LONGMONT, Colo. (BRAIN) — A guest opinion piece by industry veteran Dan Sotelo was the most read article of 2017 on BicycleRetailer.com.
Sotelo is best known for his contributions on the supplier side of the industry, where he founded the Onza brand and consulted with several other major brands in the 1990s. He now runs a very small, service-oriented bike shop near Seattle. In his article posted earlier this month, he argued that a focus on service is a way out of the challenges posed by the internet. And he suggested that shops think of themselves as Independent Bicycle Service providers, not Independent Bicycle Dealers. His column also received the most comments of any story this year, with some readers appreciating Sotelo's advice and others questioning his opinions and his bona fides as a retailer.
The second-most read article of the year was posted just a few days earlier: a Nov. 29 report on Niner Inc.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The Colorado-based bike brand has said an investor group plans to acquire its assets after the restructuring. An auction is scheduled for next month.
Filling out the podium was a February report on Canyon Bicycle's announcement that it would begin sales in the U.S. in the third quarter. Our traffic analytics indicate that consumers went looking for this story on Google in droves and wound up at our site. The German brand finally did begin sales here in August, soon after working out an agreement with a long-standing Utah retailer bearing an inconvenient name.
Sadly, other well-read articles this year included reports on the death of Elaine Enick, the wife of Specialized's Bob Margevicius, who was well-known and loved around the industry, and Milwaukee retailer and bike advocate Chris Kegel.
The most read articles (by unique pageviews) on BRAIN in 2017:
- Opinion: It's the end of the road for the IBD
- Niner files for bankruptcy ahead of planned sale
- Canyon postpones US entry to third quarter
- Elaine Enick dies
- Chris Kegel dies
- Fox and SRAM suits continue in two states
- Accell adjusts North American operation following loss of Dick's contract
- Suits fly as LeMond Composites fires CEO
- Sea Otter Tech Report
- Trek restructures citing evolving needs
