MOMSEN BIKES
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MOMSEN BIKES
The Epic Mountaineer PRODUCTION: Colin Chinery
In 10 years, Victor Momsen has developed Momsen Bikes as a unique brand in the tough competitive world of mountain biking. “Our unique understanding of endurance mountain biking sets us apart,� says the Port Elizabeth businessman and MTB enthusiast.
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: SPORTS & LEISURE
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With its diverse, rigorous terrain and benign weather, South Africa was always going to be a natural for mountain biking (MTB), the adrenaline-pumping pursuit that has exploded from marginal adventure activity into a national mainstream sport. And since its inception in 2009, Momsen Bikes based in the Baakens Valley in Port Elizabeth has been creating bikes developed for the challenging South African terrain. Designed and created by its inhouse R&D team, and tried and tested in the most extreme off-road conditions, Momsen Bikes are, as the company slogan says; ‘Forged in the Untamed.’ “It’s our lifestyle – not our job. We live, eat, sleep and breathe bicycles.”
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MOMSEN FOR EVERYONE Designed for the mountain biking trails of South Africa, Momsen has created bikes suitable for everyone from the beginner and casual enthusiast to high-profile professional cyclists competing on the national mountain bike scene. Key features developed and designed around South Africa’s appetite for world leading MTB Stage Races include dual water bottle mounts, and I.T.B (Integrated Toptube Box) fixtures, allowing essential, easyto-reach, on-bike access to endurance event essentials. Each bike is designed and specced with components suited to the local market. “This unique understanding of endurance mountain biking sets
us apart and inspires confidence in Momsen Bikes,” says Victor Momsen. As a self-confessed bike geek, accomplished in provincial cross country and downhill racing, Momsen had always dreamt of starting his own bicycle brand. Dream became reality in 2007 when he founded Two Wheels Trading, and two years later the Momsen Bikes brand now competing with international giants such as US-based brands including Specialized and Trek. The pre-birth beginnings however – though never the passion - were more modest. “I was working in a small surf and windsurfing shop in Port Elizabeth called Beachbreak. Windsurfing in the 80s was massive, but then had
MOMSEN BIKES
a slow decline in popularity, almost disappeared as a cool sport, and the surf shop ended up getting into mountain biking. “So, I ended up as a school kid BMXer, working on a casual basis at the weekends, very involved with the guys running the shop and local MTB events. PASSION AND PLAN “And that’s where the first passion comes from. I just knew as a teenager that long-term I wanted to end up working and being involved with bikes for a living.” It was while he was studying mechanical engineering at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, that the Surf Shop
began importing Wheeler mountain bikes from Taiwan. Taiwan is the world leader in the bicycle industry on the strength of its high-quality bikes and components employing the latest advances in such fields as electric, green and smart technologies. “Wheeler was one of the most progressive of the cool Taiwan-based brands, and I ended up as a 19-yearold working for them at their factory in Taiwan. “To be honest, I didn’t know where Taiwan was on the map. I just knew it was the real heart of the global cycling business, and if I wanted to have a run at this bicycle career I needed to go to Taiwan.”
He was to remain there for three years, undergoing in-service training for a diploma in mechanical engineering, and working for the Taiwanese manufacturer selling predominantly into the European market. “As a manufacturer being based in Taiwan, they needed someone who could assist with market trends. They were aware of consumer needs, what the consumer wanted, and what was cool. They had the know-how to make anything but were looking for validation on which projects and products to focus. “I stayed in touch, finished my studies and they offered me a full-time job. I went back - this was 1998/99 and after living in Taiwan for nearly
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: SPORTS & LEISURE
// I FOUND THE MAJORITY OF THESE BIKES WERE MERE TOYS AND NOT REALLY RIDER FRIENDLY. SO I DEVELOPED A GOOD-QUALITY BALANCE BIKE THAT ALLOWS CHILDREN TO PROGRESS TO A REAL BIKE WITH OR WITHOUT SIDEWHEELS MUCH QUICKER THAN IF THEY USED TOY TRICYCLES //
Victor Momsen - CEO Momsen Bikes
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three years, I felt I needed a change.” Returning to the Eastern Cape, he joined a local bicycle importer, Probike, as Product Manager and later Product Director, helping to revive and develop what had become the somewhat tarnished Raleigh brand. “For seven years I was responsible for all the design, development and spec-ing of their complete bike line. I’ve probably been to the East almost 100 times, building on contacts and relationships with key suppliers. WHY NOT ME? “After a while I made the decision to start my own wholesale company. I was doing a lot and working hard, so I thought, why not do it for myself? I started Two Wheels Trading in 2007 and was able to secure a few good brands to distribute in the South African market.” Launched two years later around the time 29-inch wheels were becoming must-haves, the Momsen brand debut was perfectly pitched. “Only a couple of 29er brands were available and all were from overseas. Most people were sceptical or sitting on the fence waiting to see if the 29ers would take off. “We embraced the change and developed a 29er frame kit. This allowed mountain bikers to upgrade without it costing an arm and a leg, as they were able to re-use 80% of the parts on their old bikes.” In 2013, Momsen launched the Muna kids’ brand, after his children, Mia and Ethan made him aware of a gap in the market for quality, affordable children’s bikes. “I found the majority of these bikes were mere toys and not really rider friendly. So I developed a good-quality balance bike that allows children to progress to a real bike with or without side-wheels much quicker than if they used toy tricycles.” Muna also developed ordinary pedal bikes aimed at children aged four to around 10, with a range of
