Why in the BMX zone? That’s where Erbals booked the space.
In general, what are the tough things to battle when developing new products?
Time, money, language barrier, crappy samples, Irish Whiskey.
Do you fancy going to Taiwan to follow up on the development process and to negotiate pricing?
It can be OK. It’s nice to get out of Binghamton for any reason. I actually enjoy meeting insane people and seeing in person how it all comes together.
Who are some of the riders that give good feedback on the products that make your life easier? It doesn’t make life easier, but the moms that call about warranty issues on complete bikes. You realize for a lot of people they aren’t that simple to work on or understand the basics of maintenance.
Do you have secret product testers out there or do the team riders take care of that? Anyone that rides our parts we would appreciate feedback from. Just because you’re not pro or sponsored doesn’t mean your opinion’s not valid. Obviously team dudes chime in if they want to. I’ll listen to anybody. Most of the FBM team dudes are afraid to even ask for parts though, so when I do talk to them, it’s more about fifty-cent tacos and boobs and less about manufacturing processes.
Big tires, big bars, slammed seats, small gearing and lightweight. What's next?
Hard to predict, I think we may be at a long plateau where not much changes. If I had to guess, more companies, more complaining, more people complaining about complainers, stiff muscles and joint pain.
How hard is it to come up with a colour for your products?
Not very. Pick a muted one, a bright one and an ugly one.
Are you scared of the mandatory paint/colour testing or do you not worry about that yet?
Nope, I would be shocked if there was a company working with vendors that weren’t up to speed on this.
How important is pricepoint for your products? It’s the deciding factor that dictates everything when all is said and done.
Can you explain how hard it is to put an original idea into a final product?
Sometimes it’s hard to turn a seat post clamp drawing into a final product.
What is a 2010 product you designed that you are most proud of?
The whole line of completes, we’ve had bikes on the market for less than a year and it looks like we can hang in there.
What's the worst design in BMX at the moment?
Shit, I don’t know. Bad As Hell Clothing?
What do you think is a clever product?
Grips made of Krayton rubber.
Why do people need to look into your brand?
We enjoy talking to people about bikes and appreciate the people that support us, stop by and give us a shout.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.