#shipyourwhip

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.

On a day-to-day basis, Lindsey manages public relations, social media, written content, public speaking and general inspiration for Ladies AllRide while Meredith serves as the CEO and ‘Director of Everything’, handling logistics and managing everything and everyone.

Lindsey initially set out to design a new kind of skills camp that acknowledges the fears and difficulties associated with mountain biking while also creating an environment in which riders could celebrate their love for working through those elements of the sport. Its an ethos that remains a driving principle of hers today.

So what exactly happens at Liv Ladies AllRide camps? Here is a rundown from Lindsey herself:

We run 14 instructional mountain bike skills camps across the country annually where we coach up to 70 participants at each camp. These are fun-filled weekend events that are meant to bring women together to share the joys of mountain biking and learn in a safe, encouraging and welcoming environment.

We are passionate mountain bikers and professionally trained skills instructors who teach all levels of riders from beginner to advanced. We strive to build community and grow the population of female mountain bikers across the globe.

Combined with skills on the bike, we also inspire women to face fears, believe in themselves and change negative thoughts to positive. We relate mountain biking to life by helping women see how fear can debilitate us on bikes and in life. We have a unique formula where we throw in life skills along with bike skills.

For instance, we don’t stare at that rock and imagine crashing into it; we choose a line, look ahead, and think only thoughts that serve us, thoughts about what we need to do to get through, thoughts that keep us moving forward. 

A Ladies AllRide weekend is not only full of awesome instruction on the bike, we also provide a Friday and Saturday afternoon happy hour, goody bags full of awesome sponsor product and coupons, raffle prizes, discounts to our partner bike shops, a nutritious lunch, snacks like Picky Bars and free demo products like G-Form pads, Smith helmets and Liv demo bikes. We also offer an hour of “education stations” with topics like bike maintenance, suspension set-up, nutrition on and off the bike, managing fear and a body positioning slideshow with commentary.

When they’re not busy running Ladies AllRide from the road and at home in Bend, Oregon, Lindsey and Meredith can be found leading private lessons and destination-based camps with their staff of 50+ professionally-trained coaches. Together, they continue to sow the seeds of mountain bike stoke across the nation.

Book a skills camp with Ladies AllRide, or book a private lesson with Grit clinics.

Growing up in New York City, bikes would occasionally come in and out of his life, via hand-me-downs and apartment basement finds, but they rarely played a significant role in his life.

“They were just another toy,” Enzo says, “we never went out on bike rides.”

College was similar; the occasional borrowed bike might transport him to a class or work, but he never gave bikes much thought beyond that.

Then came 2019, and as the world shut down, the streets opened up. Enzo started noticing bikes a lot more and a new perspective emerged.

“I was living in Brooklyn at the time, and I saw more people [on bikes] in the park and messengers zoom[ing] in and out. I just got this itch and thought, I think I want to buy a bike.”

In 2020, he scratched the itch and purchased an entry level steel single speed. That’s when a new world appeared on the horizon.

“I did one lap around Prospect Park and was winded and got a little buzz. It snowballed from there.”

Enzo felt compelled to keep challenging himself to do more laps around the park and to explore further throughout the city. His world expanded both literally and figuratively.

He set his sights on a more ambitious ride and began researching the prospect of riding his bike from New York City to Chicago. Somewhere in his research he came across the call for applications to From the Ground Up, a program – run by BikeFlights Ambassador Alexey Vermeulen and fellow professional cyclist Ryan Petry– which provides resources and guidance to “inspire cyclists of all ability levels to step outside of their comfort zones” and compete in an event like the Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

“I actually sent it to a couple friends, who I thought were serious cyclists at the time, and said, ‘Hey, you guys should do this,’” Enzo says.

His “serious cyclist” friends found the idea “insane.” So Enzo decided to give it a go himself, thinking it was a long shot.

Enzo was chosen for the inaugural season of the program and began training for the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, a 104-mile mountain bike race with more than 11,000 feet of climbing in the oxygen thin Leadville, Colorado. He was quickly struck by the physical and mental benefits of using the bike to work toward a lofty goal, and those benefits translating to his off-the-bike life.

“I found the phrase ‘send it’ happening more and more in my life,” Enzo says, relating it to situations in his life in which, “the worst that could happen is I fall and have to get back up.”

When a training ride crash and injury forced him off the bike for an extended period of time, Enzo took advantage of the situation to “send it” on an ambition that had been lurking in the back of his mind for a while.

“I always wanted to write a children’s book, but never had a subject or solid idea.” With his arm in a cast and a long recovery ahead of him, Enzo took inspiration from a persistent nagging feeling: “All I wanted to do was ride my bike.”

Enzo began to reflect on his cycling journey through photos and memories, noting the diversity of people he’s met and their chosen path within the world of cycling. He began sketching.

“I tried to represent the diversity of people and bikes that I’d interacted with over the past couple years. I drew my friends on mountain bikes, adaptive bikes and fixed gear bikes.”

