The BikeBiz Directory 2017 is set to return alongside the December print magazine and we're calling on you in the trade to get in touch if you have a new business or altered details since the publication of the 2016 edition.

The deadline is October 20th to submit your firm's details, which you can do by emailing us. If you were included in the prior edition and your details remain unchanged, there is no need to re-submit.

To be listed, BikeBiz asks that you supply the business address, telephone, website link and type of business that apply to you from the categories listed below (max two categories per business).

If you're in the process of moving premises or are opening a new store in the near future, get in touch via khowells@nbmedia.com.

For advertising enquiries, or to simply boost your listing's presence within the directory, contact rsetters@nbmedia.com.

The categories are:

Services and training
Legal, insurance, Cycle to Work, sales and mechanic training, shop fitters, service centres, printing and prototyping

The 2016 Saddleback House Show took place between September 27th and 29th in the brand's new office complex in Bristol.

The new premises, which inhabit four times the amount of floor-space as the old headquarters, played host to the crowds of retailers over the three days.

A representative for the brand commented: “It was great to welcome our dealers and brands into our new home for the first time, which was the venue of this year’s house show.

“With a goody-bag of treats and a coffee in hand, guests took their time perusing the products in our purpose-built showroom, before heading upstairs into the office to enjoy one of the many excellent seminars put on by our brand reps.”

A central talking point this year was the 2017 Troy Lee Designs range which the brand had on display. Troy Lee himself made an appearance to talk dealers through the range.

Downhill cyclist Steve Peat joined Troy and brought with him a number of his old full-face helmets, as well as his spitfire-inspired Santa Cruz.

Later in the day, dealers in attendance were offered the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with Troy Lee, Steve Peat and Andy Wigmore. Lee discussed his decision to join the Saddleback group, commenting: “Everyone I spoke to that has ever dealt with Saddleback said they really are great to work with. I am incredibly happy with my decision.”

Elsewhere, Intense Cycles CEO Andrew Herrick was also on-hand to take attendees through a new product line, and to give everyone in attendance an idea of where the brand has come from, and where it is heading.

All pictures courtesy of Saddleback, a full gallery from the show can be found here.

Welsh Cycling has publicly announced its support for the addition of more women’s cycling events in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The organisers, whom Welsh Cycling claims are “creating equal opportunities for both men and women,” have released the official events for the competition, which include women’s keirin, team sprint and team pursuit, all of which will be added to the games in 2018.

Matt Cosgrove, performance director at Welsh Cycling, said: “The addition of three track cycling events for 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is a significant step forward. With the further four events in boxing and weightlifting, it brings equality to the medals on offer for both men and women. We thank Chris Jenkins, and Commonwealth Games Wales for their support in getting these events added.

“For Welsh Cycling, this means we have more events to target in the Gold Coast. Wales’ Becky James, Elinor Barker and Ciara Horne have won medals in these events at European, World and Olympic levels and it would be great to see this success continue for Wales on the Commonwealth stage in 2018.”

Gold Coast chairman Peter Beattie made the announcement at the Commonwealth Games Federation Sports Summit in Canada, commenting: “GC2018 will host the largest ever gender-equal medal events across the sport program. We hope this focus on inclusivity will prove to be one of the most outstanding features of the 2018 Games legacy.  

“This initiative supports the CGF’s vision for greater gender equality and I am confident that the precedent we establish for 2018 will augur well for future multisport events to emulate.”

The seven events added to the programme take the total number of medal events at Gold Coast 2018 to a record-breaking 275. 

The Revolution Series has released details of a new partnership with cycle trainer producer Elite for the 2016 season.

The brand will join the series as official technical performance partner and will provide support in the rider pits for teams as they prepare for the rigorous race schedule.

Based primarily out of offices in Veneto, Italy, Elite will provide the new Quick Motion Rollers at the events, on which the riders will be warming-up and cooling-down. The recently released devices won a Eurobike Gold award in 2016, and will be utilised by four teams in the Revolution Champion’s League: Team Sky, Giant-Alpecin, Lampre-Merida and Orica Bike-Exchange.

