BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
KTM’s sporty electric bikes are driving sales in the brand’s e-bike category, BikeBiz has learnt.
While electric bikes are best known for the commuter and city bikes, KTM’s heritage and perception in the UK has seen the brand’s electric MTBs lead the way for the well-regarded Austrian brand.
Since the start of 2012, Fli Distribution has been bringing KTM to the UK market.
Fli’s Colin Williams told BikeBiz: “I’ve been amazed by the demand and success. I think the KTM brand fits well into the market, people associate the brand name with motorbikes, so e-bikes are a nice easy step for customers to make. Plus the range, quality and spec of our bikes seem to be very competitive in the current market place.
“Obviously, we do all the standard city type e-bikes, but the sport ones are currently the best sellers by a long way. They fit much more in line with the KTM brand image in the UK,” Williams added.
KTM’s MTB range covers 29ers, 650b and 26-inch models, Williams explained: “The Macina Race is the only 29er we do in the e-bikes range. We can do it with a standard XT gear system for £2,399.99, or the 11sp Alfine hub option has been super popular at just £2,249.99. We also have 650b MTB e-bikes available, but they use the Panasonic rear wheel driven system, rather than the crank-driven Bosch system.
“We have a variety of 26-inch wheeled MTBs, using a few different systems, Bosch, Panasonic and Bionx, hardtail and full sus. We believe we have something for every potential customer.”
“The Macina Race 29er is the geared model. We know that customers get a sense of confidence from buying a quality product from brands like KTM and Bosch. KTM is not just a bike brand making a few e-bikes to meet demand. They are market leaders across Europe, who make quality bikes, that are e-bikes. KTM isn’t just jumping on a bandwagon, they have been leading development for years and as such the product has an unmatched quality.
“The price is so competitive because of our distribution model. We ship direct from the factory in Austria to dealers allowing them to sell products and compete with the big on-line giants who deal direct. We’ve cut out the distributor margin to support a network of shops. Rather than do as others have and cut out the shop!”
Expanding the KTM e-bike distribution to more dealers is a focus for Fli, particularly in the North, Williams told BikeBiz. Interested retailers can get in touch with Fli via info@flidistribution.co.uk
01457 873 923
