Industry Digest: Patent Infringements, More Peloton 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.
Peloton has eliminated another 500 employees globally, in what the company's CEO termed "the final phase of the company's transformation journey."
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Wahoo Fitness is suing Zwift and JetBlack for allegedly infringing on three Wahoo patents related to its stationary trainers.
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PeopleForBikes is urging land managers to allow the use of Class 1 e-bikes — but no other e-bikes — on all non-motorized, natural surface trails (including singletrack mountain biking trails) where traditional bicycles are allowed. The recommendation, if adopted by land managers, would ban unclassified e-bikes, higher powered Class 3 and throttle-controlled Class 2 bikes from the trails.
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C+A Global acquired Saris Cycling Group at a bankruptcy auction and will rename the brand Saris Equipment.
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As Sweden-based Thule Group's executives are warning investors of a sharp decline in sales and earnings due to a softening bike sector, the company's Americas division is making organizational changes that include 34 staff cuts in management, product development, and manufacturing.
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MIPS reported third-quarter net sales decreased 39% year-over-year, citing reduced demand for bike helmets in its Sport category.
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The Pro's Closet laid off 15% of its workforce last week, the certified used bike and component retailer confirmed to BRAIN on Monday.
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PeopleForBikes announced at the SHIFT '22 conference on Tuesday the completion of its first Sustainable Packaging Guidebook that will be available to the industry at the end of the year.
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The industry's first U.S. e-bike battery recycling program nears a notable milestone seven months after it was established.
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Shimano said “strong interest” by consumers in bicycles shows signs of cooling down, but demand is still higher than it was prior to COVID-19.
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Longtime SRAM marketing chief David Zimberoff will soon leave the company to focus on a transportation research project for World Bicycle Relief, a nonprofit launched by SRAM's co-founders in 2005 and supported by the company and others.
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Garmin Ltd. revenue decreased 4% year-over-year, with the Fitness segment experiencing an 18% decline.
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Thule Group net sales fell 23% year-over-year as global demand for bike products waned because of high inventory levels.
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In latest round of layoffs, Peloton lets go another 500 global employees
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsPeloton has eliminated another 500 employees globally, in what the company's CEO termed "the final phase of the company's transformation journey."
CEO and President Barry McCarthy said he misspoke in a Wall Street Journal article that suggested he planned to sell the company if it did not turn around in the next 6 months.
McCarthy said, "I joined Peloton for the comeback story, not to sell the business. And today the business is fundamentally more sound than ever and on the right path, so to be clear, there is no time clock nipping at our heels. If my comments to the WSJ suggested otherwise, then I misspoke, as that is simply not true.
McCarthy said, "I joined Peloton for the comeback story, not to sell the business. And today the business is fundamentally more sound than ever and on the right path, so to be clear, there is no time clock nipping at our heels. If my comments to the WSJ suggested otherwise, then I misspoke, as that is simply not true.
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Wahoo sues Zwift and JetBlack on patent infringement claims
By: Steve Frothingham // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsWahoo Fitness is suing Zwift and JetBlack for allegedly infringing on three Wahoo patents related to its stationary trainers.
JetBlack Cycling Pty Ltd, based in Australia, manufactures the Hub trainer that Zwift recently introduced. JetBlack also markets a nearly identical model, the Volt, under its own name for the same price. The Volt has been available for several years.
In separate complaints filed on Oct. 3 against each company in the U.S District Court in Delaware, Wahoo charges that the JetBlack Volt and Zwift Hub are “identical, in all material respects, to the KICKR CORE, one of Wahoo’s innovative bicycle trainers. By copying the KICKR CORE, JetBlack has infringed three of Wahoo’s patents.”
In separate complaints filed on Oct. 3 against each company in the U.S District Court in Delaware, Wahoo charges that the JetBlack Volt and Zwift Hub are “identical, in all material respects, to the KICKR CORE, one of Wahoo’s innovative bicycle trainers. By copying the KICKR CORE, JetBlack has infringed three of Wahoo’s patents.”
