Exclusive Interview December 2004

DoMTB: Hi Mike, it's good to see you again and I hope that you have been enjoying Christmas with your family. It's been over a year now since you burst onto the market with the launch of a number of frames - how would you sum up your first year?

Mike: Really happy with the way the first year has gone. I couldn't have asked for more really. As you know, I didn't set dialled bikes up with the primary intention of it being a money making venture. I wanted to create something I could be proud of and also get the buzz of seeing other people riding/enjoying stuff I'd designed. So in that respect I achieved my objective for the first year.

DoMTB: What kind of reception do you feel you have had in the market place and what have you learnt?

Mike: People who've ridden and/or bought dialled bikes products have received them really well. I'm also finding that people who have bought into the dialled bikes brand and philosophy are a pretty loyal bunch and recommend them to other people either in person or on forums. So I'm quite chuffed that I've been able to create something that people like and can relate to.
Of course, there's been people in the industry or other riders who were quick to knock or diss dialled bikes, but I don't really pay much attention to all that. I don't need to get involved in any crap or petty squabbles as the product can speak for dialled bikes far better than I can.

As for what I've learned. Quite a bit. From learning how to design stuff better/more effectively to running a company and all the other stuff that comes with it. I'm learning all the time. As a result, dialled bikes
products will get even better and the company will be run even more effectively in future.

DoMTB: Of all the frames, the Prince Albert seems to have gained the most airspace and acceptance - why do you think this is?

Mike: I guess the Prince Albert is a combination of right product, right time, right place and right price. Apart from the DMR Switchback, the Prince Albert is, in my opinion, the only genuine long travel (i.e. 125mm+) enabled steel hardtail. Most people don't want bikes that can only take 80-100mm forks these days. The Kobe Ti, Morning Glory and Prince Albert were the first frames with geometry designed around a minimum of a 125mm travel fork yet still ride great.

In hindsight, I should've released the Prince Albert before the Kobe Ti and Morning Glory in order to establish the dialled bikes name by making the product accessible to far more people (it would also have saved me a shed load of money!), but I wanted a Ti bike to my design to ride and that was the major thinking behind releasing those frames rather than being logical about whether they would sell or not!

DoMTB: So a great first year. How do you consolidate your position and what have you got in the pipeline for next year?

Mike: The mountain bike range won't really be expanding in 2005. I have 2 new BMX frames coming out in Spring so a lot of my efforts in 2005 will be focussed on creating a BMX team that can challenge for the National Title and help promote the BMX products.

I might have time to squeeze out a new Ti MTB frame in the second half of 2005 (if I can afford to) that we've been testing over the last 5 or 6 months, but no definite plans on that yet. It's like a lighter and less aggressive looking version of the Morning Glory and the few people who have seen it think it's one of the best looking Ti MTB frames ever. And you know it rides well as it's based around the Morning Glory and Prince Albert geometry.

But MTB-wise, 2005 will be about slightly refining the current line up of dialled bikes MTB frames we re-order throughout the year, but no major changes, or new models.

Two frames we intend to prototype and test over 2005 is the Prince Albert 853 and a singlespeed frame which uses a Phil Wood eccentric bottom bracket. Provided the test riders are happy with those frames, they'll probably be released in 2006.

As you know, I like to get stuff test ridden properly before releasing it for sale (e.g. the UK Flow was tested for over a year before it's release). As of this time (December 2004) dialled bikes has a 100% clean bill of health in respect of zero warranty returned frames and I'd like to keep it that way.

DoMTB: Over the past few months we've seen a proliferation of dialled jerseys in both the amateur and professional ranks. Who are you sponsoring at the moment?

Mike: Supporting riders and the sport is important to me and dialled bikes. I truly believe that people shouldn't buy stuff from companies who don't do anything to support other riders or events. dialled bikes has sponsored Wisley locals Simon Brooks and Ben Frampton since day 1. Over the last year we've also picked up Ben Forwood (Superclass BMX Racer), Scott Waterhouse (Superclass BMX Racer), and Shaun "Ratboy" Bayliss (talented amateur who rides singlespeed XC, dirt jumps, duel/4X and DH). We're also looking to create a dialled bikes Support Team on the national race circuit this year too. dialled bikes also co-sponsors the Urban Air race team, which is a Midlands BMX/MTB team who race locally and nationally.

It's not just about sponsoring riders though, for me, it's about riders supporting other riders. If I need anything doing in respect of dialled bikes I always try to find someone who is a fellow rider. Maybe I'm too
much of an idealist, but that's my way of keeping my money within the riding community.

DoMTB: And what do you feel this form of advertising brings to the dialled bikes brand?

Mike: Hopefully it shows people that dialled bikes is committed to supporting riders and the sports I love (BMX and MTB'ing). The more people who buy dialled bikes products the more I will support riders and events. As well as the riders mentioned above, during 2004 dialled bikes also supported/sponsored events such as the Golden Chopper (air ambulance) charity ride and the Dubriders/Stopadoodledoo DH race at PORC, and I'd love to continue to support events like those in the future if the budget allows.

