Summer Recap and Two New Faces in the Office
The summer of 2018 has been one to remember for GB cycling; Geraint Thomas powered past Froome — another Brit — to win the Tour de France, Simon Yates looks like he’s about to take the crown at La Vuelta, and, for us mere mortals, the frankly disconcerting levels of British sunshine meant that Strava leaderboards were busier and more competitive than ever.
But, as always, the summer bliss draws to a steady close and, unless you’ve decided to try your chances as a pro, the darkening evenings signal your return to work. Indeed, here at Stique, September marks the arrival of two new faces, Piers and myself.
Piers, a born-and-bred West-Midlander, is nothing short of a bike boffin and has been working in the industry for over 10 years with the likes of Evans, Swinnerton, and Birmingham City Cycles. Despite brushing his teeth with WD40 and wearing a SRAM X1 11-speed chain round his neck, Piers is a nice, friendly bloke with a whole lot to offer.
Having recently graduated from Aston Uni with an BSc in Product Design and Management, he is now very well-versed in the art of product design (funnily enough) and his final year project — a road bike designed “for the consumer and not the rules & regs of the UCI” — is testament to his ability to marry such skills with extensive industry insight.
Unlike Piers, however, I have been part of the Stique journey since Day 1 as it was my old man who came home one evening with the idea of a ‘Multilever’ back in 2014. Initially drafted in on the Kickstarter campaign, where I was responsible for branding, social media, and everything in-between, I have continued to help out in various ways but am now stepping up to the proverbial plate as the man at the proverbial wheel — or handlebars.
Having done freelance branding throughout my time at uni as well as a couple of stints at established branding/marketing agencies, I’m hoping to add further creative flair to the business. My recently acquired degree in French and Business should also come in handy as we begin to conquer the other side of the Channel. French distributors, anyone?!
So, while autumn typically represents a slowing of pace, us two new young’uns are hoping to pump some fresh vigour and energy back into the Stique brand which, for various reasons, has been lacking over the past year or so. We’re excited about the challenge ahead and look forward to getting the wheels rolling at this year’s NEC Cycle Show, which is now just a fortnight away. If you’re interested in coming but less interested in paying for a ticket, head over to our social media to see how you can get yourself a free one. Until then!
Ivo McDonald