CLOPPENBURG, Germany (BRAIN) Thursday August 2 2012 8:25 AM MT—Derby Cycle opens its doors to 5,000 retailers and guests from around the world Thursday as it kicks off its annual house show at its headquarters in the northern German town of Cloppenburg.
This year, Derby Cycle doubled the floor space for the event, which sprawls over a massive warehouse adjacent to Derby’s factory and a second building on its property.
Between Thursday and next Tuesday, invited retailers will see the entire 2013 range from Focus, Kalkhoff, Univega and Raleigh (only for the German speaking countries, bikes Derby designs and develops as a license holder for the brand). There are also large chunks of show floor devoted to Gazelle and Cervélo, brands that now fall under the Pon Bicycle Group along with Derby Cycle.
It is the 10th year for Derby’s event, called Bike Expo, which is the most important ordering show for the season, said Mathias Seidler, CEO of Derby Cycle.
“(Retailers) take this as a chance to reduce the workload at the main show, be it ISPO Bike or be it Eurobike. The more they can do over here in a relaxed mood the lower is the workload they have to take care of in the two or three days they have at Eurobike or ISPO Bike,” Seidler said. Derby also exhibits at both ISPO Bike in Munich and Eurobike in Southern Germany.
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The Kalkhoff set up. -
The hardtail carbon fiber Raven 650B is Focus’ first bike in the wheel size. -
Cervélo and Gazelle, now sister brands to Derby Cycle will also exhibit at Bike Expo -
New Raleigh Dundee commuter e-bike -
Some e-bikes use Derby’s proprietary Xion rear hub -
The Raleigh show floor. -
The Raleigh women’s Skyline city bike -
Derby’s Bike Expo started Thursday.
Highlights for Focus include its first hardtail 650B carbon fiber mountain bike in the Raven line, spec’d with Shimano XT and a 100-millimeter RockShox Revelation fork; three new models of the Raven carbon fiber 29er; an alloy, Shimano XT full suspension 29er; the Planet Carbon commuter bike with disc brakes, flat bars, SRAM Apex and Continental Urban tires.
Along with scoping out new bikes, retailers will also tour the vast factory, where most of Derby’s bikes are painted and assembled, and network with other dealers, opportunities that aren’t available at traditional tradeshows.
“For us it’s far more important to create an environment and a mood in here that we are working as a community. We are doing a lot of complementary leisure activities around this weekend so people who are coming here definitely know they are visiting a supplier and there is business involved, but we are trying to also give them the notion that it’s a combination of a business and leisure weekend,” Seidler said.
Derby’s Bike Expo ends Aug. 7.