Sponsorship and product innovation manager at Elite, Marco Cavallin, said: “Here at Elite we offer the widest range of rollers out there. We proudly make them all right here in Veneto, Italy. Rollers are emblematic of track racing and so we are proud to support Revolution; it’s a national race series like no other, that has nurtured so much global talent in recent memory.”

Round two of the Revolution UK Championship in Glasgow on Saturday 8th October will mark the launch of the partnership with the riders able to test out the new rollers in the brand new Elite warm-up area.

Information on tickets can be found here. 

Production Executive – London Bridge

Derby based bicycle producer Cuda Bikes has released the details of its 2017 junior range.

The brand, who is supported by distributor Moore Large in the UK, has announced a range of bikes that covers sizes from 12” up to 26” across MTB, road and BMX, all of which are specifically designed and scaled to fit younger riders. 

Upgrades to the new range include an improvement to all rigid forks, which are now tapered with an updated modern dropout that makes the bikes lighter and stronger and all 14” to 16” models now ship with lower rolling resistance tyres, making riding easier and more comfortable for children.

The lower end of the ’17 range starts with the Runner 12” balance bike, which features a grab handle under the seat, and enhanced geometry in the form of a longer, lower frame, making the bike easier to mount and dismount. 

The junior range consists of 20”, 24” and 26” models, all of which are Shimano-equipped. The 20” and 24” models have a new, improved frame design with lighter modernised tubing. The shorter cranks (now 127mm instead of 140mm) on the 20” model offer a ride optimised for shorter riders. Due to high demand, Kinetic, Cuda’s front suspension design, is now available in all the junior range sizes.

Cuda has now enlarged the BMX range to include an 18” Dirt Squirt model, which will complement the previously released 16” Dirt Squirt and Fluxus Race BMX bikes.

Find out more about the range here, to contact distributor Moore Large, click here.

Motorist Gail Purcel has pleaded not guilty to the charge of causing death by careless driving to cyclist Michael Mason, contrary to section 2B of the Road Traffic Act 1988. 

Purcell appeared today at the Old Bailey for the second hearing into the offence. Following a crowdsourced funding campaign that raised £66,000 from over 1,500 supporters, the case – which relates to a collision that took place in London on February 25th, 2014 – was brought to court as a private prosecution by Cycling UK’s Cyclists’ Defence Fund (CDF). 

Mason sustained an injury to his brain following the collision on Regent Street, and life support was switched off 19 days after the incident.

Although the collision was investigated at the time, the Metropolitan police decided not to prosecute, failing to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The police revisited their decision on March 12th, 2015, due to media interest and ongoing work by the CDF. 

Purcell indicated she intended to plead not guilty at the first hearing, held at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in front of District Judge Grant on September 13th, 2016. 

“With a trial date set for 03 April next year the Mason family will have had to wait three years since Mick’s tragic death for this case to be heard," said Cycling UK’s Duncan Dollimore, spokesperson for the Cyclists’ Defence Fund. "This unnecessary delay was entirely avoidable if the Metropolitan Police had followed guidelines and referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service."

“Fortunately, the wider public’s support, both moral and financial, has allowed Cycling UK’s CDF to bring this crowdsourced private prosecution. We cannot thank them enough for helping Mick’s family on their journey to achieve justice.”  

Purcell faces a trial on April 3rd, 2017 at the Old Bailey, which has been set to last six days.

The Bicycle Association of Great Britain has launched the organisaton's first Code of Practice. The code was launched at a BAGB meeting held today at the Brompton factory in Greenford, London.

The code was introduced today by Phillip Darnton, the BA's executive director and Brompton CEO Will Butler- Adams.

BA members have been discussing the draft code for a number of months. The agreed code sets out minimum high standards for BA members and covers areas such as professionalism and business ethics; product safety requirements and standards; complying with relevant laws and regulations; and contributing and working together to promote the cycle industry and cycling in general.

Committing to the code will now form part of the application process for new members of the Association.

Darnton said: "The Bicycle Association strives always to represent the best interests of the UK cycle industry – to government, stakeholders and the general public – with the highest standards of professionalism. It takes itself seriously, and expects to be taken seriously in return.

"Now, for the first time, we have set out a formal code of practice to which our members will be committed. It embodies the professional standards to which we, and the whole industry, should be proud to adhere.

