September 8, 2025
With all the talk of AI in the media I want to write about the real impact of AI that I am seeing in the cycling business. This article aims to provide some context in real terms of processes within the cycling value chain that have been directly affected by AI.
Based on what I have observed in the last 24 months there are three main areas that have impacted:
Take for example the localization of 5 languages on a web site, (Italian, French, Spanish, German), what once was a hugely expensive project that took months, is now a relatively simple exercise in prompts and csv uploads. In my experience, the quality of the translations is quite good, you still need to check everything by a professional. What is most accelerated by AI is the input/output process, what once required copy/paste tedium with google translate is now automatic. You upload the excel file for import, and the system can update the content directly in the file for upload to the web site. What previously took 2-3 months and cost €15,000+ now takes 2-3 weeks at a fraction of the cost.
In terms of overall global adoption of AI, coding is currently the number one type of usage globally across all business types. AI enables quick deployment of code and speeds up overall development time dramatically. I myself use claude to write web scraping programs to get reports about offers on Amazon marketplaces in Europe and USA. This would have been a 3-5k job by a professional programmer. I got it done in an afternoon.
As online channels have multiplied in recent years, cycling brands have been forced to increase the amount of content that they create to strengthen their chances for visibility. This reality has stretched marketing teams thin with limited resources to maintain an ever increasing amount of channels. A typical bike manufacturer now manages 5-7 online channels compared to 2-3 just five years ago. The main online channels where brands communicate are typically Blogs, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, and Email Newsletter. With the advent of AI and platforms like ChatGPT and Claude, online content can be generated with a couple of prompts.
While the system can provide straightforward and literal content based on the prompts, there are some caveats. Like I mentioned before with regards to the translations, names can sometimes get taken literally in translations and therefore cause errors. Written content must always be checked before publishing.
I am on the fence about the image generation aspects of AI. The image generation capabilities are powerful but have their limits. I used ChatGPT to generate the title image for this article. It works in terms of communicating an idea and initially they were interesting but I am finding them becoming a bit stale. Time will tell how the platforms can enable creators to create more unique and interesting visual content.
One of the most interesting aspects of AI that I am using with some of my clients, is generating claims for campaigns. I use Claude and some input parameters you can get a prompt to generate 30 or 40 different slogans for a campaign. I remember in the past, in corporate settings, the Marketing Director would instruct the junior staff to come up with these ideas, this can be done instantly by AI.
From my vantage point, we are starting to see AI reshape how cycling businesses operate. While challenges around quality control and brand consistency remain, the efficiency gains are undeniable—turning months-long projects into week-long tasks and expensive development into afternoon exercises.
As AI tools continue evolving, cycling companies that embrace these technologies thoughtfully can gain significant competitive advantages. The question isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how quickly and strategically businesses can integrate it.
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