How Sprintbase helped a cycle-tourism start-up redefine the customer need

Starting with an idea…

Four friends with a passion for cross-country cycle touring had an idea for a one-stop-shop for specialized gear. From their extensive personal experience, they believed that this was unmet market need, and began creating initial prototypes for the site, and building the network and infrastructure to support it.

Before they embarked on further investment, however, they wanted to be sure their assumptions about what users really valued were correct.

Just scratching the surface

The team of four, supported by expert coaching, used Sprintbase to gather a wide range of insights into what enthusiasts of cycle touring (multi-week excursions) really cared about. They interviewed cycle shop owners, professional cyclists, casual and commuter riders, and others to form a set of insights into what novel support the new company could provide.

The team learned that many aspects of the touring experience – specifically feelings of escape and adventure – were valued by the commuter and casual cyclists as well. This insight led them reframing their offering to serve a far broader audience, and refocused the offering on the experience of cycle touring, not just the gear.

New storyboards, user journeys, business models and interfaces were developed to realign the start-up around these new and compelling insights. The result is a fresh new business concept currently in development that seeks to provide its customers with a new kind of value based on what the founders understand really matters most to them.