LAS VEGAS, NV (BRAIN)—Civia Cycles unveiled its second line of transportation-oriented bikes, dubbed the Loring, at Interbike on Wednesday. The Loring is aimed at people who are looking to ride three- to five-mile distances for errands like grabbing a cup of coffee, perusing the local farmer’s market or picking up groceries.
“Everything that was out there for that type of bike was either completely design oriented and not necessarily functional and super heavy, or on the other hand was functional, but lacking in fashion. We wanted to have the level of functionality, but also style,” said PJ Ramstack, sales and customer service manager for Civia.
The Loring comes in two different builds, one uses SRAM’s i-Motion 3-speed internal gear hub (retail $1,380) and the other uses the 9-speed internal hub (retail $1,610). It has a 26-inch wheelbase that can accommodate up to a 2-inch tire, mechanical disc brakes, bamboo fenders, Brooks saddle, a rear rack and a front rack designed to hold two grocery bikes. The large frame with 3-speed hub weighs about 38 pounds.
Ramstack hopes the Loring helps people realize that Civia is not necessarily synonymous with the Hyland, the high-end commuter model the branch launched with last year.
“I think by introducing the Loring we’re really going to start putting into people’s minds that we’re more than one bike, we’re about bicycle transportation. This time next year we’ll have a third model. It’s really just building that brand recognition,” he said.
Civia also added a lower spec’d model to the Hyland line-up for 2009 in addition to the Alfine 8-speed build and the Rohloff 14-speed model.
The SRAM i-Motion offers a 3-speed internal gear hub, a steel fork instead of carbon and Truvativ components instead of Thomson. It retails for $1,550 compared with the Alfine’s $2,050 and the Rohloff’s $3,300.
Civia also launched a new online social networking Website for commuters called Greenlight. Register at www.greenlightride.com.
—Nicole Formosa
