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Bikes & Big Ideas
The Transformation of Esker Cycles w/ Tim Krueger
Ep. 276
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Esker Cycles came on the scene in 2018 with a couple of sleek carbon fiber mountain bikes featuring an unknown Dave Weagle suspension platform called Orion. Weagle’s design was originally conceived for motorcycles and was dependent on a single front sprocket layout, which, back when Orion was developed, didn’t include mountain bikes since multiple chainrings and front derailleurs were still the norm. Orion was shelved until Esker founder Tim Krueger approached Weagle looking for a suspension design, and the first Esker bikes started to take shape. Steel and Titanium hardtails followed as Esker expanded its product portfolio, and while Esker’s first suspension bikes were carbon fiber, Tim had aluminum in mind from the beginning, with the dream of offering high-quality, affordable mountain bikes.
A lot has changed since the early days of Esker, so today we’re catching up with Tim Krueger — and he doesn’t disappoint — essentially pulling back the curtain on what it’s been like to be a small bike brand during a volatile time in the bike industry. Tim also discusses their decision to abandon carbon fiber bikes in favor of aluminum, focusing on affordability, his take on geometry, their new metal bikes, and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
TOPICS & TIMES:
Tim’s First Bike Shop Job
Teaching Was Not for Tim
Getting Hired as a Product Manager for Salsa
Adventure by Bike
Tim’s Time Guiding Bike Packing Tours
Meeting Dave Weagle
Blowing the Dust off Orion Suspension
Bootstrapping Esker
Scraping Together $250K
Manufacturing in Taiwan vs China
All in for Metal
Esker’s New Aluminum Bikes
Direct and Bike Shop Sales Strategy
Box of Bikes
Esker’s Conservative Approach to Growth
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