Bicycle Retailer and Industry News - CABDA

CABDA Retailers: How do you rate Las Vegas?

Steve Frothingham — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:17:58 +0000

LAS VEGAS (BRAIN) — This is CABDA’s first show in Las Vegas. On a scale of 1 to 10, how do you rate Vegas as a host city for a bicycle trade show?

Phil Cohen, Chain Reaction Cycling, Evans, Ga.

8.5 to 9 and moving up. Walking in here today brought back a lot of good memories about how much fun a show in Vegas is. There’s a ton of people here, so I think it’s a great move for our industry. I don’t see any downsides. If we’re going to have a show like this I can’t imagine a better place and I think the show will continue to grow.

Rich Bartlett, Block Bikes, Palmdale, Calif.

I give it a 6 out of 10. So far, it’s e-bike focused and not catering to the needs of a passionate, conventional shop like ours. We’re more of an analog shop than an e-bike shop. It’s a step in the right direction though. We need this. Our heart’s not beating anymore. Direct to consumer is killing us. It feels like we’re just turning units to keep the doors open.

Carlette Madary, Cycleworks, Clute, Texas

I give it a 9. I love it here, so many great things to do and see. Have a little fun along with doing the work. We’re looking for some more e-bikes but mostly we’re here to build relationships so we can continue to grow our business. We pride ourselves in our shop, we’re all about building community, we’re doing that here with our vendors too.

Jim Kersten, CABDA, Chicago

This city is designed for trade shows. It’s designed to get people in and out as quickly and cheaply as possible, there are more direct flights and there are several hundred thousand low-cost hotel rooms within three miles. We’re seeing so many people from outside that traditional four-hour drive window. I give it a 15 on a scale of 10.

Ray Turman, West Valley Bicycles, Surprise, Ariz.

I definitely give it a 10. It’s so inexpensive to fly in and stay. I’m here to get a sense of the trends and where things are going. I’m a mobile shop, and the brick-and-mortar shops send me a lot of business. I serve a retirement community and I work on a lot of e-bikes and trikes the seniors can’t load in their cars and take to a shop.

David Miller, Palo Alto Bicycles, Palo Alto, Calif.

Las Vegas is great. Everybody can get here easily. Do I like the smoke, we’re in a healthy industry so not so much. I’d give it an 8 or 9. Our industry is all about community and connection, people first, products second. I like meeting my vendors face to face. Our Q1 is up over 2024, so we’re optimistic about the coming season.

Ray Turman, West Valley Bicycles, Surprise, Ariz.
Jim Kersten, CABDA, Chicago
Carlette Madary, Cycleworks, Clute, Texas
Rich Bartlett, Block Bikes, Palmdale, Calif.
Phil Cohen, Chain Reaction Cycling, Evans, Ga.

In Vegas, Haro shows expanded product line, offers to 'grandfather in' pre-tariff pricing

Steve Frothingham — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:41:33 +0000

LAS VEGAS (BRAIN) — A year after announcing an expanded lineup that goes beyond its BMX roots, Haro is taking it up another notch, fleshing out its product line with new aluminum-framed full suspension mountain bikes last year and new e-bikes and other adult models being introduced at Sea Otter next month.

At the CABDA West trade show that opened here Wednesday, Haro is showing some new models while also promoting a program that locks in pre-tariff pricing on its Shredder coaster-brake juvenile bikes for retailers who commit before the end of March.

Haro, which is about 48 years old, began its transition about 24 months ago, adding new staff as it expanded its product line, all at a time when the retail bike industry has been struggling with oversupply and declining margins.

"We joke that nobody likes pushing a boulder uphill more than Haro Bikes," said James Ayres, who has been with Haro since 2007 and was promoted to director of North American sales in 2023.

Ayres said Haro has slowly added back some U.S. dealers who left the brand during the pandemic, as well as some new ones. "Ball park, I'd say we've added about 30 dealers, either new or returning to the brand," Ayres said. The brand also has been adding new dealers in Europe as its expanded its line.

Filling out the range

Haro introduced a line of high-end carbon road and gravel bikes last year, which it supports in part by sponsoring domestic road racing athletes and teams.

"The goal was to fill in the range to be a complete supplier at the performance level," Haro's Chief Marketing Officer Megan Tompkins told BRAIN in an interview in early March. Tompkins, a former BRAIN editor and publisher, left Haro recently.

"Coming in new to performance road, one of the things that we discovered very quickly was that we needed to show how legitimate we were in that category," Tompkins added. "So we've put a lot of emphasis on bringing on some really legit teams across the country."

As the brand expanded into mountain bikes, road and gravel, the BMX community grew concerned the brand was moving away from its roots. At some CABDA shows last year, Haro showed only a handful of BMX models, contributing to the concerns.

But the company said it remains committed to BMX and plans a major refresh of its BMX line this July.

