Interview with Jolanta Czuba from Ride More Protection

-* What is Ride More Protection about ?

Ride More is a Luxembourgish start-up specialized in 2-wheel sports. We produce gear and apparel for bike, BMX, scooter and MTB. You may have already seen our bike gloves or scooter protectors in the skatepark - our gear is colourful, light and most importantly safe, to provide maximum protection while you ride.

• How did you come up with the idea for Ride More Protection ?

It all begun in Luxembourg, in the local skatepark Peitruss. That’s when we decided to change the world of extreme sports. Luxembourg is a unique place where you meet riders from all around Europe - we had Luxembourgish, Germans, Frenchs, Belgians, but also Dutch, Polish and Hungarians in our group. We all knew the world would be a better place if more people were riding bikes, scooters or skateboards. It was on us to pursue that goal ! We made a long-term commitment to bring more colour to the skatepark, and make extreme sports more women and kids friendly. That is also when we first started to look into how to provide people with the bike gear that is comfortable, safe and looks cool.

• What was the hardest part in the early stages of the business creation ? How has Covid affected your business and how did you cope with that ?

Ride More Protection has started operations in the beginning of 2020. Just after we have confirmed the first designs of BMX gloves to our production facility – the first lockdown was announced. Everything has stopped : production, transportation, also our stationary partner shops closed without a commitment to any reopening date. Shortly we were back at the drawing board, reworking ‘go-to-market’ strategy. It was clear we had to shift focus and double down on the online presence. It was a great decision. Thanks to social media we have stayed connected with the BMX and MTB communities and gradually we have built trust with our online customers. Now, almost one year later, you can buy Ride More bike gloves and scooter protectors across various online marketplaces, including Amazon and in the nearest future also Zalando. In the same time our online shop for bike and scooter riders remains at the heart of our online activities.

• What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs ?

As a passionate biker I would say - prepare for a ride ! And since deep down I am still a finance person I can add – work out a solid business plan, the one that has both strategic outlook and cash flow projections. Talk about your idea with as many business people as possible. This way you can get a sense of potential risks and opportunities related to your start-up.

• What are the next milestones for Ride More Protection ?

Within the next few days we are launching a new collection of summer gloves for MTB and bike– thin, breathable, with fun designs and double padding on the palm for an extra comfort. Summer 2021 is going to be particularly exciting for us, as everyone is vaccinated and we can finally organize in Luxembourg a BMX and scooter jams for local riding community. Hope to see you there !

More information : nyuko.lu