ROTWILD Insights: Fedor Shipulin
Fedor is a prime example of how you can turn your hobby into a profession. The 27-year-old has been an enthusiastic mountain biker since his youth. When he came across a ROTWILD job ad by chance during his apprenticeship as a cook, he seized the opportunity and applied. With success, because he is a permanent part of the ROTWILD service and customer service team.
How did you come to ROTWILD?
ROTWILD as a German premium brand and Richie Schley as their longtime pro freerider were already a household name to me as an enthusiastic downhill and enduro biker since my youth. I came across the training position by chance: I was in Berlin at the time, where I had started training as a chef, and found the job ad on the Internet. I wanted to finally turn my hobby into a profession and didn't have to think twice and spontaneously applied.
How big is your service & customer support team and how are the tasks distributed there?
Our team consists of a total of five employees. First and foremost, we are the contact persons for the specialized trade. We help with problems on the phone or by e-mail, handle complaints and regularly train our dealers in workshops. In addition, we also take care of the internal test bike fleet, which can become extensive during the season.
How would you describe your day-to-day work?
In service, every day is always different, despite recurring tasks; it's never boring. Some inquiries and problems can be solved easily. But every now and then, the challenges are greater - for example, when it comes to troubleshooting, the cause of which is not clear. We learn something new every day. It is super important to us that our customers and dealers are helped quickly and professionally.
How has the Corona pandemic affected your day-to-day work?
Biking is more popular than ever, we experience this ourselves every day and also get this as feedback from the trade. Corona mainly has an impact in the supply chains. This means that not every spare part arrives in the planned time frame, as much as we would like it to. In terms of service, we support the trade with full commitment, but in Corona times this means spending the odd weekend on service work. So that on Monday morning repaired parts can be sent back immediately.
Regardless of the special situation caused by the Corona crisis, what are the biggest challenges in your job and how do you meet them?
We want to help quickly, professionally and reliably and get things right. Service and customer support are an important part of ensuring that customers can enjoy their next bike tour again. This sometimes requires detective intuition when we carry out remote diagnoses by phone or e-mail. Because this already works out often, we are happy about every case in which we were able to help.
What qualifications should you have as a service and customer service employee at ROTWILD?
In any case, you need a lot of expertise, but also passion for the product and the brand itself. You should be open to new things, because the bicycle industry is developing rapidly. In addition, you need to have a good overview and a lot of patience. Very important is the understanding for the customer and dealer.
Do you have any tips for someone who would like to work in the bike industry?
I would definitely recommend doing an internship beforehand. Just because you like riding bikes doesn't mean that a job in the bike industry is right for you. In any case, you should always be up to date in terms of technical development and have a passion for bikes.
About your personal bike preferences: Downhill or Uphill?
Both. When it comes to downhill, technical descents and trails of all kinds appeal to me. Trips to the bike park are always fun, too. But I like riding uphill just as much, because for me you have to earn every descent first. There is nothing better than after a long day at work or on the weekend to simply make a spontaneous tour that contains both.
Fully or Hardtail?
Here, too, there is no either-or for me. I ride a fully on the trails and a hardtail on the normal tours.
E-Bike or conventional?
I ride conventional bikes most of the year, so it's a nice way to keep fit.
E-bikes have great potential. When I have little time to ride and want to make the maximum number of descents, I take the e-bike.
Your favorite bike from the ROTWILD collection?
I don't have to think long, it's clearly the R.E750.
How many kilometers do you sit in the saddle per year?
I come to about 1,500 km.
Do you have a favorite area for biking?
Taunus and Odenwald are right on the doorstep, here I am regularly on the road. Other personal highlights are bike parks and trails in Austria.