"It was never in place of what we've internally referred to as 'Haro 1.0,'" said Ayres. "It was always in addition to. ... the goal with this entire initiative that we've embarked on over the last 24 months was solely to become a more well-rounded line. To be a player in categories where we had never played before, but not to forsake anything that we've built a foundation on."

The Shredder program

Haro expects some of its China-made bikes, including its juvenile Shredder models, to be hit with increased tariffs this year, which will mean increased wholesale pricing.

The company is moving some more production out of China to Malaysia and Taiwan but also offering retailers the opportunity to lock in wholesale pricing on Shredders at pre-tariff pricing if they commit to a program by the end of March.

"We know that in some form or fashion, we're going to have to pass some of this tariff burden along to the retailer and ultimately along to the end user," said Ayres.

"We can't say the word, 'pre-book,' because that has become a dirty word in the industry right now. So we're saying, 'if you order now we will grandfather you in to pre-tariff wholesale pricing,'" he said.

He said the program offers up to keystone margins on "bread-and-butter" bikes. It allows retailers to structure shipments between April 1 and Sept. 1, allowing them to set up for the holiday season at the current pricing. He said the program will help dealers combat some expected consumer sticker shock later this year.

"We see these insane deals finally slowly starting to dry up (across the industry) and then when you mix in this tariff implication, we're really going to be telling consumers, 'well, not only is that bike no longer on sale, but now you're paying 25 or 30% more for it then you would have a year ago ... I feel like there's going to be a bit of a system shock that the general public is going to go through ... We'll see how that plays out."

Haro's Shredder Margin Stretcher program shows wholesale pricing and MSRPs increasing from 9-17% on April 1. The new pricing structure puts dealer margin at about 42% on these models, while locking in the current pricing and selling at the new MSRP would produce margins of 47-50%.

Haro launched its Rivette road bikes last year.
Haro's Shredder Margin Stretcher program runs through this month.

CABDA Day 2 highlights

Steve Frothingham — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:16:46 +0000

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (BRAIN) — CABDA Midwest closed Thursday with its traditional bagpipe serenade, and retailers and industry members packed up and headed out into the snow until next year.

A few highlights from the floor from Day 2:

Pedro's showed a new modular bottom bracket and rotor lockring tool that reduces the number of such tools a shop needs to buy and keep, and lightens the load for team mechanics and mobile mechanics. Instead of buying a batch of traditional external cup tools, the new Pedro's design uses a single aluminum cup with steel ring inserts to fit various cup configurations. The gold-anodized aluminum cup has magnets to hold the rings in and the full kit comes with a spring-loaded rod with various spacers to securely attach the tool to the bottom bracket (or hub, in the case of a rotor ring.). A full kit with eight rings, the socket and the rod and spacers will have a shop cost of about $120. Rings and cups also will be sold separately. Pedro's will release new rings as standards evolve, making the tool future-proof, said the company's Matt Bracken. More information: pedros.com.

Kinekt has produced multi-colored anodized parts for its seatposts (right) at shows for a few years but not offered them for sale. Now the brand is offering the color options for customers looking to add some accent, said Lindsay Cousley, who joined Kinekt's parent company Cirrus as president last year. The brand was showing four color options at CABDA. Cousley said the posts remain good sellers especially for e-bike commuters; the Netherlands is their largest market. More information: cirruscycles.com.

AIMA is said to be the second largest e-mobility device manufacturer in China; it has made bikes and scooters for Juiced and other brands and has been in the U.S. market with its own line for two years, said Sally Liu, AIMA's central manager in the U.S. The brand sells through dealers exclusively in the U.S. and Canada and currently offers two models for this market: The Big Sur ($1,899) and the Santa Monica ($1,849). Both feature full Bafang drive systems and hub motors — Bafang and AIMA are strategic partners and work closely together, Liu said. Liu said the company emphasizes developing a strong relationship with its dealers, bringing a handful of U.S. dealers to China last year to tour its factories, and bringing some to last month's CES show in Las Vegas, as well. "We like to build a bridge between the countries, so Chinese people will meet some real American people and the Americans will meet more Chinese people," she said. More information: aimatech.us.

Bikey Wipes and Bikey Lube has their North American debut at CABDA; the products have been available in Australia for about two years. The biodegradable wipes come in three varieties: a disc wipe for brake rotors, a cleaning wipe for frames and other parts, and a degreaser wipe. They came in canisters of 40 wipes for about $30 retail, or in single-wipe packages for travel. Bikey Lube is a plant-based lubricant for chains another parts. The company is selling consumer-direct and direct to bike shops in the U.S. and founder Greg Griffith (right) said he's open to distributor inquiries. More information at bikeywipes.com.

