Spring is here and so is our Gear Guide. APRIL 2021
Starting on page 18
What’s in a name?
IN THIS ISSUE Check out industry earnings reports for four companies. Page 22
Before committing to a ‘Brand X,’ check for liability coverage, experts say By Dean Yobbi
MINNEAPOLIS — Sco Chapin first realized the degree of liability risk that lesser-known brands can pose when talking with a West Coast e-bike retailer client about his inventory a few years ago. “A light bulb went on, and I thought, ‘I’m not familiar with that brand,’” said Chapin, a bicycle industry risk specialist with Marsh & McLennan Agency, recalling in February the conversation. “It was like half of the brands (the retailer carried) did not have insurance at all, and the others had foreign-domicile insurance, which if you talk to an a orney, they’ll verify those foreign-domicile insurers
Patent Watch: Pedalbased power meter expansion likely after recent mergers and acquisitions. Page 22
BRAND X page 14
As spring sales resume, supply chain remains the challenge
Engin Cycles ramps up the manufacturing of components. Page 23 STATE of RETAIL
By Steve Frothingham
Who are the biggest bike retailers in the US? different kind of project. How did we do it? First we defined what we were MILWAUKEE — There are lists of America’s best bike looking for: the 10 largest-grossing retailers who sell shops and of the “top 100” bike shops. But, BRAIN IBD-quality bikes primarily through brick-and-morbeing a dollars-and-cents kind of business maga- tar stores. zine, we set out to identify America’s largest: The BRAIN’s mission is to be a news source for the Big BRAIN Ten. entire industry, including mass merchants, e-comNo subjective reviews, no rankings or votes or opt- merce, sporting goods stores, non-profits, and the in fees from the stores. And, sorry, retailers won’t smallest, most wonderfully independent, operaget stickers for their windows. Not that there’s any- tions. We love them all and we have other Big BRAIN thing wrong with those approaches. This was just a BIGGEST page 12 By Ray Keener
Karen Malogorski, Co-owner, Bikes Plus Inc., Memphis, Tennessee
How does your shop engage with advocacy on a local or national level, and what types of advocacy do you think are most effective ? page 10
TAICHUNG, Taiwan — By most accounts, U.S. retail bike sales resumed their 2020 momentum as the snow began melting around the country. Many stores, in the Sun Belt and the Snow Belt, reported they had their best January and February sales in history. But as the first quarter closed with vaccination rates climbing and alternative recreational opportunities returning in some states, at least a few managers in the supply chain admi ed to some nervousness. “I do think about what will happen if spring comes around and people have moved on,” said a Taiwan-based product manager for one major brand. The manager noted that many Taiwanese manufacturers were dubious about a continued “boom” in SUPPLY CHAIN page 15