«We were looking for financial support and got the tip from an acquaintance.»
The initiative
Learn more about the initiative of «100 fürs Baselbiet.»
Success stories: ARC8 Bicycles Success stories: ARC8 Bicycles
«It was clear from the beginning that ARC8 should not be your classic bike brand. We want to offer an alternative for people who are not looking for a standard off-the-peg bike, by making custom bikes more affordable. As bicycle enthusiasts and not salesmen, our goal is to make the bikes that you (and we too) want to ride. We are all different, and our bikes should be too. Configure your ARC8 the way you want it, or build it starting from a frameset.
The two founders of ARC8, Serafin Pazdera and Jonas Mueller, spent much of their youth together, as classmates, bicycle messengers or on their snowboards.
But then their paths separated, Serafin went into graphic design and web development, while Jonas studied mechanical engineering and developed frames for well-known bicycle brands. When Jonas decided to start his own company and asked Serafin about creating a website to promote his engineering services, it soon became clear that together they could do much more. And so ARC8 was born.
It was clear from the beginning that ARC8 should not be your classic bike brand. At the heart of our brand are the riders. Supplying them with the best possible material is our mission.
All our frames are developed by BETA bicycle.engineering with one primary goal: maximum rider benefit. This means we can offer you reliable designs, lightweight frames and all the features you need, but no extra gimmicks for marketing purposes. Our component choices follow the same philosophy: every component is chosen to offer the best performance.»
Interview with ARC8
How did you hear about «100 fürs Baselbiet»?
What does your company do?
«We manufacture bikes and racing bikes. We have an online store where we offer individual parts directly. But you can also buy our products through a selected dealer network.»
Who is responsible for what in your team?
«We are a team of two, Jonas and me. Jonas is the developer. He designs the bicycle frames and is responsible for the products themselves. I am responsible for the work relating to our product.»
What have been your successes so far? How satisfied are you overall with your business?
«We are very satisfied with our business, we are growing. There is still potential for growth, we have not yet got to where we would like to be, but we are certainly on the right track.»
How well did BLKB's support work and how satisfied are you with it?
«So far the support has worked very well. As it happens, our advisor is also a passionate cyclist, which of course made the whole thing even easier.»
You are planning to move the paint shop to the Basel region. Why?
«Our long-term goal and also our desire is to relocate part of our production to Switzerland. Painting is the last step needed to have the production in Switzerland. It makes sense that the paint shop is the first thing we try to build up here.»
What impact did the Covid-19 crisis have on your business?
«Although the pandemic started in Asia, we fortunately only had to deal with delays of a few weeks. Unfortunately, we moved to our showroom in Switzerland at the end of February, just when the virus arrived here and the lockdown was imposed. This meant that we unfortunately couldn't hire our first employee. In the longer term, the availability of many supplied parts will be difficult, as production was cut back while demand is high because cycling has become very popular.»
Did demand in the leisure sector increase as a result? Are more people buying bikes than before the pandemic?
«I’m sure that many more people are cycling and buying bikes. We didn't really benefit from the classic Covid online boom because we weren't very well known. But we notice that, as soon as the weather is nice, people take to their bikes more.»
Your start-up has been around for quite a while now. What advice would you give to a younger start-up?
«Firstly, if you do something with passion, it often turns out well. Secondly: there are always people who give you good advice and claim to know better. In those situations, it helps to be able to filter things, so that you can still listen to yourself and contribute your own ideas. It's not about ignoring other views, but about going your own way.»