Midway Bicycle, the Twin Cities-area distributor, is a CABDA mainstay, and co-owners Benita and Michael Warns (below) proudly wore CABDA badges with gold "10 Years" badges. The distributor specializes in the kinds of parts needed to refurbish bikes at non-profit shops and others who serve low-income transportation riders. Benita is holding Midway's custom 27x 1 3/8-inch studded snow tire, perfect for winterizing older road bikes. Be sure to check out Benita's streaming radio show on WNAPFM.com. More information at midwaybike.com.

AIMA's JW Wang, Chaoyi Wang and Sally Liu.

CABDA Midwest retailers react to tariffs and other news

Steve Frothingham — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:07:06 +0000

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (BRAIN) — On the opening day of the CABDA Midwest show here Wednesday, we asked retailers: How will the new and promised tariffs and other presidential activity affect your business in 2025?

Gillian Forsyth, BFF Bikes, Chicago

"Let's face it, these are unprecedented times. There’s no telling what this guy [Trump] will do. It’s scary. I just talked to my Giant rep here and they’ve already adjusted for the tariffs headed into 2025 so that’s good. People come in the store and have sticker shock now that they have to pay $600 or $700 for a basic bike. I’m worried it could get worse in 2026."

Wayne Mikes, Mikes Bike Shop, Palatine, Ill.

"The tariffs are just going to create more inflation across the board. Interest rates are not going down, which is going to create a problem with housing. It’s always been a pattern: If the housing market’s bad, the bike industry won’t do well either. A lot of bike manufacturers have moved away from China to Vietnam and Cambodia, which is a good thing."

Chris Stodder, Cosmic Bikes, Chicago

"I’m feeling positive and I'm actually looking forward to a good year this year. I'm done being worried. I find that worrying about things I can’t control is unhealthy. Talking about politics in the store doesn’t happen from my side. I find it more helpful to my customer, who I’m there to serve, to stick to service subjects. I encourage and sometimes need to enforce civility."

Wendy Meador, Whitman’s Bike Way Bike Shop, Miamisburg, Ohio

"Initially I don’t see any change happening. Maybe in the next six months you might see a 10% change, $100 on a bike, that’s not really going to affect our market. It’s out of our control and everybody’s in the same boat. I don’t like it but there’s nothing we can do about it. As reverse tariffs come in, we’ll make concessions and our tariffs will go away."

Brian Motl, Bishop’s Bicycles, Milford, Ohio

"I expect a raise on the cost of bikes and components with that being passed along to the consumer. As we saw last time in round one of the tariffs, it may stagnate our industry when it’s already pretty stagnant. My main focus is on service already so hopefully we can maintain that. Some people may shy away from repairs if the cost of parts goes up."

Chris Stodder
Gillian Forsyth
Wayne Mikes
Wendy Meador

Highlights from a day at CABDA Midwest

Steve Frothingham — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:27:16 +0000

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (BRAIN) — CABDA's Midwest show opened here Wednesday. Despite a wintery-mix event happening outside the Schaumburg Convention Center, dealers from across the Midwest and exhibitors from around the world showed up for a busy day.

Floor traffic appeared solid, with some exhibitors predicting that Wednesday will go down as the busiest of the two-day show because Thursday's weather is expected to be worse. A few major exhibitors who haven't been at CABDA in recent editions were here this year, including Park Tool and Chicago's own SRAM.

Much of the discussion (at least for our editor) revolved around tariffs, CABDA's upcoming West show in Las Vegas, and the usual industry gossip. CABDA is not traditionally a place to launch products so the new gizmos we found were of a trade nature: wheel-building machines, lift-assist workstands, spoke wrenches and the like. Here are a few highlights from Day 1:

Trudi is from the folks who brought us Berd carbon spokes. It's a $6,999 wheel building machine that is something of a hybrid between a robotic wheel truing machine like a Holland (which cost several hundred thousand dollars) and skilled human wheel builders (who are priceless). It can be used to greatly speed up the truing and tensioning of a new wheel or one in for truing. The machine first measures the wheel's roundness, trueness, and dish. A human then measures the tension of each spoke using a modified Wheel Fanatyk tensionometer wired to send the tension measurement directly to the machine's software. Then, the human uses a power driver that is controlled by the software to tighten or loosen nipples precisely, to the fraction of a nipple rotation.

Amazingly, the software can bring a wheel to near perfect with just one wheel rotation's worth of computer-controlled tension adjustments. Trudi's Charlie Spanjers said it can greatly speed up wheel production versus a standard handbuilt wheel and is better suited than a Holland machine for deep carbon rims. The resulting wheel is also straighter and truer than one coming off a Holland machine, he said. Most high-end wheel makers employ humans to touch up wheels that come off Holland machines.

The Trudi on display ran off a laptop computer but the finished product will have an integrated tablet that runs the software. Trudi has been tested in-house for two years and about 10 of Berd's OE partners have been testing the machines as well. More photos at the bottom of the page. (By the way, Trudi works with all kinds of spokes, not just Berd.)

