Covering the News S p ec i a l e urobike New S l e t t e r Each Day – Every Day EUROBIKE Day 3 September 1, 2011 www.bicycleretailer.com Automakers test waters in the e-bike category Beer fever runs high mart, a rectangular booth tucked Eurobike’s second day of exhibition madness away amid much more elaborate started with booming thunder, a light cool Ssetups in one of Eurobike’s large rain and many thousands of visitors pouring trade halls, was a hive of activity Thurs- into the convention center. By day’s end, day morning as photographers jockeyed the atmosphere had turned muggy and the for optimal shooting position and a vast halls at the Messe swarmed with hot bodies—literally. A Fuji employee quipped television crew conducted interviews. that at one point during the day he felt like The buzz was over the debut of the fainting. auto brand’s much anticipated electric bicycle, a sleek white frame accented with green accessories and clearly spec’d with quality in mind. A Gates carbon belt drive replaces a traditional chain and the bike is outfitted with Ergon pedals and grips, Magura MT4 brakes, Continental city tires and a Truvativ Stylo seatpost. The rear-hub 250-watt motor and frame- integrated battery is a proprietary design adam micklin (left), global sales di- rector for Hayes, and Darren camp- developed by Bionix for Smart. bell, vice president and general The bike culminates about two years’ bernard De longueville with the Solexity pedal-assist bike manager at Hayes, celebrate Hayes’ work by Karl Nicolai, of Berlin’s Grace e- new european distribution center. bikes, who was hired by Smart to develop its first electric bicycle. The brand, syn- urban dwellers, Smart’s entry into the e-bike market could So what better way to cap a hard day onymous with the zippy two-door city be exactly the kick the category needs to gain traction in pounding packed hallways than to quaff car owned by Daimler, will sell the bikes lagging markets like the U.S., Nicolai said. an ice-cold brew courtesy of Hayes. After at about 600 of its automotive dealers in “Somebody needs to kick off the ball. If it’s not one of all, the Hayes crew had just set up their Europe and North America for around the major automotive brands, then who can do it?” he said. new European distribution center, booth 2,900 euros starting next year. With its traffic had been good and Adam Micklin, following of environmentally conscious continued on page 6 the company’s new (sort of) global sales director, was pleased with the day’s order book. A party was in order to celebrate “Last year exports grew a the company’s new direction. lot. This inventory is adjusting, As the official host, Micklin went to pull a Taiwan exports to so it’s normal. Also the weather few rounds from a newly delivered twin- situation—there’s been a lot of spigot aluminum refrigerator attached by rain in the Europe and the UK. I a length of hose to a keg. No tap for the Europe fall in 2011 believe it’s temporary,” Lo said at boys at Hayes. Unfortunately, the box Eurobike on Thursday. needs electricity before it can dispense the xports of bicycles from drop-off will right itself by the Lo said he exports 2011 will joy juice. Micklin’s minions began a hard Taiwan to Europe fell 20 time the books close on 2011. end on par with last year’s levels. target search for an extension cord. Just try epercent in volume and 5 This according to Tony Lo, In 2010, Taiwan’s bicycle to find that at a European trade show on percent in value during the first president of the Taiwan Bicycle exports rose to $1.5 billion, up a moment’s notice as beer lust begins to seven months of the year, but Exporters Association and CEO 20 percent from 2009’s $1.25 sweep the crowd. What to do? And then Taiwan executives believe the of Giant Manufacturing. continued on page 4 continued on page 2 continued from page 1 Vector, Edge 200 power some wag points out, “Just move the box next to the power outlet.” Life’s lesson: If you can’t up traffic at Garmin booth get juice to the box, then take the box to the juice. powerhouse in mobile navigation for Chamois sales heat up car and marine applications as well as ahandhelds, Garmin is relatively new Anyone looking for a chamois supplier need only to the fitness segment—a category it has walk into Hall B-5 at Eurobike and look around. only been in for five or so years, said Andy It seems like a dozen companies, mostly Italian, Silver, Garmin’s European product manager are selling chamois. Of course, each claims to for fitness. be the best at turning a sweat-soaked crotch But with its deeper expansion into into a comfort