BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Insync Bikes is accelerating production of affordable family bikes as it prepares for a summer of activity boosted by the pandemic cycling boom.
The brand, part of Indian-owned Hero Cycles, is urging independent bike dealers to get in touch to secure models from its ranges as it anticipates delivery of bulk quantities for the spring and summer.
Wayne Clarke of Insync urged IBDs to get in touch to secure bikes ahead of the spring/summer rush on sales. Clarke said: “Insync has been buoyed by the rise in the popularity of cycling, for leisure and commuting, which has resulted in unprecedented levels of demand for our models.
“As the warmer weather approaches, we are anticipating once again that demand for bikes will rise so, to support our independent bike dealers, we have increased production to enable us to cater for this demand.
“Dealers should get in touch with us as soon as possible to secure stock to ensure they are ready for what we predict will be another spike in sales, building on the success of lockdown cycling.”
The range includes heritage brand Viking Belgravia, a traditional women’s bike which is due in April and May, priced between £295 and £315. Viking Westminster bikes, also aimed at women, are due in stock in June priced at £270. The end of April will see Coyote mountain bikes, in the range of £189, hit the retailers, while Concept children’s bikes priced at £100-£250 are in stock.
Insync, which sells its brands via a large network of independent bike shops, has experienced a sharp increase in trading over the past 12 months, spurred on by the soaring popularity of riding while the UK has been in and out of lockdown. A high point for the brand came in July when Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched the UK’s £2 billion cycling and walking strategy while riding a Viking bike in Nottingham supplied by one of Insync’s dealers.
In January, Insync reported a trebling of sales during 2020 and revealed plans to double the figure in 2021. The brand sold more than 50,000 bikes in retail in the year to November 2020, a 200% increase on the previous year, driven by the surge in the demand for bikes as a healthier form of commuting and exercise during the pandemic.
Read the April issue of BikeBiz below:
