Jarla and the Yotta

It is 7:29 in the morning when I reach Rådmansgatan 25, just in time for my meeting. But the door is locked.

7:30, 7:31, 7:32. Still no signs of movement.

At 7:33, I suddenly think I hear someone running. And I am right: up from the stairs a man runs, and he opens the door.

– Sorry, I lost track of time. You have to see this vintage racer that came in yesterday. It’s down here in the workshop – amazing!

Kenneth Davidsson, workshop manager of Jarla Cykel & Sport, really loves his job. I follow him into the workshop where there are really all types of bikes – from family bikes to professional racing bikes. Brainwashed as I am after four years of business studies, I instantly ask Kenneth what their strategy is.

– Our aim is to have a really wide product range that fits all type of bikers. But width alone is not enough; we also try to meet the demands of niche customers and have a specialized and deep product line.

And it seems like they pull it off – still going strong since 1944, and Michael Porter seems to be wrong about being “stuck in the middle”. But the product line is not the only thing that is deep at Jarla Cykel, Kenneth shows me into another room with bikes and gadgets. And then another one. And another. What seems to be a small boutique from the outside is fascinatingly large inside.

I ask him about a friend of mine that used to work in the store a couple of years back, and of course Kenneth knows him.

– I’ve been around here basically since Lennart started the place in 1944. People come and go, but Kenneth is forever.

It is obviously a joke, but what is also obvious is that Kenneth knows his Jarla history. As we move from room to room in the store, he talks about the company’s early days when bicycles were accompanied with mopeds, sports equipment, and even sewing machine.

– Since the 90s, we are more niched. Now it is only bikes, besides some skates in the wintertime, and triathlon equipment. It seems like everyone does that nowadays – it starts with a small triathlon competition, and soon it is iron man. That is of course fun, but biking is our thing. Speaking of bikes – here is yours.

Kenneth points at a pile of boxes printed with Cycleurope. He opens one of them, and as with a pupa, out comes beauty – my very own Crescent Yotta! After a couple of seconds I find myself staring at it, mouth open. Maybe that’s weird, but after all, this is the first time I see what will be my best friend the coming month. Kenneth picks it up and we’re heading back to the workshop.

– How much have you trained before the trip? You know that it will probably be close to 3,000 km of biking, right?

I tell him about my three sessions on the spinning bike and almost two kilometers on the “Styr och ställ”-bike in Gothenburg (pun, of course, intended) two weekends ago. He is moderately impressed and asks me if I ever have changed a bicycle tube. I shake my head and Kenneth starts looking in his toolbox. The following hour and a half, Kenneth teaches me everything worth knowing about my new friend, such as how to fix a jammed disc brake and how most people actually do it wrong when they try to adjust the handlebars sideways. Hopefully, I will not need most of this knowledge, but it feels safe that I at least have seen everything once.

– I think I have taught you everything now, why don’t we go upstairs and look at some clothes?

Jarla’s assortment when it comes to clothes and equipment is also impressive, and Kenneth has a story to tell about every type of product. Soon, I am equipped from top to toe. I will now even wear a pair of “fast goggles” – something I think never would happen. It’s so amazing! I tell Kenneth that I will probably have the world’s lowest ratio when it comes to actual, related to perceived, speed. He doesn’t disagree.

It is 10:23 when I say goodbye to Kenneth, happy as a child. A couple of weeks back when I told Jarla about my journey, store manager Joakim suggested me to shadow Kenneth for a day. Now I realize why.

Jarla Cykel’s motto is quality, knowledge and service – and it really shows! I thought it was impossible, but after three hours in the store, I am even more excited about my trip.

A trip that starts on Monday. Stay tuned!