Park Tool showed its new powered (or not powered) workstand for shops or consumer use. It has a handcrank to raise bikes weighing up to 120 pounds, or the crank can be removed to attach a 10mm bit on a cordless drill like the one attached to the arm of Park's Andy Palmer in the gif below. The stand works with standard Park clamps and baseplates and is available with wheels for $899 retail, or about $560 (shop cost) for the stand and metal base. The PRS-30 will be available in the spring. The product is being launched here at CABDA and at this week's iceBike trade event in the U.K.

Blaupunkt has some news on several fronts. The folding e-bike brand, owned by the famous German audio brand, is now available to Pedego store owners. The stores previously carried Pedego e-bikes exclusively but, as we've reported, the manufacturer is now allowing its licensed stores to carry a handful of pre-approved brands to fill niches not served by Pedego. "We fill the folding e-bike niche," said Blaupunkt president Brian Tedesco.

Blaupunkt bikes now come standard with a wireless speaker that fits in an included bottle cage. "Think of it like getting a Blaupunkt audio system that comes with a folding e-bike," said Tedesco (left).

The company also announced it has an official NCAA license to label bikes with the logos from hundreds of colleges and universities. The college-branded bikes are being sold in official campus stores and online. Tedesco said the fact that the bikes are UL2849 rated was key to getting the license, as colleges are concerned about students bringing unsafe e-bikes into dorms. Blaupunkt plans to make use of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness (NIL) policy to pay college athlete ambassadors to be seen around campus on the bikes.

Asked about the impact of the recent extra 10% tariff on Chinese e-bikes, Tedesco noted the company moved production from China to Paraguay, where Blaupunkt has long had an audio factory. The first Paraguay-made e-bikes were shipped to Miami about two weeks ago, he said. Near-shoring from an unsual source.

Monolith is a startup with a variety of innovative tools, including a new version of its spoke wrench, the s.i. "It's designed for old, arthritic hands," said Monolith's Aaron Pieplow, eyeing the editor's paws. "Try it."

The editor, who hasn't wielded a spoke wrench in a serious way in about 30 years, was flattered by Pieplow's assumption of professional competence. He picked up a wrench in his favorite color, identified a nipple on a convenient nearby wheel and turned the tool in a manner calculated to inspire the respect of any professional techs who happened to be strolling by. And, indeed the wrench felt effective in his old, arthritic hands. (Plus: It was orange.)

The new tools are $50 each or $180 for a complete, color-coded set of four. Monolith is also showing its CalipERD rim-measurement tool (for calculating spoke length) and its original spoke wrenches, which are targeted at those with slightly less old and less arthritic hands.

Finally: Howard. The duck. Who toured CABDA in style in a be-stickered bike trailer on Wednesday.

The owner is from Never Ending Cycles in nearby Streamwood, Illinois. We asked, "What's with the duck?" The owner said, "I always wanted one, so I got one."

It's hard to argue with that; we like a good duck as much as the next guy. Watch for a Shop Ducks calendar from BRAIN soon.

The Trudi on display runs off a laptop but the production model will have an integrated tablet.
Blaupunkt has some news.
The new Monolith spoke wrench.
Howard.

Kicking ass and playing piano: BRAIN talks to retailers at CABDA East

Steve Frothingham — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:10:07 +0000

By JP Partland

SECAUCUS, N.J. (BRAIN) — We sent New York-based journalist JP Partland to CABDA East last week to talk to retailers about what they expect for 2025 and how recent trends might affect their business. This is what he found.

Erich Leas, Casa Bikes & Outdoor Gear, Cambridge, Mass.

We’re going to stay the course for 2025 with the core brands we’ve had. We’ve only been open for about two years, and we lean heavily on Rad, Velotric and Lectric. And yes, they are all D2C brands but we have agreements both on service and supply with them. We are going to continue going forward with them and we are going to push harder into the family-cycling end of things. Right now we do commuting and recreation and we try to capture as much of the family business as we can with cargo bikes, but we’re going to try to move more into those bigger bikes if we can. We see a lot of demand for that. Particularly in Cambridge, Mass. — which is where we based — there is a huge contingent of people who have traded at least one vehicle out, and are becoming the next person on their block that becomes a family cyclist.

A family cyclist for us is someone who carries at least one kid on their bike and who replaces a vehicle, usually a car, with a bicycle. They don’t have to replace all their cars, but they have to replace one car, and they (use their bike) to do those little rides that used to be (in a car) 4 to 5 miles. And they usually end up getting other friends and family members into that.

All we do is e-bikes. We do carry Priority and do some of their belt-driven bikes that are not e-bikes but we are primarily doing e-bikes because there are not nearly enough people doing that now.

I think the overall acceptance of e-bikes in the cycling community has been really positive. And e-bikes are developing as a parallel market with a parallel ecosystem of media and YouTube channels. That has been a good development because it takes peoples’ preconceived notions about bike-shop snobbery and judgment on choices of bike, of not having a “real” bike, and says that’s all a bunch of crap, you are on a bike, you are a cyclist.

