BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Within ten years perhaps every car will come with a folding bike in the boot? The need for a mixed mode choice of transport was highlighted at this weekends Silverstone Grand Prix where bad weather caused motorway tailbacks and drivers with tickets ditched their cars at service stations to walk the rest of the way.
More forward thinking motorists packed bikes.
Commercial manager Mark Taylor, 30, from Manchester, ditched his car to pedal the rest of the distance on his road bike.
He said: "We set off at 7.30am. I’ve been to the Grand Prix before so I knew the traffic was going to be busy so I brought the bike.
"I was hoping to get a few miles closer but we were stuck in traffic at the M1 junction."
Whether the bike trade will benefit from a future-trend for bikes to come with cars is a moot point because the car trade is already muscling in. Many car brands either co-sponsor MTB race teams or already offer bikes with certain vehicles.
Ads for the Kia brand which appeared in this Sundays newspapers (also available at www.kia.co.uk) demonstrate that car manufacturers can see which way the wind is blowing: the Kia people carrier comes with a free bike and the ad says that for short distances motorists should use two wheels, not four.
Perhaps the bike trade should get behind folding bikes in a bigger way?
