Rambling industry post…

Since I’m not “in” the bike industry any more, I rely on Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (BRAIN) to keep abreast of the latest happenings within the bike industry. My little slice of the world is too small to understand what is happening with the rest of the bike world. It’s also been a while since I had a good rant.

If I didn’t read BRAIN, I wouldn’t have the slightest inkling that the high-end mountain bike and road bike markets are “drying up.” Instead I would think they are ripe markets based on the development of new, fancy carbon frames found on both mountain and road bikes. If one was to pick up the latest bike magazine, one would see ads and reviews for the latest multi-thousand dollar rig.

The fact is that full-suspension mountain bike sales are down 19 percent and that’s making bike company big-wigs nervous. These companies are busy polishing their trophy bikes which account for only a small fraction of the industry and they are totally ignoring 90% of the market. Bike companies are narrow minded in their focus of the enthusiast market – those buyers who used to drop thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest and who typically throw their bike in their car to transport it to where they start their ride.

I’ve seen some reports that claim the bike industry is immune to the current financial crisis that is plaguing auto companies. Be careful. If bike companies believe this and continue on their current path of spending the majority of their dollars developing and marketing the bicycle version of the SUV, the carbon full-suspension bike and those $7,000 road bikes that riders are afraid to ride through a dirt parking lot, they may find them selves on Congress’ doorstep asking for a bailout.

My meaning of “the bicycle version of the SUV” isn’t the literal meaning as in bikes that can carry loads (although it is debatable exactly how much of a load an SUV can carry – my Passat Wagon has more cargo space behind the seats that some of those leather clad SUV monsters. Rather it relates to the product the industry produces and pushes down the throat of the consumer whether they need it or not.

There’s a monstrous gap in the availability of simple bikes that can very effectively bridge the gap between the mass-market crap that is out there and the bikes that are priced in the stratosphere. I think there’s hope on the horizon. However, the bikes being produced for this market are still too complicated and over-designed.

I commute on a 1969 Raleigh Superbe 3-speed. It’s perfect. I park it in front of the shop during the day and invariably get folks wanting to buy it because it is simple, it’s classic, it looks like a bike. Internally geared hub bikes are becoming popular, but the are typically over-priced for what the market will bear. Or they are overly designed. Case in point is the Shimano Coasting group which is centered around an automatic shifting 3-speed hub. It’s a great concept, but the package it was wrapped in is a little too “out there.” First the hubs have these big chrome domes that cover the dropouts on both frame and fork, the hubs require a 10mm hex wrench to remove the wheel, the spoke count at 24 is too low, and the Coasting bike I’ve had in the shop has no eyelets on the frame that allow simple installation of racks or fenders. In one case, I drilled and tapped the dropout faces so a rack could be installed. I’m not going to do that again without charging an appropriate amount.

The BRAIN article states that dealers are resistant to selling Coasting bikes. Yes, we are. But it’s not because we don’t like the concept. We just don’t like the packaging. There’s a quote in the article by an industry consultant, Jay Townley that goes “Shimano’s Coasting – it’s gone nowhere because of the endemic prejudice in the industry. As an industry we don’t collectively reach out and make them (entry-level cyclists) feel comfortable.” I call B.S.

First, these “entry-level cyclists” don’t want to be called “cyclists.” I don’t even think they want to be called bicyclists, let alone bikers. They just want to ride a bike. And they don’t want to have to spend $500 to get a simple bike. Bike companies are in such a mind-set to load bikes up with “features” and “selling points” that they have neglected to realize that those features aren’t useful and only serve to jack the price of the bike up and make it heavier. I’m mainly talking about suspension forks and suspension seat posts on “hybrids” and “comfort” bikes. Get rid of those things in favor of simpler parts, drop the price – or add in some real benefits such as a lighter frame/fork or upgraded bottom bracket and hubs.

There is a real opportunity in the bike industry to meet the needs of the folks who need a bike for transportation. Folks who want to ride a bike, but are intimidated of bike shops with their rows and rows of bikes that have price tags that have more zeroes that the price tag on their car. Folks who don’t want to kit up in the costume to ride their bike. Heck folks who may not even want to wear a helmet on their bike ride.

I think I’ve rambled on enough. Time to get ready to hop on my Raleigh Superbe and head to the shop. I also won’t be wearing a helmet and I’ll be wearing jeans and a t-shirt.