Lightweight is excited to welcome a new member to our team, Craig Steyn, who will be helping bring our line-up of hand-crafted performance wheels to riders all across the United States. We recently sat down with Craig to chat about his passion for cycling as well as what his future with Lightweight might look like. Read our complete conversation below.

Hello, Craig. First off, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Craig Steyn. I’m the country manager for Lightweight in the United States of America. My background is in the cycling industry, which I initially joined 20 years ago. I set up a distribution company in South Africa which distributed cycling brands imported from Europe. I was involved in that business for two years, before I moved on to other interests.

Then, I moved to the United States in 2017. In 2021, I started discussing becoming a distributor of cycling brands in the US, and early in 2022, I engaged with a Spanish brand, an Italian brand, and an Israeli brand. And as of March 2024, I started representing Lightweight as country manager.

What brought you the United States?

The economic situation in South Africa wasn’t very positive; there wasn’t a lot of opportunity. America offered me the opportunity I never had in Africa.

Where are you based out of now?

I’m based just north of Orlando, Florida. This is where the logistics for Lightweight will come from, in terms of supply of products, parts, accessories, and support.

What’s cycling like where you are? How does it compare to riding in South Africa?

To start, the roads are better. Florida’s roads are generally good for cycling. The weather is a big factor in Florida, but I think if you’re based anywhere in the sun belt, the cycling is good. I lived in Texas for a few months in 2019. It was over the winter months, but there was never really an issue with riding. So, I think the weather is very favorable in the sun belt for cycling compared to up north, where you have a more limited window.

In terms of discipline, I get the sense that road cycling is a bit stagnant—it’s not really growing—and there seems to be a bigger shift towards gravel. The indications that I’m seeing is that consumers will purchase gravel bikes, and 60% of those bikes will never, ever see gravel. But they buy them for comfort, the geometry, and the tire clearance—in case they do ever want to ride gravel.

So, you’re now living in the flattest state in the US. How do you find the riding from that standpoint?

Well, the King of the Mountain is usually the railroad crossing. Having said that, where I’m at in Central Florida has the most elevation of anywhere in the state. For example, Sugar Loaf Mountain is close by which, truth be told, is less of a mountain and more of a little hill, but the riding here is very good.

What are you most excited about with your new role at Lightweight?

Bringing the brand to the United States. I think there’s been a lack of exposure. I think that the American consumer is starved of product, and that’s because of accessibility. It’s very difficult for European brands to enter the United States if they’re not fully committed to the United States. And for many brands, they think commitment means opening up a branch office, employing a host of staff—the numbers don’t make sense.

A second point, and one that the consumer is not always aware of, is that the American market is subject to import duties. If you produce a product in Germany and sell it in Italy, there are no duties, and shipping is relatively cheap. To bring products to the US isn’t as easy. So, one of the important aspects of introducing a dealer-direct program is offering dealers internet protection. That means that we price the product directly for the US market. By pricing it correctly, the consumer doesn’t go online to purchase it from an EU company.

The benefits to the consumer of having a dealer-direct program in the United States is access to product, fair pricing, and access to support.

What features do you think make Lightweight wheels stand out from the competition?

The first is production—the way they are built, the way they’re engineered and designed. What that design leads to are the real benefits of the wheel, which is the acceleration and deceleration. There’s no competitor to Lightweight in these areas. Once you’ve ridden a Lightweight wheel and you’ve experienced that ride, then you have respect for what the product really is.

There’s a reason that professional riders who are sponsored by other wheel brands purchase Lightweight wheels out of their own budgets to race on when they have the opportunity to do so. For example, in the Olympics, you’ll see a host of riders on Lightweight wheels. They won’t be branded Lightweight, but they will be Lightweight wheels.

What do you think the American audience should know about the history of Lightweight?

First, that the company is retained by three families. You’re dealing with essentially a family business. You’re not dealing with a big, listed organization. These are people who love their brand, who love their product. Second, there’s [Lightweight founder] Heinz Obermayer, who is still involved. He still goes into the production process on a weekly basis, still makes contributions, still consults. You’re dealing with people that have established the brand, that have nurtured the brand, and that look after the brand.

So, when you buy a set of Lightweight wheels, not only are you getting the technology, not only are you getting the benefits, but ultimately, you’re getting people who care about what they’re delivering to the market. It’s not a mass-produced product. This is not a 10,000-wheels-a-day process. That uniqueness is something that differentiates Lightweight wheels from the rest.

Welcome to the Lightweight team, Craig. We look forward to exploring new roads together in the months ahead across the United States.