This is a press release from Bike Friday, describing the effects of the events of September 11th on their business, and how they are coping with the problems. This version contains the text only; the full version with photographs will be available on the Bike Friday web site. [March 2002]
As the new year opens with some perspective after WTC attacks, the list of those missing continues to grow – but many were probably nowhere near Ground Zero at the time. The casualties include thousands of small and large businesses related in some way to the travel or airline industries. Many have since collapsed or are struggling to survive.
The influential ones appealed to the government for assistance, and some were lucky to receive it. However, one small grassroots company with close ties to the travel industry is thanking its lucky stars – and their 9,000+ loyal customers – that they are able to celebrate the new year and their 10th Anniversary in business.
Photo 1: Bike Friday customers from around the world flew to Eugene, OR, for the bi-annual 2001 Homecoming.
That company is Bike Friday. Founded in 1992, the small Eugene, Oregon business makes what many consider the world’s leading performance travel bicycles. Their livelihood has always depended heavily on serious cyclists who want to travel with their bikes. The bicycles not only fold and fit into a standard airline checkable suitcase, they include bicycles built for one, two or three riders, recumbents (that is, a bicycle with a chair-like seat) and even a two-seater recumbent currently under beta-test.
Photo 2: A Bike Friday ready to tour the world.
Immediately after the attacks of September 11 the company received many cancellations of orders.
“People cancelled their trips, and cancelled their dream bike, many were simply too scared to fly,” said CEO and co-founder Alan Scholz. The company tried to make ends meet and delayed laying off staff far longer than was practical.
“Letting people go hurts the most,” says Alan. “We are a family, we encourage our people to grow by letting them work in whatever other areas interest them, so we hate to ever let them go. We try to get them back as soon as possible.”
Faced with plummetting sales, the company then came up with a plan of action. Staff mounted a long road trip down the West Coast to reach out and meet their customers in person, and Alan and his brother Hanz, Co-founder and designer of the Bike Friday, wrote to customers and appealed for their help.
“We have a unique product, but because we are a tiny custom builder we cannot afford a big glossy ad budget or conventional placement in stores. We can only survive if our customers love their Bike Fridays, and tell anyone willing to listen.”
Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5: The Bike Friday … folds in 30 seconds … into a soft bag for commuting
“We told our customers point blank that we needed their help. We offered a special discount and asked them to tell their friends and family that if they’ve been hankering for a Bike Friday, now is the time.”
As a result, customers responded by calling in, emailing, and most of all, encouraging their friends and family to “join the fold”. After a perilous Christmas, sales were sufficient to bring back most of the staff and see in their 10th Anniversary with optimism.
Alan attributes the ability to ride out tough times to the personal nature of the way the company does business – in terms of forming a one-on-one relationship with each customer, the custom nature of the bikes, and intrepid nature of cycle tourists in general.
Photo 6: … or into an airline checkable suitcase for world travel.
“We believe so strongly in matching a person to their very personal machine, their bike, that our whole organization runs backward from most manufacturing. Our design process starts at the customer instead of ending with the customer simply buying the results”.
This means the company can make a bike exactly suited to the rider. Alan and Hanz are passionate about “being personal”.
“The mass production orientation in our culture tends to make us see anything outside the 10th and 90th percentiles as non-normal. We are convinced that everyone interested in cycling well is “normal” to us. As an engineer I know the materials don't care what size and shape they are made into. Size and shape of the user are not restrictions when approached correctly.”
The notion of custom-fitting is a feature for which Bike Friday is famous. Unlike many folding bikes, a Bike Friday is made to fit the body and riding style of each rider. If you already have a bike that fits you perfectly, crucial measurements can be taken from that bike and used to duplicate the fit in your new Bike Friday. If you don’t have a bike that rides well, you’ll soon have one, perhaps for the first time in your life. The fit is guaranteed.
Bike Friday owners include members of the Little People of America as well as a 7’1” pro basketball player. It seems that no rider is too big or small for a Bike Friday.
Then there is the perennial marketing hurdle of being seen as “different”. What distinguishes a Bike Friday from regular bikes is the smaller, 20” diameter wheels, and yet it is designed to ride like a full sized bike, and does.
