SKS is moving from its multiple distribution model to a single exclusive deal with Zyro in the UK and Ireland, beginning January 1st 2014.

Until 31^st December 2013 the current SKS distributors will continue to supply the market with SKS products.

The widely known mudguard and pump brand produces its range in Germany at its Sundern facility.

"Zyro is recognised as being the leading specialist distributor of cycling parts and accessories in the UK and Ireland," said SKS export manager Robert Schatton. "We are excited to be working with the Zyro team and are confident that they will bring us the focus and level of customer service that we need to grow SKS sales across both the mudguard and pump product categories."

Zyro product director Simon Ellison added: "We are very pleased that SKS has chosen Zyro as their distribution partner in the UK and Ireland, SKS has defined the mudguard category for many years with their range of Chromoplastic mudguards and in recent years, with their Raceblades and Raceblades Long. We look forward to working with SKS to build their distribution of mudguards and pumps in the UK and Ireland."

Stages Cycling has appointed Saddleback as exclusive distributor of its Stages Power meter products in the UK, starting early September.

UK prices start from £599 and top out at £799 (with a couple of prices still to be confirmed). You simply buy a left hand Stages crank (to match your right hand crank) and the Stages Power unit is affixed to the crank and calibrated in the US.

The brand believes power measurement is crucial for cyclists’ and triathletes’ training regimes, regardless of discipline, and want to see power-based training become accessible to all enthusiastic cyclists. By design, Stages Cycling believe power meters should be simple, robust, and not force cyclists to make major concessions in terms of weight, aesthetic, or crank choice, they say.

Design, development and manufacture of the bicycle crank arm power measurement systems takes place in Boulder, Colorado. The engineering team has a wealth of experience producing products for the cycling and fitness industries and together the core design group has been awarded over 200 patents collectively during their careers.

Vice president of Stages Cycling Doug Crawford said: “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Saddleback in launching our Stages Power meters in the UK market. Saddleback’s focus on premium enthusiast brands is the perfect fit for us.

“We’ve had substantial customer interest in the UK and we’re so excited to have Saddleback on board to fill those rider’s needs. We are expanding our international distribution very carefully to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Saddleback has proven to meet all of those expectations and will be a critical member of the Stages team.”

Saddleback's senior brand manager Richard Mardle added: “We are very excited to announce our partnership with Stages Cycling. We feel their product  represents innovation and evolution within the category of performance power measurement. We see Stages, with our guidance, becoming the UK market leader within a few years. We are delighted that Stages see us as the right partner for their company and we are confident we can make the Stages Power meters an essential part of our dealers’ business.”

The full range of Stages Power meters will be on display and available to demo at the Saddleback Dealer House Show, held in Yate Bristol over the 10th, 11th and 12th of September.

Factory Media today launches a creative agency dubbed Prime & Fire, which will be able to assist clients with their creative content.

Lead by newly appointed creative director Phil Young and his team from Urb Orbis, Prime & Fire's goal is to service "the increasing demand for branded content, consumer interaction, content distribution, social media strategies, market consultancy, platform build, print publishing and events that best communicates with a difficult to reach male demographic."

Phil Young commented: "Joining the Factory Media group of businesses allows us to draw on the wealth of talent and experience that is behind the production of Factory’s market leading print and digital portfolio. The cross platform opportunities and in-house production we can now offer clients looking to leverage their brands within the Action Sports and lifestyle sector will be second to none. On a personal level being able to work so closely with some of the most passionate, creative and respected individuals within our industry is an exciting prospect that will collectively allow us to achieve and surpass our previous output."

Leading the creation of the agency is Factory Media Director, James Carter, who commented: "We are extremely pleased to have appointed Phil Young. He has been integral to the success of many high profile events, video projects and campaigns within the action sports world and beyond. With a career history spanning TV Presenter/Director/Producer roles and spells as a Photographer, he is well placed to leverage the skill set of the most creative people in the market to instigate and develop ground breaking and innovative campaigns for both new and existing clients alike."

Urb Orbis has previously been commissioned by Nike to overhaul the Bay Sixty Six skate park, among other projects.

Prime & Fire starts trading immediately from Factory Media’s head office at 1 West Smithfield, London, EC1A 9JU.

