Capital achievement Litespeed gets the presidential treatment AUGUST 2019 page  IN THIS ISSUE Free to y: BMX With a huge product database Spokes takes away guesswork turning 50 emotes  8 nostalgia PowerMax utilizes brickandmortar By Dean Yobbi approach to North LIVINGSTON, Mont.— America  9 Freedom means something diff erent to every person. Bob Osborn knows what it repre- sented to a generation of kids growing up in the BMX cul- ture of the 1970s and the role he played. “Those days have become The sky remains the limit legend to a bunch of 50-year- as BMX reaches year 50. old guys,” said Osborn, found- er and publisher of BMX Action and Freestylin’ magazines. Wildcat MiniBMX He spoke with BRAIN a few days aŽ er the sport offi cially seeks momentum with consumerdirect sales BMX page 12  13

A practical mom says Weapons of mass rotation ‘toxic bro culture’ knows no bounds  30 Stealthy and mobile, e-bikes gain traction among law enforcement STATE OF RETAIL By Dean Yobbi

YUCAIPA, Calif.—While the number of agencies using e- bikes is unknown, a police bicycle safety group said their

Bicycles adoption is “growing rapidly,” further fueling the e-bike mar- ket. That’s leading to opportunities for suppliers and retailers, Terry and the need for patrollers to update their training as more offi cers navigate bikes with top speeds of 28 mph Photo courtesy Photo and weighing an average of 50 pounds. Albert Cabbad, chief operating o cer, Apparel with appeal in 2020 With more than 12,000 R&A Cycles, Brooklyn, New York police and 3,000 sheriff ’s de- By Ray Keener Spring Summer designs in this issue (pages partments nationwide, the How do you manage 18-19), we’re also taking a look at how savvy Bureau of Justice Statistics The LAPD is busy converting BOULDER, Colo.—In the ever-evolving retailers are buying apparel. currently only tracks the all of its bikes to electric. relationships with world of bicycle retail, the apparel category One thing seems certain: In the IBD, ap- number of bike patrols, not brands that also sell is changing along with consumer buying pat- parel sales are in decline. According to the which type of bike or how many are used. Maureen Becker, direct-to-consumer? terns. Retailers are adapting quickly by us- NPD Group, which tracks sell-in and sell- the International Police Mountain Bike Association’s exec- ing their open-to-buy in both traditional and through of all our industry categories, dol- utive director, estimated about 4,000 police departments, page 10 creative ways. lar sales in apparel have declined nearly sheriff ’s offi ces and campus law enforcement agencies use As BRAIN off ers a sneak peek of 2020 APPAREL page 16 STEALTHY page 12 IT’S SO EASY. INTRODUCING THE MACRO EASY GPS. THE MOST EASY TO USE GPS CYCLING COMPUTER.

FOR DETAILS, CONTACT: (805) 548-8780 OR [email protected] 16

FROM THE COVER apparel vendors: Louis helping customers be more suc- APPAREL Garneau and Castelli. “We’d cessful. Instead of pre-booking, follow the sizing curves the it's more about business plan- 15% in the last two years. It’s hard to say manufacturers supplied, get ning. That’s where the open-to- if the market for bike clothes is shrinking in huge orders that filled the buy comes in.” overall, or if IBD sales are being replaced store and looked great, but Dan Mann summed up by rec- by consumer-direct sales (online and the sell-through just wasn’t ommending a coherent open-to- through company stores), custom kit sales keeping up with the pay- buy strategy. “First, you create a to teams, events and corporations (which ment terms, which negative- category plan," he said. "What usually bypass retailers), or sales through ly affected our open-to-buy.” percentage of bib shorts versus other channels. So Weiss and Big Shark waistband shorts at what price But a recent (unscientific) have moved to just-in-time points, for example. Then, an BicycleRetailer.com poll found that 57% apparel ordering. “We’re assortment plan: what brands of shops are reducing their commitment doing weekly cycle counts and models of each. If you come to selling apparel this year, while only now and placing weekly or- to the table prepared, you con- 10% are increasing it. So how are retail- ders,” Weiss said. “Of course, trol the relationship with your

ers buying smartly in a declining market? there’s some risk, since our Assos brands. If not, they will be di-

