Ever wonder how backroom decisions and the struggle between designers and accountants affects what bikes actually make it to market? Or, more importantly, which features, designs and technologies get to be used to make our bikes better?
In this episode, Nex Gen Sports co-founder Paul Farrell shares his experience launching and running both his own bike brands and consultancies and manufacturer rep firms. Between the three, he’s seen exactly how the cycling industry works, and knows how it could be better.
Their goal is to go straight from the factory and designer to the rider, allowing for better technologies and materials to be used without driving prices up. But will it work? Maybe. Here’s why he thinks it will…
Stick around to the end and you’ll hear about one of Nex Gen’s most intriguing business model facets. If you have a great idea for a product but need the manufacturing help, they could help you bring your idea to market. Paul explains how they do it, and what you need to do to submit your own product ideas!
The photo at the top of this post is an e-Road Bike of Paul’s design that uses an FSA cockpit system to completely hide all of the cables. The battery slides into the downtube from the bottom bracket area, helping it maintain an ultra-sleek appearance. He says we should be seeing something very similar to this popping up from bike brands soon.
Directly above is a prototype high-powered e-bike for a startup that he’s pretty excited about. Below, clockwise from top, are Paul with one of his original road bikes, Nex Gen’s TeXtreme-infused carbon wheels in the impact testing rig, and a full carbon fiber disc wheel project.
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