Sometimes it turns out differently than you think - 2020 in the look of the hat

Manchmal kommt es anders als man denkt – 2020 im Blick der Mütze

When we planned our season with the team at the start of 2019/2020, scheduled our events, defined our goals and our wishes, none of us could have guessed what challenges 2020 had in store for us. The fact that now, twelve months later, every annual review worldwide deals extensively with the corona pandemic is by no means hysterical, but only proof of how far the virus has influenced our everyday life. We look back on the year with the eyes of the hat and dare to look forward to a hopefully better 2021 for all of us. Even though we have learned in the last few months that planning is sometimes for the back of our hand.

The community makes it...

As is well known, the hat arose from joint rides, the idea of ​​giving the growing peloton a home with a café, a workshop and a small shop area. Right from the start, trips were firmly anchored in the hat's DNA and, in addition to the constantly growing operations in shops, cafés and workshops, shaped everyday life. From fixed weekly rounds to annual tours, from participation in city events to cooperation with international partners, from film premieres to discussion rounds - the cap organized it or was there. Bringing cycling enthusiasts together was and is an important part of the cap, and not just at the tables in our café.

2020 is now the first year in which we have to look back on an almost completely empty calendar of events, despite big plans. Only the winter bitch parades until February 2020 and a single ride in two small groups under the banner Paris Souplesse with the colleagues from Schwalbe are sad proof for us that many things went differently this year. A lot was planned, from our tours as part of the cyclingworld about weekly events, Dusseldorf300 , Gravel, Gravel & Moss up to cross racing in co-op with the Cycling Club Dusseldorf .

In view of the challenge posed by Corona, we finally looked for new solutions that could be implemented in accordance with the specifications. A positive example is the outdoor cinema evening with Onboard The Transcontinental Race and subsequent question-and-answer session as part of the home summer series at the Grafenberg racetrack, certainly one of the most beautiful evenings with the cap crew in a long time. Or ours #womens100 exit for those in co- op with the Cyclites a 100 km long circuit was made available online for download, which every driver could drive, alone or in a small group.

And what about online?

Again and again we receive inquiries by email about how and where you can get our hats. Or our drinking bottles, our saddlebags, our socks, our cyclist figures. Having an online shop accompanying our store certainly makes sense, but our priority is our physical store. We will certainly also expand our online activities, but only if we can live up to our own standards.

We would have liked to have offered more information here on the website or via our social media channels, presented things that inspire us, all of this has come up very briefly over the past few months because everyday life in the hat has been tough on us. Interim working in two separate teams meant gaining new experiences, we learned a lot from it, especially where we still have a lot to learn. But we have also established new ways online. We got one a few weeks ago Chic cap account on Komoot created and offer our cap spreads there for download. A service that has quickly found many friends and is actively used. Small consolation compared to our relaxed group rides, but still a way to find good routes. As well as our Strava Club , which is growing steadily even without fixed events and currently has more than 2600 members, funnily enough with more and more international participation. Hat friends all over the world show what effect a small shop in Düsseldorf can have.

The bike is coveted...

Our hat's elixir of life, the bicycle, has experienced an incredible boom this year, both as a means of transport and as a piece of sports equipment. Cycling enables distance, is healthy, helps to take the necessary steps to combat climate change and is the fastest way to get around in a city like Düsseldorf. For everyone who, like us, likes touring, it gives us a break from strenuous days, lets us enjoy nature and recharge our batteries. Enthusiasm can be contagious, so more and more people are getting on their bikes, the distances covered are getting longer and you realize more and more often that the bad weather is not a serious problem in our latitudes.

The increased demand for high-quality bikes has made itself felt in the cap, and more and more riders can understand our own passion for certain bikes. Whether gravel bikes, athletes made of steel suitable for everyday use or individual racers made of carbon, whether for daily commutes or a sporty workout in a small group: our bikes and brands were and are in demand. And in 2020, many drivers have made the often not so colorful everyday life a little more colorful. A nice proof is the positive feedback that we often get, the bikes are enjoyed and are fun to ride.

