Building bikes, and building trust
Spoon Customs designs and fabricates bikes which we think are wonderful. That’s our view, and you’d expect us to be pretty stoked on our own product.
For our customers however, buying a new bike from our little company represents a huge leap of faith. One which some of you have already taken, but as we start to sell bikes to people all over the world, we have to work extra hard to demonstrate that we’re always going to stand behind what we do.
If you live on Col D’Izoard or ride around Montgenevre, Bath or Brighton, you’ve probably not had a chance to see one of our bikes in the metal, much less ride one yet. That’s a big challenge for us, but thankfully there’s some little company’s like ours, who we can learn from.
BTR Fabrications is one such company who have loads of experience of managing and succeeding to build a reputation and sell bikes (predominantly) on this basis of faith, rather than physical experience.
Their Pinner is getting a hard earned reputation for being a trail weapon. Unsurprising, given their own abilities and preferences for pointing bikes downhill and up in the air.
However, whilst they’re years ahead of us in terms of reputation, experience and time in the market, they’re still small like us, and it’s a big leap of faith to buy a bike from any small, brand, manufacturer or builder.
A recent BTR review underlined why I think putting your faith in and buying from the (right) small guys makes a lot of sense. It was a great review as they all seem to be these days, but the reviewer raised an issue with one of their demo bikes whilst out on test for a review. It was caused by poor set up and maintenance not by BTR, but BTR still took the time to fully understand the issue as part of the article. BTR instinctively and immediately took responsibility for not just setting the record straight, but fully investigating the issue and providing detailed analysis on what could of gone wrong and what they’d do to put it right, for a customer.
As a small brand, I think we have to see these things as opportunities too when they inevitably occur. I want to give people the same sense that we’re going to stand behind our product in the same enviable way.
In doing so, we can make bikes for people who can ride them away knowing we’re right there with them, every time they ride their bike, and that we’re standing behind our product, ready to support our riders, whatever.
You can read more about our bikes and the development of our Izoard RR here.
For more info about BTR, and to order a Pinner, head on over to their website: