Sparta_Rider
Active Member
- Location
- Eastern Greater London
In line with my activities as an Environmental & Sustainability Campaigner, I am also a Cycling Advocate. In this connection, I read with interest — and some indignation — Carlton Reid's 'Last Word' piece in December 2014 BikeBiz, which appeared to be designed mainly to ingratiate himself with the Cycle Trade.
Contrary to Reid's assertion, I believe the Trade IS largely to blame for the dearth of user-friendly practical Bikes on UK roads. Suppliers and Dealers embraced with gusto the craze for 'Mountain Bikes' (or 'slight incline Cycles' as I prefer to call them . . . most shall see nothing steeper in their operational lives) to satisfy the urges of younger clientele. Catering for more mature Riders, who may wish to ride functionally in normal attire without risk of soiling, seemed not to interest them. Consequently, a price precedent has been set in the public consciousness for many years, from which it's difficult to advance.
Moreover, Reid alludes to a dealer stocking 'only' fully-equipped Bikes — which I have never heard proposed by any advocate or commentator. My own stance has always been that there should be a wide CHOICE of Bikes available. Dedicated Sales Staff would be able to point out to a prospective Customer: 'if you buy this, then you'll get this . . . but if you pay this much, then you'll also get this, this and this.' Instead, most outlets still feature 'wall-to-wall' Mountain Bikes and their derivatives with young sales assistants who have no interest in promoting Bikes for functional Cycling.
The contention that Dealers don't want to offer fully-equipped Bikes was confirmed to me by a Distributor at a Cycle Show: 'because I can't upgrade my Customer' went the refrain. They seem to manage well enough in The Netherlands, where the Bike Shops are veritable emporia of practical accessories: pannier bags, weather gear, replacement chaincases, child seats etc. — as well as the regular items such as tyres, chains, cables and so on.
Some of the lightweight stripped-down bare-bones 'urban warrior' Bikes ridden so aggressively by young males in the UK Capital (frequently without lights) can also cost several hundred quid. What is certain is that potential purchasers cannot buy what isn't there. Those dealers who have 'taken a punt' on user-friendly Bikes deserve positive exposure and encouragement from the Trade Press.
Carlton conveniently overlooks the success of the Barclays/Santander Hire Bikes in London and similar schemes elsewhere -- which would seem to support my argument that, once people have had an opportunity to try such machines, they are more than happy to continue using them.
Reference to Bikes from the 1890s and the heading illustration are also misleading. My own 17-year-old Dutch fully-equipped user-friendly Bike is a modern design — including some 'Mountain Bike' technology — and with Aluminium frame, enclosed brakes & chain and hub gears. It is a doddle to keep clean and one can see from the pic. that it passes the 'white trouser test' with ease. Reliable Dynamo-driven Halogen Headlamp and LED Rear Light are always there if needed. (Even if one doesn't want to ride after dark, it's easy to get caught out in the middle of winter.)
(The trouser-clips are correctly worn to obviate premature wear to the garment at the knee.)
It's one of the best decisions I ever took, and my personal import from The Netherlands meant some £500 that could have gone to the UK Trade.
Practical Bikes also need to come in attractive colours. Supposed off-road Bikes come in eye-catching livery and graphics, whereas those for use mainly in the High Street are offered in dull finishes for no good reason — like the poor old Pashley.
Lastly, it's generally accepted that a geared hub offers more pedalling resistance as a penalty for its other benefits but, if one is cycling for exercise, even that can be turned into a positive: you get more bang for your bucks!