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PeopleForBikes recommends Class 1 e-bikes for mountain bike trails
By: Ray Keener // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsPeopleForBikes is urging land managers to allow the use of Class 1 e-bikes — but no other e-bikes — on all non-motorized, natural surface trails (including singletrack mountain biking trails) where traditional bicycles are allowed. The recommendation, if adopted by land managers, would ban unclassified e-bikes, higher powered Class 3 and throttle-controlled Class 2 bikes from the trails.
In what was billed as a major policy statement, the organization released the new recommendation at its inaugural eMTB Summit, held Sept. 14-15 at Palisades Tahoe Resort.
While lines are blurring, the speciality retail channel and its suppliers tend to favor Class 1 bikes, while Class 2 and 3 are more prevalent in the consumer-direct channel. Both Class 1 and 2 cut off motor assistance at 20 mph, but Class 2 allows riders to use the motor while coasting.
While lines are blurring, the speciality retail channel and its suppliers tend to favor Class 1 bikes, while Class 2 and 3 are more prevalent in the consumer-direct channel. Both Class 1 and 2 cut off motor assistance at 20 mph, but Class 2 allows riders to use the motor while coasting.
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Saris Cycling Group acquired by C+A Global at bankruptcy auction
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsC+A Global acquired Saris Cycling Group at a bankruptcy auction and will rename the brand Saris Equipment.
Based in Edison, New Jersey, C+A Global is a worldwide manufacturer and online retailer of consumer products and electronics. Saris is a longtime manufacturer of bike racks, trainers, storage racks and public bike systems and infrastructure.
According to a news release, "by leveraging its impressive manufacturing and sales background, C+A Global plans to breathe new life into the Wisconsin-based brand, starting with updating product lines."
According to a news release, "by leveraging its impressive manufacturing and sales background, C+A Global plans to breathe new life into the Wisconsin-based brand, starting with updating product lines."
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Thule makes 34 staff cuts in US
By: Steve Frothingham // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsAs Sweden-based Thule Group's executives are warning investors of a sharp decline in sales and earnings due to a softening bike sector, the company's Americas division is making organizational changes that include 34 staff cuts in management, product development, and manufacturing.
Last week the company made a second mid-quarter trading update about its third-quarter financials, which will be announced Oct. 27. Group CEO and president Magnus Welander said sales for the third quarter will be down 25% while operating income will decline about 72%. Welander said the hard times were due to excessive inventory in the bike retail sector that are hampering sales of Thule products into bike shops.
Hilary Hartley, the president of Thule Group's Region America division, said three separate organizational changes led to cutting 34 staff from the 450 employees in the region.
Hilary Hartley, the president of Thule Group's Region America division, said three separate organizational changes led to cutting 34 staff from the 450 employees in the region.
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Led by declining bike helmet demand, MIPS' Q3 net sales down 39%
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsMIPS reported third-quarter net sales decreased 39% year-over-year, citing reduced demand for bike helmets in its Sport category.
Net sales for the quarter were SEK 113 million ($9.9 million), compared with SEK 185 million at the same time last year. MIPS president and CEO Max Strandwitz said he expects this to be a short-term trend but could continue for the rest of the year and into the first part of 2023.
"Bike retailers around the world have generally built up too high inventory levels of bikes and bike accessories and therefore helmet manufacturers pulled the hand brake in terms of helmet manufacturing ahead of next season," Strandwitz said.
"Bike retailers around the world have generally built up too high inventory levels of bikes and bike accessories and therefore helmet manufacturers pulled the hand brake in terms of helmet manufacturing ahead of next season," Strandwitz said.
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The Pro's Closet cuts workforce 15%, citing 'economic headwinds'
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsThe Pro's Closet laid off 15% of its workforce last week, the certified used bike and component retailer confirmed to BRAIN on Monday.
"As reported in mainstream and industry press, the economy and cycling industry have faced macroeconomic headwinds, and as a result, TPC made the difficult decision to rightsize our workforce," said CEO John Levisay in a statement to BRAIN. "We continue to stay optimistic for the future and have seen year-over-year growth. These cuts, while extremely difficult, enable TPC to remain nimble and competitive while building a strong foundation for continued success."
