Some of you will have seen the Ride Concepts MTB shoe brand spreading through the MTB community. Born out of the need for better footwear to suit an aggressive riding style, though that’s not quite where the brand started.
The founders of Ride Concepts are the hardcore riders. Dirt loving, jump hunting, action sport enthusiasts. The type of people you’ll never catch sat at a desk 9-5 every day. Pursuing the career only lasted so long before the great outdoors called their name and conforming to the rules of big corporations just wasn’t cutting it any more. The inner creatives began to dream up a solution to the scenario, and where resilience met experience, the concept was born.
— 15 TYPES OF MOUNTAIN BIKER WE ALL KNOW —
As athletes, these dreamers were taught that only dreams dictate their limits. And therefore risks needed to be taken to achieve great rewards. So they set out to design a shoe that served the uncompromised ride. Several years of design and development culminated in 2018 when the first product came to market.
Nestled in the mountains of Lake Tahoe, minutes from the mouth of the beautiful Truckee River, our backyard is a proven testing ground of technical terrain. Their mission: to build the most comfortable, durable and reliable mountain bike footwear. Rider-designed. Rider-owned.
Ride Concepts are using a whole variety of riders from factory pros to the every day Joe, they’re aiming at the athletes that lay it on the line for that uncompomised ride. With a satisfaction guarantee and a lot of great feedback, you can put your trust in the Ride Concepts brand.
— NEW S-WORKS ENDURO 2020 – FOR THE SEASONED RACERS —
Good things take time
As mentioned Ride Concepts launched in 2018 with the Session series flat pedal footwear. Durable, cool, casual, they were immediately a great hit. Behind the scenes, Ride Concepts continued to work hard to released the next generation of premium flats and clips. Designed to redefine connection with the pedal regardless of riding style, the Powerline, Skyline, and TNT cater to flat pedal riders. The Transition and Traverse serve clipless riders.
Working hard to oppose the standard set by current products in the market, the Ride Concepts brand knew that they could create a product that outperformed it’s competitors.
“The idea from the beginning was to offer an initial series of durable flat shoes, loaded with features for the rider who is on the trail day after day,” said founder and CEO Brandon Dodd. “The next step was to build upon that. We saw a big opportunity across men, women and youth for many riding styles.” The brand and product were an immediate hit, with global distribution quickly spreading to over 30 countries.
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Ride Concepts took their time developing the premium shoes and expanding the range. Making sure that they were asking all the right questions through the design phase. Focussed entirely on the end use and nothing else.
By examining all the go to gear the riders are using, Ride Concepts were able to look at why people were wearing what they were. The values the kit had, and how to translate that through their product. For people that continually push the limits, Ride Concept have designed products that can keep up.
Redefining pedal connection through technology
Progressive bike footwear has come a long way in the last decade. With advances in design, engineering and technology, there have been many different iterations through the years. Some have stuck and some have faded. Ride Concepts were able to analyse this as well as bring their own slant to the market.
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Using collaborations with other brands and partners such as Rubber Kinetics and D3O, Ride Concepts incorporated this technology into the shoes. Using different patterns and materials to offer different qualities such as grip, pedal feel/contact and shock absorbing qualities.
Each model features an asymmetrical medial mid height collar, utilizing D3O impact protection. The asymmetrical design is completely unobtrusive to the rider when pedaling, but ready to protect when needed. Custom toecap protection, high-rise medial EVA for additional arch support and D3O insoles are just a few more of the many features packed into the shoes.
Like the entire Ride Concepts line line, each shoe is developed on a gender-specific last (3D mold of a foot) for proper fit, form and flex.
No shortcuts. Full Commit.
It’s not always easy to get high quality testers through the door from day one. Ride Concepts were lucky to enrol Atherton Racing riding their new Atherton Bikes brand for the season. The clipless shoes are now World Cup proven by the team, especially Rachel, who tested the women’s Traverse for months prior to the season.
And if that’s not enough, the initial market feedback has been fantastic. With people really loving the way the shoes ride.
— BIKE TRENDS – THE FUTURE OF CYCLING —
The launch of the new line was recently celebrated at the Ride Concept Lake Tahoe headquarters, where dealers, athletes, friends and family gathered for brews, shoes, and a hearty meal cooked by the staff. Office neighbors and friends High Fives Foundation and Truckee Brewing lent a hand in making a memorable day. Embracing the spirit of the mountain town lifestyle, all-age mini bike races broke out in the parking lot, and factory rider Greg Watts brought his Crankworx skills to the office staircase.
Thriving on the community and camaraderie that mountain biking and its related activities bring, office barbecues and group rides are the norm. If you ever find yourself in the Lake Tahoe area, be sure to drop by the office and meet the crew. You might even get a glimpse of future product in development or find yourself in an impromptu mini bike race with a factory athlete.
We’re big fans.