Shimano has issued a voluntary recall of its mechanical disc brake calipers for road bikes. The Japanese company is at the Eurobike show in Friedrichshafen and is majoring on disc brakes for road bikes. An advert in the Show Daily newspaper has four pro riders looking wistfully through a show booth window, unable to get their hands on Shimano's hydraulic road bike discs (the UCI has yet to ratify competition use of disc brakes for road bikes).

The mechanical discs in the recall are BR-CX75, BR-R515 and BR-R315, sold after February 2012.

"As a responsible company where the safety of our customers has top priority, we are voluntarily recalling the brake calipers concerned," said a statement from Shimano. "We are replacing these with improved brake calipers in which the safety issue no longer exists."

Readjustment of worn brake pads in the case of the brake calipers concerned should be performed by bicycle dealers, said Shimano. 

What’s your brand plan for 2014?
Pre-season is upon us again and it’s therefore a great time to take a long hard look at the overall performance of the brands you sell and really assess the profit you make from each of them. The ‘value’ of a brand (can be bikes, clothes, suspension forks, etc) to your business isn’t just about your gross profit margin but also includes issues like availability, SRP stability, warranty support, technical and sales information, build quality, settlement discount, online availability and customer demand. What might appear to be a great up-front dealer discount might not look so good when the sale goes through the till.

Before you enter the pre-season affray its worth researching the brands you stock so that you have a clear picture of where your 2014 purchasing should be focused. Research comes in two forms…

Quantitative Research:
In simple terms, the brand values you can quantify using numbers, which include:

•  Gross profit margin (bikes and equipment will probably have different margins)
•  Settlement discount
•  Credit limit
•  Payment terms
•  How much volume/value do you have to buy at preseason to achieve your dealer discount
•  Any other financial support (team equipment, co-op ad support, merchandising)
•  Is this year's turnover with the supplier up or down on last year

Qualitative Research:
Slightly harder to pin down, these issues include personal experience, emotional attachment, customer feedback and personal likes and hates. 

The best way to rank these is on a scale of one to ten, with ten being superb and one a real shocker. Areas to look at are:

•  Is the product discounted locally or online and will you have to price match goods to make a sale?
•  Do you have a lot of local competitors selling the brand?
•  Are customers coming into you shop aware of, or asking for, the brand?
•  Does the brand invest in technical/sales training to help you sell to your consumer?
•  Is clear, concise consumer product information available in print or online?
•  Is in-store merchandising available to support the brand?
•  Is the product well packaged and does it look appealing when on display?
•  Is the product build quality good making it easy and fast to put through the workshop should it return?
•  Is the quality of the product good or does it come back for regular tweaks and adjustments?
•  Does the company have an efficient and fast warranty replacement process?
•  Does the supplier’s sales team have accurate availability information of what’s in-stock and on the way?
•  Do you have to hold the stock or does your supplier have availability off their shelves?
•  Is the brand investing in technology that will make its product more saleable in years to come?

Action Plan:

•  Do the quantitative research or ask your accounts person or accountant to do it

•  Do the qualitative research by getting your team involved. Draw up an agenda or request an XL spreadsheet from nick@wavingcat.co.uk and hold a team meeting to discuss these issues. Getting feedback form your team will get them engaged in the process and might flush out issues that you are not aware of. Score this research from one to ten as you go along, as it’s hard to remember all the issues at the end of the process.

•  Analyse your research by going to Costa and ordering a double espresso! Only you can ‘value’ the brands you have in terms of the research results: is SRP stability more important than area exclusivity, is a higher dealer margin more important than a product that takes longer to build, and is the brand ticking enough boxes to grow with you over the next 3-5 years?

•  Make a brand plan for 2014 by ranking the brands you have and working out which you are going to invest more of your buying power with during the 2014 season?

When you meet your suppliers at preseason you can use your brand plan to show how and why you will increase your buying commitment and why they should invest in you in terms of additional discounts, improved terms, in-store merchandising etc.

One final thought: If and when you come to sell your business in the future, the profile of the brands you stock can add real value to potential purchasers (assuming the brands will transfer their allegiance to the new owners).

For more information, or for a chat, contact nick@wavingcat.co.uk

And there's more tips for bicycle shops from Waving Cat here.

Folding bicycle brand Dahon has signed a licensing agreement with Ford Motor Company for a complete line of new Ford branded bicycles.

The global agreement will see the two companies exchange design ideas with the new line expected to launch next year. They'll be available through 'select retail channels', with Dahon handling production and distribution.

The range will include folding bicycles (naturally), e-bikes, childrens bikes and a full line of accessories.

