10 years of the "Antritt" podcast: How did BIKE magazine actually come about, Uli Stanciu?
Gitta Beimfohr
· 26.03.2025
Who founded BIKE magazine in 1989 is no longer a big secret: it was Uli Stanciu in the spring of 1989. But where did the idea for BIKE magazine come from? Was it
- a) on Lake Garda
- b) in California
- c) in the Canary Islands
- d) on Sylt
The correct answer is: actually on the North Sea island, which is not exactly known for its mountains. In any case, Stanciu saw a mountain bike there for the first time at the end of the 1970s during a surf world cup and was allowed to test ride it. His first aha moment in the sand dunes of Sylt: brakes and gears directly on the handlebars! No more bending down to the down tube to change to the next gear!
It was only a few years later that these bikes with the thick studded tyres were also available in German shops and one of these importers from Garmisch-Partenkirchen almost urged Stanciu to publish one for mountain bikers in addition to the surf magazine.
"Where can I get bike testers now?"
Convincing the bosses of Delius Klasing, which until then had only published water sports, to launch a bicycle magazine was one challenge. But the much bigger problem was: where can I find people who know about the technology of these completely new bikes and can even test them? Then, by chance, a man on a self-built titanium bike with just two chainrings overtook him on a tour in the middle of a long climb...
This podcast episode about the beginnings of BIKE magazine is also a history lesson about mountain biking in Germany. A really entertaining journey back to a time when there was no internet, let alone social media, but instead a spirit of optimism and a real passion for fun sports such as surfing, snowboarding and mountain biking, which was just beginning to blossom.
Podcast host Gerolf Meyer asks his questions sensitively, cleverly and sometimes critically, and Uli Stanciu has the gift of answering in a very entertaining, colourful and inspiring way. The result: the history of mountain biking in Germany in 90 minutes - from the first hardtail to today's e-MTB. Highly recommended!
Listen to the whole episode: How did BIKE magazine come about, Uli Stanciu?
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
