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"City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 27th 07, 08:08 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
Matt O'Toole
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Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

Wired has a nice article about how non-sport bikes are hot sellers again:

http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels...ke_urbanbikers

This proves what can happen when fresh, smart people like Ms. Yeager are
put in charge of marketing, and allowed to try something different than
the same tired old formulas (More carbon! Even fewer spokes!).

This summer I spent 2.5 weeks in southern CA, where beach cruisers are
back with a vengeance. Everyone is riding, and teenagers are again using
bikes as their preferred mode of transportation. There seem to be 3x as
many bike shops as 5 years ago, most of them selling beach cruisers and a
few town/city bikes.

Text of the article is below, for the Usenet archives, in case Wired
eventually makes it unavailable.

Matt O.


***

"City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

--LAS VEGAS -- Some people believe that, right now, a quiet revolution is
taking place. In cities like London, San Francisco, Boston and New York,
the ranks of bicycle riders are swelling with the rise of a new breed: the
urban biker.

Traffic snarls, soaring gas prices and worries about global warming have
prompted a big boost in cycling, affecting even places like Los Angeles --
America's freeway capital -- that have traditionally given bicycles the
cold shoulder.

"What's really happened in the past year is a cultural shift," says Monica
Howe, 31-year-old outreach coordinator for the Los Angeles County Bicycle
Coalition.

At Interbike 2007, the bicycle industry's giant annual trade show, the
shift toward the urban rider is loudly evident. Fancy road and mountain
bikes are clearly no longer king of the roost -- or road. It's the scads
of fixed-gear, town, single-speed and other urban bicycles that are
drawing the crowds.

The rise of the urban biker is reflected in Specialized's 2008 catalog,
which lists 34 different models of city bike to choose from.

The company is even rolling out six different versions of its ultrapopular
single-speed, fixed-gear Langster. Each model is named after a city that's
on the urban biker radar: the four cities named above, plus Chicago and
Seattle. The New York Langster has narrow handlebars for speeding through
ranks of slow-moving cars, while the Seattle model is equipped with
fenders.

"People really gravitated toward bikes with that urban feel," says Travis
Widder, an associate production manager at Specialized. "We wanted to give
nods toward cities where that bike sold well, where people really embraced
that category."

Interbike 2007 is a lot less sporty than years past. Clothing
manufacturers have more messenger bags on show. Jerseys and shorts are
more urban, less multi-colored lycra.

Swobo, the trendy clothing maker, recently launched its first line of
three city bikes, and is just one of several companies showing new urban
rides.

If anyone gave birth to the urban biker movement, it's probably Sky
Yaeger, Swobo's managing director.

Yaeger was responsible for designing a slew of bikes during her time as
production manager at famed Italian manufacturer Bianchi. Some of her
designs, like the fixed-gear Pista, have been elevated to cult status.
Thanks to the bike's simplicity, it became the favored transport of
urbanites like skaters and surfers.

"What happened is we crossed over the bike culture into skate, surf," she
says. "The kids that are doing it now wouldn't have bought a bike five
years ago. That's a huge delight to me -- because they're on bikes."

In L.A., the bike revolution is helped by shops like the grassroots
Bicycle Kitchen. "It makes it easy for anyone to put together a bike
cheap," says Howe. "And it made it hip, which can't hurt."

Volunteers at the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, a nonprofit that
provides tools and training for riders to maintain their bikes, have
experienced a huge bump in visitors.

"It's gotten out of hand," says Michael Wise, the collective's treasurer.
"We don't have enough volunteers to help the people coming in looking."

San Francisco's trendy Mission District is a hotbed of bicycle activity. A
bicycle lane running the length of Valencia Street is a major artery, as
hipsters in hoodies and precisely rolled, tight-fitting jeans flow along
the street.

At Valencia Cyclery, which is often proclaimed the city's best bike store,
sales associate Babs Brockaway says she's seen the number of customers
leaving with shiny new fixed-gear ("fixie") and single-speed bikes
skyrocket. The store stocks five or six choices, up from a single model
two years ago. The simplicity appeals to neophyte riders overwhelmed by
too much technology.

