Indian-owned Manchester-based bike brand Insync – owned by Hero Cycles the world’s biggest bike maker by volume – is to formerly launch its new Viking Roadmaster bike at the Cycle Expo Yorkshire being staged between the 12 and 14 October at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate.
- Viking Roadmaster
The Insync brand is operated by Hero’s UK company Avocet Sports which will unveil the Viking Roadmaster at its Insync outdoor stand at the expo where the public will be able to ride its full range of bikes. The Viking Roadmaster is one of 12 new models Avocet has made under the iconic Viking brand (see notes to editors). Avocet earlier this year revived the classic 110-year-old Viking brand, which once dominated British road biking in the 1950s and 1960s. Avocet’s crack team of bike designers based at the new £2million Hero Global Design Centre in Manchester created the new range of Viking Bikes, including the Roadmaster, making them the first British designed Viking bikes to hit the streets for more than 40 years.
- Sreeram Venkateswaran Avocet CEO with new Viking Bikes outside Hero Cycles Global Design Centre Manchester
Avocet UK CEO Sreeram Venkateswaran said the company is excited to launch the Roadmaster at Cycle Expo.
“We’re passionate about cycling and making bikes for the family rider,” he said. “The Roadmaster very much fits with this and is made for commuting and keeping fit. We want to encourage families to take up cycling to spend quality time together, improve fitness and enjoy the great outdoors. We understand pressures on family budgets which is why we have designed a range of bikes within an affordable price range. The Roadmaster has tremendous features for its price including a full Shimano group set, it is also light and has a tight rear triangle enabling better power transfer and is stiffer and more responsive for better for cornering and generally a more lively performance. Our team has also brought back the classic Viking logo with minimal retro graphics for a better urban look.”
- Classic Viking advert
Mr Venkateswaran said the Insync stand will feature its full range of bikes for the UK under the Insync master brand launched in May this year. And Insync ambassador Shanaze Reade, former three time BMX world champion, will be attending the fair to give a talk on the range as well as some tutoring for riders.
“Insync offers 75 UK designed bikes across four brands Viking for road biking, Riddick for mountain biking and off-road, DeNovo for children the Ryedale women’s bike,” he said. “Viking and Riddick are aimed at men and women and are more action bikes. DeNovo has been carefully designed for children with input from a paediatric physiotherapist to improve weight and reach dynamics of bike. Ryedale meanwhile is a carefully designed stylish urban bike which performs well and makes a fashion statement.”
Mr Venkateswaran said Avocet has also made a fundamental change to its sales strategy by deploying a new multi-channel approach to support the new Insync range. He said Insync will be available to consumers through the traditional Independent Bike Dealer (IBDs) sales channel along with a new direct to consumer sales approach. This will take the form of a new online sales platform called www.insyncbikes.com launched in partnership with THG Ingenuity, the proprietary technology platform of leading online Beauty and Wellbeing business The Hut Group.”
Visit: website: www.insyncbikes.com Facebook: @insyncbikes Twitter: @insyncbikes Instagram: @insyncbikes You Tube : Insync TV
Hero Cycles Limited background
Hero Cycles Limited was founded in India in 1956. It is the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world by volume producing 19,000 cycles per day and 5.2million per year. This represents one out of every 20 of the world’s bicycles. Hero Cycles has manufacturing units in Ludhiana (Punjab), Bihta (Bihar) & Ghaziabad (UP). It is part of the Hero Motors Company which has revenues of $400million and $1.2billion in assets employing circa 8,000 staff.
The company exports to more than 70 countries through a network of circa 250 suppliers and 2800 dealerships. Its bike range includes road bikes, hybrid bikes, children’s bikes, electric-bikes, mountain bikes, BMX and roadster models. Hero in India also manufactures automobile components like chassis for cars, safety components and transmission for motorcycles.
In August 2015, it acquired British brand Avocet Sports with 51pc stake targeting high-end bicycle market in Europe and now has full ownership. In 2015, it also acquired Firefox Bikes – India’s largest premium bicycle brand with an established presence Pan-India through a network of 160 outlets. In 2016, it acquired a majority stake in Sri Lanka’s leading bicycle manufacturer BSH Ventures, further boosting its manufacturing capacity. As part of major expansion plans across Europe it launched the £2million Hero Cycles Global Design Centre (HGD) in Manchester, UK, in January 2017. The design hub is led by creative minds from across the world including innovators from India, Taiwan and Denmark.
Hero Cycles is ISO9001 & ISO14001 Certified from BVC of UK and recognized by the R&D department by the Govt. of India
- Viking background
See also http://classicvikingcycles.com/
The Viking Cycle Company was formed in 1908 by Alfred Victor Davies. Alfred Davies retired just before the Second World War and was succeeded as Managing Director by his son, Reg Davies. He built the business up from a small undertaking in the 1930’s to a large scale manufacturing concern, producing around 20,000 cycles a year at its peak. After the war with production rising the company decided to form its own road racing team.
Viking’s first cycling team also included Ben Whitmore and Bill Allen and Bob led the team to victory in the B.L.R.C championship in 1948, 1949 and 1951. Another team member Ian Steele, won what was perhaps their most important triumph when he came first in the first Tour of Britain in 1951.
Viking’s name soon became synonymous with racing because of the team’s many successes. Viking had 1,250 bicycle dealers throughout the country supplying club type machines and became one of the premier names in the business.
In May 1955 it was decided to separate the manufacturing side of the company from the retail outlet. The bicycles were designed by Reg Davies, who was an experienced club rider and so had the necessary experience to design a good racing machine. Production continued to increase, reaching a peak in 1963 when 20,000 machines were produced with a workforce of around 70. In the mid 1960’s the club-market started to fall but there was an up-and-coming market for children’s cycles. Reg Davies responded brilliantly to this by designing a children’s machine with a unique frame. As children grow rapidly it was commonplace to buy several different sized machines for a child from the age of 5 to the age of 10.Reg solved this problem by designing a juvenile machine in which the frame grew with the rider. This was achieved by using telescopic rear stays and a telescopic seat tube. The idea was very successful and this market soon accounted for three quarters of the company’s turnover
However, with club cycling then in decline the company closed in 1967. It was later bought by two Americans, who established Viking Cycles, a bicycle assembler in Derry. This encountered financial problems and in 1981 Merseyside County Council considered buying the brand and opening a company to be headed by the bicycle racer and designer Frank Clements. In 2001 the Viking Cycles brand was bought by Avocet Sports, which primarily then used the brand on pre-designed bikes made in the Far East.