"The code is a straightforward, practical and tangible demonstration of our dedication to that professionalism in all our affairs. It will underpin our advocacy work with government and other bodies, and it will allow our members to make explicit their commitment to these shared professional business standards." 

Pearl Izumi has released the details of a recently-announced ambassador programme.

The latest recruitment programme from the company, titled the Pearl Izumi Champion Team, will be assembled from a dedicated UK team of road cyclists and mountain bikers who will represent Pearl Izumi in marketing campaigns and at events across the country.

The Pearl Izumi Champion Team will be constructed of a group of cyclists from all abilities, backgrounds, and sizes. The team will be given exclusive access to races, events, and expert help. The team will also receive bespoke-designed free kit.

The team will be active for 10 months from February 2017, Pear Izumi will aim to give members the chance to meet new people, ride new routes, try new kit and learn new skills.

Applications are set to open on Wednesday 12^th October (today) on the Pearl Izumi website, which can be accessed here. A limited number of spaces are available. 

All MMR cyclo-cross teams will start using Galfer Bike brake components on their MMR Attack bicycles for the 2017-2017 competitions.

The MMR-Spiuk CX, Born-MMR and Nesta-MMR teams will be fitted with Galfer Disc Wave and Advanced G1851 brake pads, which are specially designed for muddy and wet conditions.

The MMR-Spiuk CX team is currently one of the best national cyclo-cross teams in the world, and includes most of the current Spanish champions such as Javier Larrinaga and Aida Nuño.

All team members will enter the Spanis Cyclo-cross Cup and Championship. A reduced number of teams will also be entering into the European rounds of the CX World Cup, and the Bieles Cyclo-cross World Championship in January 2017.

For more information on Galfer Bike, click here

I'm writing a book about the variety of bike booms since 1905, and have found this rather nice Schwinn poster and would like to find out more about it.

It's probably Chicago, because that's where Schwinn was based (it was founded in 1895). US consultant Jay Townley, a long-time Schwinn exec, isn't famililar with the poster but agrees it's likely Chicago.

Brad Hughes, a Schwinn marketting executive in the 1980s, now of Matisse in Taiwan, also reckons it's Chicago because that's where Schwinn's then ad agency, Communigraphics, was also based.

He believes the bikes are Schwinn Varsities or Continentals, and the Suburban. For a likely date he reckons it's 1977 or 1978 because of the large front reflectors on the bikes – the US Consumer Product Safety Commission mandated the fitting of such reflectors after 1976. 

However, on Twitter @cyclevirus reckons the poster dates to 1981, and he surmises that because of the shape of the car headlights.

Whatever the location and date for the poster it's a remarkable image – many of the company's other posters in this period were decidely sexist (women in bikinis lusting after men on Schwinn bikes and similar) and overwhelmingly white. This poster manages to be widely inclusive. The riders are also in normal clothes, and are not wearing helmets even though helmet-use was growing in popular in the US by the mid-1970s.

If you have any ideas on the location and date of this poster please add your comments below.

UPDATE: The poster probably dates to 1979 because the photograph was used in the 1980 Schwinn catalogue as pointed out by All About The Ride.

Nrg4 today released the news that as of October 2016, the brand will partner with Tyrestore to distribute Mitas/ Rubena tyres.

The stock is available to dealers as of now; an array of road, MTB, city and touring tyres are currently in the range, with inner tubes on-track to be added later in October. Nrg4 and Bike Tyrestore also announced that they will be offering a linear trade price strategy to dealers.

Operations director Craig Middleton commented on the new relationship: “As part of Nrg4’s ongoing strategy to offer a comprehensive wide-ranging portfolio of products to dealers, we are delighted to have partnered up with Bike Tyre Store to offer Mitas Tyres to our dealer network.

“The Mitas brand fits well with our recent focus on the everyday consumables that a bike shop requires on a daily basis. We also really liked the sharp retail prices and strong margins that we could offer the dealers in a sector that often suffers badly on those key points”

UK sales manager Adam Rous said: “Bike Tyrestore has been the UK distributor for Mitas bicycle tyres since 2012 and has brought a new angle to the cycling industry with tyres made wholly in Europe. From humble beginnings in the 1930’s, Mitas now produces in excess of ten million tyres per year and supply some of the biggest brand names in cycling with original equipment tyres and tubes for their bikes.

