BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news

Car showrooms are running scared. The number of websites selling cars on the cheap is growing by the week. However, in an attempt to warn consumers that a car dealer is still the best place to buy a new car, the Retail Motor Industry Federation has sent out a combatitive press release. So? Well, BikeBiz.co.uk doesn't give a hoot about car dealers per se but the RMI's stance is one that has relevance to any trade threatened by 'pure play' internet retailers. Can the bike trade get the same message across? "Best to buy from independent bike shops...here's why..."

Theres a two page interview with Jim Rose in our April mag (due out tomorrow). Rose is the CEO of QXL.com, the auction site. In this interview (also available elsewhere on this site) Rose waxes lyrical about securing Raleigh bikes for sale. Today we were told that Raleigh has ceased to supply QXL...

As the article on 9feet.com was being written I had a phone call from Neil Armstrong (no moonwalk jokes please) of the Daily Mail. He wanted me to tell him some websites where consumers can get bargains on bikes.

We have regular chats with bike design guru Mike Burrows of Giant. One of his perennial complaints is that the UK doesn't have a big trade/consumer show "like they have in Germany." Hmm, not any more they don't, IFMA is the latest bike show to go trade-only

COLIPED the Organisation of the European Two-Wheeler Parts Industries will be holding a getting to know us session at the Taipei International Cycle Show 2000.