Cycling is one of the best kept secrets…

by Bob Margevicius

Transportation

Recently at an event I was attending here in California, a very senior executive in the auto business said to me privately “Bicycles and cycling are the best kept secret in transportation” He went on to say how cost-efficient, convenient, and practical they are for use as transportation. Particularly highlighting the advent of the E-bike.

Sporting

While on the phone with a key leader from a major athletic shoe company, she told me “bicycles and cycling are the best kept secret in health and fitness” She said body injuries are low, no bad knees, ankles, or hips. Cycling is not abusive to your body and people can cycle forever.

Cities

At a local event in my community, our mayor said “bicycles and cycling are the best kept secret for local communities to save money on parking, traffic controls while resolving traffic congestion. She went on to say cycling is the solution to a better community.

Environment

In a recent BOD meeting for a local University, the dean of the school told me “Bicycles and cycling are the best kept secret for a clean and healthy environment. He later went on to say how clean and fresh the air quality was in the early stages of the quarantine period. He said it was a pleasure to ride everywhere.

Kids

During a recent school board meeting, the leader of the grade schoolteacher’s board said to me over tea “Bicycles and cycling are the best kept secret for teaching children”. She elaborated by saying bicycles help build motor skills, hand to eye coordination, relieve stress, and stimulate kids physically, mentally intellectually, and emotionally. “It’s a drug-free drug.”

 

All of us in the bicycle industry are humble, reserved, and silent on the magic of cycling. We guard these benefits like precious gems.

Well, the pandemic has become a spark, lighting the fire on bicycles and cycling. The world and governments around the world acknowledged cycling by designating bicycles and bicycle retail outlets as essential and “essential businesses”. There is a message in this…

They showcased as the perfect tool for transportation, congestion relief, clean air, sporting, fitness, and education.  So much so, that bicycle unit sales have escalated at a blistering 30%+ pace globally for the past 6 months the long-term outlook is for continued growth as everyone realizes the benefits of cycling.

This story today is to address several issues:

• Unifying and globally loudly professing all the benefits of cycling and bicycles
• Implementing initiatives to continue to excite and retain new cyclists
• Organize and create blueprints that encourage governments to invest in safe places to ride
• Collaborate to establish product safety regulations
• Building strong, responsive, and saleable supply chains
• Learn from each other

Unifying.

It’s time together to have the courage and commitment to share our passion and the real benefits of cycling to everyone. There are benefits for everyone to cycle. Let’s not be timid. With one voice, we can create great messages and champion cycling around the world.

It starts with a concerted effort to build a consortium, representing the entire industry. We will speak the same message in our native languages through endemic, non-endemic, and social media.

• Action item: Set up a global consortium engaging all the major global players in all countries to craft, develop and deliver a unified message about the benefits of cycling

Excite

We have experienced a surge of new cyclists over this pandemic. It’s time to reach out and engage them through incentives and another financial stimulus to keep them engaged. Some countries are providing tax incentives, repair allowances, purchase support, usage subsidies, and other innovative forms of governmental assistance. These best practice stimulus programs should be transparent to everyone in the industry and initiated simultaneously in countries around the world

• Action item: Provide transparency on all global incentive programs and work together to implement within each country

Safe Places to Ride

Safety remains one of the biggest barriers to cycling. With the advent of cell phones, distracted reckless drivers continue to fuel fear and anxiety to cyclists around the world. Together we can craft the characteristics and definition of safe places to ride and share this with each other for implementation within our communities and prefectures. It has been proven time and time again that people will ride more frequently and longer if they have safe places to ride.

• Action item: Identify countries, states, prefectures where there are safe places to ride and share the blueprint. Set goals and objectives within bike-friendly geographic regions to execute. Build out a long-term plan to convert even the most densely populated and underdeveloped areas. Make it a goal to have safe places to ride in 30% of the world’s populated areas by 2030.

Product Safety

Cycling use and bicycles are regulated by multiple governing organizations throughout the world. Each differs from country to country and prefecture to prefecture. As we move to a global economy, it is time to harmonize the product to optimize safety and maximize the cycling experience. Together we can develop global product safety standards allowing for harmonized configurations, backward and forward compatibility, and the utmost product integrity.

It is also time to encourage the use of safety equipment (lights, reflectors, etc.) as well as helmets and bright reflective cycling gear. We can make cycling safe by defining and complying with global safety and use standards.

• Action item: Together, globally harmonize regulatory safety standards. This includes both products and gear. It is time to be proactive in protecting the experience

Supply Chain

With the active cycling community sparked by the pandemic and initiatives, it is time to evaluate and invest in the necessary capacity and resources to service the global cycling needs. The pandemic is stressing the supply chain. Component input makers and assemblers are working 24/7 to service customer needs. Lead times are extending to up to 12+ months.

We are all leaving well-intended buyers with no choice other than finding another outdoor activity.

This pace and lost sales are not sustainable. We need to evaluate the capacity restraints and proactively encourage capital investments to grow capacity. Together we need to define new unit plateaus that are achievable, inspire confidence, and result in major long-term capacity building capital investments.

It is also critical to work together breaking down trade and regulatory barriers. We need to stimulate free, fair, and honest trade while providing a tariff-free environment by implementing non-discretionary trade practices to service global product needs.

• Action item: Immediately invest in a supply stress test for the business. Share the results with all the makers. Communicate the opportunity and define 5 ~ 10-year sales unit goals with confidence and commitment. Deliver this message and support supplier investments.
• Action Item: Be committed to fair and equitable trade practices
• Action Item: Get tough on counterfeit operations

Learn from Each other

We are in a new era of environmental concerns, global warming, sustainability, zero carbon emissions, and globalization. It is time to unite for a common cause. Cycling and bicycles. There is a bright future for the business through alignment and commitment. Let’s cooperate to build a better future for cycling.

• Action item. Get together on a regular basis to share updates and direction on these initiatives.

Let’s dedicate our efforts to these dreams and execute to make them happen.

As a good trade friend reminds me often “The bicycle industry is a sunrise business. Be happy you are not like many others that are experiencing the sunset with their industry.”

Oh, and…. about secrets…. “All the great secrets of the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight”

Thanks for reading.

Together we win.

Author note: this document represents my views and was provided to some Asian Industry organizations for their information and actions prior to being published on Outspokin’.

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