Industry Digest: eBike Regulation, Stolen Bikes, Zwift Layoffs & More
What's going on in the cycling industry this month? Industry Digest is a peek behind the curtain and showcases articles from our sister site, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. In each installment, you might find patents, mergers, financial reports and industry gossip.
The closing session at this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference was not the flashiest or the best attended. But it probably was the most sobering 60 minutes of the two-day conference. “It was a real eye-opener,” said Claudia Wasko, the general manager of Bosch’s North American e-bike business, after the session. Session moderator Larry Pizzi said he sensed the interest in the audience.
“I can tell you, from the stage I was looking out and I saw people standing up so they could take pictures of the slides,” he said after the session.
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Merida Bikes reported the theft of 133 bikes on Thursday from a container at a Southampton port that was on its way to its logistics facility here.
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Zwift has announced significant staff layoffs and a "pause" to its much-anticipated hardware development program.
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Specialized on Tuesday announced a new line of e-bikes under the Globe brand, which Specialized has used in the past for city bikes.
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TIME Bicycles is officially re-entering the U.S. market under its new ownership and with a new IBD sales group. For the first time since the brand was acquired from Groupe Rossignol, it will have complete bikes, a new gravel model and a supply of frames in the U.S.
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Osprey Packs announced Thursday that CEO Layne Rigney will leave the company at the end of the day following nearly six years. Rigney recently guided Osprey through the Helen of Troy acquisition.
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While several former employees of Wahoo Fitness have told BRAIN in recent days that they had been laid off, the company on Tuesday announced it had purchased RGT Cycling, a virtual cycling platform.
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Hammerhead, the GPS cycling computer startup acquired by SRAM in January, says Shimano asked it to remove at least some Di2 functions from its Karoo 2 head units.
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Park Tool has issued a Stop Use and Inspect Notice for their CCP-22, CCP-44 and CWP-7 crank pullers due to an out-of-spec nut may cause damage to cranks during removal.
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E-bike regulation discussion an ‘eye-opener’ for industry
By: Steve Frothingham // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsThe closing session at this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference was not the flashiest or the best attended. But it probably was the most sobering 60 minutes of the two-day conference. “It was a real eye-opener,” said Claudia Wasko, the general manager of Bosch’s North American e-bike business, after the session. Session moderator Larry Pizzi said he sensed the interest in the audience.
“I can tell you, from the stage I was looking out and I saw people standing up so they could take pictures of the slides,” he said after the session.
There wasn’t a lot of new information. Instead it was a fresh overview of federal e-bike regulations, some of which go back two decades. The review highlighted the steep penalties that could come from non-compliance — bankruptcy-inducing fines and other regulator actions that could set back the entire industry.
“That was a rather sobering discussion for probably 50% of the people in that room,” said an industry attorney who sat in on the session.
“That was a rather sobering discussion for probably 50% of the people in that room,” said an industry attorney who sat in on the session.
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Merida reports 133 bikes stolen from container at rest stop in England
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsMerida Bikes reported the theft of 133 bikes on Thursday from a container at a Southampton port that was on its way to its logistics facility here.
The container locks were cut before more than half of the 210 bikes were stolen. Merida said its logistics partner instructs all drivers to park only at secure facilities. The theft occurred at Fleet Services lorry park (rest stop) on the M3 motorway that's equipped with CCTV and ANPR cameras.
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Zwift announces staff layoffs and halt to trainer plans
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsZwift has announced significant staff layoffs and a "pause" to its much-anticipated hardware development program.
California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) records show that Zwift let go 63 workers at its facility in Long Beach, effective July 11. The company may also have let workers go in other states.
The company had been working on its own range of smart bike and direct-drive trainer offerings, but the development had experienced delays and proved more complex than first anticipated, as discussed in the From the Top podcast, with a launch previously expected sometime this year.
However, following similar layoffs at Wahoo and Peloton, Zwift has now decided to lay off staff and halt the development of its hardware range.
The company had been working on its own range of smart bike and direct-drive trainer offerings, but the development had experienced delays and proved more complex than first anticipated, as discussed in the From the Top podcast, with a launch previously expected sometime this year.
However, following similar layoffs at Wahoo and Peloton, Zwift has now decided to lay off staff and halt the development of its hardware range.
(Read more.)
Specialized releases new Globe e-bike brand
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsSpecialized on Tuesday announced a new line of e-bikes under the Globe brand, which Specialized has used in the past for city bikes.
