Now, after some time away from involvement in the cycling industry, he is stepping back into the ring and taking on an advisory role at Specialized. He will be involved in everything related to products, providing input and guidance where necessary. It sounds like the role is not a daily clock-in, but more of a management position where he provides feedback on certain projects and brings ideas to the design teams.
I spoke to both Rob and Mike Sinyard – the founder and active head of Specialized – to get their thoughts on the new appointment.
Why Rob Roskopp? What was the appeal of this collaboration for you?
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First of all, I always knew Rob and admired what he did. And then, strangely enough, he ended up being my neighbor, at first I thought, oh dear, because I always ride new bikes and I thought, this is a bit of a sticking point in my style here. Then I met him, and then he said he was leaving that group [Pon Holdings]. So then we started riding together, and that’s when I realized, wow, this guy is smart, I could see why, when he was there, he made a great brand.
And then I realized that he really knows a lot about how bicycles ride. He knows a lot about suspension, geometry, wheels and tires. So I just casually chatted about things and introduced him to some of our team, and we really hit it off. So then we said: it’s just something natural. I think it was just a natural consequence of Rob getting involved for over a year. So why do I really respect him, and he communicates very directly, and he has really great ideas about riders and brands and then really helps our team with different things, you know. So I just felt like he has a really great perspective to help us. I’m always looking for good people, and you know, I feel really lucky that we have a lot of good people. That’s why we can do it well. |
Why specialized? What does the position mean to you?
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Why specialized? It was basically just standing next to Mike and starting the conversation. I bought the house across the street about two and a half years ago.
And we had always been very serious competitors, because I always set Specialized as the benchmark for competition. Of course there are others – you’re always competing with everyone – but Specialized was the target. Anyway, so I bought the house, and he was picking up trash, and I think I was checking the mail or something. He says, oh, hey, how are you? I thought, hey, and we started talking. He’s like, so… Because at that time there were rumors going around that I was leaving Santa Cruz. I say yes, it doesn’t look like it’s going to work, and a few weeks later I saw him again, and he said, oh, we need to talk. So then we started riding, and we were really bouncing ideas off each other. I love cycling, as do all of us, and I’ve always been a product guy. Mike is too. I just wanted to still be in the bike industry, and I still wanted to have a handle on it and be connected to… I don’t want to say the leader, but they are in many ways, and I think they have the most potential, especially with what’s happening in the industry right now. They have the power to develop products and make a real difference in many ways, from the Outride program to the industry as a whole. So I’m on the board, just to give input and steer the ship, so to speak, with Mike, and then give my input with the product, testing it and helping where I can. |
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this collaboration, the story of a few neighbors who happen to share a very nice common interest. For more on Rob’s backstory, check out this longer interview Levy and Brian conducted with him last year for the Pinkbike Podcast.