Jasper, from bike fitter to shop manager

Jasper joined BikeSuperior six years ago, at the start of the Covid period, just as his student job fell away. He started by adding products to our website, but with the shop busy he was already helping to unpack and build up sold bikes on his third working day. Today he is our bike fitter and is taking the next step as shop manager.

Bike fitting as the foundation

What started as website help quickly grew into a permanent place in the workshop, as a part-timer alongside his studies. At that time Koen, the brother of our owner Jochem, was BikeSuperior's bike fitter. After two years in the workshop, Jasper took over those bike fitting duties. The development of bike fitting at BikeSuperior ran parallel to the segment of bikes we sold, which kept moving further up the range. It was in that period that our current approach of Pre-Bikefit and delivery fine-tuning emerged, with Jasper as the driving force behind it.

A new bike at BikeSuperior doesn't start with standard advice, but with your story. After the first contact and a personal proposal, Jasper comes in for what we call the Pre-Bikefit: a physical measurement in which we determine stem length, handlebar width, saddle position, crank length and the right saddle, before the final specification of your bike is set. That way we know for certain that the chosen bike and frame size fit your body and riding style, rather than the other way around. Once our workshop has built the bike up, Jasper steps in again at delivery: that's where we fine-tune your bike fit, from cleats to shifter position, so you step onto a bike that feels right from the very first ride.

Of all the steps in this process, Jasper himself values the Pre-Bikefit the most. It regularly happens that we advise looking at a different model, because the geometry or characteristics don't suit the rider. For many customers comfort is the priority, and a good riding position is decisive for that. Because we build almost every bike up from the frame as a custom build, we have few limitations here. That's exactly what sets our approach apart from simply buying a bike. It's no coincidence that customers often come back for their next bike after their first BikeSuperior bike, like the customer who deliberately booked his flight to America via Amsterdam, purely to have a Pre-Bikefit with us.

Shop manager alongside bike fitter

Jasper has been a familiar face in our team for years. As a bike fitter he has personally guided and measured almost all of our customers, which means he has not only built up an enormous amount of knowledge and experience, but also knows our customers and our way of working better than anyone. His role as shop manager is still developing. He continues to do the bike fitting, while a lot of his time also goes into preparing for our move to De Smidse and lifting our work processes to a higher level. With Jasper in this role our team can keep growing, we can divide responsibilities better and we keep building together on the quality BikeSuperior stands for.

What makes this role so enjoyable for Jasper is the variety: working with the most beautiful bikes, helping customers from a shared passion, and bringing improvement and structure to the company. Previously he combined bike fitting with a part-time job as a process engineer at a food packaging factory, a much larger company with a highly industrial character. That is quite different from working in a small team among the bikes. The short lines of communication and the flexible way of working struck him straight away and appeal to him a lot.

On the way to De Smidse

Over the past few years we haven't focused on getting bigger, but on getting better at what we already do. With De Smidse, our new location, we're taking an important next step: a place where showroom, workshop and bike fits come together and where our brands and expertise get the stage they deserve. We want to move away from the traditional image of a bike shop, where the aim is mostly to line up as many bikes as possible. Instead, we're creating a place where true cycling enthusiasts feel at home. Jasper's new role fits that development perfectly: personally, he's looking forward above all to taking BikeSuperior to a higher level and preparing the move as well as possible.

On the bike himself

On the road Jasper rides a Festka Spectre, and off-road an Allied Able as his gravel bike. Exactly the combination you'd expect from someone who spends every day making sure other cyclists end up in their own perfect position.

Coming in soon for a new bike or a bike fit? Then there's a good chance you'll meet Jasper, still with the same attention to the details that determine your position on the bike.