The Swiss Shimano distributor Fuchs-Movesa is giving the go-ahead for further training. The industry heavyweight - also known as FuMo - is a service partner of electric bike drive market leader Bosch and is inviting Swiss specialist dealers to take part in training courses. From October to March, dozens of full-day seminars will be held in German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, where experienced Bosch employees will give specialist dealers the latest training.

Hundreds of specialist dealers undergo further training to become specialists at Bosch during the winter season.

Talking about where the shoe pinches
The Bosch 2015/2016 training round will focus on the online diagnostics tool, customized service protocols and intervals, and the Nyon display with its full range of functions. The most important thing, however, is that specialist dealers have a direct, personal line to the e-bike market leader and can ask questions. "Why can the Nyon display only be completely replaced and not repaired if only the bracket is defective?" - questions like these and many more that caused a lot of headaches during the season can finally be asked and answered, sometimes more and sometimes less satisfactorily. The manufacturer also gains new knowledge from these seminars, which is often reflected in the improvement of products, application instructions or processes.

At Fuchs-Movesa, by the way, training does not end with Bosch. The supplier also goes on the road for the Shimano Steps electric bike drive system and receives specialist dealers in three parts of the country in three languages for knowledge transfer. There are also courses for beginners and advanced riders for Fox suspension elements, which are also available from FuMo.

Knowledge is power
Of course, Fuchs-Movesa is not the only company to offer training courses to retailers. Numerous other distributors and manufacturers also provide dealers with the latest knowledge. Here are a few examples - without claiming to be exhaustive:

Numerous bike manufacturers and distributors like to use so-called pre-order appointments - a late summer meeting between supplier and dealer to show the news of the upcoming model year and prepare the order - to point out new product features and provide direct training.

Specialist dealers can attend a training course at the supplier Velok this November, where they will be informed about the safety levels of Humpert components and receive detailed training on the new products from lighting expert Busch + Müller.

Business management topics and marketing aspects are also available to specialist dealers. This winter, for example, à la carte bike manufacturer TDS Rad AG is training its dealers on how to successfully sell individual bikes even better.

A central concern of Sram distributor Amsler + Co: Equipping specialist dealers with expertise and specialist knowledge, here at the 2104 "Tech+Ride Camp" in Lenzerheide.

The distributor Amsler + Co not only requires dealers to undergo further training, but also makes this discipline a freestyle activity. Every year, the Sram distributor invites its dealers to a "Tech+Ride" seminar, where the level of knowledge is raised to the latest level and the exchange of experiences between the dealers as well as the social part is not neglected.

Swiss specialist dealers also receive invitations to further training trips abroad. For example, the Cannondale dealer is invited to the Lefty seminar in Freiburg im Breisgau. Or Schwalbe also makes a stop in South Baden and teaches roadshow participants everything they need to know about new tire technologies.

Highlight in January
The training season for bicycle dealers traditionally reaches its peak in January: around 600 specialist dealers and 200 employees from the distribution and manufacturing scene meet at the AAL, the Army Training Center in Lucerne. Shortly after the turn of the year, the industry association Velosuisse invites you to Infotech - and numerous seminars entice you to brush up on your technical and business knowledge.

The Infotech industry seminar is all about know-how and knowledge advantage

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The seminar rooms in the AAL, which are reminiscent of classrooms, are suitable for groups of around 15-50 people. For many participants, the atmosphere of school days, long gone but well known, always tempts the speakers to teach from the front; listening is the order of the day.

In these Infotech seminars, the specialist dealer gets tips on how to tune the suspension fork, bleed the brakes or deal with three wheel sizes in sales. From the dozens of workshops, he can put together exactly the right mix of topics over two days that he can apply to his work in the specialist store. The result is usually that the bike dealer in the workshop is equipped with the latest tricks and tips and can give customers the best possible advice.

Sends important signals to the bicycle industry: The panel discussion at the Infotech advanced training course.

Must be there: Infotech
Infotech has also established itself as a meeting place for the scene, providing important input and even a change of direction for the entire industry. For example, a discussion in the podium hall compared the bicycle industry with the automotive or bicycle industry and deduced from this where bicycle dealers have potential to position and present themselves more professionally. The panel also had a momentous discussion about the fact that bike dealers are selling themselves short with their low hourly rates.

Foreign perspective on the Swiss level of training
Incidentally, the Infotech training platform is watched with envy by German bicycle dealers. Dealers in the large canton have to travel all over the country in winter to acquire the knowledge they need. The kind of centralized knowledge transfer seen at Infotech has long been lacking in Germany. However, the Eurobike trade fair organizers have stepped into the breach since this year: with the Eurobike Academy, a central further training event has also been held in Germany since 2015, which is based entirely on the Swiss Infotech.