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PeopleForBikes completes sustainable packaging resource
By: Dean Yobbi // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsPeopleForBikes announced at the SHIFT '22 conference on Tuesday the completion of its first Sustainable Packaging Guidebook that will be available to the industry at the end of the year.
The Sustainability Working Group has been developing the online resource since the beginning of the year, and recent contributions pushed back the release date. An overview and preview will be at PeopleForBikes.org soon.
"It's really going to be awesome and a great resource for the industry," said Ashley Seaward, PeopleForBikes deputy director of state and local policy, in between sustainability workshop sessions on Wednesday. "We received additional contributions of content and additional examples of types of alternatives folks can use for packaging within the guidelines of commonly asked questions from packaging experts who are in this space."
"It's really going to be awesome and a great resource for the industry," said Ashley Seaward, PeopleForBikes deputy director of state and local policy, in between sustainability workshop sessions on Wednesday. "We received additional contributions of content and additional examples of types of alternatives folks can use for packaging within the guidelines of commonly asked questions from packaging experts who are in this space."
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Industry's e-bike battery recycling program now has nearly 1,500 collection sites
By: Dean Yobbi // Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsThe industry's first U.S. e-bike battery recycling program nears a notable milestone seven months after it was established.
The program with nonprofit collection and recycling company Call2Recycle and endorsed by PeopleForBikes now has nearly 1,500 trained collection sites since beginning March 1. From the 1,490 sites, 2,379 individual e-bike batteries — 15,365 pounds — have been collected and recycled as of Wednesday.
Troy Jones, Specialized Bicycles' social and environmental responsibility manager, attended the SHIFT '22 three-day conference here that wrapped up Thursday and noted the program's accomplishments to Wednesday's participants.
Troy Jones, Specialized Bicycles' social and environmental responsibility manager, attended the SHIFT '22 three-day conference here that wrapped up Thursday and noted the program's accomplishments to Wednesday's participants.
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Shimano says bike demand is above pre-pandemic levels
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsShimano said “strong interest” by consumers in bicycles shows signs of cooling down, but demand is still higher than it was prior to COVID-19.
In its third fiscal quarter financial summary, the component giant said market inventories are low for high-end bikes, although demand for those bikes is high. It said demand for lower priced bikes has cooled, and didn’t remark on inventory levels for those bikes.
Shimano noted that in Europe there are shortages of some high-end bikes and e-bikes, but otherwise inventory levels were approaching appropriate levels.
Shimano noted that in Europe there are shortages of some high-end bikes and e-bikes, but otherwise inventory levels were approaching appropriate levels.
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David Zimberoff will leave SRAM to work on World Bicycle Relief project
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsLongtime SRAM marketing chief David Zimberoff will soon leave the company to focus on a transportation research project for World Bicycle Relief, a nonprofit launched by SRAM's co-founders in 2005 and supported by the company and others.
Zimberoff, currently SRAM's vice president of marketing, was an industrial designer at a Chicago-based firm where he first met the founders of SRAM in 1993, helping them to design the first ESP rear derailleur. After founding SRAM’s in-house industrial design department in March 1995, he moved to Germany when SRAM acquired Sachs to set up a mirror ID group at SRAM’s Schweinfurt facility.
He returned to the U.S. and took the helm of the marketing department in 1999.
He returned to the U.S. and took the helm of the marketing department in 1999.
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Garmin Q3 revenue down 4% year-over-year
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsGarmin Ltd. revenue decreased 4% year-over-year, with the Fitness segment experiencing an 18% decline.
Revenue for the quarter ending Sept. 24 was $1.14 billion, compared with $1.19 billion at the same time last year. Fitness revenue — including GPS head units and accessories, power meter pedals, and Tacx stationary trainers — was $280 million, compared with $342 million in the third quarter last year.
Garmin said the Fitness decrease was driven by lower demand for indoor cycling and advanced wellness products.
Garmin said the Fitness decrease was driven by lower demand for indoor cycling and advanced wellness products.
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Declining bike product demand leads to Thule Q3 net sales decline
By: Bicycle Retailer and Industry NewsThule Group net sales fell 23% year-over-year as global demand for bike products waned because of high inventory levels.