“Bike Tyrestore will continue to extoll the benefits of the Mitas brand to the UK trade network with high quality, ultra-keen priced tyres. From Pram and pushchair, right up to world class XC racing tyres – Mitas has a tyre for every two wheel activity. Working closely with NRG4 we see the brand growing from strength to strength.” 

Saddleback has announced that Declan Deehan will fill the role of marketing manager.

Declan joins Saddleback following seven years at Hotlines, where his expertise saw him transition from sales to brand rep, and finally into senior sales management and marketing management.

With his considerable marketing experience and DH racing and masters enduro background, Deehan is aiming to push Saddleback’s marketing efforts across all brands. Saddleback has commented that Deehan will be instrumental in expanding the distributor’s MTB activities.

“Coming from a predominantly MTB background, my timing couldn’t have been any better to join the Saddleback team,” says Declan. “With the recent acquisitions of Intense and Troy Lee Designs alongside existing relationships with ENVE, Chris King, Rotor and Stages, it’s a dream line-up. The move also offers the perfect opportunity nurture my love of road cycling.

“The Saddleback team is full of smart, enthusiastic and charismatic people that help give me access to an impressive level of resources. It’s exciting times ahead for Saddleback and I couldn’t be happier helping the company achieve its goals.”

“We’re thrilled to have someone with Declan’s passion and experience in the business,” says company founder Andy Wigmore. “He will be a huge asset to the team, especially at this crucial time as we capitalise on the recent expansion of our mountain biking portfolio with Intense and TLD. We’re now a force to be reckoned with in MTB distribution and Declan’s appointment is a reflection of this.”

Declan will be Saddleback’s main contact for event and athlete sponsorship queries, media enquiries and marketing collaborations with dealers.

Declan can be contacted here.

Yorkshire was yesterday chosen to host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. The news was announced by UCI president Brian Cookson from Qatar which is currently hosting this year's event

The winning bid was submitted by Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling and UK Sport and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The government has committed to invest £24 million into the event, £15 million of that budget will be used to develop 27 cycle sport facilities across the UK which will leave a lasting legacy at grassroots level. In addition there is £3 million of National Lottery funding from UK Sport.

Tracey Crouch, minister for sport, said: "I am delighted that our bid to host the UCI Road World Championships in 2019 has been successful. The government is backing the event with investment to stage the championships and leave a legacy that will help strengthen cycling at the grassroots across the country.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “Today marks a moment in history. Yorkshire has shown it can host world-class events with the Grand Départ and Tours de Yorkshire, and now the county has been chosen to host the nine-day UCI Road World Championships in 2019.

“We have got the scenery, the crowds, and the warm welcome, and we are sure the world’s best riders will love the challenging roads we have to offer.”

Ian Drake, chief executive of British Cycling said: “To get £15 million to invest in cycle sport facilities is massive and will truly leave a lasting legacy for this event.

“While we’ve been building dozens of new facilities over the last decade, this is an opportunity to ensure that every area of Britain has close access to a closed road circuit, velodrome, BMX track or mountain bike trail.

“This is transformational for the sport and will inspire thousands of people to take up cycling.”

Via the CPSC Specialized has issued a US recall notice for two bike models: the S-Works Venge Vias and Venge Pro Vias. They were sold in black, white, red and black, white and black and green and blue color combinations. 

Specialized has received seven reports of fractures in the bicycle’s rear triangle, including one report of a rider suffering a minor injury.

The CPSC website says "consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bicycles and contact an Authorized Specialized retailer for free installation of a new rear derailleur hanger and a safety inspection.

The bikes were sold from July 2015 through September 2016 for between $6,200 and $12,900.

Anna Schwinn has designed the cast BB yoke on a new fatbike from Tumbleweed of the US. Schwinn is the great-great-granddaughter of Ignaz Schwinn, who founded American bicycle company Schwinn in 1896. She is a former design engineer for Zipp’s carbon components and, more recently, worked on QBP’s All-City, Foundry, Whisky and Civia bicycle brands. 