In addition to his background in fine arts and graffiti art (he has a Master’s degree in sculpture), Enzo drew on his experience as an early childhood educator to arrange the book in a way that would be engaging to young children.

The result is 38 colorful pages, simple text in both English and Spanish, introducing children to the diverse world of bikes and the people who ride them. A second volume is in the works as well as two other non-bike books. If you’re interested in purchasing “I Want to Ride My Bicycle” you can do so here. 

Although Enzo’s initial participation in the From the Ground Up program was cut short by injury, he was invited back for the second season. You can watch both seasons on the From the Ground Up website.

As for Enzo’s endeavors in 2023, we’re excited to have him as a BikeFlights Ambassador as he continues to explore the world of cycling. He’s also been chosen to be a Ride for Racial Justice rider at SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

In addition to SBT GRVL Enzo hopes to continue to challenge himself physically, mentally and creatively. Although he may not have a schedule etched in stone quite yet, he has a basic plan.

“I don’t know exactly what to expect over the next year, but I know I’ll be making stuff and riding bikes.”

Make travel easier for your riders

For riders who use BikeFlights’ door-to-door bicycle shipping service to get their bikes to your event, going to, through and from the airport en route to your event is a lot easier. They’ll breeze through airport check-in and baggage claim, and their bikes will be awaiting them at their chosen delivery location. All your riders have to do is relax and enjoy their travel to your event.

Calling events of all types and sizes

We work with events of all types: gravel, mountain bike, road, track, cyclocross, triathlon, BMX, adventure and fat bike, just to name a few. Some are competitive events, some are charity rides, and some are consumer or industry shows. We’re happy to provide our shipping services to events ranging from brand new to established for decades. And we partner with events of all sizes.

How it works

When you partner your event with BikeFlights, we work with you before, during and after your event to give your participants the best bicycle shipping experience.

We begin by providing you with a direct BikeFlights Event Support Representative who will work with you on the logistics of bike shipping for your event. For each event, we create a custom, co-branded Event Shipping Guide for easy booking of bike shipments to/from your event. In your Event Shipping Guide, we’ll help you promote your designated event partner bike shop(s) and any bike receiving, assembly and packing services they are offering to your participants. Our Event Shipping Guides save you as the event promoter from answering some of the same logistical bike transport questions over and over.

Once your participants’ bike shipments are underway, we provide elite-level tracking and monitoring to ensure their bikes get to and from your event as scheduled.

At your request, we’ll provide you with a shipping report ahead of your event detailing the number of bike shipments coming and from whom. And we can also provide a PDF file of shipping labels for all return shipments if you are helping handle those for your riders. Finally, we can help you get self-adhesive label pouches and luggage tags if needed for your participants’ return shipments.

Our experienced Customer Support Team - made up of fellow cyclists - is available for any other assistance needed via live chat, email and phone.

Spread the Word: We help you. You help us.

Event partners and BikeFlights work together to co-promote your events and services.

Your event gets featured in the Events Page Calendar on our website, and for several months leading up to your event, we also list your event in our BikeFlights monthly e-newsletter which goes out to nearly 160,000 cyclists.

In return, event promoters share news of BikeFlights’ easy-to-use bicycle shipping services and easy-to-pack bike shipping boxes with participants via their website, social media and email communications with registered riders.

To begin the process of becoming a partner event, email us at [email protected] with some information about your event.

Examples

Check our list of current partner events for examples of some of our partnerships.

Some examples:

The Mid South (Gravel Race) 

People for Bikes Shift’22 (Conference)

Empire State Ride to End Cancer (Charity Event)

BikeFlights Delivery Manager Kent Sanchez spearheaded a successful on-the-ground effort to move riders’ bikes from round 1 in Mallorca, Spain to round 2 in Berlin, Germany to round 3 in Paris, France and finally, onto the last two rounds in London, England. Thirty-six men and thirty-six women would spend four weekends racing each other on world-class velodromes in each city.

"It was a fantastic experience to not only get to watch the world’s top track racers compete in iconic cities across Europe, but also to be thanked by the riders for transporting their bikes to the next location," said Kent.

At the end of the series, champions would be crowned in two disciplines: sprint and endurance. Sprint riders competed in events like the match sprint and keirin whereas endurance riders battled in events such as the scratch race and elimination.

Congratulations go to all of the series winners:

Women's Endurance: Jennifer Valente (United States)

Men's Endurance League - Sebastian Mora (Spain)

Women's Sprint League - Mathilde Gros (France)⁠

Men's Sprint League - Matthew Richardson (Australia)

It was our job at BikeFlights to move riders’ bikes safely and on-time from velodrome to velodrome so the riders could travel more easily from round to round without the hassle of having to take their bikes with them on planes and trains. That’s exactly what we did, plus we also shipped many riders’ bikes back home to locations within Europe after the final two rounds wrapped up in London.

For the first three rounds, Kent was assisted by BikeFlights guest staffer Nadia Gbané. BikeFlights President William Alcorn and Vice President Sue George joined in to help with the final two rounds in the United Kingdom.

