BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Unless you’ve been stuck underneath the proverbial rock for the past few months, you’ll already be well aware that this year’s iceBike* – Madison and Sportline’s house show, taking place later this month – is a big one, not least because it’s the tenth anniversary of the event. For the first time in its history, the cycle, triathlon and running show will have a free and exclusive public weekend show, running after the trade days on Tuesday February 23rd to Thursday Feb 25th. Taking place at the Arena:MK, aka the MK Dons Stadium, there will be plenty of product packed in to make the trip worthwhile, but there’ll also be the all important one-off deals that retailers can take advantage of too.
In addition to saving money, it is an excellent opportunity to brush up on new technologies and products through the daily seminars which will be held by the likes of Park Tool, Shimano and Lazer to keep trade visitors ahead of the curve in 2016.
CEO at Madison and Sportline, Dominic Langan,gives BikeBiz his personal take on this year’s show: “Since we started the iceBike* trade show in 2007, we have seen it grow massively in popularity, in the scale of the event and in the quality of our brand representation. Each year for the last ten years, this event, just like Madison, has grown year-on-year without exception and even last year in a well documented tough market Madison saw good year-on-year growth and iceBike* is a key to driving this year-on-year success for our customers and for us.
“The fact that we are holding a public weekend for the first time just demonstrates how successful iceBike* has been for us, as it gives us a unique opportunity to educate highly engaged end users about our brands and our network of specialist retailers. We have a superb agenda of educational seminars, great range of exclusive show deals and new products launches to make it a super opportunity for dealers to prepare for the 2016 season and beyond. Moving to Arena:MK in Milton Keynes was a big step up for us last year and the new venue suits the show perfectly.
“The team at Madison and Sportline, along with the massive support we enjoy from all our brands each year, makes iceBike* a really valuable and enjoyable event for all those who attend!”
Products previews and sneak peeks
Genesis
Genesis will be exhibiting its 2016 range of bikes including road.cc’s 2015 Sportive Bike of the Year, the Genesis Datum 30. In addition, Genesis will have the Zero on show, the bike ridden by the Madison Genesis team that competed so well in last year’s Tour of Britain. The world-renowned do-it-all Croix de Fer will also be on show to the public as well as the new Bridge series and the whole range of children’s bikes.
Ridley
It’s a good job there’s plenty of space at the show, as Belgian powerhouse Ridley is displaying its entire 2016 road range at iceBike*. Ridley is the bike of choice for the Lotto Soudal team and will be proudly showing off Andre Greipel’s famous green Noah SL. It is the bike the aforementioned pro rode to victory on stage five of the 2015’s Tour de France. For Cyclo-cross, the brand new X-Night SL25 will be making its first UK trade show debut.
Saracen
Saracen will also be out in force for visitors to get up close and personal with their latest machines. Ridden by the Madison Saracen Factory Race team the bikes on display at the Arena:MK will be the Kili Flyer Elite and Mantra Trail Carbon, which will be ready for dealers to order at the show.
Thule
Swedish brand Thule is renowned for high quality bike accessories and this year will be using iceBike* to show off its new roof racks and rear mount. The ProRide 598 is a follow-up to the hugely popular ProRide 591, while the new Thule ThruRide is carbon-friendly and perfect for those with particularly precious bikes. Also the new Velospace is the ultimate rear-mount that is designed for heavier machines, such as electric bikes and fat bikes.
Park Tool
Despite being now 52 years old, Park Tool still has plenty of drive to innovate, with a whopping 28 new products for 2016 – all of which will be on show at iceBike*, including the brand new multi-tool range which offer consumers workshop quality when on the road. A range of stands will also be on show and compelling point-of-sale deals will be on offer exclusively to those that attend the show, Madison tells BikeBiz.
Shimano
Shimano will be exhibiting its latest range of products including full groupsets, wheels and pedals as well as offering unique deals to retailers on a wide variety of products. The e-bike technology Shimano STEPS will also be on show with a demo track for visitors to get to grips with and speak to the brand about its plans for 2016. A seminar on Shimano STEPS and the e-bike industry will also be scheduled during the exhibition.
Lazer
Demonstrating a whole host of its latest innovations in the safety market, Lazer will exhibit its limited edition Blue EPS helmets, one-of-a-kind Revolution Helmet and its new MX7 full face helmet, as worn by the Madison Saracen Downhill team. Lazer will also be offering retailers a range of exclusive iceBike* deals that will be very much worth turning up for, we hear.
Madison Clothing
The latest range of Madison Clothing will be on display for the first time. Dealers will be able to get up close with the collections ahead of the Spring and Summer season. There will be sportive, road, mountain bike and commute lines, in the apparel range.
Garmin
Undoubtedly one of the biggest fitness technology brands in the world, Garmin has plenty of clout and will be returning to iceBike* with a host of new products, retailer information and exclusive seminars. Among the new products on show will be the vivosmartHR, recently announced varia vision heads-up technology, varia radar and lights. There will also be information and useful advice available for retailers on how to make point-of-sale displays more effective in-store.
Pearl Izumi
The apparel brand of choice for the BMC team, Pearl Izumi is exhibiting its entire Autumn-Winter range of clothing at iceBike* this year, making it a great chance to get an exclusive sneak peek into the collection to get organised ahead of schedule in 2016. Not only that, but iceBike* gives visitors the opportunity to meet the team behind Pearl Izumi’s market leading technical cycling apparel, so dealers can come and learn about the craftmanship and construction of Pearl Izumi garments from James Lamont.
Seminars
Those seminars will deliver useful information on (and from) brands over the three days from the likes of Pearl Izumi, Park Tool, Shimano and Stealth. Legendary Park Tool bike mechanic Calvin Jones will be taking seminars on bike assembly best practice and how to incorporate it into your business. Pearl Izumi brand manager at Madison Clemence Copie will be talking through the potential pitfalls with retailing apparel and how to ensure that retailers always get it right. There will also be a talk from Boy Oudenampsen at Shimano on e-bikes and how Shimano STEPS is taking on the market. Social media sessions will also be available for those looking to grow their online presence and there’s a nutrition seminar from Stealth founder and expert, Tim Lawson.