Schwinn's yoke is on the Tumbleweed Bicycle Co.'s new fatbike, The Prospector. This uses a standard 73mm bottom bracket and can handle a variety of tyre sizes and wheel combinations. Designed around the 14 speed Rohloff hub for maintenance free shifting, the Prospector is also front and rear derailleur compatible.

The custom bottom bracket yoke and 73mm Phil Wood Eccentric Bottom Bracke allows for maximum tyre and mud clearance while allowing the use of many off-the-shelf mountain bike cranks. 

Sustrans has this week published cycle maps of Northern Ireland, the last four in a 53-map series of pocket guides. This is the completion of a series of cycle maps to cover the whole of the UK, the first such series to be completed since the 1950s. 

Together the maps cover all 14,000 miles of National Cycle Network, as well as other major routes such as the London Cycle Superhighways, and over 100 recommended day rides, as well as inset maps of towns and city centres.

Martyn Brunt, head of mapping at Sustrans said: “Our new Pocket Map series covers all National Cycle Routes and major routes, and we’re updating them all the time as new routes are added.”

“We’ve been working on the maps since 2012, starting on the South coast of England and working northwards to Scotland. Northern Ireland and London were the last maps which complete the series.”

The only similar series of maps came out in the 1950s, long before Sustrans National Cycle Network began in 1995.

Sustrans has so far sold 85,000 copies of maps in The Pocket Map series. Cornwall is the best-selling map having been reprinted three times since it was first launched. Other top-sellers include Dorset Downs, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Peak District, Severn and Thames, South West Wales, Yorkshire Wolds and York and the North Yorkshire Moors.

Next year Eurobike sticks with its end of August start but from 2018 it moves forward a month, and will start on July 8th. Which is a Sunday. 

Eurobike Manager Stefan Reisinger said the change for 2018 is "to secure the future relevance of Eurobike.” Visitor numbers at this year's show were down.

Messe Friedrichshafen’s CEO Klaus Wellmann said: "By taking place earlier in the year Eurobike will be even more relevant and strengthen its position as the leading trade show for new trends and innovations. The new dates and schedule have the backing of a large number of industry players."

Those backing the switch include Claudio Marra, managing director of FSA, who said:

“We strongly believe that it is necessary to bring the show forward to an earlier date, because September is now too late for our current market. As we know, all the new bikes and components are already available or have been covered by other events and media. As a result, we miss out on the original nature of the Eurobike, to present new product innovations."

Bernhard Lange, managing director of Paul Lange & Co. also welcomed the move:

"The fall in visitor numbers, especially trade visitors, cannot be ignored. We feel that it’s important to look at how we can reverse this trend, rather than calling the whole trade show into question. Moving towards an increasingly B2B orientation is the right way to go. 

"Experiences of the past few weeks show that the industry urgently needs a central forum. There is hardly room in the calendar for even more new in-house trade shows, retailer events or product presentations. Already this year, there were numerous scheduling clashes, which caused retailers major diary headaches. What’s more, weak spring sales, due to bad weather, led many retailers to spend every fine-weather weekend in the stores selling, instead of travelling from one event to the next."

Comic actor Robin Williams was a fanatical cyclist. The “Mrs. Doubtfire” star built up a collection of over 100 bicycles. 87 of them are now being auctioned for charity.

The collection contains everything from a unicycle to top-of-the-range carbon fibre superbikes. There are also one-of-kind bikes, many of them in trademark jazzy colours which the the late comedian seemed most attracted to.

The online house Paddle8 is handling the auction in conjunction with Williams’s family. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

The auction closes on October 25th.

In the last edition of BikeBiz, we caught up with Paul and Rick Stanforth of the Electric Bike Corporation.

You consider yourselves to be a leading distributor of e-bikes in the UK – what do you believe sets you apart from your competitors?

RS: EBC have been trading since 2009, and we have established ourselves as a leading specialist e-bike distributor. However, we also design and manufacture our own e-bike brands, EBCO and PULSE, which gives us unique access to the market, leading tech brands in the e-bike market, dealers, and ultimately the end consumer. 