And as Boston rents continue to increase it’s been driving (family cycling) because you can’t afford to have a house and a car at the same time. Which isn’t a positive but it’s positive for our business.

Also bikes are getting better quality without a consequent increase in price What you can get for $1,500 now is better than what you could get for $3,000 10 years ago and it’s crazy. It shouldn’t — the economics shouldn’t work out that way — but it absolutely does, and we are getting so many more people out of cars and onto bikes that otherwise couldn’t have afforded to do that.

JT Look, Rutland City Bikes, Rutland, Vt.

What is changing for 2025 is that we were a Yamaha dealer last year and they are pulling out of the U.S., so I’m literally here to pick up another company. As for change I don’t see much that I would change in the way I’m running our bike shop. I just want to find a bike company that is not just there to make money but is there to be a quality bike company.

I just love fixing bicycles — and skateboards.

I’m really good to my customers … I can’t believe what other shops are charging for tuneups. So when you you offer a decent price and do good quality work, people will come in and they’ll tell their friends.

(Question: What about tariffs?)

The tariffs, if that happens I defintely think that’s going to be a challenge for a lot of shops that want to do big inventory. And for the next few years that's going to be a challenge in what is our economic system going to do? I was skeptical of just doing repairs, I live where I work so I can survive on just repairs. The tariffs, I don’t know how much they are going to do except make things more expensive and isn’t that normal?

Kevin Sensenig, Sensenig's Bike Shop, Shippensburg, Pa.

2025 is probably not going to be a whole lot different from previous years. The focus on e-bikes is the most significant thing: we do well with that.

We are about 80% is e-bikes and the rest is human-powered. I’m looking forward to a better year in 2025.

I hope we see new customers this year. We do market to them. We are a growing business. 2020 is when I got in, and every year we've grown so far. We are always reaching out trying to find new ways to reach customers.

Leila Everett, Northampton Bicycle, Northampton, Mass.

In 2025 I look forward to turning more new product. We’ve done a pretty good job of selling what on sale, now I'm hoping to bring in more stuff that’s more interesting and just getting new stuff in the shop because we’ve had the same stuff for a year and a half. We are probably not going to hire new people this year. We will stick with the crew we have and work a little harder. I'm hoping margins return, because it was dim in 2023. Last year was better and I hope 2025 will be even better (on margins).

As for 2025 trends, e-bikes are of course always on the up and up. They've taken over more than half our business at this point, which is insane.

I just hope to make more people happy. I don't care if you are on an e-bike or not, as long as you are on a bike.

Margins were borderline zero in 2023. 2024 was better: We were down 2% in dollars, but the margin increased so we actually made some money. Hoping to see even more of that this year.

We are starting to see some (customer who say) 'this is what I bought during the pandemic and now I want something better.' Which is great. And we also hear a lot of, 'Do you buy bikes because I bought this but I don’t ride it." And I say, 'Let’s see if we can figure out how to make it better for you to keep riding.'

(Question: Are you looking to add new brands?)

No, it going the other way, we are going to kick a few brands out of my shop. We have too many options, so instead of having five options, let's make it three. WE don't have space to have the full line on five brands. We could do that during the pandemic but now we just don't have space for it.

We have Cannondale, Trek, Salsa, BMC and Gazelle. ... BMC is on the chopping block; it just didn't do what we were hoping, which was to access a higher-end line of bikes and clients. But those people didn't come find us, and that's OK.

It's going to be a good year, we're going to kick ass.

Thomas Cuccias, Valley Stream Bicycle, Lynbrook, N.Y.

I expect another great year. We've been having better years every year. 2024 was a great year. In two months I'll be starting my 33rd year of owning a store.

SE Bikes were a big seller for us. Bikes for kids have been a huge seller. Repair have been great.

We get great reviews, we have a great rapport with all our customers. We ask them why they picked out store and why they came to us. We want to find out why and do more of that. It's still fun after all these years. My son works with me now.

We get good customer reviews because they feel like we put a lot of care into it. We don't put a lot of pressure on them, in fact we encourage them to go do their own research, think about it and come back. We're blessed.

Tony Stagliano, Hershey Cycles, Hershey, Pa.

The trends are so difficult to try to navigate through. We decided in lieue of doing anything different for branding we would bring an upright piano into the service center and we are going to try to incorporate that. It’s been a huge hit: everybody that walks by and hears the piano has to stop and do a double-take and say 'what’s going on in there?'

We try to drive traffic that way by being a little unique and a little weird.

Where we are going in 2025 should be a continuation of what we've been building the last couple of years.

We still see a big trend with step-through comfort e-bikes and step-through analog bikes. We are a family-oriented bike shop so we go through a ton of those.

