E-Bikes Poised for Takeoff in German Market
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Covering the News SPECIAL EUROBIKE NEWSLETTER Each Day – Every Day EUROBIKE Day 1234 E-Bikes Poised for Takeoff SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 www.bicycleretailer.com In German Market Show Schedule Thursday 9.02.10 10-10:55 a.m. 2-2:45 p.m. Team Saxo Bank rider Claudia Häusler and Jens Voigt signs posters Heinrich Haussler, at SiS (Science in Sport) Cervélo TestTeam, at SRAM president Limited Castelli Stan Day shares Location: Hall A7 - 413 Location: Hall B5 - 504 the stage during a 10-11 a.m. 2 p.m. press conference to Frank Hoj, Team Saxo Fashion Show kick off Eurobike on Bank, at Specialized Foyer East Demo Day. Location: Hall A3 - 206 3-3:55 p.m. 11-12 noon Jens Voigt, Team Saxo FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Ger- speaking as part of a panel of executive officer of German Guido Tschugg, World Bank, at Tacx B.V. many—SRAM president Stan industry executives at a press bike industry association Cup rider, at GHOST Location: Hall B3 - 105 Day announced yesterday that conference to kick off Eurobike Zweirad-Industrie-Verband Location: Hall B1 - 400 3-4 p.m. SRAM is currently working on yesterday. (ZIV), said the organization 11-12 noon Marcus Klausmann “breakthrough” e-bike technol- That was music to the ears had forecast e-bike sales of Jens Voigt and Frank at GHOST ogy, targeting its launch for Q1 of his fellow panelists repre- 180,000 units in 2010. “Now Hoj, Team Saxo Bank, Presentation Downhill of model year 2012. senting the German bike in- we have to correct that because at Full Speed Ahead. 2011 with GHOST “We believe we’re one of dustry, who are pinning hopes it is going to be even better,” Location: Hall A3 - 303 development manager. Location: Hall B1 - 400 the few that has the reach to on e-bikes to grow bike sales in Neuberger said, adding that 11-12 noon effectively educate European Europe’s largest bike market. Timo Pritzel at 3-3:45 p.m. and U.S. dealers,” said Day, Siegfried Neuberger, chief See German Market on Pg. 2 Scott Sports SA Chris A. Sorensen and Location: Hall A3 - 300 Frank Hoj, Team Saxo Bank, at Sportful 11 a.m. Location: Hall B5 - 504 Fashion Show Cannondale Master Foyer East 4-5 p.m. Adidas eyewear pro 12-1 p.m. riders Hans Rey and E-Bike Turns Distributor Tony Martin and André Gerhard Gulewicz Greipel at Rudy Project Location: Hall B2 – 411 Sparks Sales Location: Hall B2 - 302 Heads at Demo 4-5 p.m. 12:30 p.m. Jens Voigt and Chris For Gore Cedric Gracia at O’Neal Anker Sorensen, Team he Cannondale tent drew a steady stream of Location: Hall B4 - 306 Saxo Bank, at Specialized Ttraffic at Eurobike’s Demo Day on Tuesday as Location: Hall A3 - 206 visitors stopped to see or test the brand’s new e- Cables 2- 2:55 p.m. bike. Chris Anker Sorensen, 4 p.m. “It’s been like this all morning,” said Cannon- Team Saxo Bank, Fashion Show In Europe at Tacx B.V. Foyer East dale general manager Bob Burbank as a television Location: Hall B3 - 105 crew shot video of Cannondale’s prototype e-bike on Pg. 2 5:30-7:30 p.m. with an integrated seatpost battery and Lefty fork. 2-3 p.m. Hans Rey at IMBA For Cannondale though, the main attraction Eddy Merckx at (SRAM) was the debut of its E-series production e-bike, Eddy Merckx Cycles Location: Hall A3 - 103 Location: Hall A1 - 401 which the company developed over the past two 6 p.m. years through a partnership with Bosch. Eurobike Lake Jump The two test models were a popular attraction Acrobatic jumps into trade fair lake See Cannondale E-Bike on Pg. 3 German Market Continued from pg 1 the projection for e-bikes sold in Germany Business (ZDV), said specialty bicycle deal- 1,000 euros is quite normal, so high price has been revised to 200,000 for this year ers altogether survived the economic crisis segments are gaining ground,” Foster said, compared to 150,000 in 2009. As a share of quite well. “Specialty dealers distanced citing technology and improvements. bikes sold in the German market, e-bikes themselves from the sluggish retail trend,” SRAM’s Day said sales for the year are will likely rise from 4 percent to 5 percent said Kunz. up for good dealers across Europe and in this year, he said. He noted that among the 3,870 retailers the U.S., adding that inventories appear to Neuberger said the forecast for e-bike represented by the association there was have filled in but are not excessive. sales in all of Europe for this year is 600,000 a broad spread in assessing the business According to Day, sales for SRAM’s units, up from 500,000 