The bicycle industry has seen an exponential demand, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. With an increase in commodity prices and new players entering the industry, every manufacturer has to be as efficient as possible to make its bicycle stand out in the market. We talk to Scott Sports India on making its place in the Indian market, the impact of the pandemic and investing in its customers. 

The increase in the purchasing power of consumers in developing nations like India, Mexico and Malaysia is anticipated to be the utmost driver for the bicycle market in the years to come. Also, according to a recent study, the global bicycles market is expected to reach USD 78 billion by 2026, especially with so many bicycle players making their way into the market.

One such company is Scott Sports, a Swiss producer of bicycles, winter equipment, motorsports gear and sportswear, which has also made its place in India. Working towards the development, manufacturing, sales and marketing of high-end performance products intended for biking, the company’s agenda is to get more and more people out on bicycles, cycling outdoors. When the company started off in India, a large part of its customers was, in fact, people from the IT sector. These people had travelled across the world on projects, realising that there is a lifestyle that one can have and that there are bikes that one can buy which actually cater to this lifestyle, giving one a better riding experience. However, as time has gone by, the company has had customers right from a 12- or 13-year-old kid to an 85-year-old gentleman, ever since it started its journey in India in 2012. It currently has about 110 outlets and with the Avanti Giro FM1 brand coming in, it is planning to add another 150 outlets in the next 12 months. 

Bikes suitable for anyone and everyone

Scott Sports introduced Avanti Giro FM1 from New Zealand recently in India, making it suitable for southern hemisphere countries. “In the southern hemisphere, largely, there exists a lot of commute and price-sensitive customers, from India to South Africa to Brazil to Australia etc.,” says Jaymin Shah, Managing Director, Scott Sports India, and continues, “That entire belt of countries consists of sports, but at the same time, is very sensitive to price. Therefore, at the end of the day, they want products that are designed for a particular reason, that can do the work and don’t burn a big hole in their pockets. This is why we launched the Avanti brand, which also lets us reach out to a bigger target audience that is India.”

But introducing a bike for the southern hemisphere is not the company’s only unique element. Scott Sports, till it entered the business, realised that bicycles are available in a one-size-fits-all kind of a category. What Scott Sports did was get the same bicycle in different frame sizes. “Just the way you can buy a shirt in a small, medium, large or XL size, the same can be done with bicycles,” Shah reveals and adds, “This is a change that the Indian customer did not know about (about a decade back).”

Another element that Scott Sports focuses on is called ‘bike fit’. Shah explains, “Bike fit is a concept where one can customise the dimensions on one’s bike. The frame size remains the same, but it has a different leg length, torso length and so on.”

Shah further informs, “We have a system and a software, along with a German partner, where the system scans your body and makes recommendations as per the model you want to select.”

A broken helmet is a good helmet

Customisation or no customisation, one factor that people surely look for in any vehicle, including bicycles, is safety. Catering to this need, we see many bicycle brands offering helmets or other safety features. Scott Sports’ bikes come equipped with reflectors, which are mandatory. “Along with this, we sell a lot of products as accessories, like helmets, reflector vests or even reflector stickers,” Shah asserts. Pointing out a very interesting aspect about helmets, he further tells us, “While the core idea of a helmet is to protect the bicycle rider, many people think that the helmet should not break when they crash. However, the fact is that if the helmet does not crack after a severe crash, then the helmet in question is of a sub-standard variety. A good helmet will crack. This is because the crack is what dissipates the fall and distributes the impact.”

Increase in commodity prices

Scott Sports is currently catering to three segments – lifestyle, commute and sports. Shah believes that the sports and lifestyle segments will see growth. “On the commute side, we have suddenly seen a drop in bicycles, only because cars are back on the streets,” he tells us.

As these segments see growth, prices too will be a factor of consideration. All of Scott Sports’ bicycles are made of alloy and carbon. However, general commodity prices, which include aluminium alloy etc., have seen an increase in price. From Scott’s perspective, the demand has not been impacted for one reason alone – the consumer/target audience not looking for the mass market. “They are looking for premium products,” Shah says and continues, “Only time will tell if this is sustainable or not, because a point may come where the consumer will say that he/she is not willing to pay beyond that price. Plus, global shipping rates have gone through the roof, i.e. by five times, which is huge. Scott has also increased the prices of its products in India from 1st April this year.” 

Shah goes on to mention that the government is doing all it can to cool off commodity prices. “However, I don’t think it all can be controlled by just one government measure. That’s because there are a lot of factors which are beyond our control, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Covid situation. And this applies not just to India but the world,” he cites. 

