Matt Robertson
Name:
Matt Robertson
Nickname:
Robertson, Gilbert Axt called me “Rrrrroad” for years because I was his engineering support on the first aluminum road bikes he had ever made.
Year you joined Team GT:
9/5/95 hard to forget
Favourite GT year & model:
Dhi 2000
Favourite Riders:
Steve Peat, Eric Carter, Julie Furtado
Favourite year team kit:
1999
If you had to ride a descent on a GT Quatrefoil (Tandem) with someone from your time at GT would you have with you & why?
Billy Griggs, because there was never a bike built that that guy could not jump and wheelie.
Have you ever pulled a prank on someone or had one pulled on you while working at GT?
No, but I pulled the fire alarm on accident, and the fire department showed up guns blazing… and there was a contraband magazine that would mysteriously turn up in everyone’s drawer when HR was cracking down on posters and such.
Can you tell us about your role at GT Bicycles in the 90’s and how you got started there?
I was hired as part of the R&D expansion financed by our public IPO in 1995. I was a passionate rider, a mechanic and an inexperienced engineer. I was not a fit for the open design position, but my enthusiasm got me in as an Assistant R&D Engineer and I split my time working mostly on product management, as a learned how to draw bikes and components in 2D. By 1998, I was ready for a proper challenge and moved into the open role of suspension engineer working with Jim Busby, and the product and design guys. I was part of the i-Drive project, designing our Asian produced models, in 3D now, and later the gravity stuff.
What was the company culture like during that time period?
Dynamic is a word that comes to mind. Things were happening everywhere, there was an energy and an excitement in the building, and everyone was young. Which meant we also did not really know what we were doing, so we made some mistakes, but we also pioneered as only the bold and innocent can. Because we were selling what we were doing, it was honest, it was authentic, and it was super fun. We had held a soap box race one year that is still legendary.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while working at GT Bicycles in the 90’s?
Communication. We used fax machines and 2D drawings. Photos and images were hard to find and share. File transfers were by mail. We also lacked the vocabulary to discuss many of the features, technology and kinematics that were so new and raw. And we just said “dude” and “bro” all the time.
Can you share a particularly memorable experience you had while working at GT Bicycles?
Yeah, unforgettable. Sitting in the VIP tent Mont-Sainte-Anne, on a Sunday afternoon drinking free beer and reminiscing about EC’s win in the Slalom the previous night while watching Steve Peat smash everyone’s favorite course on our new bike. Followed by the MSA costumer party. Opening the season on a new bike with five straight wins was also pretty special – Xgames Crested Butte -UK Cheddar-Norba Big Bear – UCI Les Gets (plus one other somewhere)
How did the bicycle industry change during the 90’s, and how did GT Bicycles adapt to these changes?
It got serious. What had been an industry of toys, cigarette smoke, and euro road bikes, was suddenly selling excitement, fitness, competition and performance. GT was making serious toys already, so we drove this change with fervour, and let the others adapt.
Can you tell us about some of the most popular bicycle models during that time period and what made them unique?
My expertise is suspension and GT suspension bikes were very popular. There was always something that made them unique: they worked. My favorite Busby quote was, “Let er eat!”, which was Jim’s way of saying if you are going to accept the weight and complexity of suspension bicycle, then the suspension should actually absorb impacts and provide traction. Not ‘soften’ your hardtail. I designed a WC XC racing bike once with 100mm of travel, but then we told everyone it only had 80mm, just to keep them focused on what was important. It was a rocket ship with an appetite.
How did GT Bicycles approach product design and innovation during the 90’s?
We were heavily influenced by competition and the needs of our racers, and we were challenged in every category by subpar technology, prehistoric component options and limited materials. So, we built bikes to win races and packaged our victories as advertisements, which was more than enough in those days. But we also understood that our brand was a combination of every inch and aspect of any model, not just the frame. We had a large design team and would never use a “TBG” pedal, bar or component of any type. You always got more for the same money. Quality and Value.
Can you describe the company’s marketing and advertising strategies during that time period?
Race it on Sunday, Sell it on Monday. We came from BMX where we owned several brands and we understood racers’ requirements.
Can you describe the dynamics working for Gary and Richard?
We worked for Bill and Richard. Gary was a marketing figure during my tenure. Bill was a workaholic, he could not stop, or sit still, for five seconds. First in, last out. He understood physically creating value in a product sense, but was not a rider and did not understand the insight and motivation of our consumers. Richard was a businessman. He was clear and decisive, bold and confident, which allowed us to be the same. They both realized, I believe, that they needed R&D staff and racers for key input, and that trust, and riding passion, were the two most important traits required of any job candidate.
How did you see the role of technology changing in the bicycle industry during the 90’s, and how did GT Bicycles respond to these changes?
What made the 90’s so dynamic in general was the fact that technology could, and would, come to the bicycle industry. MTBs we born in the 80’s and the first ten years were spent testing the water. “Hey is this fun? Yes this is fun” The early spark of adrenaline, now kindled by craftsmanship and confirmed by the emergence of high quality components, had finally caught fire, illuminating the true potential of this experience called mountain biking. At that moment we knew this could get much better, and that belief would drive the spike in bicycle technology and materials that has continued until this day.
What do you think was the biggest accomplishment of GT Bicycles during the 90’s, and why was it significant?
When GT erupted out of the BMX world to become one of the biggest brands in mountain bike, and one of the big five global bike brands, it upended the sales driven status quo, and made it difficult for the other big guys to continue to pump out cheap frames with discounted parts. We helped elevate the expectations of riders and bike shops, and even when GT faded into bankruptcy, the market was left in a better, more mature spot.
What made the biggest impact on you while at GT Bicycles which you rely on today?
Two things. First, there was pioneering spirit that rejected assumptions and encouraged creativity, along with timely rule breaking to do things better. Second, the people I met at GT remain some of my closest friends, collaborators and riding partners.