After years in development at big names like BMC, Santa Cruz and DT Swiss, Jonas Müller decided to start his own company: "It was a great experience to work for these companies. Thanks to the environment in these companies, I was able to work on some of the best bikes on the market, with the support of many development resources and world-class athletes. Seeing that validated through test reports and victories at big races was always an emotional high. But deep down, I always had the desire to create a brand myself, to make bikes exactly as I wanted them and to make them more affordable."

However, this desire also comes up against conflicting goals: In the age of carbon frames with expensive tools, it is only possible to develop your own products with large investments, Müller specifies. The current answer to the high cost of carbon frames is open mold, frames and products that have been developed by manufacturers in the Far East and that can be bought without having to invest in a tool. Unfortunately, according to Müller, it is very difficult to find convincing products.

Carbon has its pitfalls

The weaknesses are often only visible at second glance, and they range from the basics such as geometry to details such as cable routing. "Even if you have found a product that is convincing on paper, you still know little about the factory, the quality and the performance. Not everyone has the opportunity to visit the factories or test the products themselves. Can you trust the factory? What can the product really do? Is it safe?" says Müller about the globalized business with carbon products. All these questions are difficult to answer if you don't have close contact with the factory. And according to Müller, it is even more difficult for the end consumer to assess the value of the product.

What does Beta do?

So how does Beta work? Müller sums it up briefly: Beta develops products and promotes them. These products are then licensed to a manufacturer, who produces the products according to Beta's guidelines and sells them directly to its customers - typically larger retailers, distributors or smaller brands. All products will carry the Beta Licensed Engineering seal of approval, but will not be sold under the Beta brand.

Having already realized several outstanding projects, Jonas Müller is confident that the experience he has gained will enable him to realize even better products in the future. "At BMC, I was able to work in a development-driven environment, with new ideas and solutions in almost every project. At Santa Cruz, the focus was on developing robust products with the greatest possible benefit for the biker. And at DT Swiss, quality was paramount, at a level that is rarely achieved in the bike industry."

For Beta, the focus is on the best possible riding experience, with innovations that support this goal. Beta is in the comfortable position of having access to a network of excellent partners, from a design office to former colleagues and dealers. According to Jonas Müller, this is a very important aspect: "As an engineer, you become convinced of your ideas far too quickly. You need other people around you to find the best product."

In the past, Jonas Müller has also done a lot of marketing work, and he is looking forward to this being part of his job again. "It might not be obvious, but when you're involved in marketing as an engineer, it drives you to make better products. As an engineer, it's very easy to become isolated from the world and optimize a small detail to perfection. In marketing you're in contact with journalists, dealers and riders, and again you see the big picture, which is important to the rider. It also requires you to constantly think about what makes your product stand out from the competition. People reward honest marketing, and that requires good products. If you use marketing to make a product better than it really is, you quickly make a fool of yourself."

On the spot

When it comes to quality, the bike developer believes that nothing beats constant monitoring of production and quality checks in the factory. That's why Beta's office in Taiwan is located in the factory that manufactures most of Beta's products. Test plans and test methods are all defined and monitored by Beta.

What is already in the pipeline of the brand new development brand? The first products are expected in spring 2017 and the product portfolio will grow from there. Beta's vision is to provide a good starting point to create exciting brands without the need for large investments. "End consumers have different requirements for both the product and the service. One brand alone cannot cover it all. Hopefully, Beta will enable a greater choice of brands and bikes that cover different target groups."

www.betabicycles.com