Motul’s new Bike Care range launched last week at the MotoGP in Valencia. The introduction of a range of care products for bicycles caught the public by surprise, but this was an excellent opportunity, since there are very strong synergies between the motorcycle and bicycle worlds, as Rebecca Ramos, international product manager at Motul, explains.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE NEW BIKE CARE RANGE?
The idea came about two years ago. We saw a big increase in demand for bicycles due to Covid, and also people switching to new types of mobility that are healthier and more environmentally friendly. We thought it was a good opportunity as it’s a growing market and allows us to get into more diverse products. We are very well known in powersport, for example motorbikes, and we’re seeing that there’s a lot of synergies between this and bicycles. For example, professional riders train on bikes. These really passionate people love to go outside on their bikes, but also look after them well. After our market research, we decided to target hobby cyclists, especially people who are really passionate about their bikes and want to gain some efficiencies. That’s why we developed our chain lubes with esters, for example. We tried to match what we’re doing with engine oils.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT MOTUL’S BIKE CARE RANGE THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT’S ALREADY OUT THERE?
We wanted to be the experts for performance and sustainable products. To mix both. Some competitors are really good with performance products but lacking in sustainability. Others are strong in sustainability but not performance. So, we saw that sweet spot as a good market for us by offering both qualities. That’s why our product packaging is 100% recycled or made from bio-source plastic. And it’s also why we don’t use any aerosols. Interestingly, on our packaging, there are no pictograms warning of dangerous chemicals because the formulas are really clean, solvent-free and water-based. There’s no danger for the environment or the user. The intention was to bring something new to the market while retaining Motul’s expertise in creating good quality, high-performance products. But at the same time creating something that is different for the environment and our customers.
THE BIKE CARE RANGE LAUNCHED AT THE MOTOGP AT VALENCIA LAST WEEK. HOW DID THAT GO?
We did some activations in the city of Valencia and at the MotoGP circuit. People were really surprised we were launching something for bicycles. We cleaned around 70 bikes during our demonstrations, and people were very positive and liked the products a lot. We’ve had a lot of questions, like where can people buy it? It’s been great to see it so warmly received already.
MOTUL ALREADY HAS A CAR AND MOTORCYCLE CARE RANGE. HOW DOES THE BIKE CARE RANGE FIT INTO THAT?
It’s all under the same umbrella of the care products we have, and we treat them in the same ecology of products. It’s something we want to accelerate in the coming years. We want to be more present in care products, regardless of what vehicle you have and if it has an engine or not.
MOTUL IS FAMED FOR ITS LUBRICANT TECHNOLOGY. HOW MUCH TRANSFER WAS THERE FROM MECHANICAL PRODUCTS TO THE BIKE CARE RANGE?
As we are an engine oil company, we decided that chain lubes would be the stars of the range. That’s why we went for the esters for the chain lube. We’re the first on the market with that. These are products we have already tested in the motorcycle world. And they work fantastically. They have really good anti-wear and anti-friction properties that also allow you to pedal much more smoothly than with another chain lube. It’s a great performance benefit and is directly linked to what we’ve achieved with Motul 300V.
