Todd Lyons

HS: Beyond the retro models, how do you see collaborations helping you to build the brand?

Todd: It is about reaching a market that bicycle companies don’t always reach. We are a bicycle company. We sell to bike shops. We advertise in bike magazines. We sponsor racers and dirt jumpers. To get street culture and get influencers interested, to reach those people the collaboration projects are the most direct way of doing it. We could be running ads in Complex Magazine and all of that, but the collaboration projects are a huge help. A few years ago, none of the blogs were interested in the company.

HS: One of the reasons I wanted to feature you was because of the price point you reach, especially in the single speed market.

Todd: Our new Draft Light for 2009, has a flip/flop hub and retails for $360. It has cable clips on the tube, so you can take the brakes off quick. The levers are hinged, so you don’t have to take the grips off. Then you can flip the wheel and it will take you 10 total minutes to transform the bike.

Also, with the Retro thing being in, and BMX getting bigger because of the Olympics. As far as the company, we are in a good position. Sales are up globally. The sales at end of 2007, double 2006. We are looking to double again. The single speeds are a big part of that. We have about 28 BMX bikes in the line, and 5 single speeds. 60% of our sales are BMX, 40% single speed. We still sell more BMX, but it’s 28 versus 5.

HS: What’s the turn around time on a new bike?

Todd: Once we turn a bike in, and this is industry wide, it is six months to a year at the factory. It ranges, typically after an order its 6-7 months.

HS: What’s the development time on something like the latest DC?

Todd: On a brand new bike like this, the single speed with this tubing and Landing Gear forks, with a new geometry for this, we’ve been working on this for six months, and there are still refinements. It is not uncommon for something like this to take nine months.

HS: It seems like DC has been a great relationship overall?

Todd: Yeah, right off the bat it was a 3-year deal. There is already talk of working on a 4th.

HS: Did you know them before?

Todd: No, and basically Damon has been my main contact and he is now basically a consultant for DC, on special products. I email him about things like the decal colors. He still gets full reign on design. I just make it happen based on his direction. The DC bikes usually bring something new to the table, like the Quadrangle as a new size. That was Damon’s brainchild. Then leading to the fixed gear for 2009, it was Damon’s idea to do the PK Ripper as a fixed gear.

HS: Well, it is a pretty good idea.

Todd: Some of the guys doing tricks have buckled frames and stuff. This is a pretty strong frame.

HS: It seems to represent the merger of track bike culture and BMX riding. A new culture of riding you see in the videos that are coming out.

Todd: And, like I say, with the PK Ripper, we’ve had no problems with them breaking, so there should be no problems here. It will be a sturdy bike.

HS: If the collaborations are successful, do you fold that style into the full line?

Todd: The 2007 DC bike, which is a PK Ripper Looptail, we did a matching model. A whole different color scheme. So, it can, and the DC PK Fixed gear will definitely stay in the line.