Friday, November 27, 2009
Free Bike To Work Presentation, Thursday, Dec. 3
Beat 2010 Traffic. Bike To Work!
Getting around the city? It may end up being the toughest event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Metro Vancouver commuters are facing nearly two months of road closures and traffic challenges. But, there's one way to avoid the chaos. Consider biking to work. It's easier than you think and way more fun than fuming in traffic! Join MEC and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 7pm at the Vancouver store (130 West Broadway) for great advice on:
Getting Your bike Ready
The Best Gear for Winter Riding
Safe routes in the City
Riding in Traffic
Realistic Expectations
The one hour presentation will be followed by a short question and answer session.
Are you going to be stuck in traffic, jammed onto overcrowded transit, or enjoying the peaceful, healthy experience of biking to work? Get the information you need to make the best choice for your daily commute.
Getting around the city? It may end up being the toughest event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Metro Vancouver commuters are facing nearly two months of road closures and traffic challenges. But, there's one way to avoid the chaos. Consider biking to work. It's easier than you think and way more fun than fuming in traffic! Join MEC and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 7pm at the Vancouver store (130 West Broadway) for great advice on:
Getting Your bike Ready
The Best Gear for Winter Riding
Safe routes in the City
Riding in Traffic
Realistic Expectations
The one hour presentation will be followed by a short question and answer session.
Are you going to be stuck in traffic, jammed onto overcrowded transit, or enjoying the peaceful, healthy experience of biking to work? Get the information you need to make the best choice for your daily commute.
Labels: 2010 olympics, cycling, mountain equipment co-op, sustainable transportation
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Mountain Equipment Co-op Unveils New Bike Line-up
A big development in the Canadian bike industry. Will it be a game-changer? MEC began offering repairs and servicing earlier this year. Now they will begin selling their own line of bikes. Add a comment and tell us your thoughts. Official MEC release below.
Official Release from MEC
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Outdoor retailer brings MEC bikes to co-op members
MEC bikes defined by ‘quality, value and performance’
Vancouver – Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) today unveiled its inaugural line of bicycles, online at www.mec.ca/bikes. The move reflects the co-op’s ongoing efforts to respond to its members’ needs and signals another step by the outdoor retailer to encourage Canadians to make cycling an integral part of their lives.
“Bicycles have a timeless appeal that we believe MEC bikes will honour and reinforce,” said CEO David Labistour. “Quality, value and performance are hallmarks of MEC-brand products, and these same traits define MEC bikes. We are confident that our members will be very satisfied with MEC bikes.”
With eleven styles in four categories – mountain, road, specialty and urban – MEC-brand bikes will appeal to all manner of riders. Each style is available in a unisex frame; three are also available in frames that are specifically designed for women.
The MEC bike line consists of two hard-tail mountain bikes, three road bikes and five urban styles. A folding specialty bike rounds out the line, which will also see a kids’ bike introduced in early 2010.
MEC bikes were designed in-house by seasoned Canadian bicycle designer, MEC product manager Tim McDermott. The line has a strong urban focus that aims to provide bike commuters and other city cyclists with a great riding experience, ease of use and low maintenance.
“The MEC bike line is geared to what our customers want,” said McDermott. “A majority of MEC members stated a preference for urban bikes, and we worked hard to push the bounds of what urban bikes can be.”
The Shadowlands model illustrates the urban focus. Featuring a lightweight aluminum frame, 27 gear options and hydraulic disk brakes, the Shadowlands makes ascending and descending even steep city streets easy. The bold, bright finish and unique graphic illustrations sets it apart from other bikes.
MEC’s entry into bike sales and repairs is a logical extension of the outdoor retailer’s 38-year history of supporting its members’ pursuit of self-propelled outdoor recreation. It is also part of the co-op’s long-term goal to get more Canadians, and youth especially, active in outdoor recreation.
“Our objective is to see more Canadians riding bikes – any bikes – and we welcome opportunities to work with the cycling industry and community partners to make that happen,” said CEO Labistour.