According to the press statement, the partnership is down to both companies wanting to change future requirements for urban mobility.

Dahon founder and CEO Dr. David Hon said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for us. By partnering with such an environmentally conscious company as Ford, we are taking the next steps in highlighting the need to reduce carbon emissions and influencing today’s auto-dependent public to think about the importance of changing their transport habits to help sustain a greener future.”

Director of global brand licensing and corporate identity at Ford Motor Company John Nens added: “We’re pleased to be working with DAHON, as both our companies are committed to delivering smart, high-quality mobility solutions that meet customers’ needs. DAHON is a great company and we are excited to be working with the industry leader, with 30-plus-years of bike-making experience.”

When car brands dabble in the bike market it's generally for concept bikes, like this one from Audi and this offering from Toyota - although the latter said its Lexus F Sport is 'setting the stage for a new chapter in Lexus' history'. 

www.corporate.ford.com

CycleFit is combining its Foundation and Foot Dynamics courses into a single four-day course for 2014.

Course itineraries will remain the same, with the Foot Dynamics element now simply day four of the course.

The first batch of courses for next year will run over: 

• January 21st-24th 2014

• February 18th-21st 2014
• March 11th-14th 2014

The course teaches the fundamentals of bike fitting, cycling anatomy and bike adjustment, with the Foot Dynamics element teaching how and when to use footbeds, wedges and shims in a bike fitting consultation. Attendees will learn the skills required to set a cyclist’s optimum riding position based on physical assessment and observations for improved performance, comfort and injury prevention. Attendees also receive a certificate of Cyclefit accreditation after the course.

The September 2013 course dates are now sold out.

For more course details and info head to the CycleFit site.

Vancouver bartender Kayla Smith took the bold step of 'stealing' back her bike on a test ride, reports the Globe and Mail.

Smith saw her stolen bike on Craigslist and called the seller asking to see it in person – without letting slip it was her bike. After persuading the seller to let her have a test ride, Smith rode out of the car park and never came back.

Local police have warned against other bike crime victims taking matters into their own hands, saying the situation could have "taken a turn for the worse". Full story at The Globe and Mail.

With the value of bicycles rising, bike theft is an enduring problem for consumers and the trade alike. Initiatives like the BikeSecure 'log book' and various registration schemes have been launched to combat the trend, as well as some clever bike parking facilities and bike tracker products.

The high profile partnership betwwen Team Sky and Pinarello has been extended for a further three years, it has been revealed today. 

Having now signed up for its seventh season with the team, Pinarello was a founding partner of Team Sky in 2010 and has worked closely with the riders, mechanics and performance staff on the road and time-trial bikes. 

Team Sky riders have taken 136 wins on Pinarello bikes – 27 Time Trials and 12 National Championships.
 
Team Sky initially used Pinarello’s Dogma 60.1 before Sir Wiggo won the Tour de France on the Dogma 2 and Chris Froome repeated the feat on this year’s Dogma 65.1. Time Trial success first came on the Graal with the all-new Bolide introduced at this year’s Giro d’Italia.
 
Team Sky’s head of operations Carsten Jeppesen said: "This has been a great partnership and it’s natural to extend our relationship with Pinarello. Fausto is a real gentleman, his team understand us, are excellent to work with and we’ve really enjoyed developing bikes with them over the last four seasons. The Dogma and Bolide have certainly worked for us; over 130 race wins, twelve riders earning national champions colours and, of course, those two successive victories at the Tour de France."
 
Fausto Pinarello added: "I want to thank everyone on the team – from the riders to mechanics and all the staff – for the great support that they have given us during the last four years. And a special thanks to Sir Dave Brailsford, the strongest leader in the peloton. It’s my honor to be a Team Sky partner and I am sure that together we’ll make the best bikes in the world."
 
Sky Team principal Sir Dave Brailsford commented: "Over the last four years our relationship with Pinarello has been a true partnership, one which we are delighted to be extending. Not only do they share the same desire for excellence, but from Fausto right through the company they are an absolute joy to work with. There is a lot more we want to achieve as a team and we go forward knowing we have the best partner to do that in Pinarello."

CycleFit is combining its Foundation and Foot Dynamics courses into a single four-day course for 2014.

Course itineraries will remain the same, with the Foot Dynamics element now simply day four of the course.