We are also pushing a little more into mountain bikes and we will try to have a more well-rounded fleet of demo bikes that customers can try.

We are in downtown Hersey, tucked in just off the downtown. We feel like we are able to give a kind of service that you are not going to get in a shop in a strip mall or most shops we've been into.

Yes. the piano is real. It's from around 1918. We both play. We are just down there having a good time and bringing the fun back into running a bike shop.

Erich Leas of Casa Bikes & Outdoor Gear, Cambridge, Mass.
Kevin Sensenig of Sensenig's Bike Shop, Shippensburg, Pa.
Leila Everett of Northampton Bicycle, Northampton, Mass.
Sue Mandel and JT Look of Rutland City Bikes, Rutland, Vt.
Thomas Cuccias of Valley Stream Bicycle, Lynbrook, N.Y.
Tony Stagliano, Hershey Cycles, Hershey, Pa.

CABDA moves West show to Las Vegas for 2025

Steve Frothingham — Wed, 22 May 2024 16:17:19 +0000

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — The industry will return to Las Vegas for a trade show for the first time since the 2017 when CABDA hosts its West event in the Nevada city next March.

CABDA's Jim Kersten said CABDA West, to be held at the Expo at World Market Center, will complement CABDA's shows in Chicago and the New York City area. But Kersten didn't sound opposed to turning CABDA West into something like a national show replacement for Interbike, which held its last Las Vegas show in 2017, followed by a 2018 show in Reno.

"I'd love to put on just one show, believe me," Kersten told BRAIN at the National Bicycle Dealers Association Retailer Summit in Bentonville on Wednesday, where he announced the Las Vegas show.

Still, Kersten said typically 90% of the attendees at CABDA's shows are from within a 5-hour drive of the venue. But it's not unusual for retailers from farther afield to fly in, and Las Vegas is a convenient flight destination from virtually anywhere.

"Las Vegas has been on my radar for years, it was a matter of finding an affordable way to hold it there. The World Market Center is a non-union event — key for keeping costs low. It's located off The Strip, between The Strip and the Las Vegas Downtown area.

While Kersten said he'd like to produce just one event, he remains a proponent of regional shows, which evolve to suit their regions — brands choose which show to attend based on their resources, market presence, and product emphasis. "I didn't see a single studded fat tire at the West show," Kersten said. "And I didn't see any beach cruisers at the Chicago event."

The 2025 CABDA calendar swaps directions: instead of progressing west to east as the series has in recent years, it will kick off January 15-16 with CABDA East in Meadowlands, New Jersey, followed February 12-13 by CABDA Midwest in Chicago, and then CABDA West in Las Vegas March 26-27.

Kersten said CABDA will release an official announcement with more details early next week, and will open exhibitor registration in mid-June.

Last week, LVSportsBiz reported that Emerald Expositions is talking to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority about potentially hosting an event there next May along with the L'Etape Las Vegas consumer event.

CABDA East attendees share opinions on Trek's impending cuts

Steve Frothingham — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:28:58 +0000

By J.P. Partland

MEADOWLANDS, N.J. (BRAIN) — We asked retailers and suppliers at the CABDA East show this week about the “right-sizing” program that Trek has planned, and what it will mean to the rest of the industry.

Larry Black, Mount Airy Bicycle, Mount Airy, Maryland (a current Trek dealer):

“I heard they're planning to cut 40% of their SKUs and I think that's a great idea. Most people should. They should make the catalog half the size if not smaller, and don't have models every $60. This has been a big obstacle since I started selling Trek in the late 70s. This has been a serious obstacle: too many models too many colors …

“As far as the 10% cut, whatever that means — workforce maybe, cutting jobs? Yeah, I think too many of these companies, based on my experience, are trying to grow artificially. They are trying to grow horizontally instead of vertically. I’d rather see vertical growth, which means more integrity, better service. Fewer but better.

“Trek has been trying to do too many things. Now they are trying the Red Barn thing, which is used bikes. I know more about used bikes than they do because I’ve got 5,000 of them. But that’s just another complication and I think some of that might take advantage of consumers in the wrong way. The downside is some of the consumers who might think they need the variety don’t really need the variety. And I can tell you from experience: I think right sizing is one of the smartest things anybody can do, not just Trek.”

Marc Cianfrone, Pop’s Bicycle Shop, Somerville, New Jersey (a Trek dealer):

"I think that they're finally doing the right thing. It probably should've been done significantly prior to this, but the fact that they're finally recognizing some of the issues that we're running up against, not just Trek dealers but the industry as well, it’s about time. It will probably create a little bit more turmoil, but if it works out well, it could give a roadmap to other suppliers to go in the same direction.”

