What an amazing year! 2013 is here and it's impossible to believe. The past year was such an inspiring time that we didn’t want it to end. So, we’re going to extend 2012 a bit by sharing some Ride Studio Cafe highlights.
First, our friends: we owe the Studio’s success to our loyal customers and Club Members. We don’t really think of you as customers; you are our friends, confidants, and cohorts. We thank you for what was a very fun, successful, and exciting year.
On the business side we grew by more than 25% - and the Studio was profitable. The business is stable. This being said, our appetite for trying new things is greater than ever and we continue to approaching our work with the freshness of a new company.
Friends, financial stability, and fun; we couldn’t have asked for more!
On the “fun” front, during the next couple weeks we’ll post more about the many cool happenings during 2012 and highlight those with whom we worked.
We're starting with our Dedicated Partners, the incredible companies that share the Ride Studio Cafe mission, and who allow us to bring you the Ride Studio Cafe experience every day.
Seven Cycles
We were Seven Cycles’ number one retailer for the third straight year! And the largest in the world.
Thanks to our customers we grew the number of Seven bike customers by more than one third over 2011! A feat no one thought possible.
RSC partnered on some special projects with Seven. We were on the design team that launched Seven’s second generation randonneur bikes. The Studio had the first production 622 carbon-titanium bike – and that helped us become the top 622 retailer. RSC helped design their latest generation of Rolhoff bikes – bikes that are becoming more mainstream, more versatile, and more performance oriented than ever. We helped Seven launch their new generation Gates Belt Drive bikes.
We designed bikes that were more diverse than any other Seven retailer. We constructed nearly every type of bike imaginable; everything from purebred race bikes – that helped get racers on podiums, to randonneur tandems, to Rolhoff belt drive commuters, to bikes that traveled the world, and everything in between.
Seven invested in the Studio so we invest heavily in Seven. The Studio has the largest and most diverse Seven demo bike fleet anywhere. We have a total of 21 bikes ranging from cross, road, tandem, fixie, touring, and mountain. If you were looking to test ride a Seven in 2012 we likely had it available.
Seven has been our number one partner from the moment we opened; we hope that continues for years to come. We can’t wait to see what 2013 brings.
Rapha Performance Roadwear
The Studio is one of only 16 Rapha retailers in the United States. It’s an honor to be part of this very exclusive group of retailers – shops that we believe are the best in the country.
We’ve grown with Rapha by a tremendous amount in 2012.
RSC’s Club and Team fly the Rapha fabrics. Rapha makes the best gear, and we were able to secure the best for our Endurance Team and the Studio Club. We know of no other club in the country that rides in Rapha clothing. This was definitely a unique and important partnership.
The Studio worked closely with Rapha on their epic Festive 500 for 2012. It was wildly successful for RSC; Rapha even visited us and rode in the Studio’s version of the 500.
Thank you Rapha – and all our customers that love Rapha – for helping us have our best year yet. We have big plans with Rapha for 2013; stay tuned.
George Howell Coffee
The Studio and George Howell Coffee have a very unique and gratifying partnership. We share one of the brightest coffee people in the industry: Sal Persico. Sal is employed by the Studio Cafe and by George Howell – at the same time; a true sign of partnership. Some of their employees are Studio coffee customers, too!
We do extensive learning, experimenting, and testing with George Howell. Our relationship with Howell has to be called a partnership – they are so much more than a supplier or distributor for us. Anytime they want to try an idea at the Studio, we’re confident in saying, “yes.” Anytime we make a request, they always accommodate us.
They hand deliver coffee and equipment when needed. They’re open, honest, and understand that our success is their success – and we reciprocate.
Incredible coffee. Incredible people. Incredible partnership. We know that 2013 will bring even more goodness to the Studio.
Capo Cycling Clothing
We began a unique custom clothing project with Capo in 2012. They were up for trying some unorthodox ideas with the Studio. We’re fairly certain that Ride Studio is the only Capo customer that’s working on this type of co-design project.
We’ve been expanding our Capo design program for 2013 and are excited about where it will lead in the next 12-months.
Honey Bikes
The Studio is Honey’s number one retailer!
We grew with Honey by nearly 50% over 2011.
Together Honey and RSC worked on some exclusive and progressive projects in 2012. We partnered on a series of commuter bikes that were unique – and are now a part of the Honey stock line. The Studio worked with Honey on a new line of race bikes – the biggest development project that Honey has yet undertaken; we’re excited to be part of this new important program. We co-developed a series of three Hup limited edition Honeys; these have been some of the funnest bike projects on which we’ve worked.
Honey has made some big promises to the Studio for 2013. If Honey meets half of what we’re working on together, we expect to grow together by more than three-fold. Hold on for the 2013 Honey season!
Dedicated Partners
Those are a few of our incredible supplier partners. We had other important partners in 2012 including Mavic, Lazer, and others. We are proud to bring you the best products from the best suppliers in the industry.
Watch for more highlights of what made 2012 awesome - and how the stage is set for even more awesomeness in 2013!
