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The cycling season is finally here.
It’s been a long wait for some warmer weather, but the sun has finally started to shine, and families are back out on the bikes.
I’ve finally seen the first of the family cycling excursions in my local area, and after the tough winter (both economically and meteorologically) sunny days will be a relief to many in the bike trade for a variety of reasons.
But the changing of the seasons has raised an important question in my mind, about encouraging youngsters to cycle as early as possible.
My first true love in the cycling world was riding BMX, and in my local area (now Reading in Berkshire) I can’t help but notice the lack of young BMX riders stoking the fire for cycling.
Skateparks near me are often deserted, and I was shocked to find the nearest BMX race club is 50 miles away.
With concerns around road safety, the ever-rising cost of cycling, and the need for advocacy and education for young cyclists, it’s a concerning thought that the number of children cycling could stagnate without action from all sides.
In this kid’s market edition of BikeBiz we offer up some insights for cycling businesses into the state of the sector, and some solid ideas on how to reach families, and maybe even help inspire some new bike riders.
In this month’s mag, you may notice a familiar name as our former senior staff writer Rebecca Morley (now a freelance writer) explores why the sales of children’s bikes have tailed off so dramatically in recent years (p7-8).
I also sat down with Isla Rowntree, founder of Islabikes, to get her thoughts on the children’s market since she stepped back from her role at the bike brand (p22-24).
Our staff writer Daniel Blackham also ventured south to visit distributor I-ride at its new facility in Sussex (p27-29).
And finally in this month’s sector guides we look at all the best-selling products in the kids’ sector (p53-56), and also the growing world of indoor cycling (p65-66) .
Here’s hoping for a long summer and a return to some of the excitement we’ve all previously felt for the future of our industry.
Alex Ballinger,
Editor
Included in this month’s magazine:
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