DENVER, CO (BRAIN)—Bicycle Village has tapped Felt, Scott, Look, Cervélo and Gary Fisher to fill in the floor space opened up by the Colorado chain’s impending split with Specialized.
The five-store company with locations in and around Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder picked up the five new brands for 2010 as it phases out Specialized bikes. Specialized said in August that it would not renew its dealer agreement with Bicycle Village—its No.5 dealer in the country—following the 2010 model year.
The new brands are in addition to Bicycle Village ramping up selections with Trek, which was already the company’s primary supplier, said Jon Jeunette, who oversees the bicycle division for Specialty Sports Venture, Bicycle Village’s parent company.
Bikes from Scott, Look and Fisher are on the floor in all five stores, while Cervélo is sold only in Colorado Springs, a strong triathlon market. Felt is available at the three Denver area stores—Aurora, Littleton and Westminster—where Jeunette expects the brand’s women’s road bikes to sell well.
Jeaunette said Scott’s line of full suspension cross-country mountain bikes would be an important complement to dirt offerings from Trek and Fisher.
“Scott long-term is going to be a great brand for us,” Jeunette said.
Scott Montgomery, general manager and vice president of Scott USA, said Bicycle Village would also carry the brand’s CR1 and Speedster road bikes.
Montgomery said he’s pleased to be aligned with such a strong dealer in the competitive Colorado market.
“It’s great for our company. It’s another key step. The hardest part of my job is to get into Bicycle Retailer’s five star retailers because those guys tend to be big Trek and Specialized dealers. When there are already two strong brands, it’s harder for our very strong brand get in—they already have two wives who want 80 percent of their love,” Montgomery said.
Jeunette said Bicycle Village would reevaluate its product mix next spring after the agreement with Specialized formally ends.
“I’ve tried to be clear this is the building year and it makes it a little tougher on everybody when you have multiple brands. I think Trek’s going to be the big winner,” Jeunette said.
—Nicole Formosa
