Husband and wife team Bob and Sarah Wales, are the friendly faces behind the Juicy Bike brand.
The couple’s interest in sustainable living extends to their shop in Buxton, Eco Republic, which sells eco-friendly, fair trade and recycled products for the home. This business is run in conjunction with their electric bike workshop in New Mills, Derbyshire.
Sarah graduated in fine art in the late 1970s and went on to be a lingerie designer for Agent Provocateur, Warner’s and Janet Reger. A highly-regarded industry name, Sarah’s designs were worn by Princess Diana, Victoria Beckham and Annie Lennox to name a few.
In more recent years, her design flair for creating a product that functions beautifully as well as ticking aesthetically-pleasing boxes has translated to the couple’s love of eco-friendly transport, in the form of electric bikes.
Sarah talks to Pedelecs about their business beginnings and where the Juicy road will lead to in the future.
When did you first start out in business and what came first? Eco Republic or Juicy Bike?
“Bob and I have always wanted a business that shared the things we loved, as well as giving a positive, feel-good message about sustainable living. So we established Eco Republic: an eco-lifestyle store with a quirky mix of ideas for sustainable living, with recycled and fair trade gifts. It’s about discovery and delight – people might first be attracted by recycled bike chain bookends or hand-loomed cushions and would go on to discover our Juicy Bikes.
As the e-bike market developed and demand grew, we found we needed more and more room for our bikes. So, we went on to open our second shop, a specialist e-bike store and showcase, the Juicy Bike Centre, Eco Republic in New Mills.”
We talked about your artistic and design business background at the start of this article, how do those skills merge with Bob’s?
“Bob has a background in engineering and computing, both in practice and as a senior lecturer at The University of Derby. He managed our first green business venture, a £1.5 million eco homes development. Built using new and recycled materials and designed to offer the best in green living, the homes sit discretely within the historic spa town of Buxton.
The project was both a commercial and stylistic success and the design process for the eco homes was really the catalyst for all we have done since. They spurred us on into the e-bike industry and our current retail and manufacturing businesses.”
There is obviously a passion for eco-friendly and sustainable living in all that you do, what’s at the core of driving that element forward in your electric bike business?
“Bob and I share a passion for ingenious design and an ambition to see green lifestyle choices become mainstream. I had become more and more interested in sustainable design throughout my working life and was keen to put my ideas into practice in a new field.
Ironically, I’d learned a vital lesson about sustainable design at luxury brand Janet Reger – if you want someone to keep a product for longer, you have to create something they absolutely love. I found out people keep special pieces for an amazingly long time, but as the design turnaround in high street fashion got shorter and more frenetic, I yearned to make things that mattered more to people.
Bob and I felt that so many e-bikes were being marketed as the “latest gadget” (only to be superseded by another “latest gadget” in a few months time). We wanted to do something a little different by creating a range of reliable, great value e-bikes that didn’t feel the need to wear their electric credentials on their sleeves.
We offered something a little more nostalgic in style – e-bikes that have an appeal reminiscent of your first favorite bike. Owners would love them, send their friends to try them, and so the Juicy story began.”
Being in Derbyshire – and the Peaks – do you find that naturally increases the number of customers coming through your doors?
“Yes! Coming from the flat Fylde coast, I’ve always loved cycling but I’ve never been good on hills. We moved to the Peak District 25 years ago and I’d have loved to have cycled the hilly five miles to the Janet Reger design studio in Wirkswort… if Juicy Bikes had been around back then I’d have been able to.
In the Peak District it’s easy to find people like me – they want to get out and cycle in beautiful surroundings but struggle with the hills.
We also get lots of visitors from the surrounding cities of Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham and Derby, who would love to experience the great outdoors and see a Juicy bike as a great way of getting off the beaten track.”
What’s the most important element of a bike’s design and functionality to you, if you can name one?
“Without wanting to dodge the question, I believe that a good product is more than the sum of its parts. We’ve always been more concerned with the rider’s experience than with individual technical innovations – we want our bikes to be simple, reliable and joyful, with every element in service of that goal.
One of the most important ways we ensure this simplicity and reliability is with our focus on modular design: we try to have as many common elements across the range as possible, all of which can work together in any combination. This enables us, even as a small company, to tailor each bike to a customer’s specific needs. So they end up with a great value bike that does exactly what they need, yet is simple enough that anybody can get their head around it.
We’re happy to let other brands take the risks of being cutting edge, preferring instead to offer what’s tried and tested to ensure reliability. Ultimately, it’s what has kept our customers happy and so keen to recommend us.”