zone. And the majority, like Dual cycling with the introduction of its Vector power meter and Edge 200, the company is clearly planting a deep stake in the bike market. Both drew people to its booth Wednesday at Eurobike, where retailers and journalists could touch and feel the products for the first time. “Our view is that training with power is on the verge of exploding,” said Silver, referring to the company’s recent entry into cesare privitera of romborosso Design introduces Dr. pad at Dual the power meter market. “There’s a general press, an italian chamois maker. awareness now on how important power wattage is in terms of training.” Garmin’s move into the category is not Press, a chamois supplier from Montebelluna, Garmin’s andy Silver sew high-quality pads using excellent fabrics surprising given its acquisition last fall of holds the edge 200 MetriGear, which developed the pedal spin- while standing in and multi-density foam that’s laser cut and pre- front of a bike outfit- shaped for easy stitching. But no one can boast dle-based technology. Silver said Garmin aims to break down barriers that have long ted with the Vector working for Dr. Pad. Cesare Privitera from Rom- pedal spindle-based borossa Design, a branding and communication existed in the category including high price, power meter. company, was more than pleased to introduce Dr. complex technology and ease of use. Pad, whose handiwork has been neatly stitched The Vector is a pedal-based system that into shorts for such brands as Hincapie, Louis measures the force applied to a pedal and will embrace it since it will only require a Garneau, Trek, Castelli and Northwave. Of course, the rotation or cadence through sensors in- software update on those computers,” Silver Privitera points out, most companies require spe- side the pedal spindle. It then transmits this said, adding that globally, close to 1 million cific proprietary designs, and those are secret. data in the form of power wattage to any consumers own one of those products. ANT+ compatible computer, individually, And while its Edge 500 and Edge 800 Labor unrest watched for left and right pedals. The pedals are pre- bike computers have proved popular, Gar- calibrated at the factory and setup is easy, min’s new Edge 200 aims to bring navigation Suppliers are keeping a sharp eye on produc- Silver said. Users only need to know how to to the masses with its $149 price point. The tion costs in China, particularly in Shenzhen just change a pedal. No mechanical expertise is Edge 200 measures speed, distance, time, north of Hong Kong. Executives said strikes have required. total ascend and calories, but forgoes higher- hit bicycle factories in the region over the last “It’s also user serviceable,” Silver said, end features like heart rate, cadence, power several weeks. Chris Speyer, BPSA president, adding that the battery—no bigger than a output and on-board maps. The unit does while unable to provide specific details, said fork watch battery—swaps easily. have a GPS sensor, which eliminates the builder RST and VP Components and others have The pedals are Look Keo compatible. need for a separate wheel magnet or sensor had to deal with growing labor unrest. Producers Silver said Garmin worked closely with Exu- to track speed and distance. worry that as inflation heats up in China, a grow- star on the Garmin-branded pedal. It also has what Silver calls a bread- ing middle class demands higher wages, and the “It’s a complex product, so we wanted to crumb trail map, allowing riders to record, yuan continues to appreciate, the days of cheap have control over the development process,” download and share their rides. It also lets labor may come to an end sooner rather than Silver said. “That’s the reason we went with a users race a specific mapped ride against a later. Already some major suppliers are consider- single pedal manufacturer. But in the future, pace. ing or have already begun moving production we’ll look at other pedal platforms. For now “It makes GPS tangible, affordable and into members of the Association of Southeast we want to focus on the Garmin-branded understandable,” said Silver. “The focus is on Asian Nations, or ASEAN for short. So those of pedal.” the fun aspect of navigation.” you who had a rough time in geography class, And at $200 less than its 500 model, those 10 Southeast Asian countries are Indonesia, A prototype was on display at the booth Silver said it will appeal to entry-level and Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Silver said production models will Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.