Beast Components

Beast Components

Dresden

“A bike is an expression of who you are”

Foto: Beast Components

The team at Dresden-based startup Beast Components are experts in lightweight construction. But above all, Mirko Filler and his team are absolute bike aficionados. Filler first studied at the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology at TU Dresden, one of Europe’s few hotspots in this field. He went on to work for years as part of a development team at LZS GmbH, a company that also specializes in lightweight engineering, including working on numerous projects for well-known companies in the aerospace, automotive, and maritime industries. It was a stroke of luck that ended up bringing Filler together with Andrés Martin-Birner, founder of successful Dresden-based e-commerce company Bike24. Together, they devised a plan to make bike parts out of carbon in Germany. These days, there are three companies involved in the alliance: Black East GmbH, the company behind the Beast Components brand, CarboLife, and Realize Engineering.

Their company philosophy?

“Our most important value is making our products ourselves,” says Anne Schneider, who is responsible for marketing and brand management at Beast Components. “‘Handmade in Germany’ really means everything to us. That’s why we deliberately decided to manufacture in Saxony and to take responsibility for our employees here.” Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they prefer genuinely handmade items from Germany or cheaply mass-produced products from the Far East, she says. “We’ve been seeing that there are more and more customers who do look at how and where a product is made and the fairness behind it and are willing to spend a bit more for that, too,” Schneider continues.

Foto: Beast Components

Foto: Beast Components

Sustainability is an increasingly important factor as well, including within the team itself. “We’re a young team. Sustainability is important to our generation. Social sustainability is especially key. We think there’s an urgent need for action there in the bike industry,” she points out. “Globalization has brought global imbalance. Western consumer behavior causes systematic exploitation of certain groups, all just to make a profit. This behavior has become the standard in the bike sector. We aim to take a clear stand against that standard and to show that there’s another way.”

Right now, 24 employees work at the Dresden shop, making carbon parts for racing bikes, gravel bikes, and mountain bikes. The youngest member of the team is 23, and the oldest is 41. The young startup is growing by leaps and bounds, having once again posted a sales increase in 2021. What do customers especially value about them? Schneider says, “We're a small artisan shop, and because we make everything one hundred percent by hand, we can only produce a limited number of components. We don't do mass production. When you ride with Beast Components, it’s something special.”

This trend – toward things that are unusual and high in quality – is increasingly also reflected in customers’ expectations. “There’s a perceptible increase in people’s willingness to spend more on their bikes,” Schneider says. “Bikes are no longer just a way to get from point A to point B. Fewer and fewer cyclists want to buy a bike off the rack. Cycling is a passion, and there are countless communities. A bike is an expression of who you are.”

The team at Dresden-based startup Beast Components are experts in lightweight construction.

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