The first batch of courses for next year will run over: 

• January 21st-24th 2014

• February 18th-21st 2014
• March 11th-14th 2014

The course teaches the fundamentals of bike fitting, cycling anatomy and bike adjustment, with the Foot Dynamics element teaching how and when to use footbeds, wedges and shims in a bike fitting consultation. Attendees will learn the skills required to set a cyclist’s optimum riding position based on physical assessment and observations for improved performance, comfort and injury prevention. Attendees also receive a certificate of Cyclefit accreditation after the course.

The September 2013 course dates are now sold out.

For more course details and info head to the CycleFit site.

Vancouver bartender Kayla Smith took the bold step of 'stealing' back her bike on a test ride, reports the Globe and Mail.

Smith saw her stolen bike on Craigslist and called the seller asking to see it in person – without letting slip it was her bike. After persuading the seller to let her have a test ride, Smith rode out of the car park and never came back.

Local police have warned against other bike crime victims taking matters into their own hands, saying the situation could have "taken a turn for the worse". Full story at The Globe and Mail.

With the value of bicycles rising, bike theft is an enduring problem for consumers and the trade alike. Initiatives like the BikeSecure 'log book' and various registration schemes have been launched to combat the trend, as well as some clever bike parking facilities and bike tracker products.

The high profile partnership betwwen Team Sky and Pinarello has been extended for a further three years, it has been revealed today. 

Having now signed up for its seventh season with the team, Pinarello was a founding partner of Team Sky in 2010 and has worked closely with the riders, mechanics and performance staff on the road and time-trial bikes. 

Team Sky riders have taken 136 wins on Pinarello bikes – 27 Time Trials and 12 National Championships.
 
Team Sky initially used Pinarello’s Dogma 60.1 before Sir Wiggo won the Tour de France on the Dogma 2 and Chris Froome repeated the feat on this year’s Dogma 65.1. Time Trial success first came on the Graal with the all-new Bolide introduced at this year’s Giro d’Italia.
 
Team Sky’s head of operations Carsten Jeppesen said: "This has been a great partnership and it’s natural to extend our relationship with Pinarello. Fausto is a real gentleman, his team understand us, are excellent to work with and we’ve really enjoyed developing bikes with them over the last four seasons. The Dogma and Bolide have certainly worked for us; over 130 race wins, twelve riders earning national champions colours and, of course, those two successive victories at the Tour de France."
 
Fausto Pinarello added: "I want to thank everyone on the team – from the riders to mechanics and all the staff – for the great support that they have given us during the last four years. And a special thanks to Sir Dave Brailsford, the strongest leader in the peloton. It’s my honor to be a Team Sky partner and I am sure that together we’ll make the best bikes in the world."
 
Sky Team principal Sir Dave Brailsford commented: "Over the last four years our relationship with Pinarello has been a true partnership, one which we are delighted to be extending. Not only do they share the same desire for excellence, but from Fausto right through the company they are an absolute joy to work with. There is a lot more we want to achieve as a team and we go forward knowing we have the best partner to do that in Pinarello."

Earlier today, at a press conference in Friedrichshafen at the Eurobike trade show, which is officially opened tomorrow by German chancellor Angela Merkel, industry executives were in agreement that the weather played a key role in the financial health of cycle companies.

Many northern European countries had snow on the ground in Spring, a surefire way to depress trading results, said an opening address from a German sports journalist. Industry executives in agreement with this included speakers

Mathias Seidler, CEO of German-company Derby Cycle; Tony Lo, CEO of Giant of Taiwan; and Thomas Kunz of German bike retail association VDZ.

I didn't see any UK bike executives in the room but I know from old that they'd be nodding their heads in tune with their continental European colleagues.

For as long as I've been in the bicycle business - and that would be, gulp, since about 1986 - I've had it drummed into me by industry executives that the main causal factor for increased bike sales is increased sunshine. Dry, bright weather equals more cash in bike shop tills.

A former managing director of Gazelle used to state that the weather accounted for 30 percent of sales: Gazelle is a Dutch company; the Netherlands, famously, is veined with bike paths.

Blue sky weekends can lead to British suppliers' phones ringing off the hook on Monday. I've also been led to believe bike sales track very closely to ice-cream and ice lolly sales. Ice cream sales do well up to "glorious", with ice lolly sales taking over when it gets to "sweltering".

Bike sales do best when it's "glorious" but people don't ride - or buy - as much when it's "sweltering."

