Electra Bicycle Company
Encyclopedia
Vista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
-based bicycle brand/company, founded in 1993 by Benno Bänziger and Jeano Erforth. The company offers a wide range of modern cruiser bicycle
Cruiser bicycle
Cruiser bicycles, also known as beach cruisers, combine balloon tires, upright seating posture, single-speed drivetrains, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling...
s and is credited with re-popularizing the cruiser bike. Additionally Electra designed and sells comfort bicycles, and hybrid bicycles. Electra also sells an extensive line of accessories, apparel, and bicycle parts.
Idea
Bänziger, a Swiss national, grew up in the Swiss Embassy in West BerlinWest Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
fascinated with California and action sports. When he was a teenager, he began designing and manufacturing snowboards in Germany. Bänziger moved to California after graduating with a degree in graphic design. Banziger founded his own firm, Projekt Design, in 1990 while doing work for companies like K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
. He had originally planned to start manufacturing snowboards or skateboards, but found that those markets were crowded with competitors and seemed a poor bet for a beginning manufacturer; so he turned his attention to bicycles.
As Bänziger told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “The one thing I found when I looked at cycling in the US was that everything was some kind of sport, but very few people used bikes for fun or for transportation. I wanted to introduce the ‘having a bike in your life’ factor, as opposed to ‘being a cyclist.’”
Founding the Company
At the time, there were very few cruisers, the classic “fun” bike, on the market. “Back in 1993, there were no cruisers available,” Erforth told the Carlsbad Local News, “You could buy a $99 Huffy at Wal-Mart, or you could try to find an old one and restore it, which is very expensive,” Bänziger decided there was a market niche for a stylish, affordable cruiser bicycle for twentysomethings and began working on designs that combined classic looks with contemporary technology. About this time, Bänziger met Erforth, a fellow German transplant who was selling pieces of the Berlin Wall. Erforth said he could sell the kind of bikes Bänziger was designing, so the two pooled $30,000 in personal savings and founded Electra Bicycle Company. The two remain the firm’s sole shareholders.The new Electra cruisers were manufactured by a Taiwanese contractor and the two partners began trying to sell them to bike shops. At first, "Dealers laughed at us," says Bänziger. "But people realized they didn't need a mountain bike to go to the grocery store." However, when bike shops tried stocking the Electras, they began to sell, and word-of-mouth convinced more dealers to sign on. In fact, the fledging company’s cruiser sales were so strong that larger firms were spurred to start offering their own cruiser models. Today, Electras are available in bike shops throughout Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia.
Electra advertising in the early days focused on the company’s combination of classic looks with more modern features, such as aluminum frames and multiple speeds, with the tagline “Modern cruisers, with modern components, for modern people.”
Hot Rod Influence
In 2002, the company diversified its products, introducing the new “Stream Ride” series. These new bikes were still in the cruiser tradition, but were inspired by the Southern California hot rodHot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
“kustom kar” culture. The lines of the bike frames became more exaggerated, chrome plating was applied liberally, and paint jobs became much more elaborate with flames, metal flakes, and wild colors. “Chopper
Chopper
Chopper may refer to:* Helicopter* AK-47 as used in street slang/rap lyrics. Prolific in New Orleans rap, where the city is known as "Chopper City"* Attacking Chopper, the table tennis style* Thompson submachine gun...
” style elements like shortened rear fenders, racing “slik” tires, and elongated forks were introduced. Models carried hot-rod names like “Rockabilly Boogy” or “Rat Rod.” The company even offered balloon tires with flame-patterned tread.
In a more explicit tribute to the car culture, Electra brought out a “Rat Fink” model, licensed by the estate of legendary hot-rodder “Big Daddy” Ed Roth
Ed Roth
"Big Daddy" Ed Roth was an artist, cartoonist, custom car painter, and pinstriper who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other extreme characters. As a custom car builder, Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 50's and 1960's...
. “We have spent a lot of time at hot rod hangouts during our time in California,” Erforth told the Tacoma News-Tribune. “We made a connection with the people who have the licensing for the Rat Fink (logo and name). We wanted to make something that would be appreciated by that community.” The bike’s strikingly curved frame and poison green color has inspired widespread press attention, bringing new riders to the Electra brand. Car enthusiasts have begun buying Electra bikes.
New Geometry
In 2003, the company introduced a major new design: the Townie. This bike’s innovation was what the company calls “Flat Foot Technology,” now more widely known as the crank forwardCrank forward
Crank Forward is a category term for a type of bicycle distinct from the road bike, hybrid bike, and mountain bike.The term 'Crank Forward' was created by RANS, Inc., a manufacturer of bicycles based in Hays, Kansas, USA...
design. When the rider is sitting on the saddle, his or her feet can still stand flat on the ground, which feels safer and more comfortable for some riders. The design also allows riders to get full extension when they pedal. The design combines aspects of the cruiser frame with some of the geometry of recumbent bikes, moving the pedals forward and the seat back.
The design has won wide acclaim and has enticed many older Americans back onto a bike. The Townie has advantages as a first bike or a re-entry bike for lapsed riders, because it is easy and comfortable to ride, and the “flat foot” design mitigates one fear of many non-cyclists: falling off the bike. "The bike had to be easy to ride and put a smile on your face," Bänziger says.
Other bike companies have introduced bikes with a similar crank forward
Crank forward
Crank Forward is a category term for a type of bicycle distinct from the road bike, hybrid bike, and mountain bike.The term 'Crank Forward' was created by RANS, Inc., a manufacturer of bicycles based in Hays, Kansas, USA...
design. These bikes include Day 6 Comfort Bicycles, the Giant Suede, the Trek Pure, the K2 Big Easy, the Sun Bicycles Ruskin and Rover, and the Rans Fusion. The Raleigh Gruv and the Cannondale Day Tripper were introduced after the Electra Townie, but as of 2009 are no longer in production.
Current Activity
The company continues to reach out to non-cyclists, Over the past few years, Electra has partnered with fashion design firm Petro Zillia to produce a high-end fashion bike with eye-popping colors. Not only has the bike been featured widely in the fashion press, but Petro Zillia’s chief designer, Nony Tochterman, rode an Electra up the runway at a major fashion show, garnering even more widespread coverage.Electra sales have grown rapidly. Although the firm is privately held and does not release sales figures, Erforth has told reporters that sales have doubled over the past two years. Other cruiser firms report similar jumps in demand. According to Michael Gamstetter, editor-in-chief of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, cruisers still represent a small part of the bike industry, but are the only important segment currently enjoying growth. Bänziger says, "We’ve spent the last eleven years making casual cycling cool." "We’ve begun to fulfill our original dream, which was to make bikes for the people who would not normally ride. We are suddenly riding an incredible wave." In fact, bike shops report that Electras are selling “obnoxiously well."