Madd Owner Mike Horne Interview

Even if you've never seen a whole Maddgear scooter in real life, you have surely seen the standard Madd brake on someone's scooter, if not your own. Lately the Maddgear company has been doing a lot more than producing great brakes: starting a team, coming out with a Pro scooter, and generally just trying to expand the sport as much as they can. Inside Scooters Australian Correspondent Aaron Bransdon asked Mike Horne, the company owner, about all that, and more.

- Jordan Jasa.


Aaron Bransdon: When did the company 'Maddgear' start, and why was it made?

Mike Horne: Madd Gear originated in 2002 as a result of a dynamic shift in mass retail buying. At the time I was the Business Manager for the Sporting Division of Funtastic which incorporated Razor so I knew the business very well. I could see that there was no competition or truly Australian branded product but in order to make it successful we at least needed to have comparable quality and supply. In August that year I moved to China to set up Madd International which has given us the foundation to grow Madd into what it is today.

Did you expect to obtain such recognition throughout Australia when the company was created?

In truth no – we set out to be an Australian company that recognized Australian trends rather than being force fed whatever was coming out of the US primarily. You are testament to this fact with the forums and interaction that comes from the Australian scooter scene. In reality Australia and Australian riders are very pro active and passionate about their sports so yeah ok we sell in the likes of Kmart but it is the guys and girls who support us that makes it a success.

Why has Maddgear branched out into the freestyle scooter industry with the MaddGear Pro, and spare parts?

If you look at other let’s call them extreme sports like freestyle BMX or Skateboarding history shows these started in niche areas that then translated into mass. Scooters were really the opposite; when Razor launched in the US they went mainstream straight away and only in the last few years has freestyle really started to take off. Unfortunately scooter riding and scooters have been viewed as a kids toy rather than both an extreme and technical sport which is what it has developed into. We see this and want to be a part of its future growth and success by also looking to offer great product at affordable pricing. The spare parts development was a logical next step as we are already servicing customers who contact us directly as well as independent wholesalers and distributors globally with key items like our brake.

Are there any particular goals, or plans that Maddgear has for the future of scooters as a whole?

Yeah we want Madd to be the Australian Razor or if looking at other iconic Australian brands Billabong as an example. We want to invest back in the sport and it’s development but take a different approach by engaging young riders to better themselves. I really believe that the sport can be as big as the skate industry was in the late 80’s and in time we will see it get the recognition it deserves in the likes of XGames and other National and International competition. If we can give something back as the result of the support young riders give us by buying Madd product then it’s the least we can do.

Will Maddgear remain a prodominantly Australian company, or do you have plans to move to other countries such as America and England?

It’s fair to say we have global aspirations but also don’t want to take our focus away from the Australian market. There is so much potential for future development and growth and the reality is we are only barely scratching the surface with what we would really like to do. I think a more likely scenario would be us partnering with some likeminded companies where it can benefit both sides but keep our Australian heritage which is very important to us.

The team is only relatively new, how do you feel about the team as a whole?

Firstly let me say there are so many great riders out there it was really amazing to see the talent as it came through. Unfortunately we could not pick everyone but I’m very happy with the mix of guys we have and think they will be great ambassadors for both Madd and the sport. This was really important for us as these guys are all well respected amongst their peers for being both exceptional riders but also good friends and what we hope will be role models across the board for anyone who is riding or thinking about taking it up.

What do you have in store for the team in the future, videos? trips? advertisement?

All of the above and then some. As you say the team is only new and as all of the guys are still in school or have commitments we need to be conscious of this when trying to plan. At the moment we simply want to get them all in the same place to give them some face time and hopefully get some good footage to share with the world. Big picture stuff includes an East Coast tour of Oz that we hope to develop into Australia’s first touring titles with a National to be held at the end of each year. Demo days are on the cards for promotion of new launches, store openings and hopefully we can partner up with some of the core independent retailers where we can promote locally.