MOMSEN BIKES
// THERE ARE SO MANY SOUTH AFRICANS WHO ARE PATRIOTIC THAT THEY WOULD MUCH RATHER SPEND THEIR RANDS ON A PRODUCT AND A BRAND BASED IN SOUTH AFRICA //
juvenile models in the Momsen range, displaying the company’s ability to cater for the very high-end juvenile market. “We invest a lot into these bikes, because we believe we are raising a future generation of Momsen riders. That is why our JSL range of kids’ bikes receives a lot of high-end, lightweight components.” SA ROOTS “While we’re infinitely proud of our South African roots, we haven’t just stuck to SA, with riders competing on Momsen Bikes while racing in events
worldwide from the Cape Epic to the UCI XCO World Cups.” Building a South African bike brand in South Africa however, has its unique challenges, says Momsen. “There’s a percentage of people who will never, ever buy one. It’s part of South African culture in a way; they aspire to own an American or European brand. “On the flip side, there are so many South Africans who are patriotic that they would much rather spend their Rands on a product and a brand based in South Africa. “This is one of the reasons why
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: SPORTS & LEISURE
// I JUST KNEW AS A TEENAGER THAT LONG-TERM I WANTED TO END UP WORKING AND BEING INVOLVED WITH BIKES FOR A LIVING //
“In some ways it might be said to be easier, but establishing credibility is harder because with the internet there are so many start-ups. People I was speaking to 10 years ago are no longer in business, they’ve simply vanished off the map. “I would say it takes 10 years to really become a businessperson, the entrepreneurial bit at the beginning is the fun part, then it gets real!”
Momsen Bikes exists. We are a proudly South African brand that has always designed, specced, and built for the South African market - not a product that could be for everywhere and just happens to be sold in South Africa.” As an outstanding cycle industry entrepreneur, Momsen says early momentum for success is increasingly challenging.
RESPONDING TO A CHANGING MARKET 10 years on from the Momsen Bikes launch, and responding to modern trends in a rapidly changing market, Momsen is developing a focus on digital and online selling, down-scaling office space, reverting to a warehouse operation in Port Elizabeth, and working closely with retailers while
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making these transitions. The rise of the internet means the company has to be proactive on all fronts. And the one-time teenager who hopped from home-town Port Elizabeth to far-away Taiwan to pursue a dream, has recently moved again, this time to Perth in Western Australia, from where he is running the brand while keeping a keen eye on a new market. “I’m basing myself now in in Perth, the family is relocated here, and I commute between South Africa and Australia. “Multinationals have been doing it for decades of course, but technology now means smaller companies like mine can also do it. “It doesn’t come without its challenges, but I think 10 years ago it was a lot harder than what it is now.” One Taiwanese cycle boom that
MOMSEN BIKES
// I JUST KNEW IT WAS THE REAL HEART OF THE GLOBAL CYCLING BUSINESS, AND IF I WANTED TO HAVE A RUN AT THIS BICYCLE CAREER I NEEDED TO GO TO TAIWAN // Momsen is sceptical of is e-bikes. Now a $77m industry, there’s no sign of a slowdown, with sales last year even surpassing traditional bike sales in the Netherlands. “Unlike Europe and Australia, there is no market in South Africa for ‘general
use’ e-bikes. The market is extremely high-end and very competitive. In South Africa you do not use an e-bike to shop and buy bread or milk as you do in Europe.” MOMSEN – A UNIQUE STORY In this tenth anniversary year, Momsen affirms the brand’s ‘Proudly South African’ high-spec credentials. “Our bikes have a unique story, and this actually makes it hard for me to think global because we have to stick to our roots. “The focus right now is some strengthening of relationships with our dealers and looking after the South African business, with the international expansion of Momsen Bikes as a brand very much on the back burner.”
Has Momsen the capability of remaining up to date in an extremely fast-moving competitive industry? “I do, because the bike industry has some unique features. “So long as there are bicycle enthusiasts in the world, there’s going to be an opportunity for passionate businessmen/cyclists to make a living. And the big brands struggle to compete with passion.”
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November 2019
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Prommac Positions Itself at
Forefront of Innovation Exclusive interview with CG Holdings CEO Jason English ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Logicalis South Africa / Momsen Bikes / Brights Hardware / Singita
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ENTERPRISE AFRICA
NOVEMBER 2019