BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Providing a stark contrast for anyone who was in Germany for the final days of Eurobike a few weeks ago, the sun was most definitely out for Interbike’s Demo Days in Bootleg Canyon, a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas in Boulder City.
Under the scorching sun – hitting 37C in the shade – attendees got to try out bikes, apparel, hydration packs, nutrition and more in the purpose built MTB trails, road circuit and tracks in and around the Canyon.
The MTB tracks are the stars of the Demo Day show, with peak views over the valley around Las Vegas. Regular shuttles took dozens of MTBers at a time up to the top of the hills to take part in the Down Hill competition.
Oakley
This year Oakley has a new offering designed to make replacing lenses less of a headache, with jawbone Switch Lock tech. At the flick of a switch the jawbone part of the frame is released, so replacing lenses is quicker. Each pair of glasses comes with two lenses – for bright mid-day Interbike Demo Day style light and low light options for dusk, early mornings and the UK.
9 Zero 7
Tyre sizes have often been a talking point at trade shows over the past few years. Here though, Alaskan firm 9 Zero 7 has a range of fat tyred bikes built for taking on snowy conditions. It’s not just about snowy conditions though – 9 Zero 7s have been customised with belt drives for use on the beach too. Despite not having a distribution arm in the UK (though the brand is interested in a more significant presence in the UK), 9 Zero 7 has sent a few bikes over to British cyclists who are prone to customise their bikes for a variety of uses, BikeBiz is told.
Yurbuds Sports Earphones
Tackling those contentious discussions over how safe it is to listening to music while riding, Yurbuds has released a series of sports earphones that don’t block out ambient noise on the road. Their other USP is their ergonomic, comfortable design that use a clever twist and lock system that keeps the earphones in place while riding, running, etc. They’ve been years in the making and there are a variety of SKUs in the range, some with microphones so the rider can take calls on the road and the top of the range offering using Kevlar for the cord.
Yurbuds are already in 50 countries and have distribution in Apple stores. And there’s a UK sales team in place to too.
Fenix
Fenix’s lights specifically designed for bicycles are relatively new, despite it being in the light game for around seven years. There are four SKUs in the Fenix cycle light offering, all using a dual distance beam system, where the near and far can be illuminated. To their credit, Fenix made a good fist of showing this feature off in the sun bleached desert, by use of a handy tent. UK distribution is in place with Moore Large and there is a new model in the works, set to come out in the New Year and pump out 1,600 lumens, Fenix confirmed.
Liquid Image
Liquid Image is another player in the increasingly competitive sports video camera market, offering an all-sport range of HD mountable cameras that come with WiFi activation via mobile phones. There is a distribution deal in place bringing the range to the cycle trade in Ireland, though no UK-specific firm.
Primal Wear
Primal Wear has a vast collection of off the peg designs for its jerseys particularly, though it also offers custom designs too. Designs like the Marked (pictured above) for men and the women’s Mon Ami both proved popular at the Demo Days. As well as beer jerseys and club jerseys, the firm also has a longstanding relationship with the US military, with a new range out for 2012.
Platypus
The Platypus is an unusual animal. A Platypus representative told BikeBiz at the Demo Days that Platypus’ have a poisonous claw and actually secrete milk through their skin. While the Platypus brand’s product range will do none of that, it will be quirky, and hits a target audience of being outside. Coming from Cascade Designs, Ptalypus’ output is 80 per cent made in US, with the range including lightweight hydration packs featuring organisation aimed at the XC and all-MTB markets.
