Editors note: the Fietsvak, like many trade shows, is where you can see a lot of great things and a lot of really silly things. This was the year Batavus was working hard to understand the US market and unveiled their USA-OK bike, which clearly designed for Republicans (a gun rack may have made it more appealing). A lesson in market research: don't try to enter markets using stereotypes, especially if your target demographic is attempting to resist such stereotypes. 

-February 2016

Lucky us!! We got the chance to see a bike show in Holland. Bike shows in Canada are, for the most part, geared towards sport. Mountain bikes and racing bikes galore! And while I do love that kind of thing it's time for something new. And boy did I get it!

Fietsvak is one of the many bike shows held in the Netherlands and around Europe to showcase new arrivals before the season hits. It also allows for us to get down to serious business. The show was huge! There were so many booths, many dedicated simply to chain cases or skirt guards. The bike companies were showing their city and upright leisure bikes, while their mountain bike lines were off to the side. This is not to say that Europe has no sport cycling industry, we all know that it does (Tour de France etc...) but they are quick to realize that most of us aren't racing and would rather see products suited to our needs. This is what we saw:

I LOVE MY DELIVERY BIKE!

Look at this booth! They focus on every detail. This bike show isn't even THE big show of the year but they still go all out.

True Patriot Love! How did they find those tires?!?!?!

I want more of this!!

This show blew any North American bike show out of the water. The ingenuity and accessibility of the product allowed for a broader group of consumers that we're not used to in NA. It was an exciting show and it got me pumped to come back to our own shop and share the knowledge.

Stay tuned!