Portrait of Thorsten Heckrath-Rose

Thorsten, as an entrepreneur who deals with bicycles every day: What fascinates you about cycling - how often do you sit on a bike yourself?

Every day. I try to do all my commutes here in the city by bike. You simply clear your head, arrive at your destination in a better mood and are often faster than by car. In everyday life, there is no reason for me not to cycle. And I like to do it in my free time anyway. But I also do larger purchases by car. I don't have a cargo bike yet.

What type of bike do you currently ride? You have the advantage of a large selection.

At the moment I like to ride a gravel bike. They are simply all-rounders with which you can do everything: from gravel tracks to forest paths to asphalt roads. I don't have to think about where I want to go beforehand. With a road bike you have to plan your tour relatively precisely.

The people in Münsterland traditionally have a high affinity with bicycles. Has this emotional connection played a role in the success of ROSE Bikes?

It is definitely a factor. The bike infrastructure is here, so it's easier to develop well. The affinity for bicycles in the region has definitely helped us, there's no question about that. Especially in the development of products that are intended for local use - urban bikes for bike trips and tours, for example. Of course, it also helps if you are able to cycle every day yourself. You develop a completely different understanding of the product that way. A "cycling-friendly" climate is definitely helpful.

Today, ROSE Bikes is a leading digital mail order company in the industry. Was there something like the one important decision in the company's history that laid the foundation for its later success?

I think it was rather a multitude of decisions that in retrospect turned out to be right. Until well into the sixties, we were a pure retail business. That changed in the seventies when we increasingly specialised in racing bikes. At that time, my father-in-law established contacts with manufacturers in Italy and later Asia and imported a lot directly. He studied intensively how the production of our own bikes could look like. We then produced our catalogue for over 30 years and thus found our way into direct shipping. It is important to make a decision at the right moment and we have often succeeded in doing that - for example, in digitalisation and in brand development. We started early to see ourselves as a brand and to position ourselves independently.

What do your customers expect from ROSE Bikes?

We stand for good service. Of course, with the growth we are experiencing at the moment, this brings with it some challenges, because the service infrastructure has to grow with us. Proximity is also very important to us. We try to involve our customers in many ways - for example through attractive community events. And of course, a good price-performance ratio is also important. Since we are in direct contact with our customers without any intermediaries, we naturally have good prerequisites here.

What are the biggest trends in the bicycle market at the moment?

Gravel bikes are the biggest trend at the moment. They are today what mountain bikes were years ago. Back then, if you wanted to be cool on the road, even in the city, you bought an MTB. My feeling is that gravel bikes are now becoming something like the new centre that unites everyone. That's great for us because we are in a leading position as a gravel bike brand in Germany. But e-bikes are also becoming more and more important for us. Customers with sporting ambitions are increasingly discovering electric assistance for themselves. At the moment, we still have a share of less than 20 percent, but this will grow in the next few years.

Do you have your own favourite routes when you cycle in Münsterland?

I generally like to cycle on smaller, agriculturally used paths, which are often very well asphalted in our region. For me, that's an insider tip for the Münsterland. I don't like to ride along the big main roads. On the small farm roads I'm in the middle of nature and don't have to pay so much attention to the traffic.

How would you generally characterise the Münsterland cycling region?

We have beautiful moated castles, great routes, a good cycling infrastructure. Many hotels have charging facilities for e-bikes at the hotel. I see a lot of potential here to attract even more people to Münsterland and to inspire them to cycle here.

Thank you very much for the interview and have a good trip!