Niches Part 1

I really like finding good niche products in the bike market. It is one of the things that you can do well if you sell on the internet. You can reach a wide market with items that may not sell in large enough quantities for a local shop to carry.

The Cannondale Lefty adapter is a good example. It is made by another small company right here in California, Project 321. The adapter allows you to install the Cannondale Lefty one legged fork on a regular (non-Cannondale) mountain bike. Every installation results in a pretty remarkable bike, a creation unique to its owner.

I carry a combination of drivetrain products to let you come up with innovative gearing for your bike. Action Tec is a very small California based operation that makes Titanium drivetrain components: cogs, chainrings, etc. Their titanium is the good stuff: much stronger than the aluminum or steel alternatives. This titanium allows them to make a small 20T chainring for the crankset and up to a 39T cassette cog. This enables 1x8 or 2x9 drivetrains with very little loss in gearing range compared to 3x9. In addition, we carry wide range IRD 10 speed cassettes. Amongst them is an 11-34T Shimano and a 12-23T Campy cassette. And with SRAM jumping into the pool with the XX 2x10 MTB group, I suspect we will start seeing even more drivetrain creativity.

Paul thumbie mounts that let you mount bar end shifters like the thumb shifters of old. You can mix and match these components with standard components if you are looking for a drivetrain combination that is out of the ordinary.

In a different part of the spectrum, I know there are lots of beginners, casual riders, or people with back problems that like to get their riding position more upright. We carry a variety of riser stems, stem risers (yes, they are different), high rise bars, adjustable stems, etc. to help you get in the position you want. Often these riders want larger saddles because this tends to shift more weight over the seat, so we also carry some bike seats to help with that.

Fixed gear bikes, or fixies, are off the hook popular. These bikes do not coast. If the rear wheel is moving, the pedals are moving with it. Often these bikes don't even have brakes. Your legs are your rear brakes! This kind of bike has spawned a group of riders with a minimalist style, not surprisingly, and we have handlebars, pedals, grips, tires, toe clips and more for this kind of bike. Many parts are available in a wide range of colors to add a style that is popular with this group, but catching on with other riders as well.

Well, that's enough for now, but I will have more on niches later.