TEMECULA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Intense has unveiled the light trail Spider 275C, which has been in development for over two years. And the company is taking a new approach to its sale and distribution. The Temecula, California, company has asked its online retailers to hold off on selling the bike online until after an initial 180-day period.
Intense has five authorized online sellers, all of which have storefronts or showrooms: Fanatik in Washington, Cambria Bicycle Outfitters, Competitive Cyclist, Jenson USA, and Bike Bling, a San Diego retailer that also has a significant online presence. Andrew Herrick, CEO of Intense, said these retailers will be able to sell it in-store, but not online initially.
"We want everybody to know this is a matter of the human condition. It's not a matter of whether or not we're in favor of online retailers or like them personally or not," he told BRAIN. "We want people to go get on the bike, ride it and make sure it's the right thing for them and the fit is correct. We can't speak to bikes under $3,000 but for premium bikes, there is no doubt that the IBD is the place for riders to touch, feel, ride, fit and fall in love with an expensive toy. Fit and feel is difficult to do over the Internet."
"We have a great relationship with the few online guys we work with, but it's a matter of scarcity," he added. "We have to help IBDs when we have something new that's scarce and begins to develop demand. We believe for our brand and the new bike, that is the way people will fall in love with the bike. It's a long-term strategy."
Herrick said since he's joined Intense two years ago, he's focused on growing the number of IBDs that stock and carry Intense, which has tripled and now is north of 200 storefronts. He's also added reps to help service them, with two company and six independents, and he's looking to add more in underrepresented territories. "We are actively recruiting reps," he said.
"When I arrived at Intense, there was a limited number of IBDs so online access for people who wanted to buy an Intense made sense," he said. "We didn't have enough coverage, reps or dealers."
But Herrick said online is not where and how people buy luxury items, such as high-ticket mountain bikes.
"If you know what you want, that's great. We strongly encourage people to buy bicycles in any way, shape or form they want. But for the first few months, please go in and visit an IBD and demo the bike," Herrick said.
The Spider 275C is a carbon, adjustable travel 27.5-inch bike with Boost spacing. It will be offered in four builds.