Such reliance on the weather would be fine and dandy in, say, Southern California but to be so dependent on Northern European weather gods can't be good for spreadsheet sanity. Weather gods are fickle. Last year was damp at best, a wash-out at worst. Sales of high-end road bikes were the bright spot in an otherwise lacklustre market (on the continent, e-bike sales were down on previous years but still showed a little bit of growth). The heatwave summer of 2013 was manna from heaven for retailers of bikes  (and ice cream).

If I was a genie and could grant the British bicycle industry one wish - either wall to wall sunshine or protected bike paths everywhere - I'd put money on the answer being wall to wall sunshine, glorious rather than sweltering. 

Now, this may be an illogical answer - build it and they will come, say bicycle advocates about separated cycle infrastructure - but British bike industry execs have little faith that, even if they shouted from the rooftops that Britain should 'Go Dutch', anything would actually be done about this by a Government that has no plans to provide for anything other than motor vehicles (the recent funding announcements for cycling amount to little and would pay for no more than a five mile stretch of motorway).

Clearly, the British bicycle industry would welcome more bicycle infrastructure provision but sales stats show that the main thing that really gets Brits out on bikes - for recreation and transport - is dependably pleasant weather.

Cyclists are competing with online strangers at the expense of their fellow road users because of virtual league tables, claims new research presented at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) international conference in London.

Smartphone apps like Strava are encouraging cyclists to ride faster, further, more often – and less carefully, says the research, presented at the conference by Dr Paul Barratt of Staffordshire University.

These anti-social riders are disrupting cycle clubs' weekend social rides with members sprinting for sections of the route, rather than cycling as part of a close group.

Dr Barratt said: "Whilst cycling club social rides have always tended to culminate in a short sprint, members are now jumping off the front of the group many times throughout a ride in order to bag a fast ‘segment'."

Dr Barratt added that cyclists can easily become addicted to similar apps and end up relying on the feedback they provide: "No matter your ability, Strava can be a real source of achievement. Even ‘purists' that resist the technology at first can soon become hooked."

However, as well as being motivational, cycling apps can also be a source of negative feedback, particularly if the weather and fitness is not in their favour and their cycling ability appears to be worsening, said Barratt.

"There's a lot of bravado surrounding Strava. But the league tables ignore the subjectivity of the road and rider. People don't generally mind a bit of wind assistance - as long as it helps push them up the league table."

"Start your season at the UK's biggest dedicated Triathlon Show! Returning to Sandown Park in Surrey, it's your opportunity to see the best brands in triathlon, meet and greet the world's top triathletes and coaches and be the first to try new kit for the season. You'll also be able to attend master classes, sign up for one-to-one analysis and take part in the Show 10k, Sportive and Running School."

Tickets will be on sale from October – go to www.triathlonshow.co.uk for more details.

After weeks of intense lobbying from the bicycle trade, the finalists for BikeBiz Awards 2013 have been revealed.

One nominee from each of the 18 categories will receive one of the coveted BikeBiz Awards. The winners will be revealed at the Awards ceremony at the Hilton Metropole, NEC, Birmingham, on Wednesday September 25th – the evening before Cycle Show starts. You can buy your tickets online here.

Ansmann UK is backing the BikeBiz Awards 2013 as Platinum Partner. Event Partners are Suarez, JVC and Cycle-S.O.S. This year Competition Partner is Cycleguard and ISPO Bike is Retail Partner for the Awards.

The Finalists are:

Independent Retailer
Pearsons Cycles, London
Rutland Cycling
Sigma Sport
Source BMX
STIF
Velorution

Specialist retailer
Always Riding
Chain Reaction Cycles
Cycle Surgery
Evans Cycles
Giant Stores
Wiggle

Workshop Services
Evans Cycles
Havebike
Mojo Suspension
TF Tuned
Velotech

Star Store
18 Bikes, Derbyshire
Action Bikes, Whitton
Bells Bicycles, Hastings
Condor Cycles, London
Evans Cycles, Waterloo Cut
Giant, Radlett

Bike Distributor: Sales team
ATB
CSG UK
Madison
Moore Large
Upgrade

Bike Distributor: Marketing Team
Hotlines
i-Ride
Madison
Moore Large
Raleigh
Upgrade

P&A Distributor: Sales Team
2pure
Fisher Outdoor Leisure
Ison
Moore Large
Silverfish
Zyro

