a multisport GPS enabled camera and video. As revealed on BikeBiz.com, this relatively cheap camera is compatible with Google Maps and comes with it’s own website where users can upload journeys and share videos and pictures. It comes with a Micro SD card and the versatile device can be used as a training aid.

Cateye’s lights came into focus too, emphasising the range’s use of top lens tech rather than relying on battery-sapping LEDs.

Tifosi
New to Zyro, Tifosi was founded by an ex-Oakley sales rep. in Athens Georgia. Working on the principle that the market wanted good price points for super technical product, the firm decided to ditch marketing costs and spend the money on product instead.

Tifosi works on the principle that merchandising is key, and there are a number of POS options available for dealers. The brand uses individually cut lenses to prevent distortion, with 100 per cent optical clarity.

Dahon
Zyro has been looking after Dahon for 12 months. It was a year of transition, the firm tells BikeBiz, and now it is looking forward to ramping the brand up at retail. There’s a specialist tech support team in place and the bikes themselves have been categorised in three sections to help retailers and consumers determine which bike is the most appropriate for them. Those ranges are: the urban utility range (from £399.99 up to £1,000), the urban performance range (£699.99 to £1,800.00) and the road range.

Aside from the bike range, Dahon has a new more secure iPhone holder – for iPhone 4 – coming with a spare extra bracket. Bags for transporting folded Dahons are available from the firm too, including the Airporter II. Updated for 2011, the Airporter fits 16-inch and 20-inch Dahon bikes, with plenty of internal padding designed for air travel.

The firm is also offering the ‘TLC’ box to retailers. Packed full of essential parts and spares (with around £400 worth of product included), the packs are designed to help retailers solve problems there and then without having to send the bikes away.

Bionx
The Bionx offering has seen several new products and enhancements. Categorised as S, M, L and XL – like the fashion industry – the latest additions include the PL250 HT RR M, a new entry level rear rack system, powered by a 250W rear hub motor. Also new is the all-new premium PL250 HT SL XL.

Bionx kits come with a console – now with a bigger screen and easier to use with gloves, a rear wheel and motor, battery and other ancilliaries. In a nutshell the kits come with everything you need to retro fit a bike.