TRYON BIKES: PROGRESS THROUGH TIME

Ernie and Rose Chua are no strangers in the local bike community. Warm and dedicated to service, the husband and wife are the founders of Tryon Marketing, a cycling shop established in 1979 along the stretch of JP Rizal in Makati.

35 years have passed and Tryon continues to serve bike enthusiasts from all over the country. What started as a means to provide for Tito Ernie and Mama Rose’s (as how their sukis call them) growing family has turned into a place where riders gather and share their passion for cycling.

In between business, TeamManila talked to Mama Rose about Tryon’s beginnings and future plans – from concentrating on the bike shop to providing the customers’ needs – know more about Tryon below.

FROM TRYLON TO TRYON

“Noong kinasal kami, sa bangko siya nagtratrabaho. Syempre ang mga bangko dati magkano lang ang sweldo, so sabi ng biyenan ko ‘If you’re going to start a family, hindi pwedeng sa bangko ka lang magtra-trabaho, kailangan mag-negosyo kayo’” opens Mama Rose when asked about the beginning of Tryon. This piece of advice led the newly-wed couple into setting a small biking and film shop as their primary businesses. Aside from being a biker, it is unknown to many that Tito Ernie is also a photography hobbyist. Mama Rose on the other hand does not know how to bike but have lots of experience when it comes to management.

Eventually, digital imaging came to a rise. “Medyo tumumal na ‘yung film at nagkaroon ng digital cameras so nagconcentrate na kami on the bike shop.” The couple’s film shop had to close and this was when Tryon was born.

“Nag-umpisa kami na hindi namin alam ipa-pangalan namin. And one time, nakita niya [Tito Ernie] sa CR ‘yung brand ng inidoro – but not Tryon, Trylon – sabi niya ‘parang maganda ‘yan ah, gawin kaya nating Try On, para Try it On’ at sabi ko sige, maganda nga.” From that idea spanned a flourishing business managed hands on by the couple.

A BRAND FOR EVERYONE

During the early 80s when Tryon was just starting to build an audience, majority of riders were into the road bike trend.  Like most bike shops, Tryon followed this direction but made sure that they still had everything to offer. “From the moment we started, lahat naman meron – may racer bikes, mountain bikes, BMX, and even pangbata. Back in the 80s kami ang nagsu-supply sa Marlboro Tour so ang mga customer namin mga team pa na galing Mindanao.”

Tryon is certain that what the customer wants, the customer gets. The brand adheres through time and they are always welcome to change. This is what makes Tryon last longer.

During the ascent of fixie bikes, Mama Rose made sure that Tryon was up to date yet still leaning strongly business-wise. “Back in 2008 noong papunta akong Canada, sabi ni Noel Maralit ‘Rose, okay ‘tong tindahan na ‘to (Super Champion) sa Canada, kuha mo ako ng halves for fixed gear.’ So kumuha ako ng konti kasi hand-carry ko lang. Nagsold-out siya kaya nagventure na ako into fixie. Naghanap na ako ng supplier sa Taiwan, nag-apply na rin kami as distributor ng Cinelli,” Mama Rose enthuses.

As the brand progresses, all sorts of riders come to patronize Tryon. Weekends are no doubt busy for the small block; bikers shop for parts and accessories while others purposely visit for custom repairs. “Lahat ng ages dumadayo sa Tryon. Youngest siguro 16 to 17, average niya is 25, lalo na ‘yung mga nagfi-fixie. Marami na kaming suki over the years. At kung anong kailangan ng customer, hinahanapan ko sila. Masaya sila na nakukuha nila ‘yung kailangan nila at hindi na kailangan mag-eBay. Plus I can give it to them at a cheaper price.”

CONSISTENCY AND THE FUTURE

Times have definitely flown and we just had to ask Mama Rose’s views and observations on the bike community today. She quips “Dumadami ‘yung mga biker and they are more knowledgeable now – mas marami pa nga silang alam sa akin. Haha. Mabilis ang internet ngayon so ang mga bata nakikita nila online kung ano ang mga bago at sasabihin nila sa akin. Mas marunong na sila, they know what they want.”

But this does not worry Tryon because the shifting times actually pushes them to remain consistent. “We’re turning 36 this September at dumadami ang kalaban. Kailangan habulin mo ang panahon, you do not stick to ‘Ay okay na ako dito sa Cinelli’ – you have to improve with time. Kung meron silang hinahanap kailangan meron ka. Budget-wise, kung merong uso tina-try muna namin ‘yung market, hindi basta basta. Pero kapag nakita naming mabili, dadamihan namin. We really move by the time, by the trend.” Mama Rose admits that this is how they remain successful after three decades. Aside from marketing and word of mouth, Tryon builds their victory internally.

Support for the local bike community has also lead Tryon to a larger market. “We usually sponsor lalo na sa mga laro ng mga fixie – sa Ultraman, Alley Cat, very frequent mga laro nila so ini-sponsoran namin. Pero hindi naman sila nanghihingi ng monetary sponsorship, usually spare parts so nagbibigay ako for races and events.” TeamManila is also proud to have worked with Tryon in which we provided customized uniforms for the brand. “’Yung uniforms namin galing TeamManila. Kita mo may TM sa likod, which is good kasi pwede siyang Tryon Marketing” Mama Rose banters.

As the afternoon nears to a close and Tryon gets busier, we ask Mama Rose what’s in store for Tryon in the future – “Syempre gusto pa naming maging strong and mag-improve, still going up. But well, I’m already 58, and my husband is 59 – ‘yung mga anak ko naman nasa abroad at lima na apo ko. If one of them will come back and continue our business, that will be very fine with us; susuportahan namin if they want to. But if not and as my age catches up, I still don’t know. But as long as it’s good and kaya pa, we will keep on going.” Mama Rose answers as Tito Ernie shares a smile.

Tryon Marketing is located at 477 JP Rizal Street., Makati City. For inquiries and store hours, do visit their Facebook page.

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