Kirsten Hase: Gravit CITY E

Kirsten and Marec Hase have been a team since their early days in the coach house of an old doctor's villa in Bochum. Back then, when they were constructing bicycles during the day and running test benches for the cycling industry at night, it dawned on them at some point: Something is happening here that could become quite big. Then they moved to the upper floors of the historic production hall at Waltrop colliery: against all odds, against the warnings of advisers. “If you do that, you’ll be broke in two years,” they said. But Kirsten and Marec simply went through with it. With the support of their parents, with the courage of youth – and with a huge hall.

Everything that has been created today has grown organically – in a healthy way. Kirsten’s professional career began with an apprenticeship as a potter. “After leaving school, I really wanted to do something with my hands, to create something tangible,” says Kirsten. “Pottery still grounds me to this day.”

This love of craft characterises her flair for great products. Her two sons have grown up with the company – they played among bicycles and ideas in the middle of the production hall. Would the boys like to take over the company at some point? “We have always said: Go your own way, do what makes you happy – we’ll see.” Nevertheless, the fact that their eldest son has now written his bachelor’s thesis on Hase Bikes fills them both with pride.

Kirsten herself rides the Gravit CITY E – a lightweight, manoeuvrable cargo bike. “It is perfect for going shopping, it isn’t strenuous to use, it can be parked anywhere – why should I even bother driving the car?” she laughs. Sometimes she is asked whether Marec built the bikes for her – after all, she has limited motor skills due to hip dysplasia. Her answer is unequivocal: “No. I ride ordinary bikes – I even used to ride downhill mountain bikes!” But perhaps she can empathise with others through her own experience. Her own therapy bike as a child was ugly and humiliating, and it has influenced her. “I want people with disabilities to have beautiful, cool, fabulous products.”