Opinion/Analysis
The second in a series of guest opinions by Steve Maxwell and Felix Magowan.
The recent merger news prompts the inevitable question: Is this an indicator of a new trend in the bike business? What’s next?
Editor's note: Steven W. Hansen an attorney who defends product manufacturers, distributors and retailers in product liability lawsuits and provides consultation on all matters related to the manufacture and distribution of consumer products.
In Part Three, we'll talk about what we might do about to deal with the stigmatization of bicycles, and the industry-wide loss of revenue.
This time, we're going to look at how the ghosts of dead cyclists directly — or not so directly — haunt the bike business.
There is nothing the media likes better than a dead cyclist. Unless it’s a dead cyclist who was not wearing a helmet.
Internet retailing continues to grow as technology sweeps the globe. Or, maybe not so much.
Mobile bike repair, e-bike dealers, and private label bikes are industry trends worth watching.
Internet competition, unfair supplier terms, high health care costs, and growing marketing expenses are the top challenges for independent businesses in several industries, according to a new survey released this month.
By many measures, Shimano is one of the bicycle industry's great companies, consistently bringing product innovation and excellence to a willing marketplace. But from the perspective of many independent bicycle dealers in the U.S., Shimano has become a huge problem, choking the life out of them by supporting distribution that leads to rampant Internet discounting from Europe.
While independent bike dealers face many challenges today, there are also clear opportunities for those who pursue them.
The bicycle business may be awakening to the potential for bicycle events and tourism, as many in the industry push to not only sell more cool bike stuff, but to support more riding.
One of the most important metrics for bike shop success is store traffic. Living and breathing visitors are a necessary part of the retail business model for brick-and-mortar stores. Without them, retailers would be left trying to sell bikes to air, and that is very hard to do. Getting people into the store is becoming a greater challenge, though. New research shows that consumer traffic at bike shops is declining across the board. While this is distressing news at first glance, there are also clear opportunities to reverse the trend.
At great perceived personal risk, Keener wades into the "e-bikes on trails" debate.
Are flat sales and participation really, "The single biggest issue facing the bike industry?"
Cycling participation is a big topic in the bicycle trade. The idea that "a rising tide (of participation) lifts all boats" is a great theory and gives direction and hope for the future. But when the tide refuses to rise, the quest for individual company growth can lead to all sorts of tension.
This article is in response to a column by NBDA executive director Fred Clements, published here last month.
Anti-technology pundits have been around for a long time, but there is increasing negative coverage related specifically to one company, Amazon.com, with strident criticism of its business practices, its ethics and its impact on society at large.
Allowing remote online retailers to skirt their obligation to collect sales taxes gives these companies a significant competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar businesses.
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