#fromwhereweride

BikeFlights.com: How did Radial Sports get started?

Jon Davy: On a wheel and a prayer! I began riding recreationally on the road in the late 80s in Northern Indiana in between high school sports seasons. I picked up competitive riding after college and continue today. Cycling is a large part of my work-life balance. Prior to starting the business, I spent 10 years in sporting goods retail management and eight years in product and marketing for an international sporting goods company with in-house and distributed brands. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to merge my professional experience and goals with a sport I enjoy, so here we are. We started in April of 2012.

BF: What brands does Radial Sports have for distribution, and how do you get them to customers?

JD: We represent FFWD Wheels and have a custom apparel brand called FORTE Sportswear. The brands are available D2C (direct-to-consumer) and to wholesale accounts.

BF: What’s a typical Radial Sports customer like, and what brings them to purchase through your website?

JD: We have a wide variety of customers that range from the recreational rider looking to upgrade their kit to world-class athletes (yes, they do buy products too!). I firmly believe we offer an incredible value on performance products.

BF: How would a customer find and purchase from Radial Sports?

JD: By visiting ffwdusa.com!

BF: Will you tell us more about FFWD Wheels? JD: FFWD Wheels (Fast Forward) is a Dutch manufacturer specializing in high performance carbon wheels. It was founded by Henk Schipper, a former pro rider, in 2006 in Zwolle, Netherlands. The primary focus is on outstanding design, quality and craftsmanship. The brand, employees and production facilities are located in the heart of Europe’s cycling culture. Rain, wind, mud and cobbles are all part of daily life in northeastern Holland and provide rigorous testing grounds for wheels.

The history is rich with the brand having raced in the WorldTour by Quick Step, Vacansoleil, Arkea-Samsic, Direct Energie and others along with riders such as Tom Boonen, Nikki Terpstra, Andre Greipel and Thomas De Gendt to name a few. In addition to the WorldTour, FFWD also has and continues to sponsor several top-level women’s teams. FFWD is now sold globally in over 40 countries with a solid reputation for quality and performance.

BF: What is the design and manufacturing process for FFWD like?

JD: FFWD wheels and rims are proprietary and designed in-house with carbon production in Taiwan and the EU. They are built in Zwolle, Netherlands by a dedicated and experienced staff of wheel builders and go through rigorous testing and quality controls before being shipped out to the distribution network.

BF: Why would someone choose to purchase FFWD Wheels?

JD: The quality, performance and reliability is second to none, and the value is exceptional. Out of the box, customers can expect a wheel that will deliver no matter what is thrown at them. Our customers repeatedly give us “the best wheels I’ve ever ridden” feedback. Our range starts at $999 and includes a U.S. Lifetime Warranty and five-year crash replacement program. A rider who is looking to upgrade their stock OE wheels or starting a new build needs to take a look!

BF: What are your favorite FFWD Wheels and why?

JD: We recently launched the 2021 range, and these are some of the best wheels FFWD has produced to date. They are FAST, reliable and versatile – tubeless ready and optimized for wider tire widths with disc or rim brake options. I have been riding the disc brake RYOT44 DT240 EXP and RYOT55 DT240 EXP models on the road and our dedicated DRIFT gravel set in the dirt.

BF: What are some of the most popular FFWD Wheels?

JD: Our most popular are the mid-depth TYRO, RYOT44 and RAW models. The DRIFT gravel model and RYOT55 have been hot since launch as well.

BF: What are some of the styles of riding and markets that FFWD wants to attract?

JD: Of course the gravel market has increased significantly industry-wide, and we hope to capture some of that, but overall our focus is to increase market share across the disciplines – road, gravel, track, triathlon.

BF: How has the pandemic affected your business?

JD: With our omni-channel strategy, great product and significant focus on D2C marketing coupled with the COVID-related uptick in cycling/outdoor enthusiasm, we had a very good year in 2020 with sales up triple digits.

BF: The bike industry has experienced some shortages throughout last year. How has inventory and sales progressed through the year and now?

JD: Luckily our brands are based in the Netherlands, and the teams and EU suppliers there did a fantastic job ensuring product was available throughout 2020. We had, and continue to have stock available with lead times on occasional out of stock items averaging two to four weeks.

BF: Why has Radial Sports chosen to ship with BikeFlights.com?

JD: I have worked with a variety of logistics companies over the years. Based on our needs as a smaller specialty business, the primary reasons we chose to work with BikeFlights.com are the great rates and fantastic support!

All photos are courtesy of Radial Sports.