Many newcomers got to know and appreciate our selected range of accessories this year. Our claim of being able to offer a sensible selection of high-quality items, individual clothing for all seasons, for women and men, helmets with different fits for big and small heads and shoes for almost every foot, is no coincidence. Here in particular, fit, material, processing and details are decisive factors that decide the purchase, advice and touching on the spot make the difference that online trading can never offer. Choosing the right ingredients is an aspect that should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to our favorite sport. Ideally, attractive design and function complement each other to create great fun. And word gets around that we offer detailed advice without fear of your own opinion. We ourselves are often the toughest testers of the collections and sell with conviction things that inspire us, from gloves to bikes.

In general, we as bike dealers can and should be happy that our industry is one of the few that can look forward to increasing demand despite the pandemic. Even if the next few months will be complicated for the wheel industry, as it cannot react quickly to increasing demand due to its structure and cost optimization. The problem: delivery times are getting longer and gaps in the range are getting bigger. If you are looking for a good bike, you should not hesitate at the moment, according to serious forecasts, bottlenecks in complete bikes and individual components will accompany the industry at least until 2022.

Living and shopping in Düsseldorf

Our customer base comes from all over the world, our catchment area has grown steadily. We are pleased about this because, as part of the Düsseldorf retail landscape, we can contribute to Düsseldorf continuing to be important as a shopping city. Corona is creating many gaps in the local environment that are difficult to close again, and stationary retail in particular is suffering. We hope that consumers everywhere will become aware of their power and support local structures, our way of living together, exciting concepts and environments that enrich our lives. It's not about online bashing, it's a call to consume consciously, to buy where sales help to secure jobs and ensure local income. Regardless of whether it is retail, gastronomy, event culture or all events: local and independent structures must be promoted and preserved.

Dare more bikes...

We hope that the city of Düsseldorf will increasingly rely on bicycles in the future when it comes to the necessary change in mobility. Many of our customers come by bike and, like all cyclists in Düsseldorf, have a right to a reasonable infrastructure. Dusseldorf has tried long enough to conjure up something like a network out of cycle paths in places where they don't bother anyone. Those days must be over. Creative ideas are welcome, but it should be clear to all those responsible: the space has to be redistributed. That means less car traffic in the city, there are no alternatives. Of course, this requires creative will and courage, but it is becoming easier for politicians to promote cycling because fewer and fewer people want to live on busy roads. If you want to increase the quality of life in Düsseldorf that is often invoked, simply increase the value of the city, you have to significantly reduce car traffic. Metropolises all over Europe recognize this, it would be nice if our hometown didn't fall behind. A fact that should also be made clear to trade associations...

Thank you very much…

It is important for us to say thank you to you, our customers. You understood all the small and large improvisations that we had to use in everyday life to survive 2020 with its challenges. You can obviously tell that we put a lot of effort into finding solutions and sometimes achieve this in really unconventional ways. None of this would be possible without those closest to whom we have to say thank you: our business partners, our suppliers, our service providers, all those who have made many of our wishes possible this year, even if it seemed complicated. We're not the easiest of customers, but we're worth it. At least that's what most of you say. Hopefully at the end of 2021 a few companies with whom we are entering into a new partnership will also think so. It will be exciting to see how our cooperation develops, we are looking forward to it, and our customers are sure to be too.

Then…

Despite all the crises, we are looking positively to 2021. In March, after more than six and a half years, we will leave the backyard on Talstraße behind us. Unfortunately, long-term planning was no longer possible here, the future of our rear building is uncertain. At the same time, we talked to friends of the cap about a new backyard concept. From March 2021 we will therefore welcome you to our new premises in the backyard of Oststraße 119, right next to the Schuhmacher brewery. The place also has some charm, so don't worry about the hat losing its character. We are looking forward to a little more space, a larger workshop and a beautiful inner courtyard. At joint events. The planning is already underway, let's hope that we can also implement it in 2021. With you…

So…

Have a good start into the new year, stay healthy and confident. And #supportyourlocalcommunity!

Your hat crew

  • Closed December 24th to January 10th

From January 11th we will be back. Continue on the valley road as usual. Until the end of February. And then we'll see.

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