Glentress meeting targets mountain biking market

The event hopes to help increase the Scottish share of the global mountain biking market

More than 50 Scottish companies are meeting in the Borders to look at ways to increase their share of the global mountain biking market.

It has been estimated that biking accessories generate about £853m for the UK economy as a whole.

The event at the Glentress Centre near Peebles is designed to encourage firms across the country to collaborate.

David Smith of Scottish Enterprise said it showed Scotland's role as a "centre of excellence for mountain biking".

The organisation is hosting the Celebrating Scottish Innovation in Mountain Biking event, along with the Scottish Mountain Bike Development Consortium (SMBDC), Sporting Chance Initiative as well as further and higher education institutions.

It has attracted businesses from across the country including the likes of Livingston-based cycling apparel firm Endura Ltd.

'On target'

Mr Smith said: "Mountain biking currently generates £119m-a-year for the Scottish economy, with market share predicted to increase to £155m in the next five years - it's on target to become Scotland's most popular adventure activity after walking.

"By bringing together a diverse range of companies to look at where these new product opportunities could come from, we can encourage innovative, quality, Scottish-made accessories that demonstrate why Scotland is a global destination and centre of excellence for mountain biking."

Scotland is recognised as one of the world's leading locations for mountain biking, and was rated as a Global Superstar by the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Recent figures show that more than 1.3m visits are made to Scotland each year for mountain biking, nearly 600,000 of which are to sample purpose-built trails, such as the 7stanes in the south of Scotland.