The company said Globe will let independent bike shops compete with D2C-only e-bike brands. Globe will be a new business unit and "an extension of the Specialized brand that will focus on bringing more fun to local living while reducing the number of car, truck, and SUV trips needed for everyday transportation."
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TIME re-enters US market with frames and complete bikes
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsTIME Bicycles is officially re-entering the U.S. market under its new ownership and with a new IBD sales group. For the first time since the brand was acquired from Groupe Rossignol, it will have complete bikes, a new gravel model and a supply of frames in the U.S.
"There was a long list of things we didn't have until now," said Tony Karklins, the CEO of Cardinal Cycling Group, which bought the brand from Groupe Rossignol last year.
Time continues to manufacture frames in its factory in Slovakia; complete bikes for the U.S. are being assembled in a new Arkansas facility.
Time continues to manufacture frames in its factory in Slovakia; complete bikes for the U.S. are being assembled in a new Arkansas facility.
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Osprey's Layne Rigney leaving CEO post
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsOsprey Packs announced Thursday that CEO Layne Rigney will leave the company at the end of the day following nearly six years. Rigney recently guided Osprey through the Helen of Troy acquisition.
Going forward, the Osprey executive team will report to the Helen of Troy Home & Outdoor leadership team.
“We want to thank Layne for his partnership and dedication throughout the acquisition and integration,” said Larry Witt, Helen of Troy Home & Outdoor president. “Osprey thrived under Layne’s leadership, and he played a pivotal role in ushering the brand into this next stage of growth.”
“We want to thank Layne for his partnership and dedication throughout the acquisition and integration,” said Larry Witt, Helen of Troy Home & Outdoor president. “Osprey thrived under Layne’s leadership, and he played a pivotal role in ushering the brand into this next stage of growth.”
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Amid layoff reports, Wahoo announces acquisition of RGT Cycling
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsWhile several former employees of Wahoo Fitness have told BRAIN in recent days that they had been laid off, the company on Tuesday announced it had purchased RGT Cycling, a virtual cycling platform.
The former employees tell BRAIN that Wahoo has let go around 50 employees, across several departments and at its facilities in Georgia; Boulder, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; and Tasmania. One former employee said he'd been told Wahoo trimmed its workforce by 20%. A Wahoo spokesperson told BRAIN the impact of the changes is "very minimal."
"Last week strategic changes were made to support the growth and development of Wahoo," the spokesperson said. "We didn’t take these decisions lightly, but we made them to ensure Wahoo can maintain focus on new innovative products and services. The needs of athletes are evolving and our areas of emphasis need to do the same. We greatly value the contributions of our talented colleagues and are committed to supporting impacted team members in their transitions."
"Last week strategic changes were made to support the growth and development of Wahoo," the spokesperson said. "We didn’t take these decisions lightly, but we made them to ensure Wahoo can maintain focus on new innovative products and services. The needs of athletes are evolving and our areas of emphasis need to do the same. We greatly value the contributions of our talented colleagues and are committed to supporting impacted team members in their transitions."
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Shimano asks SRAM-owned Hammerhead to remove Di2 functions from its head unit
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsHammerhead, the GPS cycling computer startup acquired by SRAM in January, says Shimano asked it to remove at least some Di2 functions from its Karoo 2 head units.
Hammerhead announced the move in a post Thursday on the Support FAQ section of its website. It was first reported on DCRainmaker.com. Shimano and did not immediately respond to inquiries from BRAIN on Friday. A Hammerhead representative shared a company response below.
The Karoo 2 currently has functions that allow it to show the battery level of Shimano's Di2 system and to use the buttons on top of some Di2 road levers to switch screens on the head unit. Hammerhead said that with a software update next week, users will lose "a small subset" of Di2 functions. It indicated it is negotiating with Shimano to return the features.
The Karoo 2 currently has functions that allow it to show the battery level of Shimano's Di2 system and to use the buttons on top of some Di2 road levers to switch screens on the head unit. Hammerhead said that with a software update next week, users will lose "a small subset" of Di2 functions. It indicated it is negotiating with Shimano to return the features.
(Read more.)
Park Tool issues a 'stop use and inspect' notice for some crank-puller tools
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsPark Tool has issued a Stop Use and Inspect Notice for their CCP-22, CCP-44 and CWP-7 crank pullers due to an out-of-spec nut may cause damage to cranks during removal.
Some, but not all, tools sold between October 2021 and April 2022 may be affected by the out of spec threading on the nut.
The notice applies to Park Tool CCP-22, CCP-44 and CWP-7 Crank Pullers. Some, but not all, tools purchased between October 2021 and April 2022 may be affected.
