“Appeal and Branding Are Aimed Specifically at Digital Natives.”

Probably few of you have encountered the Momentum bicycle brand so far. Perhaps some who have a connection to the USA. Bikes with this label have been rolling on the streets there since 2015. They are aimed at commuters, at families who prefer the bicycle to the car. With them, the Giant Group appeals to young, urban people who are less comfortable with the often performance-oriented image of Giant and Liv and also want to spend less money on a bike. Now Giant Germany is bringing the Momentum brand to our side of the pond. Alexander Gebert, Momentum’s brand manager in Germany, talks exclusively to Elektrofahrrad24 about why, how come and what for.

Alex, the Momentum brand has been around in the USA for a few years. Why is Giant now entering the German market with it?

Momentum is aimed at a completely different clientele and offers bikes that are clearly different from those of the other two brands, Giant and Liv. We want to clearly express this with an independent third brand. With Momentum, the focus is on a motif like the change in mobility. The bikes can therefore be assigned more to the urban mobility category. This has little to do with the performance-oriented e-mountain bikes from Giant or the exclusively women-oriented models from Liv.

Do the bikes have an American flavour or are they more international in design?

There is a bit of an American lifestyle in there. The bikes are not meant to convince through pure performance. The look and feel are unmistakably in the direction of a modern, hip lifestyle. From a purely technical point of view, of course, something had to be done to cope with the change from the American to the European market.

Alexander Gebert (left) is managing the launch of Momentum in Germany.

Ok, the Americans like to ride ebikes faster than we are allowed to in Europe. Did Giant adjust more than the motor power?

The speed up to which the drive supports you is of course the most noticeable difference. Changes in geometry or the ergonomic design of the cockpit are perhaps less noticeable, but they are just as decisive. Some things are more extreme in the USA, which people in Germany, for example, are not used to and would probably not accept.

Was it nevertheless up for debate to simply incorporate the Momentum models that already exist in the USA into the Giant or Liv range in Europe without a new brand of your own?

In the course of the development and strategy process, it quickly became clear that everything would come down to a new brand. This makes it much easier to differentiate from the other two brands. Momentum’s appeal and branding are aimed specifically at the generation of digital natives. People who think mobile first and want to control as much as possible via app. They feel comfortable in the digital world and are less connected to stationary retail. That’s why the sales concept for Momentum also differs from that of Giant and Liv.

That sounds a lot like buying online.

Absolutely right. The website momentum-biking.de serves as the main point of contact and central point of sale. Selected partner shops complement the concept in Germany. You can take a look at the bikes and test them there. The pure buying process, however, takes place online. For service, people can then turn to the local partners.

Momentum promotes the slogan “Build your dream bike”. What role will the custom-made concept play?

With Momentum, we want to push this idea with the help of the partner shops. There is a basic version of each model. This can be configured online with the appropriate accessories during the purchase. People can then pick up their customised bike at their local partner. This is an approach that we can only implement to a limited extent at Giant and Liv.

How many models can I configure in this way?

For the market launch in Germany, we have first picked out two from Momentum’s global range. One is the Voya E+, a lightweight, minimalist and nearly maintenance-free ebike for the city. The PakYak E+, on the other hand, is our interpretation of an adventure light e-cargo bike. In the coming years, the portfolio will grow to include more models and categories. I can already announce more colours and models for the calendar years 2023 and 2024.

Well, thank you very much for the interview, Alex!

Pictures: Elektrofahrrad24