P&A distributor: Marketing Team
Extra
Madison
Paligap
Upgrade
Windwave
Zyro

Specialist Distributor
Buffera
Chicken CycleKit
EBC
Jungle Products
Saddleback
Seventies

Specialist Consumer Print Publication
The Albion
Cycling Plus
Cycling Weekly
Cyclist
Singletrack
Rouleur
Women's Cycling

Specialist Consumer Site
BikeRadar
MPORA
road.cc
Singletrack
Total Women's Cycling

Coverage by Non Specialist Media
The Evening Standard
Gizmodo.co.uk
The Guardian
ITV Cycling
The Times

Best Use of Social Media
Chain Reaction Cycles
Hoy Bikes
Raleigh
road.cc
Singletrack
Stolen Bikes UK

Bike Brand
Bobbin Bicycles
Frog Bikes
Giant
Kinesis UK
Moda
Raleigh
Trek

P&A Brand
Campagnolo
Hope
Knog
Lezyne
Magura

Retailer Services
ActSmart
Citrus-Lime
Cyclescheme
EVOPOS
Quest Consultants

Training
ATG
Bike-Inn
BikeRight!
Cyclefit
Cycle Systems Academy
Cycle Training Wales

Cycling Advocacy Achievement 
The Big Pedal (Sustrans/Bike Hub)
Cycletta
Get Britain Cycling Report (All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group)
Go Dutch (LCC)
Sky Ride (British Cycling)
The Times Cycling Petition

An independent panel of at least 50 judges from the trade will select their recommendations for each category. If you’d like to be part of the judging process or have any questions please contact the BikeBiz Awards team at bikeawards@intentmedia.co.uk.

Tickets cost just £35 and include entrance, two drinks and a hot buffet – plus chance to hobnob with the rest of the trade in an informal gathering. You can buy your tickets to the Awards night online here.

Navad's handlebar-mounted GPS unit is "so damn easy to use", said company co-founder Gil-ad Arad from his stand at Eurobike. He was quoting the typical comment the device gets from consumers.

"Our GPS is fully featured and was designed specifically for cycling but it's not as complex to use as some other GPS devices, it doesn't need a user manual, use it for a few seconds and you've mastered most of it."

This simplicity is the key to the use of the device in the rental market, said Arad. The Tour B2B version of the device can be programmed with custom content, including photos, text, logos and recommended routes. Tourist information centres, bike tour companies and hotels with cycling programs could customize the Tour B2B with their own information, including recommended road routes or mountain bike trails.

Hotel Randolins in St Moritz, Switzerland, is trialling the Navad device for the use of its guests. Hotel Randolins markets itself to cyclists and is part of the promotional organization Bike Hotels of Switzerland, which lists 21 cyclist-friendly hotels on its website.

The Navad device uses crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap mapping, which can be downloaded to the device for free. Other GPS devices use expensive proprietary mapping. Route turns are marked by beeps, not voice. The Navad isn't an A to B satnav, providing routing on the fly, users hook up with mini-USB and upload GPX files to the device. The Tour B2B unit is a stripped-back device but with the provision of custom info, supplied by the client, including GPX files.

Navad is a business operated from Cyprus by GPS entrepreneurs Gil-ad Arad and Alex Hertz. They founded the company in 2010. Both worked on car satnav systems but, as mountain bikers, wanted to create a cycle-specific GPS unit. The unit keeps a battery charge for up to 12 hours, said Hertz.

"The backlight can be turned to auto and will only come on for turns, saving battery life."

For hotels, tour companies and other businesses seeking to provide bike route information to cyclists, Navad's Tour B2B offering could be a money spinner, said Hertz.

"Bike hotels could charge per day for rental but, more importantly, offering such a simple GPS unit is an added value thing for guests."

The Navad is available in four versions, Trail, Race, Race HRM and Tour B2B, all with three inch touchscreens. There's also a mini unit which beeps for turns but doesn't have mapping. The Trail retails for 329 Euros. The ANT+ compatible Race HRM unit costs 499 Euros. The pricing for the Tour B2B depends on number of units bought as well as the complexity of the information provided on each unit. 

Shimano is to work with Bikefitting.com for an expanded service in 2014.

Channelling 25 years of expertise plus advanced tools and technologies from its Shimano Dynamics Lab into Bikefitting.com, the service is pitched as perfect for bike shops in getting customers fitted up correctly on their bike, promising to demystify and simplify the fit process for rider analysis.