The notice applies to Park Tool CCP-22, CCP-44 and CWP-7 Crank Pullers. Some, but not all, tools purchased between October 2021 and April 2022 may be affected.
(Read more.)
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Maybe pinkbike runs a tighter ship…
www.bicycleretailer.com/announcements/2018/11/26/pinkbike-hires-jason-lucas-and-james-smurthwaite-looks-hire-developers
@joemoto: Pinkbike is one of their stronger properties. It’s not going anywhere. They are probably evaluating the need for two mountain bike titles. My guess is they will eventually fold Beta into Pinkbike and merge staffs where appropriate. If Beta no longer exists, there goes the pay model… look for the paywall stuff to start creeping into Pinkbike.
Be safe, be well
-Robin (not CEO of anything)
PS: sucks when people have their livelihood fkd with
Funny because most manufacturers are not only aware, but making the bike purposely easily moddable and this is used as a sell point by many shops when they talk to customers. There are still countless instruction videos on YouTube by official shops on how to mod your e bike from this or that brand, even though many have been deleted
It won't take long until the e bike lobby becomes as strong in US as in EU, so these fines will never be applied
Any customer that tries to talk about it get respectfully shut down. We actively refuse to work on modded bikes and if the customer becomes arsey about it I send the details of the bike to the supplier, so their warranty can be voided.
A lot of customers just wait till the warranty has expired and then go at it anyway.
Modding a bike, who’s gonna know? Let er rip, I mean it’ll only make the thrown eggs more painful when I see you.
You sound like a lot of fun
Fair dos to Outside for giving Beta a go, it didn't work but it was always going to be risky launching a print mag in the current media landscape. It's precarious enough for all the MTB websites which aren't PB.
-George Carlin, RIP
bi·cy·cle
noun
a vehicle composed of two wheels held in a frame one behind the other, propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars attached to the front wheel.
mo·tor·cy·cle
noun
a two-wheeled vehicle that is powered by a motor and has no pedals
id·i·ot
noun
a stupid person; pinkbike user chunkymcpot
interestingly its not left to pinkbike to decide what is what
I literally just stated what is on my motorbike registration document, nothing more. It states the class of vehicle as a bicycle.
Also pretty sure the bike cowell was on was actually illegal in this country, but it's still an e-bike, you pedal to put the bike into motion and is not run of a throttle (that literally defines a e-moto, stop calling them e-motorbikes, e-motorbikes are purely road bikes, your not going to call a Gas Gas a motorbike now?)
Personally, i just like to have fun doing what i'm doing, but everytime something new comes out, people like you crop up and find issues with it to complain about.
Wierd thing is, those that seem to have issues with e-bikes don't tend to have an issue with uplifts.
I've also not stated any opinion, just fact.
"A bike is a two-wheeled vehicle that is solely human-powered or has pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 horsepower), and which can be powered solely by the motor to less than 20 mph (for a 170-pound rider on flat ground)."
The "solely powered" bit there at the end is particularly interesting.
Pinkbike is probably one of their most successful titles. It’s not going anywhere, but you will see changes. For example, they wanted Beta to be its paywall site. Where do you think that paywall is going to go now that Beta no longer exists? At least some of it, anyway.
As for staffing, no one is immune from the corporate bone hammer, but I think Outside management has at least gotten a picture by now about the Pinkbike community. Start axing our favorite contributors, and we will abandon this site as obstinately as we refused to pay for and patronize the other one.
So much for Inspire Athlete Management values. Also dicks
I saw 5 eBikes on the trails (though for once, I think they were staying where legally allowed....when I was witnessing them) on my ride Sunday.
People aren't buying eBikes to commute on. Maybe a handful, but only a handful.
My bike commute is 3 miles of bike lane, then 12 miles of 50-55 MPH roads with a shoulder, half of which is virtually highway. I occasionally see one guy on a regular road bike on my way home. I occasionally see another guy on a regular road bike in the morning on my way to work. On very rare occasion a guy riding an eBike.
People are not buying eBikes for commuting/errands, they are for recreational use in America.
I am in SoCal where I can comfortably commute year round (which I do). Only days I don't ride to work are the days I drive to work and bring my MTB so I can hit the trails straight after work.
There is such a massive difference between a class 1 pedal assist bike and an E-moto and we bikers need to recognize this and acknowledge it rather than playing into their hands by also lumping anything with a motor into the same camp.
How many cases like this needs to happen before the companies rises up the security?
Haha, didn't some roadie produce over 1500 watts for an extended time recently?