Net sales for the quarter were SEK 2.13 million ($196.3 million), in line with what CEO and President Magnus Welander predicted in his mid-quarter financial statement to investors. At the same time last year, net sales were SEK 2.77 million.
Factoring in currency adjustment, sales declined 29%. Operating profit, which Welander also predicted would drop, fell 71% year-over-year to SEK 193 million.
Thule's Americas division laid off 34 employees from management, product development, and manufacturing earlier this month
Factoring in currency adjustment, sales declined 29%. Operating profit, which Welander also predicted would drop, fell 71% year-over-year to SEK 193 million.
Thule's Americas division laid off 34 employees from management, product development, and manufacturing earlier this month
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But surons, throttle & high powered ebikes etc can GTFO.
Since the motorcycle industry got banned from the forests, they can rebrand themselves as mountain bike advocates and get right back on the woods.
The same woods where they (we...cause I was one of them as a kid) can go right up the gullies and ridges when all these never ending flow trails get boring as FOKK!!!
Only took 30 years for them to get back in the woods. And we though Specialized was sponsoring moto guys for "fitness" reasons.
No pedals, throttle, but still a bicycle.
Either way, regardless all these classes my point was that it is gliding scale and it is getting harder and harder to tell one class from the other (including unassisted bikes). I do however think that a class 2 or 3 e-bike will not look like an unassisted bike (at least in the foreseeable future). So what they could for instance do is to allow those class 1 bikes, but require them to carry a proof (certificate, pass, whatever) that it is indeed a certified class 1 bike. So that if a bike looks particularly bulky (like the first ones did) they can indeed be stopped by a ranger and they can prove that it is indeed a class 1 e-bike. In which case indeed implies that if you bring your class 1 e-bike to the trails, you accept that you may occasionally be stopped by a ranger asking for your certificate. If you want to improve your strava times, just bring an unassisted bike and you can ride on.
It's a reality that the faster these bikes are becoming the more like actual motor bikes they really are.
And that brings the debate to another point. These able body Ebikers are going to ruin it for the SUPPOSED intended users, disabled an elderly... Remember that marketing bullshit
Forests and trails systems, (unless they are some crappy local city park that's basically 10 acres of crappy ditch no one wanted to sell as "prime real estate" aren't places to strap electric motors on senior citizens or people with the inability to remove themselves from the wilderness without that motor.
If you cannot pedal a 51 tooth rear cog with a 30 tooth front cog on a BICYCLE and maintain an upright position on SINGLETRACK, you should not be on a bicycle. It's a balance toy. Just because something you have physically keeps you from balancing a toy doesn't give you the right to strap on Artificial Intelligence, Tesla batteries, 3 wheeled go-carts or motor actuated pedal carts to get on that singletrack.
You cannot apply Disabilities laws to rugged and/or scenic places.
Disability laws are intended to get people access to things that keep them from dying...food, water, a job or to pay their utilities. Not to scoot me up to the top of a descent in a National Forest on a 3 wheeled go-cart so I can keep rallying with the bros.
Pinkbike ad revenue went through the roof over the guy who left out the part of the story where he rode the rear wheel of a wife of a couple in a local park on a 3 wheeled go-cart two laps, passed them twice aggressively without announcing, introducing or requesting to pass. They leave the loop to get away from him. He winds up behind them on another loop and gets on the wife's butt on a steep, single lane climb and stays right on her, says nothing and when she tells her husband he's there again, they get off to the side and the husband tries to find out what's going on, gets video-ed, the fitness guru and medal winning hand cyclist on a 3 wheel go-cart refuses to have discourse, rips away from them and they get death threats, harrassment and have to change their whole lives.
Not much good coming out of the technology evolution right now with eebs.
To be fair, I have had some bad interactions with three wheeled bikers. One was ripping down a trail and got pissed that I wasn't able to yield on a corner when I was climbing. People with disabilities should be able to access trail systems though... that's where I disagree.
One of the major selling points in the early debates around ebikes an access was just this. The bikes being intended for Elderly an disabled...... Most of us smelled that marketing bullshit a maile away.