Benita Warns, co-owner of Midway Bicycle Supply and Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles, St. Paul, Minnesota:

"I'm not surprised, not in the least. I’m based in St. Paul, that's the part of the world where the largest bicycle parts supply company is based and they within the last couple months have laid off people and they’ve canceled orders on parts that they were going to stock. So it doesn't surprise me at all that a company like Trek or any other major bike company would end up cutting back, laying off, and downsizing. Pretty much across the industry we are down. We are one of the rare places that actually held our own last year.

"For shops, obviously if there's a little less product around they won't have as many things to choose from, but on the other hand that could be a positive because then shops will get a little more freedom to be able to operate without having to having to buy everything from Trek and not be allowed to buy from anybody else. That's very, very restrictive, almost to the point of being protectionist — who owns the shop? The shop is supposed to be owned by the owner of the shop, not their supplier."

Amos Brumble, owner of Brumble Bikes in Westerly, Rhode Island:

“I think it's probably the right move; it’s going to be painful for everybody and I hope it leads to a better business model in the future and gets them away from … trying to cover all the bases, which I think the bike market doesn't support. There's going to be some dealers that are going to depend on certain SKUs that are going to get cut and it’s going to affect them. They may have to fill that in with a different product line and that can be hard.”

Peter Henry, former owner and current board member of Landry’s Bicycles in Massachusetts (a Trek dealer. No photo available):

“Specifically on reducing the number of SKUs they are about 30 years overdue to make that move. They would make more money, and their retailers would make more money, if they streamlined their product offering and had less confusion and fewer SKUs and fewer inventory problems. So I think it's a really smart move on their part and I don't know why they're finally doing it now, probably for the wrong reason, but what whatever the reason, we will take it."

(For shops) "If the right sizing means that they're going to reduce service levels to retailers, that’s a problem. I mean, if their sales are not adequate to make their numbers, to support the payroll level that they have, obviously they need to deal with that. If they went out of business, it would be far worse for retailers. So you have to do what you have to do. But the reducing the number of SKUs for bikes is just plain positive and long overdue and I wish that some of the other suppliers would do the same."

Phil Cohen, Chain Reaction Bicycles, Evans, Georgia:

"Well in these times where everybody is struggling no one is immune to those sorts of factors. I just see it as a company trying to do what they think is best for their business.”

(Could it be a negative for retailers?) “If a company doesn't offer the support the dealers need, that could be a negative effect, but there's a lot of turmoil in our industry right now and I know it's probably gonna be a year or more before things settle out. It’s gonna be a rough ride until then and nobody’s immune.”

Shane Hall, Bicycles NYC:

“It’s not surprising. Coming out of the pandemic most companies have had a lot of product still sitting in warehouses, a lot of companies have overproduced in the last year or so, so they’ve had to put bikes on sale. So I can imagine the need to cut costs and cut spending. Since the end of the pandemic we’ve seen the used bike market has exploded from people who stopped riding, so that’s put a little bit of a damper on new bikes sales as well.

“I think the challenge for us is finding what is the new normal. This is something we’ve been talking about for a while now: We knew what the pre-pandemic normal was and we kind of settled into that. During the pandemic sales went through the roof and so now the question is where are we now? Where is the new normal of what do you buy, what do you forecast, how much product do you keep in stock? How much product do the vendors actually buy for the season? We have to figure that out now."

"I haven’t seen any cuts from other suppliers yet, I have seen bike sales prices dropping and looking at other industries you’ve seen cuts at large companies, so this isn’t surprising."

Amos Brumble
Marc Cianfrone
Phil Cohen
Larry Black
Benita Warns
Shane Hall

CABDA West opens with good weather ‘for a change’

Steve Frothingham — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:08:26 +0000

ONTARIO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Stormy winter weather is to be expected at CABDA Midwest, the reborn Chicagoland show. But since CABDA launched its inaugural California show in 2019, the show has endured several winter storms that hampered retail attendance. This year appears to be the exception, show organizer Jim Kersten told BRAIN on Tuesday.

“The weather looks good for a change,” said Kersten, taking a short break from show setup at the Ontario Convention Center. The forecast is for temperatures in the high 50s and sunny conditions for the show.

About 490 stores pre-registered, equating to around 1,475 attendees depending on how many employees each store brings, Kersten said. On the exhibitor side, the show sold 76 booths, showing an estimated 120 brands, about a 20% increase over last year.

Retail attendance depends heavily on the weather. Kersten said California retailers respond differently than those in the Chicago or New York City area, home to the other two CABDA shows. “In Chicago and in the East, if it’s 35 degrees and raining, the retailers say, ‘great, let’s go to the show.’ Here (in California), if it’s a little drizzly, the retailers say they don’t want to drive and they stay home.”

He said many stores in the Chicago area will close shop for two days and bring most employees to the show. California dealers, in contrast, stay open and send one or two employees each day. But he said that might be changing as the show builds trust with regional retailers.

This year’s CABDA West includes more retailer education than previous editions.

