Industry Insights - Andy Gowan

In our latest series MoreDirt is giving you an insight into the MTB industry and asking the all important questions to some of the faces that make it tick! Meet Andy Gowan of One Industries Europe!

MD -Who is Andy Gowan?

AG - Andy Gowan is the Marketing and distribution manager and at One Industries Europe!

Whats your role within One Industries Europe?

Officially my title is distribution manager but in reality it’s a little bit more than that…

I look after the 2 guys who work directly in marketing and I do quite a lot of the media liason stuff and any advertisement planning. I also look after all of our distributors throughout Europe for both Moto and Bike but I do have an assistant for that kind of stuff.

I am the man for Maxxis brand management and I organise all of the One Industries show and race stuff.

And occasionaly you grab 5 minutes to have some sleep?

Nah. Never haha!

How long have you been doing your job and how has it changed over the years?

I’ve been here at One Industries twice actually! Originally I was part of the MMA set up some time ago and left to work as the marketing manager at Hotlines. I then returned a year later and have been here ever since...

The roll has changed a hell of a lot... Its definitely expanded!

You are stuck in a lift for the next 3 hours, you can pick 3 people to be stuck with you, who would it be and why?

There’s probably quite a lot of people who you think it would be pretty cool to be in a lift with but as you’d never met them you don’t know what they are actually like. It’s a bit of a risk incase they turn out to be an arsehole…

I’d probably take 3 of my mates I guess. People who you are sure you wouldn’t end up killing after being in close confines with them for 3 hours!

What bike do you ride?

The bike I ride most is probably my custom 29er trail bike but then its probably the Trek EX which is set up for enduro type stuff. I also have a cyclocross bike and a few road bikes and I have a singlespeed hardtail that I ride quite a lot. There’s quite a few there actually!

26, 27.5” or 29?

For the majority of people they should be riding 29ers but possibly not for the more progressive edge of mountain biking. Enduro I think will end up going 650b but not because they necessarily want to, It’s being pushed really hard by the powers that be…

I don’t think 26” will die out completely but I think we will only see it on downhill bikes or really cheap bikes and not much in the middle price range.

Tubes or Tubeless?

Tubeless.

Clips or Flats?

Clips

Whats the best thing about working in the cycle industry?

Probably going to an event that you would of chosen to go to anyway if you weren’t working. Things like the Fort William World Cup.

And the worst?

Probably Eurobike… its a bit of a struggle! For me its basically back to back meetings for hours on end then followed by a public day that is absolute carnage.

What’s the Best mountain bike product of all time?

Dropper post’s… Absolutely no contest. I do have a sneaking suspicion though that if you asked me this in 6 months time I would be saying thick/thin chain rings.

And the worst?

Michelin Wild Grip’r.

In roughly 1998. It was the spring term at University and I bought what I thought was a really good deal on a set of the Michelin Wild Grip’r tyres. They were mango coloured.

At the time all the world cup xc racers were riding the Michelin wild grip’r tyres in lime green which I actually now own a pair of but that’s beside the point… It turned out they were all riding the “s” model. I thought I’d actually just bought the same tyres in a different colour.

I received the tyres and put them on my bike. It turned out that the mango models I had were made from a kind of plastic and consequently I have a very big scar from laying it down flat on a bridge and catching my knee on a brick on the exit…

Thats just one of the many reasons the world cup XC guys weren't on mango tyres!

What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you?

Don’t move to Milton Keynes… I didn’t follow it anyway

And the Worst?

It’s gotta be “Don’t worry, you could manage that on a singlespeed.”

Who’s the most famous/influential person you’ve ever had dealings during your time in the Mountain Bike Industry? I am no longer accepting answers of Fabien Barel…

I overtook him on a hill once hahaha! I’m not sure if he was trying actually but that’s besinde the point!

I’m quite lucky to of met a lot of people throughout time but for me its got to be Keith Bontrager by a country mile, That guys had more of an effect at the way i think about bikes than anyone else!

Do you think in many years time I will ask this same question to somebody else and they will respond with Andy Gowan of One Industries Europe?

Absolutely not! Haha

What will be the next big innovation to take off in the mountain bike industry?

Electronic suspension will be the one if they can make it work. If they can get an intelligent system to work properly it will increase riding pleasure no end and it will make the top end of the sport become astronomical.

It could be a couple of years before it comes anywhere near to being anything close to something I would run on my won bike.

Have you got any sneak previews of something new that’s coming from … in the near future?

One Industries have The lightest downhill race kit on the planet on the way that’ll be launching at Eurobike. It’s not just a moto kit for mountain biking. It has a bike specific cut and it weighs just 690grams for the jersey, trousers and gloves all together!

I can’t tell you any more though…

How light will it be with shorts?

A bit lighter… almost exactly 2/3rds of the weight Haha

And finally…

In 10 years time what will the average trail centre warriors bike look like?

Obviously I’m making so much money I will of retired and won’t care any more… Haha

I think we are getting so close to what people consider as “dialed geometry” I don’t think we will see that greater changes. In the last 10 years we’ve seen enormous changes to the way a bike feels, looks and handles with a vast variety of aerospace materials being used now. Weapons grade this and aerospace that.

I think it will all be down to small engineering changes and losing a bit of weight.

In all seriousness I don’t know really… I think it will all depend on what the cycling media tells us!

Haha

Cheers Andy!