New BRAIN issue looks at consumer-direct sales, power meter market and more

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — You didn't have to walk far at the Sea Otter Classic expo earlier this month to find a European bike brand selling consumer direct in the U.S.

In the May 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, which most subscribers are receiving this week, editor Lynette Carpiet takes a look at the expanding trend. She found that new brands see consumer direct as the most cost-effective way to enter the U.S. market, and they report that brick-and-mortar retailers are increasingly flexible about doing business with them, as well.

"At the beginning, the first year and second years, the (retailers) didn't want to call us. They said, 'You sell direct, I don't want to work with you,'" said Yannick Commencal, who handles global marketing for his father's namesake brand.

"Now many more are calling every day," Commencal said. "It's still small compared to what it was before, but it's going up. Maybe because of the brand image. Maybe also because the market is changing so shops, if they want to stay alive, they have to adapt."

Besides Carpiet's consumer-direct story, the May issue contains BRAIN's full coverage of Sea Otter and the Bicycle Leadership Conference in Monterey, Calif. The issue also contains a look at the fast-growing market for power meters. Managing editor Toby Hill reports that many dealers are finding the rapidly growing selection of more affordable meters is making them a profitable upgrade for new bike buyers. And with soft sales of complete bikes, aftermarket power meter purchases can help stores hit their road market numbers.

The May 1 BRAIN issue also contains regular features like the State of Retail, Global Briefs, Mad Dog Unleashed and Through the Grapevine. And in Shop Talk, Patrick O'Grady's long-running retail cartoon, the Mud Stud wonders if sales of smart sunglasses are smart.

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News is published 18 times a year. Visit our subscription page for more information.