Getting to know Ground Effect

In 2024, Ground Effect Cycling Clothing celebrated their 30^th anniversary. That’s 30 years of making quality bike clothing and equipment in New Zealand, and 30 years of enabling adventures by bike. In the current world of online retail, Ground Effect have a longer history than most. Many of you will remember receiving the mail order catalogue in their letterbox, spruiking gear built for riding, made right in New Zealand.

We recently spoke to Guy Wynn-Williams, one of the founders of Ground Effect, about where the company started and where it is now.

‘We started in 1994 and as the French say, the more that changes, the more they stay the same. We always sold direct, and that’s not because we had any aversion to the retail industry. Back then we all liked when we could talk as close to the source as possible. So instead of getting filtered information, we’d get direct feedback from our customers. And that’s still the case now. They can talk to an office where the designer is right there, and the people who are responsible for choosing and sourcing the materials.’

If you try to think of brands where you can get on the phone or email them and speak to the very people who design and refine the products we buy – we’d imagine there aren’t a huge amount of brands that come to mind, beyond boutique frame builders and bikepacking luggage manufacturers. And remember that Ground Effect make their clothing and equipment in New Zealand. We know of a couple of brands who make select clothing items in Australia – but never a complete range. This is a commitment Ground Effect have stuck to, for a number of reasons.

‘It still works for us as we do small runs. When we started it really was the best option for us as we would never have had the volume to go off shore. But now, to start making products in New Zealand you’d likely need a bit of momentum behind you.’

Of course, the internet in 1994 wasn’t like it is now, and Ground Effect didn’t even have a website until 1997.

‘We sold via a catalogue,’ says Guy. ‘We worked out how to avoid the need for envelopes, we were young and idealistic! We printed those until 2015, and I think we printed about 80 different catalogues.’

‘We started selling to Australia early on. And putting trans-Tasman rivalry aside, I feel like Australians adopted us as surrogate locals. We often hear from riders that buying something locally made in Australia is hard, but made in New Zealand is just as good.’

The internet is a competitive market place, but Ground Effect are still a very unique company – if you’ve owned any of their products, you’ll know they really work. Experienced design is a key driver for Ground Effect.

‘We don’t manufacture in a cheap labour environment so you have to get the design right. This potentially creates a simpler garment that is often better because you only add what you need, with less weight and less bulk. Due to needing to be frugal, you often end up with a better solution.’

Items that last longer and do more come to a core part of Ground Effect – being sustainable. They use minimal packaging, their staff all ride to work, and they expect the kit to last forever – they even have solar panels covering the roof of their factory.

New Zealand is a stunning place to ride, but interestingly Guy says they look towards Australia in terms of growth in urban cycling.

‘Australia has always been ahead of New Zealand in urban cycling, for both advocacy and infrastructure as well. And more people are riding because of that. Here in New Zealand we’ve seen the increase in the National Cycle Trail network has created a dramatic increase in riders – including Australians visiting.’

The 23 Great Rides have probably tempted a lot of us to New Zealand – or perhaps the long distance mountain bike routes as well, which Ground Effect have played a role in.

‘We were part of a 15 year lobbying battle to get the Heaphy Track open – it’s a great multi-day mountain bike ride. And now we have the Old Ghost Road too, which is fantastic.’

Ground Effect are involved with a lot of grass roots advocacy via their slush fund. Guy explains that they could get people to a trail build day, but they could also donate money for some materials, like a couple of grand for a bridge to be built, or to buy some tools.

‘We’ve donated over 300 grand, at one or two grand a time, and that’s a lot of projects.’ Despite the boom in riding and investment in major off road projects, the call for Ground Effect’s input hasn’t diminished. ‘We’re still donating similar sums now to 15-20 years ago.’

Ground Effect have previously supported Bicycle Queensland’s major events – and Guy and his colleagues often attended to ride, as much as sell their gear. Even though that did include forgetting that it’s not always hot in Australia, and it does still rain! We have recently been testing the Ground Effect Solaris and Flare sun shirts, although sun safety isn’t new for Ground Effect.

‘The Solaris and Flare have been very popular. We all make our own choices but in our view – long sleeves make a lot of sense, and having a collar to protect your neck. It just makes sense to us. The Rock Lobster is our best-selling top, and that’s what we’d see the most on previous BQ rides.’

We hope to see Guy or some of the Ground Effect team at one of our events in 2025. If you’re a Bicycle Queensland member, you’ll receive a free pair of their Foot Soldier socks with any order – just follow the directions in your BQ Portal.