Over the past 20–30 years, by,schulz has already been manufacturing in Taiwan, but it’s the first time they’ve come in contact with Wheel Giant face-to-face, so we were both delighted to get properly acquainted. Being in such close proximity to OEMs and the rest of the industry's business leaders has many benefits. by,schulz says that being at Taipei Cycle is “always interesting” because they can meet not just frame builders, but also the small part builders, too, allowing them to see what’s going on up close. Lots of new trends can be seen, such as frames including housing with motor hubs.
by,schulz says that the current situation for end consumers is “very comfortable” due to the many bike parts in the shops. The industry still has high stocks that need to go, and that’s why we’re seeing prices going down between 20-50%. It’s “very nice” for the end consumer, by,schulz adds, but not so for the industry and the bike dealer, as they don’t have the chance to earn that much money.
Distribution and Product
by,schulz has two main channels where we can find their products. Maybe 30% of their products can be found in Asia, with the remaining 70% in Europe; the majority in Germany, and also in Switzerland and the Netherlands. There are many problems in Europe because a lot of the parts are proving challenging to sell in the aftermarket.
For by,schulz, their stock is also high at the moment; their warehouses currently hold around 30% of their stock in Europe, but they’re stable in the aftermarket, with stock gradually decreasing. It’s a good transitional period for by,schulz, they say that distribution for their bicycle parts is going well, with OEM business relationships gradually improving step-by-step.
by,schulz has 3 main product lines for on-bike parts. Their handlebars have proved successful in covering urban, comfort, and sporty needs. Their suspension seat posts now have a full range, including dropper posts, which they’ve been selling very well. And they first started with pedals that now feature their Reddot award-winning “bythlon” road bike pedal, which allows riders to use it with or without riding cleats. by,schulz says, “It’s good to have different parts because not everybody needs a seatpost or needs a stem, but maybe somebody wants a nice pedal; we have a very big and helpful range.”
Sustainability
It's hard to not avoid discussing ESG in modern times, and by,schulz hasn’t put this idea on the back burner. All of their packaging is done near their headquarters in Germany with recycled paper. Their special packing system ensures there’s no plastic in their aftermarket packing process. They’ve been doing this for many years while focusing on bringing this style to their new products.
They are doing what they can to use more recycled materials for their bike parts when possible. For example, they’re always checking which parts can be made using recycled aluminum. They work together with the Taiwanese industry, and they have a partner; for instance, to reduce the trim for seat posts and frames, they’ll also look to do it with more parts. But for a lot of the mechanical parts, that are critical to a bike, they cannot yet use recycled aluminum as it’s currently a little too challenging, but looking to the future, it’s something they intend to develop.