units last year. “The situation, with some experiencing growth five brands—SRAM, Zipp, RockShox, Avid trend is very positive,” he said. and some experiencing slight declines this and Truvativ—were up 40 percent over According to Neuberger, e-bikes are year. Altogether, he said, German retail- the prior year for the six months ending in one of the bright spots in the German ers expect sales at the level of the previous June. Total sales for SRAM for the past 12 market. Through the first half of this year, year—an estimated annual market total of months surpassed $500 million, he said. total bike deliveries in Germany were flat at 4.1 million bikes and 3.3 billion euros. And while the company is focusing on 2.66 million units compared to 2.67 million Kunz noted that specialty retailers, e-bike development, it has also committed units for the same period last year. who account for 68 percent of German to the racing scene, with seven pro teams Neuberger said deliveries have been bike sales through all retail channels, are racing on SRAM in 2010. That investment stable despite general conditions, such as benefiting from e-bikes and a general trend paid off for the company this year with a low consumer confidence and poor spring toward high-quality equipment sales. one-two finish with Alberto Contador and weather, that were not optimal in the first Werner Foster, chief executive officer of Andy Schleck. six months of the year. But, he said, the Germany bike manufacturer Cycle Union, “For most of us racing will not put food market is now improving. agreed that the trend is toward high-quality on the table, but it is an important training Thomas Kunz, chief executive officer for bikes and, as a result, the share for specialty ground,” said Day. the Association for German Two-Wheeler trade is increasing in Germany. “A bike of —Megan Tompkins ore Ride On Cables returns In the six months since she and customer service issues. Gto Eurobike this week for the signed one with Plüger, Gore’s Plüger is also Ride On’s mas- Master third year since the cable system presence in European shops has ter distributor for Asia and has came back on the market, but this grown from 500 to 600 to nearly worked with Mabon to secure Distributor time with its own booth and a new three to four times that size, Ma- distribution in Taiwan, Indonesia, master distribution plan in place bon said, with representation in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Sparks Sales for Europe and Asia. the UK, Germany, Italy, France, the Philippines, Japan and Singa- Lois Mabon, product manager Spain, Poland, the Czech Repub- pore. Gore is also distributed in for the Ride On system, signed on lic and the Benelux region. After- Australia, South Africa and New For Gore with German-based master dis- market business has grown by 50 Zealand. Mabon’s next target area tributor Bernd Plüger earlier this percent in the past year and OEM for growth is South America. Cables year after meeting him at Ride On sales have increased by 25 to 30 Gore first launched a moun- Taiwan last December. percent with brands like Wilier, Or- tain bike cable system in the U.S. In Europe This move was a departure bea and Blue spec’ing the system. in 2001 and in Europe the fol- from direct sales, Gore’s tradition- Most of Gore’s OEM business is lowing year, but the cables were al way of doing business. Initially done through its partnership with pulled because the system was Mabon set up distribution of the SRAM for its Red cables. difficult to install. Gore returned cables through Gore Bike Wear’s As of June 1, Gore stopped to Eurobike in 2007 with its rede- well-established channel, but selling cables through Gore Bike signed system using an improved quickly realized she wasn’t get- Wear in Europe. coating technology and offered a ting the broad reach she wanted, Plüger, who also serves as road option. It has since added a professional system for high per- formance road and racing, cyclo- cross, commuting and triathlon. Gore has its own booth in and dealers were asking to get the master distributor for Hayes in Friedrichshafen this year, break- cables through distributors. Europe, takes delivery of Gore ing away from the Gore Bike Wear “Ride On is more of a compo- cables directly from Taiwan and booth for the first time, and has nent, an accessory. It needs to be stores the product in his ware- launched a new German language in every shop. Every shop needs house south of Frankfurt, then Web site, www.rideoncables.de, to carry and sell Gore Ride On, sells to more than two-dozen dis- to support sales here.