SALT LAKE CITY (BRAIN) — Anyone looking for a hotel room or a car to rent in this capitol city on the flank of the Wasatch Range can forget about it.
Upwards of 23,000 outdoor retailers, exhibitor staff, sales reps and assorted news media, friends and family are here for Wednesday's opening of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. And as Summer Market opens, racers started stage 3 of the Tour of Utah leaving Lehi, Utah, on a 118-mile course to Toole with a modest day of elevation gain — 4,000 feet. That could rank as a rest day compared to Tuesday's 131-mile race with four categorized climbs and more than 10,000 feet of climbing.
While the Tour of Utah may be an added inducement for some to come to Utah this week, many of the exhibitors setting up in the Salt Palace have included a touch of cycling culture in their booths. Outdoor retailers are seeing more evidence of cycling's broader reach than ever before at this show.
And that could up the pressure on traditional IBDs. For example, Seattle Sports, perhaps best known for manufacturing dry bags, paddling and camping gear, has ratcheted up its bicycle accessories with an extensive line—some of it new—with panniers and packs, bike lights, cell phone accessories and simple bike trailers to haul kayaks, surfboards, SUPs and assorted gear.
Sugoi, owned by Dorel, again has a booth on the floor with its extensive line of cycling wear, and Xtracycle, an Oakland, California, company, best known for its cargo bikes and family approach to cycling has a tent set up in front of the Salt Palace with bikes available for show attendees.
To get a sense of how outdoor retailers are paying more attention to the bicycle market, stop and chat for a few moments with staff at three major rack companies—Thule, Yakima and Inno. As crossover companies with racks for a range of sports activities, executives often have a broader view of trends in the market.
For the three suppliers, while Outdoor Retailer is important for racks of all types like ski, surf and SUPs, it's the cycling category that does exceptionally well at this cornucopia of outdoor gear.
Thule is using bikes from Cannondale and Dorel's UK company, Charge, to display an array of new products ranging from panniers and racks to sports strollers easily converted into bicycle trailers plus a new child carrier for bikes.
"It just reinforces what we do," said Karl Weidemann, Thule's communication and sponsorship manager. "And besides, we like bikes," he added.
Outdoor retailers are seeing more evidence of cycling's broader reach than ever before at this show.
(As an aside, Thule is entering the backpacking/ski touring market in a big way with a full line of packs—a market where it will compete against major brands like Osprey, Kelty, Black Diamond, Deuter, Marmot and others.)
But Weidemann said most outdoor retailers are carrying some type of bicycle rack and that interest among outdoor retailers appears to be growing, especially as the urban commuting and casual cycling trend continues to build.
Joel Grabenstein, Yakima's brand director, said OR is also a great time to meet with buyers from major multi-sport retailers like EMS, REI, Dick's and others.
And Yakima's booth is a snapshot of bicycle retailing with bikes ranging from Niner and Bianchi to Scott and Linus strapped to its line of roof and hitch-mount racks. Yakima also has redesigned its packaging and now has an on-the wall display that makes it much easier for dealers and consumers to pick the correct parts for their new racks.
"It's a big step forward for us," Grabenstein said, noting that IBDs will see it at Interbike as well.
And look for more trays as part of Yakima's hitch mount line—wider trays for fat bikes—a growth category for the company, Grabenstein predicted.
Much the same is true at Inno, the Japanese rack company that continues to build its presence in the outdoor and bicycle industry.
Keith Dedios, Inno's marketing manager, paused for a few minutes while setting up the company's booth to chat about the market.
"It's a very important part of our development," he said, noting that many outdoor retailers want to see what's available in its line of cycling racks.
