Neil’s latest video from Sea Otter poses another big question for the bike industry. To learn more about how AI is being used in companies large and small, he asked 27 representatives about their use of the technology. Watch the full video for all the answers about how AI will impact the bike industry…
After sharing the industry’s thoughts on 32-inch bikes in this video, I asked some of the industry’s brightest minds some even bigger questions at the 2026 Sea Otter Classic. in Is the bicycle industry leveraging AI?I focus on how the industry is using large-scale language models and modern intelligence tools to drive trends, product development, and sales advantage. Watch the video below for all the answers.
The answers to my question varied, with some saying they basically don’t use it at all, and others suggesting that if employees aren’t using AI in their day-to-day work, they should polish up their resumes. For example, people like Brian Szykowny of Hudski Bikes said they use AI very little and feel that “using AI to create content is a very bad thing for anyone.” Chris Kratsch of Old Man Mountain also pointed out that this technology has led to a flood of customers buying the wrong axle. Rolf Prima’s Lauren Mason Geer has used it for research and product analysis, but admitted that “it feels like I’m playing with the devil.”
However, others were less skeptical, stating that they plan to implement it further, in addition to the fact that they are already using it for things like copy, social media, and translating engineering insights into customer-facing language. Specifically, BITCHN Bikes’ Tyler Reiswig said they are using the technology to simplify shipping to other countries, while Kona’s Shay James said it has been extremely helpful in sorting through and responding to the large amount of emails they receive. Verum Velo’s Charles Wells talked about how Claude AI can help you rebuild your Shopify-based site.
In case you missed it, Lucas spoke about our position on AI back in February. The entire post is worth a read, but he says: “When you see an editor’s name attached to a post, you’ll never have to wonder: A real person wrote the words, took the photo, and designed the graphic. We’re adamant about doing it this way.”
What do you think? Is there a place for AI in the bicycle industry? Let us know in the conversation below.
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