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Poloandbike. Fighting for a dream

RAW Cycling Magazine always tries to find the human side that lies behind the story of each person, event, or brand and we intend to capture through our articles.

From outside, most brands seem perfect and inanimate (soulless) structures, but often it has been seen that it is not like that, and behind each project there are ideas, people, madness, risks, achievements and much passion.

With David and Poloandbike has not been difficult to find arguments to create an interesting article. The history of the Asturian brand itself is at the boundary between business and “great madness”.

THE IDEA

In 2009 together with his partner Irene, David began his adventure in the world of bike opening in Gijon Eco-logica, a shop dedicated to urban cycling.

It was at that time, coinciding with the beginning of the fixed phenomenon in Europe, who had the brilliant intuition to found a brand of national character to offer a quality product at a very affordable price and, above all, aimed at people who want to start in the world of fixed gear.

After a few trips to China and Taiwan, began to appear the first results of this pilot project called: Poloandbike.

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS

Back to Gijon, David and Irene were proposed exhaust the stock they had acquired within a year, but things were not as they thought. In a month and a half they had finished all the stocks they held in their warehouse.

At that point is when Poloandbike actually born, everything changed, we realized the enormous potential and how much we liked what we were doing. It allowed us to work surrounded by young people and the bicycle as a link.

In a few months the brand becomes one of the best known in the outlook for fixed-gear bikes. In less than two years, Poloandbike sold in 12 countries, including Puerto Rico, Chile and Mexico, where the brand is thriving and has the support of ambassadors of the project as Bruno Verduzco, Pancho Marmolejo and Terremoto Crew.

In the last four years everything has been very fast, almost monthly we travel through Asia, Europe and America to assist purchases / sales / fairs … it is really crazy but it is our madness and we could not be more proud.

Poloandbike, with its presence as a team in the Red Hook Crit, increased exponentially its followers in social networks and notes that 2015 will be very present in the markets of Asia and USA.

ESSENCE OF POLOANDBIKE

Another thing that is part of the essence of Poloandbike is the presence as sponsors in different types of events like crits, alleycats, fairs and brand ambassadors as Guillem Serna and Toms alsbergs.

The essence? It is a brand of young people doing what they like, pay close attention to design and the obsession of being unbeatable quality / price.

EVOLUTION

Poloandbike born in 2009, just before the boom of fixed gear in Spain and generally throughout Europe. At the same time, the brand has not wasted time and has managed to grow and improve every day. First, they bet on a simple product that the quality and the price went together, over the years and experience, they have been proposing new formulas, introducing new models, geometries, improved materials manufacturing and the accessories chosen to wear these new bikes.

  • Williamsburg: aluminum frame with carbon fork ideal for criteriums. This model is the one used by P&B Team to race.
  • CMNDR: aesthetically unmistakable, Chromoly steel and carbon fork. A good quality frame ideal for street.
  • Greyhound: frame designed by Andes Arregui to P&B, will be produced by hand in Italy.
  • Savage: first project P&B for CX, full carbon frameset.

We are not expert on projects and bike brands, but it is quite clear that the trajectory of Poloandbike is growing and tries to cover the widest possible market, with competitive and quality products.

RACING TEAM

The team is a very important part of our brand. It was a very important commitment that we created with all costs that bring, but we cannot be happier with the result. The team is more, as Fleur Faure said (our French rider) is a family. For us the family is those who help and care about us, always trying to take us in the right direction and tell us the truth, because that is what permeates the team…

Travels join a lot and, last 2014 were many: Puerto Rico, New York, Milan, Barcelona, ​​Dijon … etc. In all we had very good results.

Pablo Rodriguez is our fiend, with his 35 years he is very fit, his discipline and consistency daily is the reason that he is always fighting at the highest level.

Luis Junquera, is one of the family since the beginning, embodies the values of Poloandbike. He is hardworking, humble and always ready to help his teammates. We have many hopes on him; let’s hope that this year will be his! In New York he has already demonstrated this.

Francisco Marmolejo alias “Pancho”, this last 2014 his evolution was amazing. After being in 2013 in ninth position in the Monster Track of NY, without knowing the city and with a snowfall that caused that he reached the last checkpoint literally in his underwear (he had to through away his pants completely soaked by the snow and cold) … his progress is undeniable, this “afamado” (famous) Mexican rider is another of our big bet for 2015.

Fleur Faure, her incorporation in the team was a mystery to us. Obviously not in sport because she is a safe bet, her disproportionate competitive nature, her obsession with train and her seniority despite her youth on the bike, she’s always on the podium. What was new for us, so that the mystery was having a girl in our team, traveling, share moments on the road, airplanes, hotels, photo shooting, and all those things are the team day-to-day. To be honest, the result could not have been better. Fleur fits 100% among us, her openness, her desire to speak Spanish and have fun caused that from day one, she became an important member in the team, it is a really pleasure that she is a part of our team in sport and personal side, hopefully her commitments in her professional road team does not prevent her from being in every one of our races.

Finally, this year we have added to our team Daniel Ania, 4 times winner of the championship of Spain of CX, U23 road champion Spain in 2009 and champion of Asturias CX, will be our new bet, Dani is not only a team member, is one of our sponsors, is the founder of Ruedas Nesta, the wheels has used our team in 2014 and take in 2015.

POLOANDBIKE. HEADQUARTERS GIJON, SPAIN

At the headquarters of Gijon 1000m2 it is where all the operations of P&B are made. Nine people working in the project from product design, graphic design, administration, storage and assembly of the product for the European market.

LOOKING BACK, WOULD YOU REPEAT IT?

Well, that’s always difficult to answer. It is undeniable that we have made mistakes, but we learned from those mistakes and thanks to them we became what we are today, so the answer is yes, we would do.

THANKS TO…

First and Poloandbike name to all our customers, dealers, international distributors and followers on social networks, without them, literally it does not exist.

Personally, to my wife, for being there, giving me support to carry all forward and forgive many travels, this is from the first day a common project, which hopefully we can continue to bring success.

Second to all our employees, who are friends more than that, and with which I am certainly proud to work. Somebody says that the hardest thing for an entrepreneur is to find a good work team, without doubts, I have the best!

At last but not less important, to Bruno Verduzco, our colleague in the Americas, who developed the brand from Mexico and the culprit that P&B enjoys the success in those lands, the person who believed in this from the beginning. He is certainly an essential and vital part in all of this, I take this opportunity to thank him for his trust and commitment, unity is strength, there is no stopping ;)

Thanks also to you for giving us this interview, see you at the races!

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