MEC’s community grants program has provided more than $450,000 to date in support of cycling advocacy and infrastructure projects across Canada.
MEC bikes are presently being sold at select Mountain Equipment Co-op stores, in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Winnipeg as well as the co-op’s new Longueuil, QC store. MEC’s Burlington, ON and Montreal (Marche Central) stores will also be selling bikes, beginning in February 2010.
Each of these stores has a full-service repair shop staffed with at least one certified bike mechanic. The in-store bike shops and a rigorous cycling training program for MEC store employees are fundamental elements in supporting members’ purchases of MEC bikes.
MEC’s reputation for making products that last is evident in the quality parts that were chosen to complement name-brand components. MEC bikes are equipped with parts that should limit maintenance to only normal wear and tear.
Detailed product information – including a complete list of specifications, dynamic comparison charts and high-resolution images – for all MEC bikes is available at www.mec.ca/bikes.
About MEC
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is Canada’s leading retailer of outdoor clothing, gear and services for self-propelled activities like hiking, cycling and snowsports. Established in 1971, MEC operates 13 destination stores in central locations across Canada. MEC has more than 3 million members throughout Canada and around the world. Widely recognized for its commitment to sustainability, MEC is a member of One Percent for The Planet and supports various community-based outdoor and environmental initiatives through its grants program. Anyone can join MEC and become part-owner in the Co-op, by purchasing a $5 lifetime individual membership. Members are entitled to buy gear and to vote on how MEC is governed. More information about MEC is available at www.mec.ca.
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Labels: bicycle business, bike industry, canada, commuting, cycling industry, healthy bicycle market, mountain equipment co-op
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Canadian Retail Chain Raises Ire of Bike Trade Association
The following is my contribution to a larger article in Bike Europe -- regarding the Canadian cycling industry. Full article
Canadian Retail Chain Raises Ire of Bike Trade Association
Canadian outdoor equipment retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has decided to expand its product line-up by selling its own house brand line of bicycles and offering bike repairs and servicing (they currently only offer bike parts, accessories, and clothing). The move doesn’t sit well with the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada.
“What MEC engages in is a very predatory retail practice,” says Pete Lilly, the president of BTAC. “They’ve dominated and basically decimated the outdoor industry in Canada and I think the bike industry needs to be aware that with them coming into our sandbox, we risk going down the same path.” The co-operative, however, expects good things from this expansion of their role in the Canadian bike industry. “I think the question is how come it's taken so long for MEC to get into bikes,” remarks Tim Southam, the co-op's public affairs manager.
“That's the question I hear from people. They say, 'It's surprising you haven't done it till now.'” One of the chief criticisms levelled at MEC by other retailers, concerns their non-profit status. The organization was formed in 1971 to supply mountaineering and climbing gear to the outdoor enthusiasts who couldn’t get the gear they needed to tackle Canadian mountains.
The company has grown from this niche market to boast store sales of CAN$247.7 million in 2008 and 3 million members, selling a range of goods from canoes to clothing, with twelve stores across the country and online shopping. Despite its growth into a major retailer, it remains non-profit. This allows MEC to keep large cash reserves, due to Canadian tax laws, which give special status to co-operative businesses, in recognition of the difficulties they face in raising capital. Canadian financial columnist Don Cayo has been following the issue since he first raised questions about the tax benefits in a 2006 article. He thinks the move by MEC will drive some independent bike stores out of business.
"I personally would be astonished if it (MEC) grows the market enough to compensate for the market share it will take," says Cayo. MEC does draw enough customers to its stores that many bike shops acknowledge a location nearby the big retailer can be a blessing, however mixed. Paul Bogaert, owner of two Bike Doctor stores in Vancouver, British Columbia has been in the bike business for a couple of decades. Both his first bike shop, and current Vancouver store, need only look across the street to see one of MEC’s flagship locations.