Speaking with retailers, suppliers and key brands might run out of recting you." industry consultants, two trends have of staple items like black become clear. First, some retailers are in- shorts and $30 gloves.” Custom growth creasingly abandoning preseason order- Weiss told us he’s find- The growth of custom items ing in favor of more frequent and smaller ing that 30 orders of $1,000 courtesy Photo within the apparel segment is just-in-time buys throughout the season. each work better for his A recent BicycleRetailer.com poll revealed that 57% of shops are reflected not only in more sales stores than one order for reducing their commitment to selling apparel this year. at retail. There are also more $30,000. “It’s more work custom vendors than ever, with for sure, and the faster turns pre¡y much Vendors are adapting quickly to the companies shi–ing from main-line offer- cancel out the smaller margins we’re get- new dynamics of the apparel market and ings to primarily custom. ting by skipping preseasons.” dealer buying pa¡erns. Some have done Hugh Walton, an apparel company David Martinez, VP of operations for away with preseasons entirely, but Pearl leader for decades with brands like Pearl the six Trek Superstores in San Diego Izumi is tailoring its programs based on Izumi, Descente and Hind, now is a pure- and Albuquerque, has plenty of open-to- retailer feedback, said Jason Armknecht, ly custom supplier. “Apparel printing has buy and a solid strategy around a flat sales become amazingly efficient due to digital curve. “In this digital age, consumers have printers churning at blinding speeds and all the colors, brands, sizes and options at automatic Gerber-type cutting tables,” their fingertips, therefore it's more diffi- “We’re doing weekly cycle Walton said. cult to compete,” Martinez said. “Working Also feeding retailer movement to- with great vendors like Bontrager, Pearl counts now and placing ward custom are the rapid turns possible. Izumi and Fox is a big deal. We like brands “Lead times at Chinese custom factories that allow stock rotations, dealer dis- weekly orders. Of course are1 down to 2 days, and minimum orders counts, strong inventory throughout the are a thing of the past,” Walton said. “Plus, year, and a functional B2B site.” there’s some risk, since our retailers are finding value and volume in Martinez’s strategy is to see the offer- items unique to their store.”

Photo by Michael Weiss Michael by Photo ings from all of his brands at one time key brands might run out Weiss concurs. “We’re doing 10 to 20% Big Shark Bikes’ Michael Weiss has and select what's best in terms of mate- of our apparel volume in custom, depend- altered his apparel ordering strategy. rials, price and aesthetics. “By seeing all of staple items like black ing on the category. Not just shop jerseys the brands at once, you will spot trends — anything with a local focus. We call Second, custom-designed jerseys and like the blue bib short in 2019 and see col- shorts and $30 gloves.” them culture pieces. We’ve teamed up kits are a growing part of the product mix orways that may be a stretch,” he said. “I — Michael Weiss, owner of Big Shark Bikes with local breweries; we make St. Louis in most shops. The traditional “shop jer- don't have the best fashion sense. So I'll Cardinal and Blues sports team jerseys. sey” offering is being expanded to include ask other team members, and even some They all sell well and turn quickly.” designs featuring local breweries, sports of our guests, on how they feel about cer- “While 95% of our sales are in main- teams, and more. tain colors or pa¡erns.” national sales manager for the Shimano- line goods, we for sure see the need to do Even the venerable term “open-to- Bontrager no longer asks Martinez for owned brand. more custom,” Martinez said. buy” is being updated. "We like to think a preseason order, and he’s hoping that “We’re working to adapt to give Pearl Izumi is glad to support that. of a different term, 'prepare to sell,' rath- trend will spread to other vendors. “I un- our retailers the best of both worlds,” “We’re doing limited-edition designs for er than open-to-buy," retail expert Dan derstand the vendors’ need to see what re- Armknecht said “So they can either buy our premier dealers two or three times Mann said. "It all starts with a carefully tailers want to stock in order to forecast,” full line in preseason, then we want to a year,” Armknecht said. “The strategy is researched plan based on your sales histo- Martinez said. assure maximum access for dealers who making capped quantities tied to a local ry and your understanding of the chang- “However, two things still happen year don’t want to pre-book.” artist. It’s an important and growing part ing apparel trends." a–er year. First, when my preseason order Despite the trend toward just-in-time of our business.” Michael Weiss, owner of Big Shark arrives, it usually arrives 90-95% com- ordering, Pearl Izumi still does 70% of its Other brands, like Giro and Louis Bikes, a three-store St. Louis chain, is plete, and even worse, core items are still business through preseasons. “We’re a Garneau, offer limited-edition designs employing both the JIT and custom strat- not available in the middle of season.” li¡le surprised that it’s staying that high,” several times a year. egies. “Our apparel-buying strategy has Despite these concerns, Martinez is Armknecht said. He pointed out that there While consumer demand for cycling definitely shi–ed,” Weiss said. Big Shark still a heavy preseason buyer. “Our pre- are many advantages to preseasoning, in- apparel is still strong, it’s being spread over is just about average in terms of apparel season orders are pre¡y safe; there’s not cluding online support and social media a wider variety of sources beyond the lo- sales, with the category representing 5.2% a lot of risk in terms of sell-through,” he assistance for added value, not just big- cal shop, just like every other product cat- of its $4-5 million in sales over the past said. “A s for open-to-buy, we have our ger discounts. egory. Both vendors and retailers are doing three seasons. budgets set and keep a pre¡y close eye “We’re adjusting to the new world their best in challenging market condi- Weiss previously bought into the pre- on inventory, but we won't turn down a of buy-in, and it’s a massive shift,” tions to get the most from their evolving season programs of his two full-line good closeout buy.” Armknecht said. “We need to be be¡er at programs and open-to-buy. 18 Apparel with appeal in 2020

