Founded in 2014 by engineer and entrepreneur Nick Broadbent, UK-based Tailfin has established itself as a market leader in the bikepacking equipment sector and one of the fastest-growing companies in cycling at a time when other segments of the industry have been struggling. Having recently relocated to a larger workshop in Bristol to accommodate their scaling operations, local contributor Joe Sasada paid them a visit to uncover the secret to their success and hear what’s next for this exciting brand…
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few years, it would be hard to ignore how Tailfin has steadily risen to dominate the premium end of the bikepacking equipment sector, revolutionizing the industry with its innovative bike and luggage integration solutions. Founded in 2014 by Mechanical Engineer and Industrial Designer Nick Broadbent, the company has steadily expanded and transitioned from “those weird rack guys” (their words!) into the mainstream, now offering a full suite of market-leading bikepacking products which it’s fair to say have genuinely changed the game.
Rapid expansion over the last few years has brought them to twenty-two employees (including eight people focused on product development), necessitating a move to a bigger workshop with more on-site R&D facilities and a videography studio. I paid them a visit to check out the new space, learn about their design process, and hear what’s next on the agenda.
New Workshop, Old Traditions
Walking into Tailfin’s new workshop, tucked away off the harbourside in central Bristol, there’s a palpable buzz that hints at a company in full creative stride. From the outside, it’s fairly unassuming, and even the upstairs open-plan office feels a little standard at first glance. The only clues to the company’s bikepacking DNA are the stunning wall-sized prints of Tailfin riders in far-flung landscapes and the odd prototype bike bag scattered across the desks.
But head downstairs into the R&D studio, and you start to get a sense of what’s really happening. Drenched in natural light through oversized industrial windows, the space features several workbenches, toolstations, sewing machines, technical machinery, and even a mannequin. Anything you might need, then, to bring to life the far-fetched ideas being hatched on the floor above. The party piece is a feature wall in the corner, showcasing the full array of Tailfin products, where guests can relax on some sofas. It’s a nice upgrade from their previous workshop, just a hundred metres down the road, and a statement of intent.
The workshop might be new, but the company culture remains the same. Scribbled on a blackboard are details of the upcoming ‘Buttery Club’ – the fortnightly Thursday afternoon staff ride named after the preferred local café of the OG founding members. These days, I’m told, staff members nominate a different type of terrain/post ride snack venue on a rotational basis, and are encouraged to mix things up. I visited on a Tuesday morning, after their weekly ‘XC Club’ ride – a lap of the local MTB trails followed by pastries – before heading to the office. I was offered homemade ‘KOMbucha’, brewed in jars secured with Tailfin cargo straps (naturally), before we got stuck into the interview.
Startup Culture, Scaling Operations
I sat down with Nick (Founder and Head of Product) and Rob Philips (Head of Design and Brand) to get a feel for their design process and inspiration. While I expected the conversation to focus on technical product design and manufacturing, we quickly pivoted to a more philosophical discussion about how they approach the business more holistically. Throwing out references to various startup frameworks and business visionaries, from Steve Jobs to James Dyson, Nick highlighted the influence of Rocketfuel, a book that shaped how he structured his team. The book suggests that companies are more likely to thrive with two key leadership roles: a ‘visionary’ to drive strategic direction and an ‘integrator’ to execute it.
Nick: At the start, although I hate this word, I took on what the book would describe as the ‘visionary,’ focussing on the product design for the original racks, and James (James Atkey, Head of Operations and Marketing, currently on sabbatical touring across Japan), has been the integrator. I thrive on chaos, he restores order, and we complement each other well.
Rob: Yeah, and I guess other James [James Bracey, Head of PR, Comms, Riders, Community & Events] and I sit somewhere in the middle!
Nick: We have experimented with different processes. We tried adopting a stage-gated design model, like at NASA or Dyson, but it didn’t suit us. With our design consultancy background, we prefer working fast and loose. I hate design by PowerPoint.
Nick’s entrepreneurial mindset reminded me of the “Move Fast and Break Things” culture from Facebook’s early days, hence the article’s title.
Design From First Principles
Having originally just focussed on the rear rack systems, Tailfin now offer a full modular system of bikepacking products including frame bags, panniers, fork mounted bags, top tubes and handlebar bags. A key differentiator is the engineering of the mounting points, such as their proprietary “X clamp system”, which ensures seamless luggage integration with the bike:
Nick: My ‘North Star’ design principle is that the bike and the bags should function as one. The bags shouldn’t detract from the ride. It’s all about the riding experience – looking at the horizon, not the bags.
Their combination of hard componentry and soft fabrics (which are externally welded, rather than sewn) sets Tailfin apart from traditional sewn bag companies, perhaps making them more akin to brands outside of the bikepacking sector like Peak Design or Black Diamond.
Rob: When we start a new project, our key focus is always performance and durability – this rarely means we’ll be the cheapest or lightest. The aim is to solve all the pain points of existing products and add all the features we want to include. We never design to a rigid specification or cost, the project evolves until we feel the product is right. Everyone here loves riding bikes, so we design the products that we wish existed already.
