We find it distasteful that the bike industry is being hijacked by a small group of very large hardgoods wholesaler/suppliers who, in having a bike industry trade show of their own, dilute money and time spent by retailers having to go to both when the Interbike show made every founding member of BIO the success they have become.
This new organization, BIO was founded with Trek, Fisher, Specialized, Nishiki, Raleigh, Scott USA, Schwinn, Bell Sports, Thule, Yakima and even Bicycling magazine. Why, we wonder, was the editor of Bicycling included? We have a clue, but the fact that Chuck McCullagh of Bicycling magazine was among the founding members appears to make the writing in Bicycling less than objective. While Chuck McCullagh, the editor of Bicycling has now stood down from the B.I.O. executive board, his name is still on the Bicycling masthead. Let's not deceive ourselves, no one has cut the phone line from his publication desk to his fellow friends on the executive committee.
What was a consumer magazine doing on this board, unless as many believe, McCullagh may have an interest in a new position in the hard goods industry? How could Bicycling show hard objectivity in print, while writing about fellow executive board members that are friends (and advertisers)?
While the bicycle is being smothered with kind words from the B.I.O. members about this new trade organization, we must remember these guys don't care about small manufacturers, and small distributors the way they say they do.
The small bicycle industry makers and suppliers are just competitors eating at the edges of their pie. A wise small manufacturer or distributor would no more pay them for booth space at IBSS (and be assigned their display space from the larger competitors) than they would have the I.R.S. fill out their tax return.
While giving the small makers smooth oral pleasure, what they really have in mind is to Bite It Off.
