08/21/2008

The Dark Side Industry News North and South of the Border Cam McRae

Most riders can tell you which bike shops in their area carry what; who has Norco bikes or Rocky Mountain, Trek or Specialized.  You may even know who focuses on certain component and suspension lines.  Generally the public isn't nearly as informed about where these products come from. In the United States there are many large distributors and they all have some product crossover - and hence competition.  Two wholesalers operating in the same area might both carry Marzocchi, Manitou, SRAM and Shimano.  In Canada (and most other countries around the globe) the distributors and manufacturers almost always set up exclusives.  Norco for example is the exclusive Marzocchi distributor and they have been for some time.  As James Wilson of Obsession: Bikes pointed out to me you can look at this arrangement in two ways.  The downside is that suppliers don't compete based on price which means the consumer pays a little more.  The upside is that a distributor with an exclusive on a product line is responsible for service and warranty issues and the size of that account gives them the resources to set up shop, train employees and provide excellent service.  Shimano is an exception to this rule and they are distributed by Asama, Cycles Lambert and Norco but alas their pricing is identical at each location.

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Zap back when he was branded.   Photo ~ Cam McRae

For the past few years the supply side of the business has been stable in Canada and brands haven't moved around much.  Recently - perhaps precipitated by the sale of Manitou to the Hayes Group - things have begun to shift.  Outdoor Gear Canada (OGC) has been the Manitou distributor since 1998 and the two have recently parted company. 

With a hole in their line OGC wasted little time hooking up a new suspension brand.  Until recently Fox warranty and service was handled out of Edmonton by Cycle works and distribution was handled by Maverick - a branch of the same company.  It was no secret that, while work was done well, their turnaround times were slow and more than a few riders were left bikeless for long periods mid season. Retailers and consumers alike were frustrated by this arrangement and the Fox brand suffered some as a result. Now that Fox and OGC have jumped in bed together Fox owners can expect excellent service from in-house guru James Downing as well as significantly reduced wait times.  James told me they hope to have three or four day turnaround on product once it enters their Vancouver facility.  They also have a brand new shop that is the envy of grease monkeys everywhere.  Eastern service will be handled by OGC's Montreal facility.

Manitou at this stage is still looking for a home and the word is that their short list is down to three prospects.  There are rumours that the Manitou fork line may include fewer models for next year and that the biggest reduction may be in the gravity/long travel end of the line.  I guess we'll learn more about that at Sea Otter.

Magura had been dealing directly with shops north of the border but they have recently announced a partnership with North Van based Orange Sport.  This should have a positive impact for local riders in terms of product availability and service.

Quebec based Cycles Lambert has been the exclusive SRAM dealer in Canada. This recently changed and all the SRAM lines are now shared with Norco.  This means Norco now distributes Rock Shox which has lead to some speculation that Marzocchi Canada might take over the distribution of their own fork line.  Both sides of the equation assure me this isn't the case but it certainly could happen down the road.

Most of this is good news for shops and for riders - it's nice to see things moving in the right direction.

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Matt Juhasz Riding in AIRprentice 2006.   Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws

Closer to home new bike shops have been popping up on the North Shore like mushrooms in October.  First Different Bikes set up shop in West Vancouver and they will soon open a second location in North Van at the base of Seymour.  Seeing the writing on the wall Cove Bike Shop decided to move up the hill and they too are opening a new location; across the street from Different North Van. This means they are closing the original location in the Cove - a sad development indeed.  Dizzy North Van recently became Obsession: Bikes when the ownership transferred completely to James Wilson - a partner and manager of Dizzy on 1st and Lonsdale for the past six years. The staff and philosophy remain the same in the old bank building and any changes you see should be on the up side.  Bicycle Sports Pacific moved from their home in Lynn Valley to a comfy spot between Cove and Mountain Coop on Main St. in North Van.  Their rent in the valley was apparently set to triple and the new location is shiny, new and beautiful. Matt Juhasz, a two-time contender in our AIRprentice competition, has spilled the beans that he too is opening a bike shop on the Shore. In fact he's calling it North Shore Bike Shop.  He's painting now and hopes to open sometime in March.  The puzzling aspect of these developments is that some of the most established shops on the Shore have been going through what might be described as a rough patch lately.  Hopefully the pie is big enough so that everyone can enjoy a big enough slice.

Johnny Smoke and Barb Haley, pillars of the North Shore riding community and proprietors of Bush Pilot Biking, have decided to move to the B.C. Okanagan.  You can read more about their re-location here.  While I'm sure we'll see them around there is no doubt that their energy and enthusiasm will be missed by those of us on the coast.  Both have been active in the nsmbA and Barb has organized some of the best trail days - with the best barbeques - in recent memory. Keep it pointed you two!

South of the border there has been some industry movement as well; an exodus of journalists heading for the safety of 'cushy' jobs with bike companies.  Mike Ferrentino left his long time perch atop the BIKE magazine tree and went to roost at Santa Cruz Bikes where he's calling himself 'brand pimp.'  The best news is that Mike's column, Grimy Handshake, will live on at BIKE - for now at least. Andrew Juskaitis, a veteran of Bicycling magazine, and more recently Velo News joined Giant last year as marketing honch.  Dain Zaffke who did a great job as gear editor at BIKE has also jumped ship.  He's climbed aboard at WTB where he is the new marketing coordinator.  Zapata Espinoza spent a couple of years as brand manager at Trek where he wrote amazing monthly email blasts.  He didn't seem all that comfortable in his industry gig though and he has again become a scribe - writing for Mountain Bike Action.  Zap worked at Hi-Torque, publisher of MTB Action, from 1986-1993 before heading over to Rodale to work on Mountain Bike magazine.  It will be nice to have Zap's controversial and cranky opinions unleashed at full potency once again.  Alan Davis who was editor at Challenge, publisher of Mountain Biking, has moved to BIKE where he is the new online editor.  That vacancy has been filled by the Ian Millar - the B.C. local who was behind the brief but refreshing life of Modest Bike magazine. 

That's about all I've got.

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