CHENNAI:
TI Cycles of India (part of the Murugappa Group), well known for some of the best global and national bicycle brands, today announced the launch of their new range of products for the year of 2017.
On this occasion, Arun Alagappan, President, TI Cycles of India, said, “We are taking the lead in defining ‘bicycles’ for tomorrow – for the customers as well as the industry. Last year, we established a new state-
of-the- art manufacturing facility in Rajpura, Punjab to strengthen our presence and capability. We have also begun the task of unifying our retail identity, both online and offline, under the Track & Trail brand.
An Exciting New Range
With the new range of bicycles, TI Cycles seeks to create new benchmarks in innovation and design in almost all product categories. The 2017 range comprises a complete bouquet of brands and product offerings for the Performance Cyclists, innovative products for kids, fashionable cycles for girls, thrilling products for boys, pioneering products for rural teens as well as stylish products for urban adults. The company would be launching more than 100 new models across their international portfolio of brands such as Montra, Ridley, Cannondale, Schwinn etc. and domestic brands such as BSA, Hercules, Mach City & Montra.
Jonty Rhodes as the Ambassador for Montra
Cricketing legend Jonty Rhodes continues to be the brand ambassador for Montra. The Montra 2017 range has been designed in England as per current international bicycle standards. The new range will have 28 new models ranging from Fixies to Fat Bikes.
Strategic Alliances
Apart from having some of the most popular national bicycle brands such as BSA, Hercules, Mach City and Montra in their stable, TI Cycles has been forging ahead with brand partnerships with renowned players across the world. In addition to being the exclusive re-seller of brands from the Cycling Sports Group (CSG) like Cannondale, Schwinn and GT, TI Cycles inked a deal last year with Ridley Bikes of Belgium to bring in high-performance bicycles to India. With this deal, TI Cycles will be offering the largest bouquet of international cycling brands for the Indian consumers.
Ridley will be launching 11 models specially designed for the Indian market. In addition, 5 global models and a flagship road bike made specifically for women – Ridley Liz – will be unveiled today by Edward Vlutters, International Sales Director at Ridley Bikes.
TI Cycles’ partnership with Cycling Sports Group (CSG) is now stronger than ever. The group’s focus is on building technological capability to deliver superior bikes such as the Cannondale Slate 105 which is being launched as part of the 2017 range. They will also be unveiling a range of models to cater to the leisure sport segment which is rapidly growing in the country Track & Trail this year will be expanding their portfolio of accessory brands with exclusive partnerships with global accessory giants such as Hutchinson, Forza, Tacx, FSA and Lazer.
Full Speed
Ahead (FSA) produces world class bicycle components for road cycling and mountain biking and they support many of the world’s leading road and mountain bike teams. Track & Trail has also expanded its premium range of accessories with in-house brand XMR, to cater to every kind of cyclist.
Making cycling a part of recreation and lifestyle through Ciclo Café’
Another direction that the company is pursuing is in the F&B casual dining space with their joint ven
ture with Absolute Foods under the brand Ciclo Café. Last year, the first Ciclo Café was launched in Chennai, which went on to become one of the best rated Café’s in India.
Earlier this year, Ciclo opened a flagship 10,000 sq.ft. café in Hyderabad and is slated to launch one café every month for the next three months in Gurgaon, Bangalore & Coimbatore respectively.
Re-vamping brand Hercules
TI Cycles will also unveil a new identity for their flagship brand, Hercules. K.R. Chandrasekaran, Chief Operating Officer, TI Cycles of India said, “Hercules is a heritage brand and one of the first brands of bicycles to be introduced in India. The brand has remained strong for six decades by constantly evolving to stay ahead of the times. The new logo seeks to make the brand more contemporary and relevant for the future”.
Not Just Cycles, But Cycling
This year the company began the process of unifying its retail presence under the Track & Trail brand. K.R. Chandrasekaran, Chief Operating Officer, TI Cycles of India, said, “We plan to take the excitement of cycling experience to a completely new level through the revitalized Track & Trail Store. This one-stop shop for all things cycling, offers a refreshing consumer experience. Our stores have well trained personnel who are committed to guiding consumers in finding the right solution in an uncluttered and welcoming environment. We have also recently launched www.trackandtrail.in, the online avatar of Track & Trail, making us the first exclusive omni channel retailer of bicycles in India.”
About Track and Trail
Track and Trail is an Omni channel retail brand with a vision of “Spreading the Joy of Cycling”. It is a one stop shop for all cycling needs that includes bicycle sales, service, spares, accessories, rentals, rides, events and workshops. With a network of 60 stores across the country and plans in place to open another 200 stores in the next 15 months, Track and Trail is the fastest growing chain of bicycle stores.
Track & Trail stores cater to urban consumers across age groups who are considering cycling for leisure and recreation through our wide range of brands like BSA, Ladybird, Hercules, Roadeo, Mach City and Montra. Track & Trail Sport stores cater to the discerning performance oriented consumer with a selection of in-house and international brands like Montra, Ridley, Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, Bianchi and Dahon. Accessories brands like XMR, Shimano, Tacx, Hutchinson, Forza, FSA, FLR, etc
. form an important part of the product offering at Track & Trail.
Retail experience is a defining pillar of Track & Trail. The stores are designed to offer a world-class experience in an uncluttered and welcoming environment. All consumer touch-points are given a
unifying visual identity in keeping with retail practices across the world. Consumer education is considered integral to the buying experience. Today’s discerning customers want to enjoy their purchase experience and actively seek guidance and information. Track & Trail is committed to understanding the customer’s needs and recommending the right solution through its well-trained retail personnel.
In September, www.trackandtrail.in was launched as an e Commerce portal, making it the first online retailer of bicycles in India. This is also the only site in India where you can get fully assembled bikes delivered to your doorstep. This is possible as the company leverages its retail presence to cater to the online consumer, thereby delivering an omni-channel experience.