How is it that a small Aargau-based company like Flowrider Racing refines show bikes for US bike brands? It kind of developed that way. I like eye-catching bikes and I like to highlight the brilliant work of others. David Turner likes the bikes black, which of course a lot of people like, but it's not ideal when it comes to getting people's attention.
We are a very small company and don't sell very many bikes. But with the show bikes, I can give something back to our partners and they really appreciate it. The advertising effect for them is huge and I can express my appreciation for small companies with the best products.

The important festivals have all been canceled. But according to your media presence, all the work wasn't in vain?
Unfortunately yes, everything has been canceled and we, like many others, have lost a lot of money. Like every year, we would have flown to the USA for a month, visited all our friends and business partners and then presented the bike at the Sea Otter Festival. I was sure that we would fly back without the bike, it wouldn't have been the first time that we had sold it directly at the event.
And then everything turned out differently. So that all the work wasn't in vain, I wrote down the story about the bike and the information about the custom and prototype parts and sent it to the mountain bike media. And what can I say - the bike has hit the world like a bomb! The feedback and reach is overwhelming.

If you compare the trade fair appearances in the USA and Switzerland, where do your high-end bikes attract more interest? That's difficult to say. By and large, in the USA.

And where is the interest greater afterwards?
There is actually a lot of interest worldwide. At the beginning of this week, I sold an Ancillotti "Scarab Evo 29" custom bike to the USA for over 16,000 francs.

You already had an exotic brand in your portfolio with Turner, and now you're back with Revel. How big is the demand for such bikes?
Not huge, of course. But we have been able to build up a very loyal customer base that is constantly growing. David Turner is a pioneer, Revel is a young brand with a lot of know-how. It is important to us to promote small companies and keep them alive. I would like to emphasize once again that behind the bikes, the parts, the paintwork and the construction are small geniuses who live for their work with complete passion, dedication and perfection. This simply must not get lost in commerce and mass consumption.

The frame from the USA, but practically all the parts from Switzerland, as well as from the neighboring countries of Germany and Italy. The local touch is commendable, but where does it come from? Do these small companies deliver better quality than the big ones?
I have never forgotten the 1990s bike years. Being part of the creation of a new sport and witnessing and participating in all these incredible technical developments was the greatest thing for me. Ringlé, Grafton, Machine Tech, Paul Components, White Industries, AC, STM, etc. These parts were and are on my bikes. They were also small companies, but they made beautiful and high-quality parts. Unfortunately, not all of these companies are still around. But I still work with Paul and White Industries.
And then there were all the new small companies - ONYX Racing Products, RevGrips, Ingrid, Ceetec, EXT Racing Shox, Intend, and many more. Honestly - I just love working with these talented and very nice people!
A good example is Christian from Ceetec, who simply built a downhill handlebar according to my ideas. And this handlebar has now achieved by far the best result of all the handlebars tested by the German testing company. They couldn't destroy it. So a clear yes, the quality is better with these parts.

Prototype parts can often be seen on your show bikes. Where does the access to such rare parts come from?
I am always in a lively exchange with my partners and suppliers, give feedback on the parts and make suggestions for improvements. I often have custom parts made because I need something very special for a bike or am not satisfied with the standard set-up. I simply don't let up until I have exactly what I want.
Thanks to this lively contact, I usually know very early on what will come out in the future and then often get prototypes to test.
Last December, Franco Fratton (the boss and owner of EXT Racing, Italy) traveled six hours by train from Italy to me and back again to spend an afternoon talking to me about the future shocks and forks. This shows me that my opinion and cooperation with us is valued.

Do you already have ideas for your 2021 show bike or are you getting inspired over the course of the year?
Yes, the next bike is already completely finished in my head. I think it will be ready for the TestRIDE in September.
The Sea Otter Classic 2021 is still a bit far away, I'm not quite there yet. But Revel is introducing a new model in June and it looks super nice. I'll probably build the 2021 show bike with this frame.

www.flowriderracing.com

The Revel in detail

The trail and all-mountain bike Revel Rascal is packed with details from A to Z. Even the suspension travel of 142 millimetres at the rear and 150 millimetres at the front is somewhat more generous than that of the standard bike. The Rascal is a real eye-catcher and every single component plays its part. Wohler highlights the following products of the Custom Revel:
The carbon frame was painted by Cycleworks' Stefan Utz in the original Klein colors. Complete, with Cush Core tire inserts and pedals, the Twentyniner weighs 14.53 kilograms.
- Ceetec/Flowrider Racing: Prototype DH carbon handlebars
- Ceetec: C10 carbon rear wheel axle
- Ceetec: C1 Custom saddle. It's a vegan version for Flowrider Racing, who as vegetarians don't want any leather from dead animals on their saddles
. - Braking: prototype of their INCAS brake system
- Intend: brand new Edge new-age fork and hover shock
- Ingrid: prototype 12-speed changer
- Cycleworks / Stefan Utz: Paintjob in the original Klein colors

CEETEC / Switzerland

Revolution27 wheelset
Consisting of Ceetec's asymmetric 29-inch revolution27 carbon rims, combined with Onyx Vesper Boost hubs with ceramic bottom bracket, 28 DT Swiss Aerolite spokes. Its weight is 1,545 grams.