Pearl Izumi: The Rove Jacket is part of the brand’s 2020 BikeStyle collection.

Club Ride: The Bella Vista jersey features mesh venting, a Henley neck, and a stretch fabric that is now UPF-50.

Leatt: The DBX 5.0 jersey has wind block fabric on the chest and sides; the short is waterproof/breathable.

Castelli: This women’s jersey is part of Castelli’s new Unlimited series, designed for gravel adventures.

Terry: High-viz, loose-ˆts, and minimal seaming have been top-selling features for Terry. August 1, 2019 19

Stolen Goat: The UK- based brand is o­ering new colors for its popular Bodyline jerseys.

Endura: New colorways for its 2020 SingleTrack line were featured at the ISPO show in July. Giordana: The brand enters the triathlon market for the rst time in 2020, with in-line and custom o­erings.

Reggie: This brand was founded by a brother-and- sister team and emphasizes fun, fast, and unusual styles.

Assos: The Mille GT Half Shorts for women feature a soft waistband on the front, with grippers on the rear for a bib-like t without suspenders.

HEDO: This new brand is targeting performance fondo and gravel riders with colorways inspired by its California home. 20

‘Filling the parking spots’ Sustainability trend Five years after launch, 7Mesh demonstrates it’s more than a jacket brand at forefront for  LOUISVILLE, Colo.—The trend may have By Steve Frothingham co-founder and CEO Tyler Jordan come to the cycling world a li•le later than told BRAIN. “We knew we knew how the outdoor market, but the 2020 model year SQUAMISH, British Columbia to make good outerwear and that we is shaping up to be the year of sustainability. (BRAIN) — 7Mesh was founded by had a lot to learn about what goes on Nearly every clothing brand has at least a a crew with years of experience in underneath. So we consciously de- few items made from recycled or sustainable the technical outdoor apparel mar- cided to risk being pigeonholed.” materials, and brands are working to reduce ket, so a technical cycling rain jacket Five years a‘er launch, the com- packaging and hangtags. Pearl Izumi, whose was a natural centerpiece of its first pany is filling out its product line for sustainability program we wrote about in the seasons. 2020 with a complete array of shorts July issue, has even stopped printing catalogs But its founders always had bigger and jerseys for men and women. as part of its sustainability program. plans for the brand. “It’s a pre•y substantial increase The trend extends to details like zippers “There was a risk that would be in SKUs,” Jordan said. “Five new and cycling pads, showing that the suppliers perceived as the jacket company,” shorts for men, five for women, a new hoodie. It’s a big expansion, and now the to the suppliers are ge•ing on board. pieces fill all the spots in the parking lot. Not YKK, the Tokyo-based zipper supplier, an- that we won’t expand more, but all the spots nounced its GreenRise zipper in June. The are filled now.” zipper replaces polyester made with fossil fu- The line includes road, gravel and moun- els with a plant-based material derived from tain bike clothes, including thermal pieces, molasses. The company plans to launch an jackets, vests, over shorts, liners and tights. Environmental Vision program next year that Gravel and mountain bike items include aims to reduce water waste and reduce pro- 7Mesh’s “Anything System,” a modular storage duction waste