"We don’t really drop our prices, so much as we avoid selling the same things," says Bogaert. "Now it's getting harder, as they start selling more and more bike products." But going national with a bike brand in Canada is no easy feat. Ed Luciano, another bike store owner (Mighty Riders) living in MEC’s shadow, notes that there’s no been shortage of attempts to go national in the past. “Essentially they’re starting a brand, but how many Sekines, how many BRCs (now-defunct Canadian bike brands) are there going to be, that only last seven or eight years? I would not want to be the person in charge of that program,” says Luciano. “That’s a lot of work.”
At stake are not only the dollars flowing from both traditional cycling customers, but also the growing market made up of Canadians choosing to incorporate bikes into their transportation options. The fact that MEC hasn’t until now offered complete bikes for sale, or specialized services such as repairs, has been a crucial niche for the independent bike shops. The new challenge for them will be to find another gap in the mountainous range of products in MEC’s line-up, and hope it’s wide enough for most to emerge on the other side.
Canadian Retail Chain Raises Ire of Bike Trade Association
Canadian outdoor equipment retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has decided to expand its product line-up by selling its own house brand line of bicycles and offering bike repairs and servicing (they currently only offer bike parts, accessories, and clothing). The move doesn’t sit well with the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada.
“What MEC engages in is a very predatory retail practice,” says Pete Lilly, the president of BTAC. “They’ve dominated and basically decimated the outdoor industry in Canada and I think the bike industry needs to be aware that with them coming into our sandbox, we risk going down the same path.” The co-operative, however, expects good things from this expansion of their role in the Canadian bike industry. “I think the question is how come it's taken so long for MEC to get into bikes,” remarks Tim Southam, the co-op's public affairs manager.
“That's the question I hear from people. They say, 'It's surprising you haven't done it till now.'” One of the chief criticisms levelled at MEC by other retailers, concerns their non-profit status. The organization was formed in 1971 to supply mountaineering and climbing gear to the outdoor enthusiasts who couldn’t get the gear they needed to tackle Canadian mountains.
The company has grown from this niche market to boast store sales of CAN$247.7 million in 2008 and 3 million members, selling a range of goods from canoes to clothing, with twelve stores across the country and online shopping. Despite its growth into a major retailer, it remains non-profit. This allows MEC to keep large cash reserves, due to Canadian tax laws, which give special status to co-operative businesses, in recognition of the difficulties they face in raising capital. Canadian financial columnist Don Cayo has been following the issue since he first raised questions about the tax benefits in a 2006 article. He thinks the move by MEC will drive some independent bike stores out of business.
"I personally would be astonished if it (MEC) grows the market enough to compensate for the market share it will take," says Cayo. MEC does draw enough customers to its stores that many bike shops acknowledge a location nearby the big retailer can be a blessing, however mixed. Paul Bogaert, owner of two Bike Doctor stores in Vancouver, British Columbia has been in the bike business for a couple of decades. Both his first bike shop, and current Vancouver store, need only look across the street to see one of MEC’s flagship locations.
"We don’t really drop our prices, so much as we avoid selling the same things," says Bogaert. "Now it's getting harder, as they start selling more and more bike products." But going national with a bike brand in Canada is no easy feat. Ed Luciano, another bike store owner (Mighty Riders) living in MEC’s shadow, notes that there’s no been shortage of attempts to go national in the past. “Essentially they’re starting a brand, but how many Sekines, how many BRCs (now-defunct Canadian bike brands) are there going to be, that only last seven or eight years? I would not want to be the person in charge of that program,” says Luciano. “That’s a lot of work.”
At stake are not only the dollars flowing from both traditional cycling customers, but also the growing market made up of Canadians choosing to incorporate bikes into their transportation options. The fact that MEC hasn’t until now offered complete bikes for sale, or specialized services such as repairs, has been a crucial niche for the independent bike shops. The new challenge for them will be to find another gap in the mountainous range of products in MEC’s line-up, and hope it’s wide enough for most to emerge on the other side.
Labels: bike doctor bike store, canada, don cayo, ed luciano, mighty riders, mountain equipment co-op, paul bogaert, state of canadian cycling industry, tim southam
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