Ride: How much do e-mountainbikes make up of Flyer's turnover?
Simon Lehmann: So far, the figures are in the single digits. That's because we launched e-mountainbikes later than planned. And that it's a question of defining what is and isn't a mountain bike. Because the transition from an off-road trekking bike to an e-MTB is fluid.

For many cyclists, Flyer is still the classic step-through provider. Will Flyer manage to change its image from a staid manufacturer to a cool e-mountain bike brand?
It's logical that this is one of our biggest challenges. It takes time to change our image. We certainly entered the e-mountainbike market too late. If you look at the market situation with players like Cube, Haibike and Scott, it's clear that Flyer is not the predestined e-mountainbike brand. But we have proven that we can produce a top e-mountainbike within a year - and we are damn proud of that. The trade press has repeatedly shown that the Uproc 6 is the best e-mountainbike of the season - and confirmed this with several awards.

What's in the product pipeline in terms of e-mountainbikes?
We are continuing to expand the e-MTB portfolio for the 2017 season. But I can't talk specifically about that yet. Nevertheless, here is this detail: We will be adding more color accents. In terms of drives, we will continue to ride two-track in the future: with systems from Panasonic and Bosch.

You have been at the helm of Flyer for two years now. Would you switch back to the bicycle industry?
You can quote me for laughing heartily. Yes, the bike industry is very exciting, the e-bike industry is very exciting! The market environment is healthy, that's the positive thing about this constellation. We are not entering a declining market. Rather, we are entering a highly competitive market. We used to be a monopolist and today we are battling with all the competition in the classic bike business, all of whom now also offer e-bikes. I am a person who likes challenges. That's why I don't question the decision to switch to Flyer at all.

Before that, you worked in the logistics and tourism industry. Was that a good preparation for the cycling industry?
Yes, definitely. Because at the end of the day, what are we doing here? We are largely a marketing and logistics company. We develop frames, designs and we plan the right components. Then we build bikes. With my skills, I was and still am the right choice for the headhunter who brought me on board for the job at Flyer. Because I have three skills: Knowledge of internationalization, digital know-how and logistics and supply chain. That's a combination that suits a company like Flyer extremely well. Flyer has enough bicycle know-how. It didn't need someone else to have a say in what components should be on the bike.

You talk about digital know-how. What's Flyer's position on the internet?
We are currently developing a digital strategy. We are planning to relaunch the entire web application. This will include spare parts stores or online stores for specialist dealers. We will massively improve the connection to the dealer. We want to work on the configurator so that it can clearly display the availability of bikes, making the ordering process easier for dealers. And, as mentioned, we have introduced SAP.

How do you plan to sell bikes on the web?
We are not riding a direct sales strategy. We are clearly building in specialist retailers. Retailers will also play an important role in the digital strategy. But I also have expectations of retailers. By that I mean: we are relying on the digital fitness of specialist retailers.

Will stores that are not digitally fit, as you say, have a hard time in the future?
Yes, it has to do with findability. Does the retailer have a website? Is he on Facebook and does he have a Google Plus entry? Does he interact with the end customer? This is a prerequisite for customers today. Today, everyone does their research online before making a purchase. If the retailer does not offer this interaction, it jeopardizes its existence. Another threat to conventional specialist retailers are new players who are entering the market with relatively great power.Who are you thinking of here?
m-way. You are setting a trend with over 30 stores. So far, m-way has met all our requirements, for example in terms of service quality, so we are very satisfied with the collaboration. If m-way decides to go down the online sales route - which they certainly will - then we can't turn our backs on it. But we can give our specifications here: That the bikes are physically handed over, that proper training and planning are carried out, these are important requirements on Flyer's part. M-way has a lot of leverage and is very fit digitally.

Click here for part 1 of the interview