INTRODUCTION:
Focus Bikes is a bicycle manufacturing company in Germany. Racing bikes, sports bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes are manufactured in the company. It was established in the year 1992 by the famous German motorcyclist Mike Kluge.
HISTORY OF FOCUS BICYCLES:
In 1992 Mike Kluge founded the firm Focus Bikes. He himself was World Champion of cyclocross (a kind of bicycle race) three times. He kept the Focus company name as he wanted to be the focal point in bicycle development, especially in the racing and sports varieties.
In 1993, the firm partnered with bicycle manufacturer Derby Cycle Werke to improve the quality and production of its bicycles. In the same year, founder Mike Kluge became German National Champion and also runner-up in the World Cyclocross Championship. He rode a Focus bike in the championship.
In 1994 six varieties of Mountain Bikes were produced. All were produced with both price and performance in mind. This “value for money” aspect of the production of their bikes was one of the main reasons for the massive success of their bikes.
In 1995, the company expanded its production. They also expanded to touring and road bikes, in addition to the mountain range. Founder Mike Kluge also became the director of the first German professional mountain biking team.
In 1996 Mike Kluge participated in the Atlanta Olympic Games on a Focus Bike model. His bike model was called the Focus Raven.
In 1998, Jorg Arenz, Focus Bikes’ brand manager, won the German cyclo-cross championship with a bike made in-house.
In 2003, Jorg Arenz took over as Product Manager. They also increased the number of bikes in their racing line in the same year.
In 2005, Hanka Kupfernagel became a Cyclocross World Champion while riding a Focus Bike. The bicycle used in the race was called the Focus Mares Team Bike.
In 2006 the first bicycles with carbon fiber frames were produced. This bike quickly became very popular with touring professionals and recreational cyclists. Due to the carbon frames these were lighter, easier and smoother to ride.
In 2007, Kupfernagel also became the world champion in the individual time route while participating in the World Road Bicycle Championships.
In 2008, the production of the Time-Trail range of Focus bikes was carried out jointly with the collaboration of Andreas Walser, who specialized in research and testing of time trains. Focus bikes launched the fastest series of trail bikes. The Focus Bikes athletes won four titles during the 2008 German Cyclocross Championships. The four titles were: one in the junior category, one in the female category, one in the 23 and under category and one in the elite category. The Time Trail series also expanded into the triathlon segment in the same year.
In 2009, Focus Bikes established a partnership with the European racing team Team Milram. This endorsement deal meant that the team’s riders needed to ride Focus bikes while participating in major races around the world. That same year the company launched an advertising campaign across Europe on the Eurosport television channel. In the same year, the company also established subsidiaries in the United States, directly entering the North American markets. Their sponsorship of the US-based racing team, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, was announced to promote their exposure in the United States.
In 2010, the firm introduced many new designs. Focus Bikes increased its sponsorships. Two other Italian teams from the European continent, namely Team van Vilet and Team Net App, also started using Focus Bikes in races. Focus Bikes also made a World Cup team. They sponsored Mountain Bike teams like Team MIG (Made In Germany) and an Italian amateur team, Team Focus Italia. The firm became an official partner of the 2010 Tour de Suisse.
In 2011, he also started sponsoring the Russian road racing team “Team Katusha”. It also continues to sponsor the Jelly Belly team and the Vanderkitten women’s team. It also introduced several new Focus Bikes Project bike series with massive expansion plans in 2012.
So Focus Bikes has grown from a small company started by a former racing champion to a huge bike company with subsidiaries and sponsorships around the world. In recent years, the company has increased both the production and the variety of the bicycle range and is gradually becoming one of the world’s leading bicycle manufacturers, especially for racing.