When not helping to pack, label and ship riders’ track bikes, Kent, Bill and Sue took the opportunity to walk around London and explore. They visited famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Big Ben, various Christmas street markets plus a few other famous sites.

Originally created in 2016 to benefit NICA and the Amy D. Foundation, BikeFlights’ Buck Up for Bikes (BUFB) program has been growing ever since. From the program’s inception to date, BikeFlights has raised and given out more than $95,000.

“It is an honor to express my sincere appreciation to the BikeFlights team for their enduring partnership and commitment to Trips for Kids,” said Patricia Gallery, President of Trips for Kids (TFK). “The Buck up for Bikes program is helping us drive our national movement to enrich the minds and bodies of all kids from all communities, especially those in need, through the transformative power of the bike.”

Lucas Euser, National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Director of Corporate Partnerships said, "NICA is infinitely grateful to all of our partners that help break down barriers to empower every kid to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community. The Buck Up for Bikes program is an easy way to help get more kids on bikes through NICA’s safe, reliable and predictable youth development programming. Thank you, BikeFlights, for being a great NICA partner." 

"BikeFlights has been an incredible long-standing partner with Little Bellas,” said Sabra Davison, Director of Little Bellas. “They have been shipping bikes for girls in need to every corner of the country as well as utilizing their Buck Up for Bikes checkout to further support getting more girls on bikes."

Dave Wiens, Executive Director of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) said, “We're grateful for the continued support of BikeFlights and the Buck up for Bikes program, being recipients alongside partners who introduce kids to mountain biking. BikeFlights knows that keeping kids riding requires fun trails and more trails close to home. Supporting IMBA supports trails, and more trails means more kids on bikes."

Per the Buck Up for Bikes program, BikeFlights customers have the option to contribute from one to four bucks during checkout when booking their bike shipping online. BikeFlights not only collects and tracks all donations, but also supplements collected contributions and covers the costs of administering and publicizing the program.

Tip #1: Allow Extra Shipping Time.

How fast your shipment travels depends on what level of service you purchase. Our carrier UPS suggests the following ship-by dates by service level to help you make sure that your packages are delivered by Friday, December 23, 2022, the last business day day prior the Christmas holiday on Sunday, December 25, 2022.

3-Day: Tuesday, December 20, 2022

2-Day: Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Next Day: Thursday, December 22, 2022

For all shipments via ground service, you can easily get estimated delivery dates at BikeFlights.com based on your ship-to and ship-from locations and your ship-on date, but remember that carriers always suspend their delivery guarantees during the holiday season, so the estimated delivery date you receive is just that: an estimate! Do yourself a favor and build in some extra shipping time to reduce the potential impact of delays due to high shipping volumes.

Tip #2: Account for Potential Weather Impacts.

Snow delays can and do happen. Throughout the northern hemisphere, it’s winter, and therefore it can snow or ice at any time in many places. Significant storms often slow or even halt package delivery, especially when the system is already strained due to the higher volume of shipments.

Even if you are shipping to or from a warm climate, your bikes, wheels and gear may have to travel through wintry climates en route, or their travel may be impacted as consequences of winter storms in other places propagate through the system. Potential weather delays are another good reason to ship earlier to give your shipments some extra time. 

Tip #3: Remove Previous Labels and Markings.

Once you receive all the items ordered during your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, it’s time to wrap and ship your gifts to their lucky recipients. Be sure to always remove all previous labels and markings from any boxes that you’re reusing for subsequent shipments. This includes addresses, barcodes and HAZMAT and other warning stickers.

If you leave old labels on, automatic scanners will read them, and your package could end up getting delivered to the address on the previous label. And if the previous label’s address is yours, the package could even come right back to you! 

Tip #4: Book Shipments With Accurate Dimensions and Weight.

When booking, be sure to enter accurate dimensions and weight. We’ve pre-loaded the dimensions of popular cases suitable for shipping that you can select when booking. For all boxes or cases not on our list, use a tape measure to determine the following dimensions for your shipment: Length, Width and Height. Length is the longest side of a box or case; Height is the second longest, and Width is the dimension that’s leftover - measure each at their widest parts to account for any bulges. Then use a scale to determine package weight. Always round up to the next unit. For example, enter 13 inches for a measurement of 12.25 inches, and enter 14 kg for a measurement of 13.7 kg. 

Shipments are audited multiple times during transit. If a package’s actual dimensions and weight do not match booked dimensions and weight, it may be delayed en route while the discrepancy is resolved, and you may be subject to additional fees. Such shipments are also more susceptible to damage as they may end up getting incorrectly sorted by size.

Tip #5: Double Check Your Addresses.

You’ve gone to all the work to get the gifts you’ll be giving, and now you’re ready to send them. Remember to double check your address BEFORE shipping. Make sure you’ve got a complete street address, including the house, apartment or suite number so the delivery driver knows exactly where to go.