@blowmyfuse : Yes I do largely agree with what you say. The strength to ride a mountainbike isn't just the strength to spin the pedals. It is also to pull it back in check when it skips over a rock or root, to control a skid or when the bike tends to tip over, and when you crash to actually absorb that. All of them get harder when the bike gets heavier and speeds become higher. It is the opposite of what you'd encourage a weak, disabled or older person to try. Yes, people should be able to enjoy the outdoors. But that doesn't imply everyone should be able to enjoy the outdoors at a steady 25km/h and no one will be able to go everywhere. We don't need a service to lift elderly up the Mt Everest because that's the outdoors too. I never helped my kids climb up to the top of the jungle gym. If you can't climb that high, you're definitely not ready to try and climb back down. If you can't climb your bike up the hill unassisted, you're not ready to roll back down safely and properly. Ride some lower trails and the tight corners between the trees will still give you that sense of speed. But you'll come off better when you hit a tree at 20km/h than double that speed.
You'd have better luck stopping a court storming in college basketball with a single Chris Farley look alike in a yellow vest.
Plus, fishermen aren't out fishing with live bait that looks exactly like a dry lure. I can't think of a analogy for hunting unless it were hunting with a silencer in June?
In our area, I've noticed that anywhere a NO E-Bikes sticker is put on a trail sign or intersection, it gets scratched out immediately. One pair of signs even got completely ripped out of the ground within a week of a No Ebikes sticker being put on them.
Really is an impossible task to hand out fines for e-mopeds. Banning is the only way to ensure any longevity of access to riders on shared trail in the future. And the "it's not a big deal in Europe" argument I NEVER want to hear. I've never looked over the ocean and said I'd like for North America to be more like them in anything other than their access to the Portes du Soleil.
Also seen essentially a set of 3-4 steps built through a fence where you have to walk up the steps on one side of the fence, cross then back down. Almost as if you built the fence down the center of a picnic table.
My personal favorite would be rubber bullets and confiscation of their $10k moped.
www.pinterest.com/pin/56365432828085593
How does ticketing people who are poaching trails lead to more user conflicts?
"How does ticketing people who are poaching trails lead to more user conflicts?"
Ever notice how hikers or horseback riders have a sense of entitlement/self-righteous indignation on trails they "belong" on and MTBer's "don't"? Same thing.
But yeah man, I feel entitled to be able to hike my dogs without e bikers speeding up hills they're not allowed on.
How many Park Rangers do you think only want to work a few hours a week just to write those tickets? Probably very few. Though it would cost a lot of money to hire and train those Rangers just to work a few hours. Or we take Rangers away from their other duties, which means something else gets missed. Or, we hire more Rangers to fill the gap, which again will be another full time government employee.
Enforcement is expensive. I am okay with paying for it, but I am not sure how much of a hypocrite it makes me.
@juansolo57: If I am running or riding my horse on a trail that is closed to MTB, I would be pretty upset too.
Plot twist: I take my MTB riding pretty seriously, but I am also an ultra runner and own a horse. If I see a horse on an MTB only trail, I will be pretty pissed. If I see an MTB on a non MTB trail, I will also be pissed.
I don't like eBikes, but I ignore them when they are on eBike legal trails.
But again, that goes back to "Can't catch 'em". They're silent. They've got "Boost" buttons. An enforcement officer in a work truck can't chase them up a honey comb of single track trails or spot them coming out anywhere. They just blend in like some V for Vendetta scene.
Why would it be necessary to rebuild large sections of trail?
I actually enjoy really narrow, hiker style technical trail, but everything is being re-shapen to where if you don't even have to get off a bike to climb anything. You can ride anything and everything. As a hiker and biker, it sucks to hike the "trails" now. Most everything is "tracks".
*vomit*
The conference room full of online MBA's thought that was really clever.
What would be the right way to say it? "We laid off people due to a lull in demand for our product." I'm sure that would piss people off, too.
I'm sure companies would prefer not to lay people off, but if the demand isn't there do you run the ship into the ground paying everyone to hang out? Do you offer to cut everyone's salary so that you don't have to lay anyone off? These are not easy decisions.
Think they'd go for it?!
I do see the out-sized salaries as a problem, but the fix for that at the corporate level is not easy. A family-run business could do that.
