"Setting up a cycling clothing factory in Yecla? That was like making astronaut suits". Jose Ramón Ortín, commercial director of GobikJose Ramón Ortín, commercial director of Yecla, recalls with a smile the beginnings of the brand. "Traditionally, the area of Yecla has been dedicated to furniture, upholstery and mattresses, so setting up a furniture factory was easy, because here there is machinery and people with training, but when we started we had to train people and, at that time, we made up for our inexperience with a lot of enthusiasm. We had to convince ourselves that this was what we wanted to do and move forward".
His right-hand man and product manager, Alberto García, nods in agreement and emphasizes: "When we started we had no resources, and these were not within our reach either, because we simply didn't know where to look for them or who we had to talk to... And that is difficult, because starting a business from scratch is not easy at all".
It is now ten years since that entrepreneurial madness, a decade in which Gobik has grown into a brand that provided a service of personalized cycling clothing to positioning itself as an international reference, with its own collections, and with a structure of more than one hundred workers that exports to half the world through digital commerce and a wide network of points of sale.
In addition, it has managed to host a cast of top-level ambassadors such as Alberto Contador, Ivan Basso, Carlos Coloma and Julien Absalonand has a presence in professional races such as the Volta a Catalunya, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Vuelta a Burgos. and international cyclotourist events such as the Mallorca 312, the Alberto Contador and a large number of events such as the Titan Desert and the Madrid-Lisbon. They are also technical partner of professional teams, both road cycling and mountain biking, such as the Caja Rural, the Kometa-Xstra, the Casa Dorada-Cronos, the Absolute Absalon and the BH-Templo Cafésamong others.
The essence
To delve into the young history of Gobik also means discovering why some of the internal dynamics of the house, and why the spirit they intend to convey. It is striking that neither of the two directors comes from the textile sector. José Ramón Ortín was an industrial technician, and was working in the R&D department of a motorcycle helmet company, and Alberto García is an architect, coming from the construction sector, but has always been attracted by everything related to product and design.
So, throughout this process, the two have learned to be designers, pattern makers, salespeople, to make their own marketing plans.... "But the most important thing to be able to develop a product is that you really like it. You have to live it, and it has to be your hobby, your passion. For example, you have to make a bib and be able to test it so you can change things, and make it again, and test it again...", says Ortín. It certainly resembles an artisanal evolution based on the trial-and-error method. "We like to think of ourselves more as cooks than businessmen".
This progressive approach allowed them, right from the beginning, to have that "freshness" and lack of complexes that newcomers to a place transmit, something that fits both with the close way in which they both communicate and with some of the bold combinations of colors and prints that they propose in their collection models.. "Over time we have had to learn to be entrepreneurs, of course, to know how to manage a company with workers and everything else, but what motivates us is to be able to make the product, to cook it. What really makes us happy is to fight with something that doesn't work and then see the end of it. That is what we like and what motivates us the most", Ortín adds.
This way of being is the origin of one of their mottos: "Nonconformist"They often add to some of their designs, as well as in the hashtags they use on social networks. The directors smile when asked about it. "That comes from the fact that, every time someone from the team comes to present us with an idea, we always have that but ready and we have to put the kibosh on everything! -they comment amid general laughter. We've always seen patting ourselves on the back and complacency as a weakness".
As if it were street clothes
Another of the characteristics that have defined Gobik and that has made them deeply rooted among cyclists on foot is the balance between technical demands and competitive prices.. "We have always wanted to position the brand and the halo that surrounds it above the average, but in a range of democratic value," continues the commercial director of Gobik on the retail price range they usually work with.
In his turn, García completes the argument: "And, moreover, we wanted to position the brand and the halo surrounding it above the average, but in a democratic value range", that the bike clothing could be enjoyed almost as if it were streetwear.. That people can have jerseys various colors and designs, and that they can combine them as they like. And always with a good design. I remember when we started making personalized Gobik The Custom Wear Company, we would talk to the clubs and ask ourselves, despite the fact that the logos of the various sponsors had to be printed on them, did the clothes have to be so ugly? That's why they recognize that they are very attentive to what's going on around them, to the trends that appear, to the colors, and not only in the cycling sector.
Another key to success has been something that is perhaps not so visible, but of equal importance: field work at trade fairs and cycling events. "The best way to get to know the customer is on the street, at rallies, at races... That's where the people who like cycling are concentrated, and you can put a face to them," continues the product manager.
The Covid-19 challenge
The state of alarm caused by the Covid-19 health crisis in the spring of 2020 led to a few weeks of uncertainty which, like many other companies in the sector, has forced the company to Gobik to reinvent itself. The crisis caught the Murcian brand in full growth and about to move to new facilities of about 10,000m2 in Yecla. We were used to the company growing year after year and, all of a sudden, you realize that everything can fall apart," Ortín confesses. All the activity stopped practically in its tracks. We had served the entire summer collection to our customers, and our main fear was to know how the stores, which were closed, were going to be able to handle the sale of all that material. The feeling was of shock at a situation that was beyond our control."
But despite the difficulties, the priorities were clear. "We were not very clear about what legal measures we could or wanted to take, but we did know one thing: that our greatest asset is our human capital and we wanted to keep it at all costs. We are a family and we had to fight this situation together," says the commercial director.
He adds: "This process has given us a deeper understanding of the workforce. There have been many stressful situations in the face of the prevailing uncertainty. But the employees have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the company, giving their full and unconditional support. A good example is the support for healthcare institutions we did, manufacturing protective equipmentand with all the workers working on it altruistically". This experience has given rise to MaaskMaask, a division of the brand in charge of the masks, a division of Maask, a division of the brand in charge of. 
The future
When those responsible for Gobik When asked about where the textile sector is heading in the world of cycling, they speak of an uncertain future, because in recent years, in which many clothing brands have been born with this specialty, the sector has undergone major changes in terms of design and pattern. "It is difficult to say where the world of cycling clothing will go, but in our case, we believe it is important to maintain the freshness with which we were born in order to respond quickly to trends. We look a lot outside our field and we look at what is happening in fashion in general. On the technical side of the product, we believe that there will be no major revolutions beyond the fact that we will have to open up to new disciplines, such as gravel," says García, head of product development.
Without a doubt, the difference lies in the small details. Maybe it's getting parts with fewer seams, or looking for practical solutions such as, for example, preventing your cell phone from falling out of the jerseyThe difference may be to find practical solutions, for example, to prevent your cell phone from falling out of your phone, to provide better visibility on the road and therefore greater safety, or for the fabric to be cooler," adds Ortín. "But the general trend in the sector is to opt for the sustainability and for recycled fabrics. In a few years, all companies are going to have to adapt to this policy regarding waste generation," says the former, who also assures that making a difference through their own collection is what gives them brand value. "We can't be exclusive in terms of price, but we can do it through our own actions, such as creating limited collections. We have released some models that have sold out in hours!".
Text: Olga Àbalos / VOLATA
Photography: Julia Díaz / Photo Gomez Sport