Iterate To Innovate
Tailfin continually refines its product range as new technologies and better manufacturing processes emerge. For instance, the AeroPack may look unchanged, but is now actually on its fourth iteration.
Rob: Our R&D Division extensively test our prototypes over a period of years before they go into mass production. The team abuse the kit, racing through some of the most extreme conditions possible. We iterate until we are totally confident the products work perfectly for them. They put in some serious miles so it’s like sped-up long term testing. We try and resolve any issue, even if we think it’s a one-off. For example, Miron [R&D rider Miron Golfman] reported our V-mounts had some issues at -40°C during the Iditarod race in Alaska, so we changed the polymer composition across our whole product range. Now everything works at -40°C…
The new workshop allows more scope for more in-house R&D, allowing for faster prototyping. Through a combination of laser cutters and 3D printers, overseen by Head Prototyper Molly Lewis-Smith, the team can build complete sewn versions in-house. Full production happens across Taiwan, China, and Vietnam, which has market-leading welding expertise, and helps keep retail prices low (or…lower!).
Rob: Take the top tube bags. For the flip-top versions, we played with every off-the-shelf part possible and couldn’t find exactly what we wanted so we developed our own Mag-Lock buckle system in-house. It had to work one-handed, whilst riding, and without needing to even look at it. So when you need to quickly close it before starting a rough technical descent you can be 100% confident it’s locked every time. It’s diving into the minutia but makes a big difference.
The handlebar bag, which took over three years and many many prototypes (I could see the trauma in Rob’s eyes), features the X-clamp system and a neat cockpit accessory mounting system for GPS, lights, and GoPros. The design process was so extensive it inspired a short documentary (check it out here), which brings me onto my next point…
Unshackling The Brand, Spreading The ’Fins
Tailfin’s marketing has also evolved significantly, hiring two full-time videographers to work alongside the leadership team who all input into the broader marketing strategy. The 3D-rendered graphics released around the framebag/toptube bag launches were pretty cool, but their recent promotional videos for the barbag and long top tube bag launch really upped the ante, with a production value not normally associated with social media marketing.
James Bracey: We’re looking to spread our wings and have some fun. Early on, we focused on product-first marketing to build the brand, but now we’re looking to show off our personality a bit more.
Stand by for some more creativity to come out of the Tailfin videography department. Their broader strategy aims to connect with a wider audience beyond bikepacking purists, appealing to casual and technical cyclists alike.
A Customer Service Company that Sells Bikepacking Equipment
Continuing my conversation with Nick, I was increasingly intrigued not just by his approach to product design, but by his strategic business mindset. A serial entrepreneur, Nick’s first foray into business came in his teens when he started making and selling jewelry (“I screwed up the margins!”). Given the relative complexity of the different products, Tailfin have purposefully pursued a D2C (direct-to-consumer) business model which allows them to maintain control over the customer service process:
Nick: We know our products are a big investment, so we work hard to make the decision process easy. We have five full-time employees in customer service. We see ourselves as a customer service company that happens to sell bikepacking gear.
With such a wide range of products now, one of the standout features of the Tailfin system is its modularity, allowing riders to customise their setups for different use cases. All products are ‘off-the-shelf,’ but the extensive options create a semi-bespoke customer experience. For instance, there are nine framebag options, five top tube bags (soon to be eight in the not-too-distant future), and four bar bags.
Nick: At the premium end of the market, no one wants to feel generic. We want people to be genuinely happy with their kit choices. We aim to strike a balance between offering exactly what they want without overwhelming them with choice. We try to make the website as intuitive as possible. It’s a bit like iPhones on Apple’s website – there are tons of options, but it still feels easy to navigate. That’s what we strive for.
Tailfin also stands out for its commitment to after-sales support. Their goal is to provide serviceable, rather than replaceable, products with a strong focus on sustainability. A key design principle is ensuring compatibility between updated components and previous versions, further enhancing the longevity of their products.
The Future of Tailfin: Play Bigger
So, what’s next for Tailfin? When I asked Nick, we discussed the product roadmap, which includes obvious candidates like MTB frame bags and new AeroPack variations. However, he also hinted at some curveballs on the horizon:
Nick: We’re thinking big and have the confidence to tackle new things. There might be a few surprises that raise eyebrows, but overall, we want to maintain our positive momentum. I read a great book called Play Bigger. It talks about how truly great companies don’t just create new products – they create whole new categories. If you create a new category, you will be in a great position to lead and shape the direction of that category. Anyway…that’s probably enough business quotes from me…we are just making bikepacking equipment, not changing the world!
It is not changing the world, but it is definitely shaping the direction of the bikepacking industry, which is nearly as important! For anyone passionate about bikepacking, the next chapter in their journey promises to be as exciting as the ride so far. Best of luck to Nick and the Tailfin team – we are all looking forward to seeing what comes next!