Bums On The Saddle: On a new trail

They say that nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bicycle. And taking this passion for cycling and creating a brand out of it, Rohan Kini started Bums On The Saddle (BOTS) with the aim of redefining the way cycling is experienced in India.  Back in 2005, Rohan Kini along with his friend Nikhil Eldurkar, who had the common passion for cycling started a rooftop cycle store and hangout place in South Bangalore, where they slowly built a community for cyclists who would meet up for movie nights and weekend rides . "The idea was to sell cycling as an activity, rather than pure sale of bicycles. The store was open only on Saturdays, since we still had our regular jobs at that time. This went on for four-five years, and we saw a huge growth and interest in cycling.”

With the objective of providing the right gear for cyclists, Rohan went on to launch Bums On The Saddle online store. "It was the first time in India that there was an online store that was purely dedicated to cycling. And with this we started having workshops, weekend movie nights and other activity in the store. We started the Bangalore Bikers Club in 2006 with just 5 members and slowly grew. Today we are around 6000 members.” In 2010, BOTS moved from the rooftop and launched its first exclusive BOTS store in Jayanagar, Bangalore.

The brand strongly believes that if you are on the wrong bike, you will not enjoy cycling and never take it up again. Therefore, the main objective was to get each of their riders on a bike that fits them, with great value and ensure that they ride a lot more. Speaking about the BOTS products and changing a customer's perspective towards cycling, Rohan shares,"Once a lady walked into our store and wanted to buy a cycle to suit her short commute to work and was not willing to opt for our premium range. However, she agreed and we put her on a Specialized cycle.  And recently, she completed a 100 km bike ride, which is phenomenal and gives us a sense of accomplishment.”

Cycling store Since then, BOTS witnessed exponential growth and partnered with renowned cycling brand Specialized in 2013 to launch two Specialized stores in Bangalore and Pune. While most bicycle stores in India are typically characterised by a crowded space stacked with rows of cycles, BOTS' Specialized Concept store offers a refreshing experience for the shopper to browse through products in a clutter-free space. The store interiors blend the natural elements of the sport of cycling with the highly technical qualities of the Specialized products. The space efficiently features a Body Geometry fit studio to fit riders to their bikes, a clean and organized service area where skilled mechanics service and tune the bicycles and, of course, a showroom where riders can find the right product for them in a well-lit and organized environment.

"Retail is super hard. And store design is extremely important. The first BOTS store grew organically and had rugged look & feel. And when we saw the first Specialized store in Bangalore, I thought maybe cycling should not be sold in such a high end environment. But, I was wrong and when I spoke with riders who walked in, they expressed that their chances of getting on to a premium bike was more likely in this ambience,”  Rohan explains. The BOTS online marketplace compliments the physical store, where the main focus is given towards cycling accessories, simple city riding bikes and a platform for people to rent cycles too. 

Not a customer. But a rider

BOTS believes that cycling is all about how you market it. "When it looks and feel is good, cycling takes over.” Rohan goes on explain that unlike other retailers, BOTS comes with an advantage, where anything they do is targeted towards riders (not customers). "Our advertisements, jobs, rides, blog posts, mailers and events are all targeted towards the community. And hence, it is noticed and creates a connect with the riders.”

The community rides and races conducted by BOTS, is a crucial element in the overall business model of the brand. "Our rides started even before BOTS came up. This is one of the most effective mediums to showcase our products, where other riders notice them and enquiries come up,” Rohan says. BOTS organizes many rides including the Airport ride, Women's ride, Breakfast rides, Trail rides and Wednesday Knight rides. The brand also hosts other in-store events such as movie nights, maintenance and know-how workshops and felicitating a member from the community for his/her achievement in races, rides etc.

Show me the money

Offering premium category cycling brands, BOTS finds its hard to generate strong revenues. Speaking about growth of the company Rohan explains, "When I started BOTS, the thought was not about a good business model to generate money but a model which can cause great impact. I wanted people to ride and get them to enjoy the culture of riding. Although there are many cycle stores, there are just a handful of Indian cycling companies. And we are one of them.”

With a year-on-year growth of 25 per cent, BOTS believes that the niche market possesses huge potential with many internationals brands entering the market.  Going forward, the brand plans to expand and be present across India. Currently, BOTS is looking at Chennai for its next store, and redo the concept of their flagship outlet in Jayanagar.