"It's simple: You just pedal," she says. "This is shocking, but there are
people who buy bikes with gears, who don't shift gears."

Just across from Valencia Cyclery is Ritual Coffee Roasters, a popular
coffeehouse often stuffed full of young hipsters glued to their MacBooks.
It's also a favorite haunt of the urban biker.

Outside, Matt McDonald, a 24-year-old photographer from Boston, talks
about his fixie.

"My friends in Boston were getting into these bikes, and it was just sort
of appealing to me. It's like there's nothing to worry about, and they're
just a blast to ride."

***
Ads
  #2  
Old September 27th 07, 08:54 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
Zoot Katz
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Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:08:39 -0400, Matt O'Toole
quoted, in part:

If anyone gave birth to the urban biker movement, it's probably Sky
Yaeger, Swobo's managing director.


Bulldadda. Urban cycling has been with us for over 130 years

We can look forward to scooping some nice equipment at garage sales
after these trend following fixey clones get their knee replacement
surgeries.

If anyone is responsible for cyclists regaining their senses it was
you, me and freds the world over who never knew
transportation/utility/commuting cycling was ever out of "fashion".

Our "beaters" are the real progenitors of this new bicycle breed.

Ms. Yeager just happened to pick up on the meme at a time when cities
are becoming untenable for occupants of those stinking lesser
vehicles that we've been brainwashed to accept as normal.
--
zk
  #3  
Old September 27th 07, 11:56 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
datakoll
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Posts: 7,793
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show



I'm betting on burlap, knobbies and 3 speeds.

  #4  
Old September 28th 07, 12:43 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Global Warming Edition ®
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Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show


"datakoll" wrote in message
ps.com...


I'm betting on burlap, knobbies and 3 speeds.


Trikes.


  #5  
Old September 28th 07, 01:49 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
SMS
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Posts: 9,477
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

Gooserider wrote:

I've been watching the news from Interbike, and there sure are a lot of
commuter-centric bikes available. Some, I think, are going to do very well.
I think Raleigh has a hit with it's Detour Deluxe. Fully specced out
commuter(rack, fenders, dynohub, front and rear lights)--$710. Put that on
the showroom floor and watch it sell.


But will the dealers put it on the showroom floor? Trek had some good
commute bicycles but almost no dealers carried them. Specialized had the
Globe, a very good deal (about the same price as the Raleigh), but only
a couple of shops in my area carried them, and none close to me (one
dealer in San Francisco, one in Palo Alto). They always say, "we can
order it for you, just pay first." This is a recipe for failure. The
dealers don't believe they will sell and don't want to use floor space
for inventory that they can't move at a good margin.

At least the REI Transfer ("http://www.rei.com/product/744802") is a
bike that you can actually try before you ride.
  #6  
Old September 28th 07, 02:58 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
datakoll
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Posts: 7,793
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show



sew? make a cereal type box with cardboard and packing tape then lay
fabric over the box, double stick tape the fabric or spot glue then
sew it up. or go green and tack it with thread and pins.

  #7  
Old September 28th 07, 02:59 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
datakoll
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Posts: 7,793
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

On Sep 27, 9:18 pm, "Gooserider" wrote:
"SMS" wrote in message

...





Gooserider wrote:


I've been watching the news from Interbike, and there sure are a lot of
commuter-centric bikes available. Some, I think, are going to do very
well. I think Raleigh has a hit with it's Detour Deluxe. Fully specced
out commuter(rack, fenders, dynohub, front and rear lights)--$710. Put
that on the showroom floor and watch it sell.


But will the dealers put it on the showroom floor? Trek had some good
commute bicycles but almost no dealers carried them. Specialized had the
Globe, a very good deal (about the same price as the Raleigh), but only a
couple of shops in my area carried them, and none close to me (one dealer
in San Francisco, one in Palo Alto). They always say, "we can order it for
you, just pay first." This is a recipe for failure. The dealers don't
believe they will sell and don't want to use floor space for inventory
that they can't move at a good margin.


At least the REI Transfer ("http://www.rei.com/product/744802") is a bike
that you can actually try before you ride.