One material is as durable as the other

On the material front, he clarifies that whether a bicycle is made of steel, alloy or carbon, the product is a durable one. What’s important is that it has to be maintained well. “The biggest difference between an alloy and a steel bike or an alloy and a carbon bike is the weight of the bicycle. Steel bicycles typically tend to be heavier than alloy bicycles and carbon bicycles tend to be lighter than alloy bicycles. One is as durable as the other,” he explains. 

Educating the customer and mechanics

With the customers’ demand and needs changing rapidly, educating them and making them aware becomes highly crucial. Scott Sports has some singular initiatives in this domain. For one, it has a customer helpline number that is not a sales helpline but simply a customer education helpline. “One can call the helpline and talk to our product specialists who will guide the customer through various factors,” Shah avers. 

Another initiative it has is ‘breakfast rides’ (conducted mainly pre-covid). “We used to conduct breakfast rides with small communities across the country, where our product specialists would address one topic,” Shah puts across and adds, “The topic could be with respect to customer education, bike maintenance, bike fit and would vary in every ride. Also, with everything sort of opening up post-covid, we will be restarting these breakfast rides.”

Scott Sports invests not just in its customers but in its mechanics as well. It runs ‘technical services’ meant for trade only and for all the mechanics. “Here, either our team would go out to a regional centre and call in the mechanics nearby or the mechanics would come to Mumbai,” Shah informs and adds, “This is something we used to do on a regular basis to sensitise the mechanics.”

Covid’s impact on business

Post the lockdown, Scott Sports has grown by 100 percent. “In that sense, it was a great year from a business perspective. However, we also realise that there is a lot of demand out there,” Shah shares. 

While it was a smooth-running chain pre-covid, each country had to be subject to its own lockdowns post-covid, as per their respective government’s measures. “So now, all our bikes come from Cambodia, but a lot of components come from Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia. It’s not just about putting a bicycle together – it’s about getting all the moving parts, from the tyres to tubes to suspensions, together. So, from that perspective, tying everything together from different parts of the world became a challenge for us,” Shah enlightens.

Challenges for the industry

With these challenges, we can’t remove the competition out of the equation, especially with new companies entering the market. Nonetheless, Shah claims that at the price-point and quality level where Scott Sports is, it is equivalent to a BMW or a Mercedes or an Audi today. “You can buy a product which is priced at INR 40,000 but also buy a Scott bike which is priced at INR 1 million,” he says and goes on, “The mass brands, we hear, are in over-stocked situations, which is also contributed by so many players entering the market. However, when one looks at the premium market – that we are targeting and have been historically present in – no overnight player can really come in and challenge us over there.”

However, there are other challenges to face. The Indian government’s restriction on import of tyres and tubes has impacted the bicycle owners the most, Shah believes. He asserts that there are local manufacturers for automobile tyres. However, on the bicycle front, with the level of quality required for international brands, the importers requiring such tyres are facing the biggest challenge. 

The next step

Scott Sports sold over 12,000 units during the financial year 2021-2022. Speaking of the company’s targets for the current fiscal, Shah tells us, “Our target is not more than 15,000 next year. This is essentially not a reflection of the demand but a reflection of how many bikes we can get into the country.”

Catering to every personalised requirement

The bicycle industry certainly is seeing tremendous demand and is evolving every day, especially where every consumer gets to choose a bike that suits him/her the best. This, of course, comes with its share of challenges for the industry and customers both. For a market like India, where customers can be price-sensitive and some also willing to invest in bicycles, making them aware goes a long way, catering to their every personalised requirement that they look for when purchasing a bicycle.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Sri Lanka-based GRI Tires has extended its limited warranty coverage for pneumatic tyres to up to 10 years, effective from 2026, as the specialty tyre manufacturer seeks to strengthen customer assurance across its agricultural, construction and material handling businesses.

The revised warranty policy applies to all GRI-branded pneumatic tyres manufactured on or after January 1, 2025, and covers customers in more than 80 countries. The company previously offered warranty coverage of up to seven years.

Under the updated policy, agricultural radial tyres will be covered for up to 10 years, while agricultural bias tyres will receive coverage of up to eight years. Construction, earthmover, industrial, material handling, port and mining tyres will be covered for up to five years, subject to terms and conditions.

GRI said warranty protection would cover qualifying defects, with credit issued on a pro-rated basis.

For qualifying failures occurring within the first three years, and where radial tyre wear does not exceed 20 per cent, customers will receive a full replacement credit.

