Was it a particularly cold winter, were the lectures boring, or were the planets just in a favourable position? It's not entirely clear, and it was a long time ago. Almost 30 years ago, in the winter of 1992/93, the two budding engineers Markus Riese and Heiko Müller laid the fluffy foundations of their brand, which is now growing faster than puffed popcorn: curtain up for Riese & Müller, the inventors of the "Hot Ears"! A few square centimetres of fleece fabric, a piece of Velcro and the clever idea of turning it into strap-proof ear warmers for helmet-wearing all-season cyclists was the pair's first prank.
You can still buy the parts today as a licensed product, but the founders themselves no longer bother with such small cattle: In the forest belt to the south-east of Darmstadt, their names are written metres high on a new, angular factory from which around 70,000 pedelecs were shipped all over the world last year. More than 500 people in black work clothes bustle about in the production area and the warehouse built opposite. The factory is said to have cost around 37 million euros, and Riese & Müller is still owned by the two founders. That's how it can go when you have cold ears and then a solid friendship, a sure instinct and good ideas. The second good idea at the latest had the right ingredients for a start-up story: garage, genius and self-confidence. Instead of working with a few metres of fleece fabric, Markus Riese and Heiko Müller now worked with steel profiles. They sawed, filed and welded until the basic mechanics of a full-suspension folding bike were ready, which also impressed the two amateur racing cyclists in terms of riding dynamics. They gave it a facelift, had a container of aluminium frames welded in Taiwan with the start-up capital they had scraped together and called it the "Birdy". It turned Riese & Müller into a bicycle brand. Today, it is the last non-motorised bike model that still bears their name. After almost 20 years as a renowned manufacturer of everyday and touring bikes, the two bosses switched their programme completely to electric power.
Thanks to Bosch
"That was a brave decision at the time. Many dealers shook their heads when we explained it to them," recalls Heiko Müller. "But most of those who completely rejected the pedelec no longer exist today." In 2012, the year of the strategic reorientation, 380,000 electric bikes were sold across Germany. A market share of just ten per cent. A niche, albeit a growing one. And a risk for what was actually a well-established company with 30 to 35 employees at the time. However, Markus Riese, who now heads up the company's technical development, can pinpoint exactly what ultimately made him believe in the pedelec. "We had already worked with e-drives before," he says, "but they had quality problems. If something didn't work, nobody was responsible or really interested in improving it. Bosch then entered the market in 2011. If we discovered a problem, four engineers would come round three days later and have a look at it. The fact that such a large company takes the issue so seriously certainly helped convince us to focus on pedelecs." Riese & Müller still only installs Bosch drives today.
Perhaps 100 metres from the meeting room, two fitters crouch next to the motor mount of a fully sprung "Delite" frame. A tangle of cable ends hangs out and needs to be tamed. A motor like this has several sockets, because not only the battery, but also the lights, power sensor and display have to be perfectly wired to the drive. Brake and shift cables also run through here. No crushed cable, no loose contact should annoy the customer. A job that requires visible concentration. They barely speak, pant in uncomfortable positions and routinely reach for plugs, cordless screwdrivers and small parts. Once the motor is in place, a pull on one end of the cable triggers further transport. About 100 times a day, a freshly motorised wheel jerks on to an assembly station. Working in production is a modern industrial job without noise and smoke. Around 35 employees at a time are grouped into units in the high, artificially lit factory hall to assemble a particular wheel model. The wheels and frames float through the air. Barcodes guarantee that the configuration matches the corresponding drive components, luggage racks and mudguards.
This is about as far removed from the familiar atmosphere of a bike shop with dirty coffee cups and a quickly smoked cigarette as the technical complexity of a fleece ear warmer is from that of a cargo pedelec. Nevertheless, Riese & Müller is a brand with a mission that goes beyond selling as many bikes as possible. Its self-imposed goal is to become the "most sustainable company in the e-bike industry". The plan leaves clear traces in the newly built factory. It begins almost boldly in the "Corner Café" for employees, on a kind of balcony above the factory hall. It has a modern design and is supplied in a politically correct manner: vegetarian, organic, regional, inclusive and reusable packaging is on offer, even the coffee roaster produces in the surrounding area. The plant has several taps for filtered drinking water. This should save tens of thousands of disposable bottles every year. Less obvious is the solar system on the roof. It produces more electricity than the company consumes. Other details include returnable packaging for some of the delivered components: spokes and other small parts are not delivered in disposable packaging, but in sturdy plastic boxes that are refilled by the supplier. And even engine manufacturer Bosch, a major corporation, has been persuaded to use resource-saving packaging - small steps, but ones that avoid tonnes of CO2 and plastic waste given the quantities involved. And the product itself, the bicycle? That is also part of the strategy, of course. "We don't actually see ourselves as a bicycle brand, but as a mobility provider," says Heiko Müller. "For us, the e-bike is the mobility solution for journeys where you don't need a car. In urban areas, but also for car commuting distances. In some countries without a car industry, the promotion of cycling is already much more advanced than in Germany!" This is a keyword that Markus Riese also mentions: "And I see an urgent need to allow S-pedelecs on cycle paths with appropriate regulations. With a bike like this, I can compete with the car over distances that would be very long for a normal bike or pedelec!" Riese, Müller and the third managing director Sandra Wolf are spreading the message of the bicycle as a problem solver by funding half a staff position at a university's cycling department, involvement in the standards committee and association work. Dozens of employees' e-cargo bikes are parked in front of the building on charging cables. Riese himself, dressed in normal jeans, practical running shoes and a black fleece jumper, comes to work almost every day on his S-Cargobike - it's a matter close to his heart. "It's really taking off now," he says happily. "I used to be the only one with it at the kindergarten, but now there's almost a parking problem. If I have a motor and the thing is good in terms of driving dynamics, there's every reason to ride a bike with a load option! Most people no longer want to stand out or make a statement with a cargo bike. There's a certain number of cargo bikes that simply become a normal option. In some places it has now reached that point. It's fun to see that."
The campus continues to grow
The Darmstadt-based company currently has five cargo models in its programme, and sparks are flying in the factory hall: a new assembly line for cargo bikes is being set up. Last year saw a 35 per cent increase in turnover, the website lists job vacancies by the dozen, and another building with 10,000 square metres of floor space will be built by next summer. The "Riese&Müller Campus" in the Mühltal industrial estate, as it is known online, is growing and thriving. But apart from a very distinctive pair of glasses on Heiko Müller's nose and a few age-typical changes to their skin and hair, the two owners still look like the two friends who had cold ears almost 30 years ago. But isn't it a strange feeling to be one of the two big names on a huge building and on hundreds of thousands of bicycles? "Not really any more," says Heiko Müller, "it has taken on a life of its own as a brand. Seeing the first Hot Ears and the first Birdy on the road were real experiences! I'm also somehow proud when I see one of our cargo bikes, because then I think that I've made a positive contribution to the world." A brief grin, then a small confession: "I actually once caught myself almost euphorically greeting an oncoming Load rider. Just like you used to do as the driver of a 'duck' - as a brand colleague, so to speak. He was somewhat irritated because he didn't know me, of course."
FACTS
- Managing Director: Markus Riese, Heiko Müller, Dr Sandra Wolf
- Year of foundation: 1993
- Business year: 2019/20
- Quantity: 70,000 wheels
- Turnover: 195 million euros
- Employees: over 550