Shimano said the expanded bikefitting.com will "empower independent bicycle dealers to increase consumer connection and profitability while improving the consumer’s cycling experience".

Bikefitting.com uses a Wizard Mode that simplifies the process for fitters and cuts the standard dynamic fit time in half, for a roughly 1.5 hour fit, Shimano says. The system uses a state-of-the-art 3D motion capture camera and integrated software for precision, and a leading 3D pedaling analyser with its unique, original graphical user interface (GUI) for real-time visualisation.

The first step in the fit process uses the bikefitting.com static measurement tool and software algorithms that helps riders select combinations of bicycles or frames from an established database. The device can be used as a standalone solution but is also as a foundation for the total bikefitting.com engineered by Shimano Dynamics Lab solution.

Shimano Dynamics Lab engineers have come up with the adjustable position simulator fit bike that integrates leading technology, stability, quality and durability. The position simulator integrates a 3D pedaling analyser and XY copy tool with precision adjustability, and quick change seat post and handlebar clamp that are situated on an elevated platform.

There's more detail on how dealers can link up with the bikefitting.com programme over on Madison's site. 

The Government has provided a response to the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group's 'Get Britain cycling' report.

The Government is determined to help more people take up cycling, said Local Transport Minister Norman Baker. 

"We are committed to leading the country in getting more people cycling, more safely, more often.

"Many of the recommendations put forward by the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group mirror those that we are already taking forward so we are ahead on some of the challenges which have been set for us.

"However we are keen to go further and faster.The £94 million announced by the Prime Minister earlier this month is an excellent boost and will help to encourage even more people to take to two wheels."

The publication of the Government’s response to the APPCG’s report follows an injection of cash for cycling, announced earlier this month. £77 million will be divided between Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich, while the New Forest, Peak District, South Downs and Dartmoor will each share a slice of £17 million funding for national parks. With local contributions, the total new funding for cycling is £148 million between now and 2015.

This means that these eight cities are now receiving investment in excess of £10 of funding per head, per year – one of the key recommendations made by the APPCG. The Government response said it is also taking action to ensure that roads are ‘cycle proofed’, starting with £5 million of investment to facilitate safe cycling on trunk roads, with a further £15 million planned for 2015 to 2016.

The response said: "Many of the measures identified as good practice in other countries are already possible in Britain, for example fully segregated cycle lanes and providing a form of priority for cyclists at side roads. Decisions on how best to provide for cyclists on local roads are rightly matters for the local authority – not only do they have a duty to balance the needs of all road users when considering how to design and manage their road networks, but they also have a detailed understanding of their roads."

While Eric Pickles, the Community Secretary, is badgering local authorities to make it easier for motorists to park cars, there will be no such badgering on behalf of cycling. With cycling, it's always 'local knows best'.

The response said: "The Department for Transport expects local authorities to up their game in delivering infrastructure that takes cycling into account from the design stage."

The request from the APPCG report to appoint a national Cycling Champion - a cycling csar - an expert from outside the Department for Transport has been rejected:

"The Government has no plans to appoint a national Cycling Champion. However, the Cycle Safety Forum Subgroup provides external expert help and advice."

There's a post-response parliamentary debate on the Get Britain Cycling report to be held September 2nd.

Tern has launched its new Node bike platform at Eurobike this week, designed around the 507 mm (24-inch) wheel size.

According to the brand, the Node bikes deliver the ride quality of a full-size bike while still packing small for convenient transport and storage.

“Most folding bikes on the market feature smaller 16-inch or 20-inch wheels,” said Eric Lin, Tern senior product manager. “These bikes can fold really small, and if you do a good design job, the ride quality can be great. But the handling is still different from a traditional full-size bike. We’re a bit greedy — we wanted big bike handling with a small-wheel fold — so we developed the Node. Riders get the best of both worlds.”

Node bikes can be folded in under ten seconds and, with Tern’s N-fold technology, have the same footprint as most 20-inch wheel folding bikes. The Node’s larger 24-inch wheels and stiffer frame better accommodates big and tall riders. The bikes are designed for riders of up to 115 kg and 195 cm.

Fitting include mudguards and racks, dynamo light options, Reflex tyres with puncture protection and ergonomic grips.

Two Node models are available: the Node D7i and Node D8, both due to be shipped Q4 2013.

See the bikes in person at Eurobike in booth #B4- 401