Halfords are due to stock three fixed gear bikes in some of their biggest stores for the first time. The bikes will hit some shop floors on 1 March 2013.
The bikes range from the retailer’s own-brand, drop bar Singolo (£249.99) to the Create Original (£329.99). In between is the Voodoo Lofa (right), a relaxed-looking steel construction running on deep-section painted rims for £299.99.
The fixies are the latest addition to the company’s growing range of bikes. Halfords started stocking Pinarello, the Italian brand used by top UK cycling squad Team Sky, earlier this month. The retailer estimates that the fixed gear market is 10,000 bikes a year.
Matt Warnes is the owner of fixed gear bike shop Bristol Dropouts, which offers bespoke builds. He said the popularity of fixies started to soar about five years ago but that he doesn’t see the move as a threat to his business. “I guess they’re [Halfords] just cashing in, and it’s to be expected,” he told BikeRadar.
Warnes also said that it might benefit independent bike shops in the future, by bringing new customers to smaller shops when the bikes need servicing: “Maybe they’ll realise it’s costing them a few quid [to service] and hopefully they’ll think ‘I’ll get something a bit better’.”
To find your nearest Halfords store see www.halfords.com.