“We’re going pretty heavy on the education schedule,” Kersten said. “We are trying to push education on inventory control, business skills, marketing. Coming here is not just about seeing exciting shiny bicycles but it’s about trying to get some skills to weather what’s coming.”

This year’s show is open Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with networking breakfasts from 9 to 10 each morning.

Product launches

CABDA shows typically are dealer events that lack the "exciting shiny bicycles" and media-facing product launches of past national shows like Interbike. But at least a few brands planned significant launches around CABDA West this year.

Stromer is using CABDA West as the North American launch of its ST5 Pinion commuter e-bike — only two of the models are currently in North America and both are at CABDA West.

The new version of Stromer’s ST5 model now comes with the Pinion Smart.Shift electronic shifting system, integrated Blubrake anti-lock brakes and a new Stromer sound module to provide acoustic notification signals, and a long mudguard.

The Class 3 bike features the electronic Pinion Smart.Shift system with a 9-speed Pinion C1.9i gearbox, Gates beltdrive and a 750-watt rear-wheel motor. A suspension fork and suspension seatpost are optional. Pricing starts at $11,990. The launch bikes at CABDA features an Imperial Red paint scheme, with production bikes in Aventurine Green.

Haro Bikes announced its new Saguaro “hardcore hardtail” aluminum 29ers earlier this week and is featuring the line at CABDA West. The launch timing was intentional, said Lars Hjort, Haro's new chief commericial officer.

“Because we value our relationship with the IBD we want to launch together with them and where they are. We will reveal a new bike at every CABDA as we continue to expand Haro into new categories to be the preferred supplier of all bikes to IBDs,” Hjort said.

Haro says the Saguaro is not an XC hardtail. Instead, it has “an aggressive geometry and slack head angle that is more inclined to hauling down hills than pedaling up them.” The Saguaros have hydroformed aluminum frames mated to 140mm-travel forks and are available with three build kits, with MSRPs of $1,899.99, $2,399.99, and $3,999.99. They come in four sizes and two color options.

Canada’s Envo Drive Systems is showing three of its newest models at CABDA West. The brand, which made Deloitte’s list of the 500 fastest-growing tech companies last month, is showing its D50 and ST50 e-cargo/commuter bikes; its compact, folding e-bikes, the Lynx 20”; and its lightweight STAX e-road bike.

“We definitely expect a lot of retailer excitement around our booth,” said ENVO COO Kayvan Pishghadam. Pishghadam said he expected the company's new Veemo weather-protected e-trike to grab attention from CABDA visitors. ENVO acquired VeloMetro, the Veemo's developer, last summer. The brand is hoping to expand its North American dealer base, which is currently about 140 retailers.

Envo Drive Systems expects its Veemo e-trike to be a crowd favorite.
Stromer's ST5 Pinion will make its North American debut at CABDA West.
Haro is showing its new line of Saguaro 'hardcore hardtails' at CABDA West.

Yamaha To Present E-Mobility Showcase at CABDA Trade Shows

Steve Frothingham — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 15:57:59 +0000

Chicago, IL- (November 8, 2022) – Organizers of the CABDA Expo announced this week that Yamaha will be the Presenting Sponsor of their new E-Mobility Showcase, a special tract of exhibits and programming that will take place at each of the 2023 CABDA Expos.

"We are thrilled to have Yamaha on board as the Showcase sponsor at our 2023 events," said CABDA show director Jim Kersten, "I think dealers across the country have been waiting long enough to lay their eyes on these bikes.”

E-Mobility brands (including e-bikes and e-powered parts and accessories) have been the fastest growing categories at the CABDAshows in recent years. And the addition of Yamaha bolsters the lineup of brands committed to the B2B show.

"We're excited to introduce bike shops to our model line-up that now comprises some of the best-in-category fitness and commuter e-Bikes, full suspension e-Mountain Bikes, and drop bar e-Gravel bikes," said Drew Engelmann, National Sales and Marketing Manager at Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles.

CABDA Expo has three shows on deck for early 2023. Early Registration for all of their locations is currently open and still free of charge for retailers.

“If you’re a retailer looking to expand your shop’s current e-bike selection or if you’re still debating how to offer e-bikes and services, our shows are the place to be.” Kersten said “From the exhibit hall to the demo track, to our seminar and clinic spaces, we’re working hard to have all our bases covered for the folks looking to expand their e-bike offerings.”

CABDA West takes place January 10 & 11 at the Ontario Convention Center outside Los Angeles.

CABDA Midwest takes place February 8 & 9 at the Schaumburg Convention Center outside Chicago.

CABDA East takes place March 8 & 9 at the Meadowlands Expo Center outside New York City.

Additional information and registration can be accessed at www.cabdashow.com

Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles is part of the Smart Power Vehicle Division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA. The Yamaha Bicycles lineup includes a variety of power assist bicycles for fitness, fun, commuting and serious recreation. View Yamaha's full line of Power Assist Bicycles at www.YamahaBicycles.com