The suggestion from manufacturers is that "things are different now" and
"the market is ready". Whether shop owners will commit to stocking them
remains to be seen----but the Raleigh has a much better chance of being
stocked than the Civia.

That being said, selling an expensive hybrid commuter is difficult. Selling
an expensive road bike is relatively easy. "Hey, feel how light it is!", or
"Hey, check out those lugs. That bike is hand made by a craftsman in
Wisconsin.". Selling an MTB is easy, too---it's all about the cutting edge
tech.

How do you convince someone to spend $3000 on a Civia, a bike which is
pretty much single purpose? If I buy a Trek Portland, I can commute on it,
race cross on it, tour on it, or put light wheels on it and go fast. You
can't do that on a hybrid, realistically.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


piker

  #8  
Old September 28th 07, 03:22 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
landotter
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Posts: 6,336
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

On Sep 27, 7:30 pm, "Gooserider" wrote:
"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message

news


Wired has a nice article about how non-sport bikes are hot sellers again:


http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels...ke_urbanbikers


This proves what can happen when fresh, smart people like Ms. Yeager are
put in charge of marketing, and allowed to try something different than
the same tired old formulas (More carbon! Even fewer spokes!).


This summer I spent 2.5 weeks in southern CA, where beach cruisers are
back with a vengeance. Everyone is riding, and teenagers are again using
bikes as their preferred mode of transportation. There seem to be 3x as
many bike shops as 5 years ago, most of them selling beach cruisers and a
few town/city bikes.


Text of the article is below, for the Usenet archives, in case Wired
eventually makes it unavailable.


Matt O.


I've been watching the news from Interbike, and there sure are a lot of
commuter-centric bikes available. Some, I think, are going to do very well.
I think Raleigh has a hit with it's Detour Deluxe. Fully specced out
commuter(rack, fenders, dynohub, front and rear lights)--$710. Put that on
the showroom floor and watch it sell.


Nah, put a hip $500 3 speed with fenders and a rack on the floor and
it will sell. My LBS has been selling out of the Electra Amsterdams @
550, and this is freaking Nashville Tennessee. Mind, it is in a pocket
of weirdos, artists, and queers. The Amsterdam is quite nice, and has
hit a big niche--but I think that there's a parallel niche for a more
mildly retro/modern and less severe bike that's more like the standard
modern utility bikes you see in Sweden, basically hybrid geometry,
with North Road type bars and a gear hub.

  #9  
Old September 28th 07, 03:38 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
SMS
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Posts: 9,477
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show

Gooserider wrote:

That being said, selling an expensive hybrid commuter is difficult. Selling
an expensive road bike is relatively easy. "Hey, feel how light it is!", or
"Hey, check out those lugs. That bike is hand made by a craftsman in
Wisconsin.". Selling an MTB is easy, too---it's all about the cutting edge
tech.


I think Performance had the better plan with the World Avenue. Sell a
relatively low priced commute bicycle with racks, fenders, and most
importantly a chain guard. I wish they'd included a hub dynamo too.
OTOH, all of the factory hub-dynamo equipped bicycles I see around here
(mainly Joe Breeze and REI Transfer) have additional lights installed
because they're used in an environment where the included dynamo lights
don't cut it. If the owners knew about the SolidLight for dynamos, and
had a way to buy it here for $150 or so, I'd think it'd sell reasonably
well, since the battery powered systems on these bikes are always of the
expensive variety.
  #10  
Old September 28th 07, 03:55 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech,rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.marketplace
datakoll
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Posts: 7,793
Default "City Bike" Hot New Category at Bicycle Industry Show



SIZE: One; step-through available WEIGHT: 30.1 lb. FRAME: Aluminum
alloy FORK: Single-crown steel COMPONENT HIGHLIGHTS: Shimano Nexus
internal 3-speed hub, Revo shifter, 19t cassette; 700x38 tires

the amsterdam weighs 30 pounds!

giveum a 3 speed calloi with flourescent orange paint and a puke green
fade

anyway, are yawl sure these guys wanna sell to poor people?


 




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