The warranty applies exclusively to the original end-use purchaser.

“This enhanced 10-year warranty is more than a policy update — it is a statement of our conviction in the quality of every tire we manufacture,” said Barry Guildford, global commercial director at GRI.

“We build tires to perform in the most demanding conditions, and we stand behind them.”

Customers can submit warranty claims through authorised GRI dealers and distributors, or directly through the company’s customer support channels.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Georg Nordmann Holding Aktiengesellschaft (GNH) has appointed Martin Rathke as Managing Director of its subsidiary Nordmann (Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH), effective 1 May 2026. The move marks a strategic step in the company’s ongoing leadership development.

Rathke joins with considerable leadership experience and deep knowledge of international sales and distribution within the chemical distribution sector. His career includes years of service in a family-owned enterprise, where he held senior management roles with global responsibility. He will now share leadership duties with Ulrich Cramer, who remains in his position, and together they aim to form a closely aligned team to advance Nordmann’s strategic direction.

The joint leadership will focus on accelerating global expansion through targeted strategic, organic and inorganic growth while optimising existing operations and continuously refining the company’s portfolio strategy. Backed by the commitment of its shareholders, Nordmann seeks to strengthen its international presence and evolve into a global player in the chemical distribution industry.

Irina Zschaler, CEO of Georg Nordmann Holding Aktiengesellschaft, said, “Martin brings exactly the combination of entrepreneurial mindset, international experience and leadership strength that we value in our relationships and for our path to grow. Our collaboration is based on responsibility, integrity and the aspiration to create added value together for all involved and the entire group. We are therefore very much looking forward to welcoming our full Nordmann team.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Shandong Linglong Tire has submitted a proposal to the Egyptian government to develop an integrated automotive tyre manufacturing complex in Egypt with planned investments of about USD 2 Billion, according to a media report.

The project, as per Egypt Torday, would be developed under the private free zone system in partnership with Fit & Fix and focus on producing tyres for passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks.

Mohamed Farid, Egypt’s Minister Of Investment And Foreign Trade, held discussions with company representatives regarding the proposed development, which is planned for Borg El Arab across an area of up to 3m square metres, added the report.

According to the proposal, the project would also include supporting industries such as rubber and carbon black production. About 90 per cent of output is expected to be exported, primarily to the US and Gulf markets.

Farid said attracting investments that support technology transfer and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities remained a priority for the Egyptian government. He added that expanding industrial capacity in sectors such as automotive components and tire manufacturing was important for increasing the value of Egyptian exports.

The minister said the free zone system was designed to simplify investment procedures and strengthen Egypt’s competitiveness in attracting foreign direct investment for industrial projects. He added that the private free zone framework offered incentives and operational flexibility to support exports and access to global markets.

The company said total investments were expected to reach USD 2 billion across different phases of development, subject to regulatory approvals and licensing requirements.

Sophie Li said Egypt’s geographic position and trade agreements made it an attractive regional manufacturing and export hub.

She added that the company planned to establish a fully integrated industrial complex using advanced production technologies in partnership with Nile Trade and Projects Company, with a focus on technology transfer and local industrial development.

Li said the company would continue working with Egyptian authorities to complete approvals and move the project towards implementation.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Yokohama ATG-owned Galaxy, a brand of tyres for construction, earthmoving and material handling, has entered the UTV and ATV segment with Hulk PSX and Everest PSX.

The company stated that the tyres are for use in the off-road segment and in utility applications, providing durability, life and traction across terrains. They are engineered to provide puncture resistance, stability and comfort for utility and recreational operations.

The Hulk PSX is for use off-road across terrains. It features a compound for tyre life and sidewalls for cut resistance. Radial construction is for performance, while shoulder blocks assist cornering and handling. It includes a tread design for traction and a tread-to-void ratio for wear resistance and stability. The model fits 12-inch and 14-inch rims to cater to UTV configurations.

On the other hand, the Everest PSX is suitable for utility applications, providing performance, durability and comfort. It offers resistance to cuts, chips and abrasions. Pattern continuity is for roadability and vibration reduction. The tyre provides traction and stability, including wet surface grip. It includes rim protection and puncture resistance for operations. The model is offered for 12-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch rims for UTV applications.

Dyutiman Chatterjee, Chief Technology Officer, Yokohama-ATG, said, “Building on its 100+ years legacy, Galaxy’s entry into the UTV/ATV category is a strategic step in strengthening its presence globally. These tyres are designed to meet the evolving needs of customers seeking performance, reliability and durability in extreme conditions.” 

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!