Posted: Tue, October 23rd, 2018

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

Next week the clocks go back, and I notice I haven’t written anything since April, just after the clocks went forward. Outside my window the leaves are yellowing and falling off the trees, and it must be admitted that Summer is over.

Trade has been bouyant this summer, helped enormously by the good weather and the leap in interest in electrically assisted bikes which have finally taken off. For short journeys they are an ideal alternative to jumping in the car, and all the ones we sell have several levels of support so you can choose how much strenuosity (if that’s a word) you want to exert. Turn to “Turbo” for greater help with less effort, or to “Eco” for more human input and a longer battery life, with two or three intermediate levels as well.

Some changes have taken place – we are no longer dealers for Giant Bicycles. In the turbulent wider economy they have decided to concentrate on larger stores, and it’s widely supposed that they will also start to use a direct to consumer operation in due course to cut out the so called middle-man. Whether this is a wise move remains to be seen, but the rapid pace of change engendered by the growing digital economy means that nobody can stand still.

Giant are a high quality manufacturer, but have not been strong in utility electric bikes, so we have been little affected by their decision, and our concentration on the excellent Euro-roadster style Motus range from Raleigh has paid dividends.