At the beginning of the 70s, Paul Lange was still selling to wholesalers. However, they met the introduction of the Dura-Ace at the IFMA in Cologne in 1973 with a "We don't need it". The Japanese, on the other hand, expected Paul Lange to sell 1000 groupsets. This was ultimately the initial spark for the change in the sales model: Paul Lange turned directly to the trade, which snatched the Dura-Ace out of his hands. It was an alternative to Campa and - without a middleman - at a great price. Further milestones for Bernhard: the introduction of the SIS "suddenly you could always shift gears - on the mountain, under load...", the introduction of the brake shift lever and the Di2 in 2009.
Interview with Bernhard Lange, founder's son and CEO of Paul Lange
TOUR: Bernhard, to what extent are you grateful to your parents for their career choice?
Bernhard Lange: Grateful is not an expression at all. Even though my first career ambition was actually to be a pilot. My parents didn't push me into the company, but I always had a passion for bikes - and the feeling that there was still a lot of movement possible. In 1983, at the age of 23, I was allowed to start my training in Japan and was thrilled.
TOUR: How would you define the relationship between the Shimano family and the Lange family?
Bernhard Lange: Shozo Shimano, son of the founder, and my father sought and found each other. They got on incredibly well as people and both had this forward-looking approach. They wanted to take Shimano forward. Perhaps the German virtues are not so far removed from the Japanese ones: What you say, you do. And you have integrity. The co-operation is not questioned. You go through thick and thin together.
Beginnings in Japan
TOUR: You spent about two years in Japan with Shimano ...
Bernhard Lange: I spent 18 months in Japan and then in the USA. Later, children from the Shimano family also came to Germany. My son Paul-César, now CSO of our company, spent another two years in Japan in 2013 and came back to Germany with a Japanese wife.
The e-component
TOUR: And what was your attitude to electronic circuits in the past?
Bernhard Lange: I was a complete advocate of mechanical shifting - until I got a Shimano Di2. That was pure joy. Even though I love old bikes, you shouldn't close your mind to some things, they're just too much fun.
TOUR: Your commitment to cycling infrastructure extends beyond the forest ...
Bernhard Lange: We need a change in mobility, that is absolutely clear. Politicians must act now. To be honest: I don't want to be patient any more, I don't want to wait any longer. We need to accelerate this jointly and in a non-partisan way. If we are talking about times of crisis in the industry, then the way out is through the creation of infrastructure. We must be given the right to be able to cycle safely from A to B.
When we talk about times of crisis [...], the way out is through the creation of infrastructure.
A look into the future
TOUR: Will we be able to talk to Bernhard Lange again for the 80th anniversary of Paul Lange?
Bernhard Lange: You could talk to the young people today ... In the next two or three years, we will have a new management team. My son Paul-César is already in the company, as are two of my sister's sons.
TOUR: What will Bernhard Lange do after 35 years as CEO?
Bernhard Lange: I can well imagine cycling a lot more. My wife and I love travelling. And I like to relax with a glass of wine.
Paul Lange & Co. OHG: A company portrait
In 1949, Paul and Fernanda Lange began selling bicycle parts in Stuttgart and became the first European agents for a previously unknown brand from Japan: Shimano. Their son Bernhard Lange has managed the company since 1989, is one of the driving forces in the industry, a pioneer of the mobility revolution and recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
