Canyon Bicycles may no longer be available to order through the German brand’s international website, but South African cyclists will still have access to the machines ridden by Mathieu van der Poel, Kasia Niewiadoma and Jan Frodeno. This is thanks to Erik Kleinhans’ continued role as Canyon’s representative in South Africa and the online platform curated by Bicycle Garage. Kleinhans and Bicycle Garage ensure that the ready to ship model, which Canyon pioneered, remains intact.
The Bicycle Garage stores, in Stellenbosch and Paarl will not only be technical service centres for Canyon Bicycles but will also display a select number of Canyon’s products to allow South African cyclists to experience the machines in real life before shopping online. Photo by Ewald Sadie/Shift Media.
“South African VAT and import duties, along with the intricacies of our import laws, made the Canyon direct to consumer model tricky here”, Canyon Bicycles’ South Africa marketing manager, Kleinhans reflected. “There has always been a strong demand for the bikes, since we launched in 2018. But the realities of individuals importing bicycles into South Africa were always a challenge. Since December 2020 we have been trailing a system whereby Bicycle Garage and myself, order on behalf of the customers.”
“This removes the stress and admin, of having to calculate import duties and potentially even get clearance certificates from the South African Revenue Services, from the customers” Kleinhans continued. “It proved very effective, as we provided all the behind-the-scenes services; the customer just ordered the bike and we then shipped it to them, or the bicycle shop of their choice to be assembled. The simplicity is enhanced by the customer only having one, final, price to consider when making the purchase.”
In addition to the Mood Coffee Shop, Bicycle Garage Stellenbosch also offers cycling accessories and apparel, as well as Oakley eyewear and On Running shoes for sale. Photo by Ewald Sadie/Shift Media.
The full range of Canyon Bicycles will be available in South Africa through this programme and can be viewed on www.bicyclegarage.co.za. “As I’m sure everyone knows there are major stock shortages in the cycling industry right now” Kleinhans explained. “We will therefore only be listing the bikes which are currently available for purchase on the Bicycle Garage website. Each listing will be as detailed as possible, but South African cyclists are still more than welcome to browse the Canyon international website if they require more details. We will also be offering a personal service, so customers are welcome to reach out and ask us any questions they may have about a bike, or even make a pre-order for when a particular model comes back into stock.”
“A large part of the reason for choosing to partner with Bicycle Garage was their established e-commerce platform” Kleinhans said. “I’ve known Hanco Kachelhoffer, the founder of Bicycle Garage, for nearly 20 years now. We’ve raced together and against each other. More recently I’ve been impressed by the manner in which he does business. He has built an excellent reputation for Bicycle Garage, as a trusted store for online and in-store sales, after sales support and servicing. Another large part of their business is Bicycle Garage’s presence at events. This will remain key to Canyon’s strategy in South Africa as it allows riders to interact with Canyon bikes and even test ride them.”
The Bicycle Garage Stellenbosch Store also boasts a popular coffee shop and hosts weekly Friday morning runs, as well as rides and screenings of major races. Photo by Ewald Sadie/Shift Media.
“I’m excited to be able to offer the back-end support and sales platform for Canyon in South Africa” Bicycle Garage Managing Director, Kachelhoffer, stated. “Canyon create some of the very best bicycles in the world. Their race proven performance makes them exceptionally desirable and partnering with Erik [Kleinhans] to ensure that they remain available in South Africa is an excellent opportunity not only for Bicycle Garage as a business but also for local cyclists. Diversity of choice is great for the consumer and having access to Canyon’s award-winning bicycles is fantastic for South African cyclists.”
Bicycle Garage, through their flag-ship Paarl and the rebranded Stellenbosch stores, will continue to provide after-sales support for all Canyon Bicycles owners in South Africa. Along with new bike sales, existing customers can make warrantee enquiries as well as purchase any Canyon proprietary spare parts through the shop’s website. Technical service support will also be offered by both the Paarl and Stellenbosch stores, as well as by The Sprocket and Jack, in Johannesburg.
Erik Kleinhans in action on the Canyon Grizl, the German brand’s gravel racing and adventure bike. Photo by Ewald Sadie/Shift Media.
"Erik Kleinhans’ continued roll as Canyon’s representative" - I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say that this is a bike related pun and not a typo.