PS: We often have consumers, dealers, and press contact us for information about what’s new in the market. Our in-house technical support for Shimano Steps, Bosch Global and TranzX, is just one of the reasons that we believe we have become the UK's e-bike experts.

RS: With the huge growth in the e-bike market, massive potential future expansion, and greater variety in products and their pricing, the e-bike market is now developing with conventional stores and brands, and not just specialist stores. As the original creators of Saracen Bikes in the UK, we have been on the scene since 1986. The 30 years that we’ve had in experience have helped hugely in the new e-bike market when it comes to working with factories, sourcing the best components, and working with dealers.

Do you guys have anything exciting in the pipeline for 2017? 

PS: We’ve just launched PULSE, our new e-bike brand, with prices starting from just £799. The brand features an excellent Alu frame, TranzX e-bike motor system, quality components, and tech features that we believe will both raise the bar in pricing, and help grow the market further. The price point-sensitive bikes do not compromise, and are intended to bring new customers into the market.

We believe e-bikes are an amazing solution for many contemporary issues, from health matters, to traffic, to pollution problems. 

RS: New for 2017, our EBCO range, now in its seventh year, is offering full diagnostic functions on all bikes, including Shimano Steps, Bosch and TranzX. This provides the dealer with more tools and greater options for after sales care and servicing, giving them greater confidence in the product. The newfound confidence is filtering down to the consumer, especially riders who are not necessarily core enthusiasts, and are trying e-biking for the first time.

How do you select the brands that you choose to distribute?

RS: We currently distribute Corratec e-bikes in the UK, which are an established and respected brand in the market. These German-designed and manufactured bikes cover all aspects of riding, from trekking to leisure to MTB, and are hugely respected in the industry. When we work with a brand, it's important for us to believe in the product, and to see the quality of construction and ride experience that the bikes offer. It's also important to work with a brand that compliments our own brands, so we have a balanced range that both the consumer and dealer understand covers every type of riding, and at every price point. Additionally, as service is such an important area of our business, we have to be sure we can back up the products we sell to our retail partners.

Where do you see the e-bike industry heading?

PS: Wow...the potential is huge! Leading cycling brands are investing in technology, and the tech has hugely improved in the last three years. Bikes are lighter, battery life is longer, performance is better, reliability has been proven, aesthetics are vastly improved upon, and value has increased. 

This can only continue in our opinion, as consumers wish to make different lifestyle choices and become more aware of green and health issues. The e-bike is a modern solution to contemporary issues. It's true to say that the infrastructure and cycling ethos is probably five years ahead of the UK on the continent, but we are catching up fast with more bike lanes, provision for cyclists in the work space, and a better attitude to non-drivers. 

RS: Concealed batteries – not for racing obviously – are going to grow, as they are aesthetically pleasing. To a certain extent cycling is a fashion driven industry, but manufacturers are also improving the weight and size of the battery when concealing it in the frame. This can only ultimately advance both performance and appearance. If it can be done without breaking the bank, we are going to have the perfect environment for increased e-bike use.   

How rapidly are you seeing the bikes that you distribute developing? 

RS: Bikes are always in development, and our team of ambassadors and testers give us constant feedback on the product. We ride our own bikes, and certainly, with our own brand, have complete control. Factories are not bound to the traditional model year process anymore; they are more flexible, so it's easier to bring a product to the market at any stage in the year. The only question is, can the battery and motor manufacturers keep up with the demand? Their technological advances are happening so quickly, and we attempt to bring those products to the customer as soon as we can.

PS: The time frame in which the original twist-and-go bikes’ evolved into the quality pedal-assist bikes we see today, which look and ride exactly as they should, is really not as long as some might think. The next stage of development will be even quicker! From EBCO’s point of view, in the seven short years we have been producing, we have seen major changes in global players investing heavily in technology to ensure the continued growth of e-bikes. The computer diagnostics across the whole 2017 range – which will be a valuable service tool for our dealers – are light-years ahead of where they were when we started.

We believe that electric bikes will change the bike market in a positive way, just as mountain bikes did in the late 80s, when we first came into the bike industry – remember, they said mountain bikes wouldn’t last!