Bones

13Jul 2020 by DS News Team

Ball Bearings: Who Uses What

Some rollerski makers only produce frames, others also mill hubs and even mold rubber in house. One thing that all of them have to buy from third parties is, perhaps, the most crucial element in construction: Ball bearings. Devout rollerskiers want to shave a fraction of second from their results and thus use mega-expensive ceramic bearigns that they also clean before each race. We reckon there are only a few hundred people like that on the planet - and they all/mostly are into speed rollerskiing. The hundreds of thousands of "regular skiers" care more about longevity and reliability of their gear. [caption id="attachment_16189" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The most important quality of the ball bearings when it comes to rollerskiing is an ability to handle abusive treatment[/caption] Which means that pretty much…

19Mar 2020 by DS News Team

Coronavirus: How’s Your Business Affected?

Money & Finance, Newsfeed

"How's Your Business Affected?" - that's the question we put to people directly involved in making things tick in the cross country skiing sector: gear manufacturers, retailers and coaches. The caveat that needs to be applied: different countries are on different stages of being hit be the coronavirus. This, alas, is not a subject that will go away any time soon so we shall update with reaction from the other captains of the industry when we hear from them. [caption id="attachment_15236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aki Tuovinen, country manager for Swix/Toko, Finland"At the moment in Finland it's still quite OK. In Lapland and Vuokatti regions are actually really well, since many ski enthusiasts went there for "remote working". But it strongly seems that within the week all shops (except grocery shops) will…

23Oct 2018 by DS News Team

Bonés Skiroll – Here’s To First Five Years Or How To Build Profitable Company From Scratch

Leaders, Money & Finance, Newsfeed

Where there is a will, there is a way. Just ask Jorge Vidal. It all started in 2013 when a former television reporter and avid sport enthusiast from Jaca, Spain was looking for a new endurance training option as his injured knee was craving for one with less of impact. He was introduced to rollerskiing, then highly exotic, nearly unheard of in that part of Europe. He loved it – with a catch: "In Spain, in those years only Marwe rollerskis were available in stores, but at a price I didnt want to pay because I just wanted to try this sport" . Jorge had quickly surmised there must be a market for cheaper, entry level rollerskis Thus Bonés Skiroll of Spain was born. Today, in 2018, Bonés is making rollerskis…

26Sep 2018 by DS News Team

Retail Giant Decathlon Steps Into Rollerski Business

Gear News, Newsfeed

It finally happened. The rumours were galore in the skiing world for the last year that the French retail giant Decathlon has discovered the great sport of cross country skiing - and wants its slice of the ( growing) pie. Decathlon, with its 1400 stores in 45 countries, is, quite simply, the largest sporting goods retailer in the world in 2018. As many would attest, it sells no-brand products at knock-down prices. Quality? Design? Ain't gonna win coveted ISPO awards, but decent for most time. Welcome first-ever Decathlon rollerskis! The main feature of the new skis is, of course, its price: with 115 euros for classic model and almost unreal 99 euros for skating one, the new brand is surely going to bring new people into skiing. No word as…

30Jan 2018 by DS News Team

ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

Gear News, Newsfeed

ISPO is huge. No photo or even video could convey ginormous size of the exhibition spread over 16 cavernous halls. It also would not let you forget for a second that industrial heart of the world these days is beating in China. And in India. And in Bangladesh. And Pakistan. [caption id="attachment_6585" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Marwe had its people dressed in real cool looking vests with multiple pockets. Production perspectives uncertain as Asian manufacturers are only willing to produce in volume [/caption] Since cross country skiing is a niche sport, alas, Asian manufacturers who think in terms of volume, are not yet big in this sector. The things, however, are slowly changing – several Chinese producers had their products on display, mostly entry-level ski boots and rollerskis. ISPO is fundametally different…

Tag: Bones