BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

Trek and Specialized seem to be the flavour of the month in the US at the moment. Bicycleretailer.com has almost a story a week about IBDs becoming a little less 'I' in order to be tied in with one single supplier. Will the same happen in the UK? That's the theme for the May mag. Got opinions? Send 'em in.

The embargo is lifted. Rumours and leaks have been all over the web, of course, but here's the XTR blurb direct from Shimano.

The ad is part of the 'Welcome to the Coke Side of Life' campaign. The first TV ads aired last night in the US. The 'parade' ad features a small boy on a BMX. All the ads were created by Wieden+ Kennedy agency of Portland, Oregon, a long-time originator of Nike athlete ads. It was this agency which produced the 2004 'Magnet' TV ad for Nike that featured Lance Amstrong and a small boy on a BMX...

The British Cycling National Downhill Mountain Bike Series - without a title sponsor for four years - has signed a five-figure deal with "Europe's biggest online bike store". Chain Reaction is based in Northern Ireland.

Bikeforall.net has been revamped, recoded, redesigned. It now has an events calendar and lots of other clever features. The portal is paid for by the UK bicycle industry via the Bike Hub levy and will soon benefit from a short, sweet but big-budget promotional campaign thanks to Cycling England.