materials. system that includes as many as five “floating” Elastic Interface, the Italy-based company rear pockets on jerseys, and a variety of pock- that provides many of the pads used in high- ets on liner bibs and overshorts. end cycling shorts and bibs, increasingly has Jordan started his career at the outdoor adopted recycled fabrics for its pads. brand Arc’teryx when its only product was EI uses polyamide and elastane fabrics a climbing harness. He went on to lead the made from industrial waste of yarn, and poly- brand as CEO for eight years. Arc’teryx, now ester material from recycled plastic bo•les. owned by Amer Group, is today one of the best Recycled foams for the pads are hard to find, known outdoor apparel brands in the world. but the company is working to make its exist- 7Mesh will expand its lineup in 2020 with men’s and women’s shorts and jerseys, covering the road, gravel and mountain bike disciplines. His two co-founders at 7Mesh also are former ing foams more eco-friendly by reducing pro- Arc’teryx executives. duction waste and energy used in production. Arc’teryx’s outerwear technologies and Pedal Mafia, an Australian brand entering styling have influenced that market for over the U.S. this year, offers ECO jerseys and bibs a decade. Jordan and his partners were con- consisting of fabric made nearly 100% from fident they could do something similar in the recycled nylon and elastane. cycling market. According to the brand, every 2,200 pounds “Arc’teryx drove a lot trends in lamination of recycled nylon used reduces atmospheric technologies, zippers, weight mitigation with CO2 emissions by 3,100 pounds. lighter fabrics … The way we put together ap- Isadore Apparel, a brand launched in 2013 parel influenced multiple industries. You can by Slovak brothers Martin and Peter Velits see it in tactical wear, ski and snowboarding, (each former World Tour racers) is moving TOTAL and hunting and fishing.” more of its product line to recycled fabrics. The Cycling, however, was later to the game. brand’s Alternative Line features bibs and jer- “We felt cycling was lagging behind. It’s less seys that are made of 100% recycled materials. CONFIDENCE true now, but cycling apparel had stayed very “We are not certain that the sustainability mes- GRAVEL.CX traditional for a long time. We decided that sage can be classified as a trend yet, but we are RYAN STEERS we could do something that added value. We doing our best to promote and encourage the Giant “The Factory sharp impacts Racing of the didn’t come here to make the same product as idea,” Peter Velits told BRAIN. flint felt muted and there everyone else.” Finally, the sustainability movement mates were no gut wrenching 7Mesh sells online through its own website, well with a mainstay cycling fabric: merino sounds of rock striking Dirty Kanza rim.” but a majority of sales are through brick-and- wool, which is sustainable, biodegradable and G r a v e l . C X mortar retailers. always in style. 2 0 0 M i l e s 0 F l a t s The designs shown on page 18-19 were chosen by BRAIN’s editors from brands’ 2020 Spring/Summer collections. The companies included:

Page 18 Page 19 Club Ride clubrideapparel.com Endura endurasport.com Pearl Izumi pearlizumi.com Reggie reggie.bike Leatt leatt.com Stolen Goat stolengoat.com Castelli castelli-cycling.com Giordana giordanacycling.com Terry terrybicycles.com Assos assos.com Hēdo hedo.la