BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Read the first part of our Bike Place round-up here (Velotech Services, Furious, Pure Fix, Oxford, Edge Sports).
Read the second part of out Bike Place round up (Greyvlle, Fisher, Frog, Moore Large, Flare)
Onto VAM Performance. This young distributor has four brands under its wing, mostly with a North American association. Many of No 22’s bike frames are made in New York while Cadence Clothing hails from California, for example. Sticking with Cadence, the ranges are split over lycra cycle gear and an urban range. Elsewhere, ILE has a spin on its Transit backpack that has covered the weather-proof bag with dozens of flaps you can clips caribiners onto.
Bike Place stalwart Jungle Products has been with the show from year one and has plenty of product this time around, including three new bikes from Niner, including two revamped models and a brand new one. They include a new iteration of the Jet with a mix of carbon and alloy, a trail-equipped Rip with more travel and a new complete EMD for £1399. Bikes attracting attention included the plus sized ROS 9+.
Santa Cruz’s V10 now comes in a 650b iteration while sister brand Juliana has an expanding range of of new soft goods, we hear. Meanwhile KS has a new carbon lightweight short drop, the LEV CI.
Last year’s Bike Place saw Jungle introduce the BOS deal. Since then the firm has invested in support and servicing, revealing that BOS prices are down this year in the region of ten per cent, making them more competitive and due in part to an increase in its OE business. BOS’ Dizzy now offers a 650b variant (with either 120 or 140mm travel) for £825 RRP. Other new arrivals include the Idylle, also catering to 650b.
NRG4 debuted its Kali deal at Bike Place last year. 12 months on, the range now includes a new urban helmet that comes with pull down lenses – either clear or shaded – in three colours and coming into stock in March. Kali’s MTB-oriented Maya comes with a visor that is designed to bend rather than snap. Nrg4 also has a new swanky POS cabinet for Aerozine components and a new Tumble and Fall mini pump which promises to pack in a decent output despite its diminutive size.
Olmo is probably one of the older brands at the show, but it’s not had much presence in the UK for some time. Now the brand is hoping to change all that, kicking off with last year’s appearance at the NEC Cycle Show with Cycling Buddy. The firm brought along key road and MTB models with a global debut for its Racing Gara Athena 11v – an eye-catching steel ride.
CSG UK enjoyed its second year at the Bike Place, showcasing a selection of its brands that included Fabric, its newish in-house brand, launched at Eurobike last year. Fabric looks outside the trade for inspiration and has kicked off with a saddle range as you no doubt already know. But it’s just the start, CSG’s Mark Noble told BikeBiz, with plans being hatched at Froome HQ for an expanded range. The Fabric saddle has already, of course, featured on Cannondale’s Synapse. Moving on, Sugoi’s jacket range is getting some new colours in for the ladies and a new saddlebag jacket that can be bundled into a, you guessed it, saddlebag-sized unit when required.