“Small wheels are in fact stronger, faster and lighter; they also accelerate, climb and turn better,” says Alan. In fact, Bike Fridays have won numerous races including the recent International Human Powered 200 meter standing start event at the Vehicle Solar Challenge in Brighton, England, 2001.
“Conventional marketing would have told us that if we wanted to make a bicycle that goes in a suitcase and also make money, we should use bigger wheels, for no other reason than to stay squarely in the comfort zone of the mass-market mindset. It is always risky to go against the flow, but there’s putting your financial safety first, and there’s doing it right.”
The relentless pursuit of innovation has resulted in this company turning out models never before seen in the cycling industry. Witness “Project Q”, the tandem that converts to a single bike. Using one allen wrench the “Q” quickly converts to a sturdy, well-balanced bicycle built for one. And if that isn’t enough, the entire bike disassembles and packs into a pair of checkable suitcases for taking overseas as regular airline luggage.
Photo 7: The Project “Q”: The world’s first convertible tandem
Who would buy a “Q”? “It’s the bike recommended by Co-Dependents Anonymous,” quips Alan. “Seriously, on those days when she wants to ride, and he wants to visit a museum, or vice versa, there’ll be no more arguments”.
Photo 8,9,10: .. quickly disassembles …
Photo 11 … to become a single bike.
Bike Friday has always extended its vision beyond merely selling bikes. The company sees cycling as a way of life, and a way to create a better planet. Back in 1995 Bike Friday built the fire-engine red Family Tandem, the affordable, kid-friendly travel tandem that got big and little riders pedaling in unison all over the world. This bike initiated many programs for disabled children, including the Adapted Physical Education Project at Wayland Public School, Lexington MA. The low step-over height of the Bike Friday design make them easy to get on or off, especially in an emergency, which makes it perfect for all riders including nervous first timers, tots from just 3’ high and older riders.
All Bike Fridays pack down into one or two checkable hard-shell suitcases for airline travel, depending on the bike. Anyone who has tried to take a regular bike, let alone a regular tandem, on an airplane or even in their car immediately sees the Bike Friday advantage.
The suitcases, now holding your belongings, can be towed behind the bike using the optional trailer kit. The resulting trailer tows well on all types of terrain. Shuttling your luggage like this makes a lot of sense, particularly for a trip where you land at one destination and fly out from another.
All Bike Fridays use premium lightweight CrMo chromoly steel for frame construction, because it offers superior comfort and resilience over long distances. The componentry is industry standard, the same as you would find on any high quality bicycle anywhere in the world, so it is easy to have parts replaced or repaired while on the road. And Bike Fridays do venture to all corners of the world, from Brooklyn to Burma and beyond, quite simply because you can take it with you!
The company even has a 24-hour helpline customers can call if they are on tour and have a problem with their bike.
“I might answer it half asleep,” says Hanz. “But I’ll make sure I can talk them through any repairs they need, even talking with the bike shop in Burma if necessary, and we can send replacement parts to most places in two days.”
So what is in store – or should we say – in the factory, for the new year?
“Well, we’re celebrating our 10th Anniversary, and fingers crossed, our 10,000th Bike Friday will roll off the line this year,” says Alan, looking relieved. “We’re going to unveil models that will be firsts in the cycling world. They won’t be just another Bike Friday – though that’s always welcome news to our customers.”
Photo 12, Photo 13, Photo 14: No rider is too big or small for a Bike Friday.
Hanz has the last word.
“The September 11 tragedy has reminded us all of something that we always knew: survival, both personal and professional, cannot be just about money. It’s about fellowship, humanity, relationships and all those words that seem to have dropped out of business journals and textbooks. It’s important to never forget there is a human being behind that email address.”
The full Bike Friday story and range of road, mountain, touring, commuting and recumbent models are showcased on www.bikefriday.com. You can own a Bike Friday from as little as $699. Call a Bike Friday sales consultant on 1-800-777-0258, email sales@bikefriday.com.
For more information on this press release contact:
Hanz Scholz or Lynette Chiang, Bike Friday Marketing Department.
lynettec@bikefriday.com , 1-800-777-0258, fax 888-394-7797
Copyright (C)2002 Bike Friday
Last updated: 4 March 2002
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