PFB, absorbed BPSA (Bicycle Products Suppliers Association) and all of its functions a few years back. In my mind, the name "People For Bikes" is a bit of a misnomer.
I would’ve thought it was because 1up racks are now back to full inventory.
Back in their early days TPC (when they were by the BusStop) they were awesome. Now they've turned into corporate greed. They have to be sitting on 10-20 million dollars in inventory
The email they sent said this:
"This offer we extended is not the actual resale value of your bike. Rather, it is what we are able to offer for it at this time after accounting for shipping, servicing, detailing, listing, storing, and selling your [BIKE/WHEEL]. Our offers are directly correlated to current market conditions, existing inventory volume, and numerous product-specific factors that inherently fluctuate. There’s no specific blueprint to capture the most value for your gear; however, we aim to make the best offer possible within the given parameters at that time."
The "DETAILING" part got me, so many bikes and frames they have up for sale are filthy!
Whoever down voted me has baby legs and cases every jump.
Now if Zwift was laying people off, that's related.
Had no issues with Jet-black when it was priced similarly but now its much cheaper......
The Zwift hub effectively makes any other wheel off trainer a rip off (aside from for racing in which a slightly more accurate one is needed).
I also own a Wahoo trainer. Great product but massively over priced.
They've had 5 years to cash in on it. I work in product development and we're stoked if we can get 3 years lol
Anyways, that's not how IP law works... which is why Zwift is getting sued.
Wahoo could give two sh##s about IP Law hence the non excitant lawsuit against JetBlack who also makes "the same" trainer branded under their name but at the same price as Wahoo. Wahoo is merely butt hurt at the price Zwift if offering the product at. Its not that hard to see through the BS.
As for the lawsuit, I find it hard to believe that Zwift and their legal team didn't do their research prior to releasing the product... In todays world you can slap a lawsuit on someone for looking at you funny so I feel like this accusation from Wahoo may fizzle out once more information surfaces.
All in all can we just be stoked for a cheaper trainer
I got hit by a car going effing 50mph and my road biking MIPS helmet saved my life. I'll never ride without it again
A regular helmet saved my life when I went down straight to the dome at 30mph. I'll never ride without it again.
I Mips might be declining in proportion to other systems entering the market place
I had (still have a year later) concussion symptoms, and I saw a specialist whos a brain-injury doctor for the NFL. Not only is he a mountain biker himself, hes very bullish on MIPS for cycling. He also happens to think its not useful for football, so hes not just a band-wagoner. Ultimately there are so many variables that its impossible to say for sure, but I'm confident in them. And for only a $30 premium, man, take it from me, your brain health so much more important than we think.
All helmets sold meet minimum safety standards. This does not mean that all helmets sold are equally safe.
Virginia Tech does independent helmet testing if you are in interested in looking at the wide distribution of helmets safety ratings.
www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
You may notice that most of the highest ranked helmets have mips. And not having mips often results in lower rankings.
But any helmet is better than none in a crash. Be safe out there.
But I think all my current MTB helmets have it, and one of my road and maybe my XC helmet? So, hard to escape it now.
Pros closet, biggest rip off by far trade in value and no just stuck with all that inventory
Riiiiiggghhhhttttt.
I've looked at the Pro's closet a number of times when I've been in the market and have found no compelling reason to use their services. Not saying they aren't a good company as I don't have any experience with them to say one way or the other, just an observation of economics here.
Playing a melancholic song on the worlds tiniest violin.
I bought a like-new evil insurgent LB from them in fall 2019 for $3400. X01 build, Lyrik RC3/monarch RC3, e13 alloy wheels. I think back then retail price was like $5999 or something?
I upgraded last fall and couldn't even sell my bike in real life for $3000 (even with upgrades). I put some shit parts on it and sold it to TPC for $2500. The fact that they think they could sell it at $4249 is ludicrous. And sure enough one year later it is still up there.
www.theproscloset.com/products/evil-insurgent-lb-xl
TPC said and I quote "we have too much inventory now but can offer you $2500-$2700 in 3 months or so". I looked at their site and they had a powerfly in stock just like ours and had it listed for over 5 grand.
I understand they need to make money too, but they need to get a reality check with their pricing structure.