BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

On this site last month, and in the November print magazine, a whole load of cycle trade success stories were given prominence. Such as the record October's both Specialized and Trek had experienced, almost globally. Such as Dahon's increased sales and bullish forecasts for 2002. Such as Tandem paying down its debts with positive first half of 2001 trading figures. On the downside, I may have mentioned - in passing, you understand - the Chapter 11 of the Derby Cycle Corporation as one of the less positive stories of the year. However, the former president of that Corporation, takes issue with that assessment because Raleigh Cycle Ltd., the company which bought DCC's brands , owes its existence to optimism...

The Segway Human Transporter - a hi-tech scooter - was unveiled to a waiting world on Monday. "Is that it?" asked one of the presenters of ABC TV's Good Morning America. The disappointment could be cut with a knife. Why? Because this invention is the one hyped since January as "bigger than the internet". Long before its unveiling, Apple's Steve Jobs was reported to have said cities of the future would be redesigned around this contraption, now seen to be of possible value to porky US postal workers but too dorky for everyone else...

According to www.singletrackworld.com, Endura cycle shorts star in the first of the three Harry Potter movies. Mind you, they're well hidden...

Sustrans has announced that it has reached its target and completed its lottery funded project to build 6000 miles of cycle paths. Sustrans said it will continue to expand the National Cycle Network and will complete 10 000 miles by 2005

Damian 'Foss' Forster, owner of Off Beat Bikes in Fort William, has been instrumental in bringing a UCI sanctioned DH event to Scotland for June 2002. He's got a hill to climb though: there's the small matter of raising £250 000...