Markt: The “Lets get started Tour 2018” is just coming to an end. Pexco, the company behind the Ready2Race, Husqvarna and Raymon brands, was in Hamburg, Nuremberg and Salzburg to present the models for the coming season to retailers, the press and interested parties. Velomotion spoke to the heads of the company, which is causing a stir in the bike industry.
Since the Puello family said goodbye to Winora and the Accell Group, there has been speculation. rightly so! With their Haibike brand, they helped the e-bike gain widespread acceptance in Europe. The pedelec, sometimes perceived as a "rehab device", only really picked up speed when a motor turned upwards was placed in a mountain bike. Winora and Haibike are history for the Puellos, the future is called Pexco. In a very short time, powerful investors were brought on board and three brands were created from scratch. With two of the brands, Husqvarna and Raymon, a complete product range has already seen the light of day and is scheduled to be delivered from January. We were able to take a closer look at these wheels. We will introduce Raymon in more detail in a separate article.
The excellent response confirms that specialist dealers also see it that way. The events were very well attended and orders were placed diligently. The catalogs are printed, there are already sales promotion tools such as a dealer center 2 (electronic sales support). We were even able to spot clothing, currently from Husqvarna directly. Incidentally, it is quite possible that Husqvarna bikes will also be available from leading Husqvarna dealers in the future.
Husqvarna is understood as a premium brand that should cover a wide range of needs in urban areas. Raymon bikes are not yet available with an electric drive, probably in 2018, the brand currently scores particularly well with a pleasing design and a great price-performance ratio. Who wonders; where the name Raymon comes from, we refer to the middle name of the Pexco COO, his name is Felix Raymundo Puello. Ready To Race, or R2R, is the name of the third brand. From next year, this will come to the shops with very sporty, exclusive bikes. “Service concepts will be an important topic in the future”says Christina Puello “We have some great ideas there.” The partnership with Shimano is praised by the Puellos and is said to have helped drive this remarkable development in such a short space of time. Initially, the Pexco bikes will be available in the DACH countries, but other markets are already in their sights. Incidentally, Raymon bicycle production takes place in the EU, more precisely in Bulgaria. Husquarna bikes currently come from Asia. One wishes one day to set up production in Schweinfurt. The R2R bikes are also to be manufactured here.
Dirk Höflein, Senior Product Manager, explained the details of the wheels to us and also chatted about the inside story: “Husqvarna used to make guns, so the Husqvarna crown is a stylized gun barrel. The products of the Swedes simply stand for quality. That suits us. Engineering and design take place in Schweinfurt. We also keep an eye on the quality of the affordable Raymon bikes.”
“Inexpensive, yes, but still absolutely valuable. Scrap, others can do that.”
The top model of the 2018 bikes is the E-Fully Husqvarna MC7. MC stands for Mountain Cross. At €4.999, it is really fairly calculated considering the equipment. Shimano Steps 8000 series motor. An electronic XT DI2 circuit and a Rockshox chassis should also be able to satisfy high demands. There are two other models based on the frame. With both you only have to accept minor compromises in the equipment and save 500€ with the MC6 or 1000€ with the MC5.
A real special feature of the bikes is the Snake Pack battery. It has a flexible design and allows a small opening for removal despite integration in the frame. In this way, the frame remains stable and rigid, even when only a small amount of material is used. The battery can be charged in the bike or externally. At low temperatures you don't have to worry about the battery, even if the bike is in the garage. Dirk Höflein shows how it works.