Hi, I’m Kevin. I love to ride bikes. I don’t race. I’m not particularly fast. I’m on the verge of being old. I don’t especially look like a hardcore cyclist. So, it’s safe to say, I’m not the typical founder of a bike company. But I’ve never let being atypical stop me from doing anything.
Here’s how I got here.
Like I said, I love to ride bikes. In Minnesota there are really only 6 months to ride without ice and snow. I wanted to ride year-round so I started experimenting. I tried a cyclocross bike. I tried a mountain bike. I put studs on the cross bike. I bought a fatbike which was fun but slow. I came across a pretty crappy e-bike on the sales rack and wondered, what would happen if I stripped the parts and put them on my fatbike?
So I started with a heavy bike and, yes, I made it even heavier with a battery and motor. One of the mechanics at a local shop told me I was a “fuck’n idiot”. Maybe not the best customer service but the guy was honest; and I appreciated his opinion. Afterall, someone telling me I shouldn’t do something just makes me want to do it more. Call me Defiant.
After a few visits to the shop to modify and tweak the set-up, it was clear the shop team was riding my bike every time it was in. They all told me how stupid it was until they tried it. On one trip the salesperson said, “You’re the e-fatbike guy. You’re a fuck’n legend around here!”
That day I walked out of the shop thinking – I love this bike, they love this bike, I can ride all year, no problem, and nobody makes anything like it. I might just be onto something!
Eleven months later, we introduced THE FIRST commercially available fat e-bike and Defiant Bicycle Co. was born. They can say what they want about e-bikes. I challenge you to hop on a Defiant and not have fun. And that is what we are all about around here.
Love,
Kevin