So how have Juicy electric bikes evolved over the years?
“In many ways – we’re very proud of how our bikes improve year-on-year. While the curved, retro look of our frames is consistent, Juicy Bikes receive near-constant refinement under the bonnet.
When we first started, our customers would choose one of three core models and that would be that.
Today, we offer over fifty different configurations across the range, with nearly every customer choosing to tailor their bike in some way. Options include battery capacity, brake format, and frame colour among many others.
But we understand how long lists of options can be overwhelming, so we encourage our staff and retail partners to ask our customers sensible questions about their habits, needs and cycling aspirations rather than point to a list.
One technical change that has proved to be especially helpful is the Click system. Most of our electronic components are now ‘plug-and-play,’ which makes for trouble-free upgrades and simple maintenance.
Our move to a ‘soft start’ controller gave our bikes a smooth, intuitive quality by gradually introducing power to the motor. And our most recent development – a new five level, LCD cycle computer upgrade, offers an integrated alternative for those who want finer control and more detailed information.
Generally, it’s Bob who agonizes over these technical refinements and concentrates on our build quality. My focus is on all things visual. A big part of Juicy’s appeal is in the styling – we try to make bikes to appeal to the heart as well as the head.
While we make sure to keep an eye on trends in style and design, we know our customers prefer their bikes to be just a tad more individual. So we pair distinctly curved frames with a nature-inspired palette, then complement these bold silhouettes with understated details – we think our smart new chevron branding and retro (yet rugged) bags and baskets make our bikes look a million dollars!
Bob gets downhearted when all the hard work that goes into sourcing the right components and delivering a smooth ride is as nothing next to the customer’s delight when we deliver their perfect bike in their favourite shade. I tell him that it’s all part of the green philosophy: if you want a customer to keep your product for longer, you have to make them care about it.
So I think style is crucial – it helps create the emotional connection with the bike that makes it more than just a possession. Strangely, that doesn’t seem to be much consolation to Bob (who hasn’t much dress sense)!”
If you could sum up what the Juicy Bike brand is all about, what would that be?
“Simplicity, reliability and joyfulness have to be a given. More than that, we want any Juicy Bike to be a companion on great days out. To us, they’re a route to freedom from the everyday. Our bikes are, colourful, personal, intuitive and – they’re for everybody, not only serious cycle geeks. We’re in the comforting position of having a 50/50 men to women customer base. So that’s us: retro style, modern power, great value.”
What are the main differences, to your mind, about the electric market today and the one you started out in?
“People know much more on the whole. Electric bikes seem to have finally entered the public consciousness – we’re at the point where most people know someone who rides one.
Having said that, most members of the public would struggle if you asked how an e-bike works. We hear many variations on the same few questions, such as “do they recharge while I’m pedaling?”, or “do I have to pedal?”
So we keep our bikes simple, gimmick-free and as close in feel to a conventional bike as possible.
This way our customers can fully understand the mechanisms and are much more able (and inclined) to look after their bike. While we appreciate the things that are possible using proprietary parts and diagnostic computers and the like, we find that too much complexity can foster a hands-off approach to owning a bike, and that many customers are wary of ‘planned obsolescence’ and disposability. We wanted to stay true the core appeal of the bicycle: it’s a tool for being self-sufficient.
So we see a big part of the modern market as simply being interested in a sustainable method of transport that they can treat as trusty steed rather than a disposable gadget. Nowadays, there’s this sense that an e-bike is a green, sensible investment.”
What are the rewards for you? What puts a spring in your steps as you get out of bed in the morning?
“We get messages through all sorts of channels letting us know the difference our bikes have made. It’s always heartening.
A customer might pop over on a demo day to say hi, then chat with new customers. Sometimes we just sit back and enjoy!
I love that they take the time to share their adventures with us and with other Juicy riders.
I also love the stories from intergenerational riders; we have lots of mums and daughters who both ride Juicys. And the wonderful couples who excitedly tell me about how they’re going further, doing more, and generally having more fun. They all make me incredibly proud of what we do, but for me, the most inspirational are those who use Juicy Bikes to claim back independence and freedom. Helping people to enhance their fitness and to live life to the full no matter what comes their way, will always give me a lift on a hard day. Jane is a classic example.”
What does the future hold for the Juicy range and the Wales?
“Bob and I are looking forward to opening our new south Peak District premises in Ashbourne and we’re always tweaking and refining our range, so expect new colours and features in the coming months.”
Our thanks to Bob and Sarah Wales at JuicyBike for this interview.
