and felt we had reached most of our current customers there. In general, what are the tough things to battle when developing new products?
Getting the best possible bike for the best possible cost. Otherwise for new parts, getting what we want done and keeping costs in check.
Do you fancy going to Taiwan to follow up on the development process and to negotiate pricing? Yes, no problem. I always enjoy my time over there.
Who are some of the riders that give good feedback on the products that make your life easier?
Dave Mirra, of course, and most of our team when they get new frames and parts prototypes.
Do you have secret product testers out there or do the team riders take care of that? Lennie Westfall, our new inside sales rep and a pro rider, also rides our samples and parts and gives us valuable feedback. It is always good to have someone right in the office to test at a good level and give clear direct information.
Big tires, big bars, slammed seats, small gearing and lightweight. What's next?
Maybe features geared toward brakeless riders…
How hard is it to come up with a colour for your products? Sean, our art director is in charge of this. I try to coordinate with him in terms of feasibility and cost for the many colored components that are used nowadays.
Are you scared of the mandatory paint/colour testing or do you not worry about that yet?
We are already going through that and all our ‘010 products comply with the latest CPSIA regulations. The testing takes place at the source on a few samples for each batch that is shipped to the US. It is working well for us thanks to Trek’s advanced work on this issue.
How important is pricepoint for your products? Very important. It pushes us to deliver the best bike or component at the best price. Now, price points can be sometimes ignored for a few models with a strong concept, usually in the upper mid-range and high end.
Can you explain how hard it is to put an original idea into a final product?
The more complex the project, the more difficult it is to get all the proper designs done, to get the prototypes correctly manufactured and tested, then re-designed, re-done and re-tested if necessary. Some projects never come out because ultimately they are not feasible or affordable.
What is a 2010 product you designed that you are most proud of? We are fairly proud of our ‘010 bike line. All the different elements like specs, colors, graphics and pricing came nicely together this year. We are also introducing our new Black Label parts line with the “Black Pack” as a highlight (color coordinated combo with PC pedals, PC Pivotal seat + bar-ends). This new line includes large bars, lightweight forks, our revamped PC pedals, etc..Nothing revolutionary but nicely put together.
What's the worst design in BMX at the moment?
Hard to say…Nothing comes up right now. What do you think is a clever product?
Lower cost, lightweight, replaceable “plastic” parts like pedals, seats, bar-ends and so on.
Why do people need to look into the Mirraco brand?
Our ‘010 line is 99% new and includes individual looks for all our models. We have received a lot of great feedback from all distributors and customers. We think riders will like the bikes.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.