C1 bottle cage
The C1 MTB bottle cage is one of the most popular in the Cross Country World Cup. Made of full carbon, it offers maximum strength thanks to flexible but strong wings that hold water bottles securely. Thanks to the 4-hole mount, the 23 gram C1 mount fits any frame.

Custom C1 seatpost clamp
Form follows function: the 7.4 gram C1 Custom carbon clamp was created with an understanding of the forces that such a clamp has to withstand.

Handlebar DH C1
The C1 downhill handlebar describes the perfect collaboration between Flowrider Racing and Ceetec®. The development of this new handlebar began in summer 2019. The result is a high-end handlebar with a width of 800 millimetres, a rise of 25 millimetres and a seven-degree crank at just 209 grams, rounded off with a carbon UD finish

C10 carbon custom axle
The C10 carbon axle is the connection of two ends in the most beautiful form. Each axle is individually manufactured by selecting the finest materials. Created with the usual love and performance of Ceetc®, this axle comes in 174 millimeter length, custom gold and M12x1.75 thread. It is mounted with a five millimeter Allen key. It weighs just 32 grams.

C1 carbon saddle with custom soft cover
The seat stability and therefore the power that can be achieved with this saddle is unique. Full carbon construction, together in a customized "vegan" version for Flowrider Racing, who as vegetarians do not want any leather from dead animals on their saddles.
The custom-made thermo-memory foam inside ensures perfect seating comfort. Width 148 millimetres, 90 millimetre saddle linkage for a large adjustment range, at 152 grams.

INGRID Components / Italy

Prototype changer, cassette and crank with chainring.
Ingrid is a young brand from Italy with a new vision in the design of shifting components. Ingrid is the fusion of different professions: Designers and engineers, but also seasoned mountain bikers who analyze and test the components of their bikes. The result is a 12-speed changer in the prototype stage. It weighs 265 grams and each of its individual parts is designed to be interchangeable.

BRAKING brakes / Italy

Braking was founded in 1990 and produced motorcycle brake discs for the aftermarket. In 2018, Braking is launching a complete braking system for bicycles. With a track record of 119 motorcycle off-road world championships, Braking® transfers its portfolio of innovative concepts to the bicycle sector: floating brake discs generally offer the best performance in terms of torsional stiffness, but are structurally weaker than fixed discs when it comes to lateral load capacity. As both torsional stiffness and lateral strength are essential for bicycles, Braking is launching the latest semi-floating S3 disc concept. This combines the positive characteristics of floating and fixed discs. Braking also presents a range of lightweight fixed brake discs and a range of high pressure sintered and organic brake pads.

The Rascal is equipped with a prototype of the new version of the complete brake system, with the following innovations and improvements:
- More than 100 grams have been saved compared to the "old" version.
- The brakes are completely CNC-machined.
- New brake line with thicker steel braided line (Ø 5mm.) for better installation and greater weight savings.
- New brake pads: Brake pads with a wider surface are used here. These offer more bite with better heat dissipation.
- The hydraulic passages have been improved so that the pistons work more fluidly.
- The braking performance has been improved.

INTEND BC / Germany

Intend is function, quality, sustainability and fairness all rolled into one.
And Intend is "Mister 'There's always something that can be done better'" Cornelius Kapfinger.
Weight, functionality, design, stiffness - there are many parameters that need to be considered at the start of a development. Cornelius' personal goal is to build bike parts that are better than the usual ones. And what's more, they are manufactured under fair conditions. Fair prices with fair wages as well as a good and reliable relationship with all suppliers and customers is the basis of every business - including Kapfinger's.

Hover damper
An air shock absorber with the response of a steel shock absorber
. The look comes from the standard instead of a parallel connection of damping and air spring. The latter is located in what looks like an expansion tank, the damping in the main body.
The advantages of this design are: Thanks to the fact that fewer seals are required and they always run in oil, they do not dry out and their service life is longer. The breakaway torque is also lower and therefore similar to that of a steel spring damper. Furthermore, the entire outer surface serves to dissipate heat, which makes the hover damper less likely to overheat.
This futuristic-looking shock absorber has numerous adjustment options and a soft lock lever. This hardens the shock, but does not close it completely. This means that the shock absorber will not be damaged if you forget to open it before setting off.

Edge "New Age" suspension fork
Over the past two years, Cornelius Kapfinger has worked on many details to improve the technology of the fork and get closer to perfection.
"New Age" describes innovations to a whole range of details on the Intend Edge fork: Less mass on the steerer, more mass in the crown (not retrofittable), new cable routing, new and higher bushings (retrofittable), smooth-running SKF seals as wiper/oil seals (not retrofittable), heavy and light axles with knurled clamping surfaces (retrofittable) as well as new axle adapters 20to15 (not retrofittable), CNC-machined adjustment knobs (retrofittable) and the Royal Flush coating (retrofittable).
98 percent of these suspension forks are manufactured in small quantities in Germany and assembled piece by piece by hand in Freiburg.