We spoke to father and son team James and John-Paul Bossi to find out exactly what it takes to start a bike company from scratch. And along the way we were blown away by the knowledge of bike building by designer James and the true passion to simply get as many people as possible onto two wheels from dad John-Paul.  

Did you ever sketch pictures of bikes when you were a kid and dream about building your perfect machine?

Or imagine the thrill of seeing your name emblazoned on the down tube, as well as on a sign above the door of your very own bike shop.

Well, James Bossi has turned that dream into a reality in double-quick time after becoming frustrated by his job involving global fast-food ordering systems.

Bossi, an industrial designer who studied at the University of Technology Sydney, was managing a team of eight people in Guangzhou working on the touch screens used by McDonalds in their restaurants around the world.

But his heart was not really in it and his thoughts increasingly turned to the technical drawings of bicycles he’d made since he was a young boy.

Frustrated by his day job, Bossi eventually took the leap of faith in March 2016 to start his own bike company – and just one year later is sitting in a shop in his hometown with four different models on sale.

It’s an amazing success story – and begs the question: How exactly do you go about creating a new bike brand from scratch? 

Bossi explains: “I was really lucky being in China. Over there you have access to so many different types of manufacturing that you don’t available in Australia.

“That’s things like rapid prototyping, CNC machining, through to full-production factories. I had everything on my doorstep. So what started with a few sketches ended up with me visiting a trade show. I met a few suppliers there and did a few factory tours.

“Eventually a friend of mine introduced me to a factory in Shenzen and I was really impressed.”

Bossi was backed financially by his dad John-Paul, a dentist by profession but also a keen amateur rider going back many years.

And once the decision had been made to take the plunge and turn their combined passion for cycling into a new business, things happened at a lightning fast pace.

“I selected the factory in Shenzhen in March, got the first prototype frame back within a month, then about a month after that we had the full-painted version,” designer James says.

“I did all the testing myself out in China, spending about two months reviewing the prototype and working on tweaking the design.

“That new bike took another month to produce, which took us up to August or September of 2016 and by February 2017 we had our full production models delivered.”

Those full production models now make up the four-model range – three aluminium and one carbon fibre - sitting proudly in the newly-acquired Bossi Bicyles shop in Annandale in Sydney’s inner west.

The father-son duo made a decision early in the process that they would aim their bikes at the commuter market and are big advocates for getting as many people onto two wheels as they possibly can.

“At the start, we had a real philosophical debate about where we were going to position the brand,” John-Paul Bossi explains.

“I put forward the thought that it was pretty pointless trying to chase high-end road racers because to establish a brand like that you’re likely to want to sponsor a Pro tour team and that’s something we just didn’t have the funds for. Likewise, it’s unlikely we were going to do mountain bikes because that is quite a specialist area. But I really felt there was a hole in the commuter market.

“There are lots of town bikes, but I always felt they were a bit compromised,” he adds. “So I said, ‘Why don’t we just focus on getting people moving about and do that really, really well?’ We agreed on the concept of commuter bikes for urban use with a performance design philosophy. And that’s where we ended up where we are today.”

Bossi Bicycles now offer two flat bar and two drop bar bikes, with the focus unashamedly at potential customers who might never have ridden in their lives.

‘Pulse’, a cruising commuter priced at just $650, is designed to get people safely from A to B in comfort due to its 32mm tyres and large saddle.

‘Link’ is a performance flat bar roadie, fun and agile to ride but also with utility firmly in mind thanks to its extra mounting points for racks and carriers.

The $1,250 ‘Pilot’ was planned as Bossi’s top-of-the-range commuting bike with its 25mm Maxxis tyres, Shimano Tiagra groupset and drop bars.

But the father and son team then decided to treat themselves and introduced a carbon fibre ‘Core’, costing $2,250, with Shimano 105 and a Fí’zik saddle to sit as the flagship model.

Despite the Bossi brand being aimed at the less experienced cyclist, designer James was determined from the very start that his name would only be seen on bikes with a high level of quality.

“Some of the factories in China pump out two million bikes a year and the you could see that sometimes they cut corners - using steel spokes instead of stainless steel for example,” he explains.

“I was very resolute about having hydroformed tubing and we’ve put a lot of flanges and folds in the material which create rigidity. It means the front end is really rock solid. You get a really planted feel and that gives you a lot of confidence.The tube is also double-butted to help reduce the overall weight of the frame and all of the welding is completely polished back and hidden.

“I think what separates us from our competitors is the sum of our parts. It’s all the little elements – like the premium finishes, like painting the bikes seven times to get the right look - at a very affordable price point.”

Dad John-Paul loves the final product, and although he may be slightly biased himself, he says the feedback from the public has been immense.

“With the aluminium frames, people often mistake it for a carbon bike because of the look of it. I think that is a compliment in and of itself,” he explains. “I know personally I was blown away by the feeling of riding them. I’d forgotten how much of a forgiving and sumptuous material aluminium can be – it bends and flexes in a way that carbon can never do.

“And with hydroforming you are adding the characteristics of a carbon frame without the issues of using that material. Being the money guy, I’m surprised and shocked at how well it’s gone in the first few months,” he adds.

“I said to James that it will be six months before we do ‘dollar one’, but we are way ahead of breaking even just in the first three months. Sales have been consistent and healthy. It’s blown me away.”

The passion and knowledge James has about bike design in general - and his own products specifically - is infectious.

And that has no doubt helped Bossi Bicycles make a successful start to life in a really competitive market, with potential customers getting an almost unique experience of being able to talk in detail with the man who designed every aspect of the bike they are considering buying.

“The feedback we got straight away was really good,” he says. “People can see the quality, they can see the detailing - and the fact that we’ve designed these bikes and gone to all the effort to get them produced means people trust that we know what we are talking about.

“When we speak to potential customers we are actually showcasing our knowledge and our expertise. And they trust us because we ask questions to help them get the right bike, rather than just trying to sell them a product.

“We’re not a big corporation and we really care about talking to people and making sure they are on the right bike. Sometimes we do actually turn people away and tell them that unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t have a bike that is going to suit them best.”

The Bossi boys believe the future is bright and hope more and more people will turn to cycling in urban areas across Australia as traffic congestion becomes increasingly worse and public transport continues to struggle to cope with demand.

They have plans to partner with retailers in major cities across the country such as Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in order to grow their brand - and are also keen to expand their range to feature a junior bike aimed at 10 to 15-year-olds, a cyclocross-style bike that can be used offroad and even a high-spec carbon roadie featuring hydraulic disc brakes and Ultegra groupset.

And just in case you are wondering how much it would cost you to quit your job and follow your passion for cycling by starting your own bike company – the initial outlay for Bossi as a company was a low/medium six figure sum.

“We are both equal partners in the business and James has invested a lot of time, effort and his own finances,” dad John-Paul says. “This has been our passion and hobby for a long time and as the saying goes: ‘If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life’.”