Bike pioneer Horst Leitner in a BIKE interview:
BIKE: Hello Horst, you're no longer the only Austrian in California.
Horst Leitner: Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger has also been here for a long time and is very popular! Even if people from Europe find it strange when an actor becomes governor. But he is intelligent and does a good job.
Was it difficult to emigrate?
No, anyone can actually do that. I wanted to go to California back in the 60s, but I had to finish my education first. I learnt the language in England. Back in Austria, I dreamed of California. In the eighties, the time had come.
And the family played along?
Well, they weren't actually asked. That's the way it is in America. They don't ask, you just do it. (laughs)
Are you still in contact with the bike industry?
No, I only have a little contact with Specialized. The "Horst Link" opened the doors for me. Incidentally, I invented it at some point, but then thought to myself: "What are you actually doing, nobody needs that". When Dave Turner* came to me and asked if I could build him a rear suspension for mountain bikes, I brought out this old story.
Are suspension systems already exhausted?
The bikes are certainly not at the end of their development, but people don't care about the problems with the suspension systems. They just want a bike with suspension, regardless of whether it works well or not. Besides, you can only solve a problem if you can sell it. Otherwise it ends up back in the drawer like the "Horst Link".
New York's police force is travelling on AMP bikes from Mercedes Benz. How did this come about?
We had provided the Laguna Beach police with two bikes. There was so much press that we thought we had to spread the word across the country. Mercedes Benz then capitalised on the publicity and sold 1000 bikes to the New York Police Department.
Is a new invention coming soon, perhaps a combination of bikes and cars?
No, I'm not actually planning to do that. At the moment we are developing an automatic step aid for pick-up trucks. We are a supplier for Mazda, Ford, Toyota and many others. The development of the electronics and the many test runs take up a lot of my time. Everything has to be tested before a system can go into series production. That takes about four years. There's hardly any time left for anything else.
Not even to get on your bike?
Yes, there is always time for that. Three times a week, I get up at six in the morning and pedal around the hills behind my house for two hours. It keeps you fit. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do all the work.
Do you still sit on your motocross bikes?
Yes, I still ride motocross too. Every Saturday I let out my frustration and aggression that has built up at work. It's liberating!
*) Company: "Turner Bikes", www.turnerbikes.com
