163 – Rider Designed. Rider Owned. We Chat with Ride Concepts

by Gareth Beckett

163 – Rider Designed. Rider Owned. We Chat with Ride Concepts

Today Guests: 

Andy Steel – Director of International Sales & Marketing and Rick Reed – Global Brand Manager, for the MTB shoe company Ride Concepts

On episode #163 we are chatting with Andy Steel and Rick Reed from Ride Concepts, the California born MTB shoe company that ticks all the boxes, lets you ride in comfort, with more protection, more style and gets you loads more bang for your buck.

Ride Concepts mission is simple: “To build the most comfortable, durable and reliable mountain bike footwear. Rider-designed. Rider-owned”. Now that may sound simple, but in reality it is far from it. To achieve a great fitting shoe that is not only durable and reliable, but that looks good too, is no easy task. 

Rick talks us through the design and production process, everything from their dynamic surface technology (DST) to their impact protection D30 technology and why from the very beginning the team knew their shoe had to be the best on the trails with the best technology, materials and fits available.

So join Andy, Rick and myself as we chat about why Ride Concepts was born, how they produce such a nice shoe, why they believe the brand has become so popular in such a short time and what new products they have planned for the near future.

Enjoy the show!

Find Out:

  • Why Ride Concepts was born
  • The reasons behind simply wanting a better shoe
  • Why the best available materials and protection was always top of the list when designing their shoes
  • The design and production process
  • The different materials used and why
  • What being a rider focused brand means to the complete team
  • Why fit plays a massive part in their design and how this has lead to lady and kids specific custom fits
  • How Andy and Rick have managed to grow the brand so fast
  • What the guys backgrounds are in the MTB industry
  • How they managed to build such a great rider team and what this means to the brand
  • Why spreading your toes after a ride makes everything better (you will understand after listening to the episode)
  • What Ride Concepts have planned for the future and how you can find out more

I have known about the Ride Concepts brand for a couple of years. Andy and Rick had a chat with my boss Ed at the Euro Bike Show, Ed is the owner of the bike shop I worked at while living in Malta. Ed knew I was on the lookout for a new set of flats, but didn’t really like what was available at the time, so he brought me back a Ride Concepts brochure. 

I was hooked, the shoes looked amazing, had a large range of flats (clipless styles were also available), looked durable and just right for the Irish weather. However, I broke my shoulder before ever getting the chance to get a pair.

Even if I couldn’t ride, I knew Ride Concepts would make a great guest for the show, so I reached out and Andy was kind enough to say yes. Andy thought it would be a good idea to also get Rick on the show (all the way from California) as being the global brand manager and having lots for experience with the brand’s journey etc. Rick was also keen to chat bikes and shoes and the recording date was set. It took a couple of rescheduled dates to get it sorted but we got there in the end.

Andy has been with the company from the beginning and has had a massive part to play in why the shoe has been received so well and has been flying off the shelves. Timing is everything in the world of branding and Andy has certainly timed the launch of Ride Concepts perfectly. I do believe we as mountain bikers were ready for a new, fresh, stylish and durable shoe and that is what the team at Ride Concepts has provided (especially for us flat pedal riders!).

It was a pleasure to chat with the guys about the journey of Ride Concepts thus far, learn what goes into making a great shoe (it’s not as easy as you may think), and the awesome culture they have already built through the hard work of Andy, Rick and the whole team, and of course producing a great product also helps!

So take your Ride Concepts off, put your feet up and learn a little more about how the brand was started, why their products are so good and the exciting new stuff they have planned for the future.

Thanks for being here!

 

To Connect with Ride Concepts:

Website: https://rideconcepts.com

Instagram: ridecncpts

Facebook: ridecncpts

YouTube: RideConcepts

 

To Share Your Thoughts or Get In Contact:

  • Share this show on, Instagram or Facebook
  • Leave a note in the ‘Contact Us’ section on the website

To Help Out The Show:

Or your favorite podcast platform!

 

Thanks to Andy and Rick for coming on the show and telling us the story of Ride Concepts, I had a blast.

And thanks for tuning in once again and being a part of the podcast!

Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show.

 

 

 

 

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