DoMTB: Anyone you'd like to give a shout out to?

Mike: Yeah, thanks to everyone who has bought a dialled bikes product and been positive about what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks to all the dialled bikes test riders, Huey, Elliot, Dean, James, the two Bens, Simon, Scott, Joey and Gary and all the people I ride with on a regular basis. Thanks to Calvin, my main man in Taiwan. I'd better say thanks to the wife and kids for putting up with my bike obsession and the amount of time I spend running dialled bikes and going away riding (all in the name of R&D, of course!).
And last but not least, thanks for this interview, Rich!

DoMTB: Thanks Mike, always a pleasure and all that remains is for me to wish you and your family a Happy New Year and to hope that dialled bikes goes from strength to strength during 2005.

We took time out to speak to Mike about his new venture.

DoMTB: Hi Mike, good to see you again. What's the background to dialled bikes?

Mike: I've been into riding bikes for over 25 years now. I started riding bmx bikes at the age of 9 and was hooked on riding bicycles in the dirt ever since. I made lots of good friends on the bmx scene, some who just faded away and grew out of bikes (but who I will always remember), and others who stuck with it and became pros, most notably 2 times bmx world champ Dale Holmes. But I don't just love riding bikes, I love bikes! I like knowing what bikes are made of, what geometry they have, what little features make one bike different from another.

Over the years, I've collated a huge amount of information and ideas for bike frames and components and it eventually got to the point where I thought I could put the best of that information and those ideas together to design a range of bikes that I felt would be ideal for me and hopefully other people would like too. Despite the huge range of bikes out there, I still think dialled bikes will be able to offer the public something a little different to the mainstream brands.

DoMTB: So how do you describe the bikes you produce?

Mike: Utmost, I would describe them as bikes designed by riders for riders. dialled bikes isn't just about making money, it's about making quality product for sensible prices and also putting something back into the sport (dialled bikes currently sponsors Wisley dirt jumpers Simon Brooks, Ben Frampton and Oli Wilkins).

The Kobe Ti is an aggressive xc frame which is light and nimble enough to ride all day without feeling beaten up at the end of it, but tough enough to handle the rough stuff and allow the rider to take the interesting route down the mountain. It's not designed to be hucked off North Shore platforms and over huge doubles week in, week out, but if you stumble across those things from time to time, sure, it'll handle it.

The UK Flow frame is still in prototype but the test riders down at Wisley seem to like it. It's a 24" specific 4130 cro-mo dirt jump/bsx frame that can be set up as an mtb dirt bike or a bsx cruiser.

DoMTB: So there will be more than one frame on offer from dialled bikes?

Mike: Yes. About 6 or 7 different bmx and mtb frames have been designed so far but lack of time and funds means they can't all be prototyped and tested at once, so they will be done over the next couple of years. The Kobe Ti is the first in production and the UK Flow frame is in the very final stages of R&D. Another hard riding Ti xc prototype, the Morning Glory model, will be arriving soon. In 2004 I'll be concentrating on consolidating the range by testing and releasing a range of bmx race, dirt and street frames and something which I've always wanted to do, a Ti mtb dirt jump/bsx frame!

DoMTB: Are you the main designer of dialled bikes products?

Mike: All the dialled bikes frames have emanated from my ideas and I have the final word on what does or doesn't make it into production, but on the design front I'm helped by Lee Prescott who was designer-in-chief at Pashley for several years and designed all of the Pashley TV Series range of bikes. The designs are then analysed/finalised from a CAD and FEA perspective by the framebuilders in Taiwan (who are one of the best mass production frame builders in the world - they build frames for loads of big, respected US & Canadian companies who I'm not at liberty to name, but it's easy to put 2 and 2 together and come up with 4!). So, many experienced minds and pairs of hands are put to work to bring dialled bikes creations to life. People can be confident when buying a dialled bikes product that they have had plenty of rider, designer and manufacturing input bestowed on them.

DoMTB: Where can people get hold of a dialled bikes frame and how much will they cost?

Mike: At the moment we're selling direct to the public as I don't think any shops will be interested in stocking a small, unknown brand yet. Plus my margins are so small on these frames I don't think they could handle a retailer taking a chunk! The Kobe Ti frame will sell for £699, the Morning Glory for £750 and the UK Flow for £220.

I can be contacted at dialledbikesinfo@btopenworld.com until the dialledbikes.com site is up and running and a deposit of £100 will secure one of the first Kobe Ti frames. We'll also be doing test days around the Leith Hill/North Downs areas as well as at CYB, Afan and Cwmcarn. Hopefully hands-on, grassroots marketing like that will show people how good these frames are and tempt them enough to want to buy one.

DoMTB: Any last words?

Mike: First of all thanks Rich for taking the time to do this interview - dialled bikes needs all the publicity it can get! And also to all the good friends I've made from riding over the years, from Nik Shepherd and Spencer Goss from the bmx days (we were the AB Wheels (local bike shop in Sheffield) trick team you know!), the Beighton All Terrain Squad (first group of MTB'ers I ever rode with), right up to the present day and the Diary of a Mountain Biker posse!

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