Multi-disciplinary Journey to England

In this installment of Ann's Voyage, she embarked on a whirlwind trip to England, collaborating with a designer Ray Chu for London Fashion Week. Her journey also included a visit with the world-renowned bike fitter Phil Burt and a stop at Brompton, a long-time partner of Velo. Ann’s time in England was an eye-opening journey of creativity, company culture and relationship between rider and bicycle.

With a personal interesting in all things fashion, Ann was excited to observe the behind-the-scene preparations for London Fashion Week. She actively participated in a photoshoot of Velo saddles on the high streets of London. The sight of models using Velo saddles as handbags and cross-body bags stole the spotlight as the most distinctive accessory at the London Fashion Week. After the shoot, the photography team approached Ann and asked if she would be interested in modeling a pose with the Velo Prevail Ride saddle, which made its debut at Fashion Week.

“As the saying ‘Different trades, worlds apart’ goes, it sure was not easy being a model. It seemed easy watching those models effortlessly and elegantly walk around and striking a pose. But when it was my turn to turn around and smile holding Velo saddles while walking, my hands and legs often got out of control,” Ann chuckled and wished to remain a fan and a simple observer. Nonetheless, some fabulous photos of Ann showing off the newest edition of the Velo saddle proved her to be the perfect leader of the brand.

At our core, Velo is committed to continuous improvement, always seeking new ways to refine our processes and product offerings to stay on top of our competitors. The next visit for Ann was up to Manchester to visit world-renowned bike fitter Phil Burt at his lab to learn more about the science of selecting the best saddle. Although it was a brief visit, it proved to be a masterclass in bike fitting and the knowledge gained was invaluable. It started with exchanging some relevant information from Ann. She brought a selection of Velo saddles as options for Phil to properly adjust her riding posture. She has been considered a talented cyclist for her impressive per-formance in multiple round-island tours in Taiwan. During Ann’s on-bike assessment, Phil explained the graphs of saddle pressure mapping on the computer and concluded with a smile that Ann distributed all her light body weight evenly on the saddle when she rode which was a good start. Furthermore, her riding posture on the patented Y-cut Angel saddle was optimal.

Burt explained that the physical structure of females results in enduring more pressure than males while cycling. He explained the four important elements when it comes to choosing the correct saddle was pressure, friction, sweat and heat. Friction and pressure are not only the most common factors causing saddle sores while cycling, but also related to riding posture. Therefore, it is vital to figure out the best position for the saddle and riding posture for each individual.

The most overlooked factor was the sweat on the skin. “Imagine there is sweat or water on your skin but you still need to wear clothing while cycling, your skin would start to swell, become painful, or even rupture. Now, that is detrimental to cyclists. When we were in the army, the sergeants would always demand us to keep our feet dry. When you have to walk for a long time with wet feet, your feet will get hurt easily!” As a result, Burt suggested that cyclists always bring a change of clothes or keep their skin dry. Ann realized that “We used to think it was perfectly normal to sweat when biking and were totally unaware of the harm that sweat brought to the skin. We never expected that the discomfort in cycling was actually caused by sweat!” To develop water-proof and sweat-wicking saddles and grips might be the next feature points in the future.

As Ann’s journey to England was coming to an end, she wanted to make one more stop at Brompton headquarters, a longtime partner of Velo. Brompton is renowned for their iconic folding bicycles which are designed and manufactured in London. Having been a partner with Velo for many years, their relationship has evolved into one of mutual value and respect.

Ann had the opportunity to speak with Will Butler-Adams OBE, CEO of Brompton in their spacious and comfortable cafe about the challenges the bicycle industry has encountered in the last few years. The revelations he got after the challenges were facing the problems honestly, incorporating more clean energy to ensure a more sustainable production process, appreciating employees’ contributions and honoring their demands.

After experiencing the pandemic, Butler-Adams recognized the fragility of life, leading him to cherish it even more and appreciate the importance of savoring every moment spent with family and friends. As a result, he establishes a work environment that makes employees compassionate about their work. “Perhaps being different from Asian thoughts, employees don’t work for me here. Instead, I work for them because their professional knowledge about bike production is much greater than mine. In other words, I hire people smarter than me to work here while my job is to help them finish their work and to support them to accomplish outstanding work!” Butler-Adams said with a smile. Inspired by Butler-Adams approach, Ann commented “Brompton has been one of Velo’s best partners and will continue to be one on the path of sustainable green energy production!”

Despite her packed schedule, Ann was grateful for her journey to England. Her expe-riences at London Fashion Week, a masterclass in bike fitting, and personal discus-sions about shared challenges and management strategies made this trip truly eye-opening and memorable.