Industry Insider: MTB career insights with James Bracey

We chased down and spoke with James Bracey, the man behind spreading the message at Tailfin.

off.road.cc staff

Aug 30 2024

[Words by Steve Thomas - Header image by Mick Kirkman]

In recent times the Bristol-based Tailfin bikepacking bag and equipment creator, Tailfin, has established itself as one of the most innovative and highest quality purveyors of fine art bike packing equipment and is a true success story within the struggling bike industry.

However, there’s far more to the process than simply being innovative and a top drawer when it comes to its products, which is where marketing and communication come to the head. With this in mind, Tailfin bagged the services of a former Hampshire school teacher and bike-racer-turned-cycling-journalist James Bracey, who is now largely responsible for spreading the good word to the world and doing that in Tailfin style.

We caught up with him to learn more about his role, what it involves, and how he got there.

In your own words, who are you and what do you do?

I’m James Bracey and I look after getting Tailfin out into the wide world.

What is your job?

It’s a pretty varied role, but primarily I get Tailfin products out into the real world and in front of the people who need to see and use them. Basically, looking at my email signature this job mainly consists of PR, communications, and looking after all our riders and the wider community along with event organisation.

How did you get into what you do?

In my past life as Senior Tech Writer for Cycling Weekly and MBR, Nick (Tailfin founder) sent me an AeroPack to test. It was one of the first products in a very long time that I was genuinely blown away by in terms of design and function. We kept in contact and, when Tailfin was looking for a Head of Marketing, I knew I had to work here.

[image - Josh Meissner]

If I was to jump to the other side of the industry it had to be with a company I could truly get behind, and whose products I could happily give to any of my media peers and know they would love them.

What is the basic Tailfin infrastructure - as in staff numbers and scale of the HQ?

We have undergone a pretty rapid rise in employee numbers over the past few years, and we now have over twenty members of staff – mainly in full-time roles.

We also moved into a new HQ (a couple of doors down from our old one in Bristol) at the start of the year, and that has allowed us to really grow. We now have dedicated spaces for all aspects of our business, and we recently acquired another space in the building to create a full-time video and photography studio.

What’s even better is that we now have a sofa and a beer fridge!

How broad and multi-faceted is your role within such a close-knit company?

When I started with Tailfin, in 2021, I was just the fifth member of staff and the first dedicated marketing team member. As such we all effectively worked collaboratively on all aspects of the business, including product testing, and customer service was as much a part of my day-to-day work as legitimate marketing concerns.

When it came to marketing, I was looking after every aspect, from PR to social media and video creation. Luckily, the other members of the original team; Nick, James, Dan, and Rob all helped to make this achievable.

How long have you been working in the bike industry?

In 2008, I was considering changing my career, after being a secondary school teacher for about ten years. I had been riding and racing mountain bikes, and so I took a Saturday role in my local bike shop (Cycle Kingdom in Fleet, Hampshire). I absolutely loved it and quit my teaching job and then became assistant manager there.

Cycle Kingdom changed to Pedal Heaven in 2012, and then in 2015 I started modelling and writing for Cycling Weekly and the now-defunct monthly magazine Cycling Active. This turned into a full-time job a year or so later when I joined MBR as Tech Writer, and then went on to Cycling Weekly as Senior Tech writer in 2020.

How have things changed since you started?

Speaking literally, wheel and tyre sizes are most definitely the biggest change I’ve seen, But in general, the cycle industry has definitely shaken off a lot of its Wild West feel, and we’ve lost a lot of brands, some good and a lot of bad are no more. I also feel that brands are way more streamlined now, and everything seems way more professional.

Is there anything you wish you could change about your job?

Not so much with my role but I’d love an extra couple of days every week to work on the list of projects we want to get off the ground.

What does the average week look like?

There isn’t an average week for me. But I would normally have a lot of calls and emails with supported riders and spend time going through the huge number of sponsorship requests I get every week. Then there’s the planning and writing/editing content for our website and social media, plus video planning and filming.

There are also lots of media and other product/brand contacts and prospective partnerships to handle. I also normally get in some good riding with the guys in the office, and there’s also plenty of coffee drinking.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do your job/what you do?

Get yourself out there - but don’t expect anything. Form contacts and be a genuine member of the community and give something back. Don’t be afraid to get in at the bottom and work hard. But mainly, find a brand that you genuinely believe in – it makes everything much easier.

What do you like most about what you do?

My work colleagues are more of a good bunch of mates than colleagues. We ride together and hang out. It’s a really nice place to work. Apart from that, I absolutely love making connections with riders around the world and being able to help people achieve their goals and dreams.

If you weren’t doing this, you would be?

Trying to become a professional full-time cyclist or a full-time house husband. Or maybe setting up a BBQ truck with my brother.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?

I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled the world riding the very best bikes with the best riders in the world and experiencing ‘money can’t buy’ riding trips on a huge range of bike launches. From a Tailfin perspective, it’s definitely the buzz of every new product launch and reading all the positive reviews and reactions when new kit drops.

The industry finds itself in a tough situation in terms of the cost of living. Do you see it recovering any time soon and, if so, what will brands need to do to stay relevant and afloat?

[Image - Anthony Pease]

Any industry focused on an aspect of life that can be seen as a luxury and not a necessity will always be at risk when there’s a cost-of-living crisis. As it stands at the moment it’s difficult to see much in the way of relief from this, and it very much seems like the ‘new normal’.

However, it’s up to the individual brand to adapt and survive. As every purchase becomes even more considered you really need to begin creating products that genuinely stand out in terms of innovation, performance and above all, I feel, in lifespan. It’s not about the fast fashion approach any more. It’s where we really see Tailfin excelling in comparison to other brands. Our products have always been more considered purchases, and thanks to the quality of materials and the strength of our design, modularity and repairability we can continue to not just survive but sustainably grow our business.

What do you dislike most about the cycling industry?

The number of products that seem to have been designed and made on a Friday afternoon. I’m flabbergasted sometimes that a brand can happily sell products that are poor in function and quality and impact on ride experience. I’m not talking about ‘budget’ items designed to get people into the sport, but sometimes incredibly expensive products from reputable brands that are just plain awful. So, that mainly, and also the sheer number of ‘me too’ products that show no innovation. These aspects do more damage to the industry as a whole than a lot of standard answers in my opinion.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do your job/what you do?

My six-month-old son helps put everything into perspective and gives me an excuse to completely switch off. In all other aspects for me variety is the spice of life, and to avoid stagnation I regularly switch my style of riding – so if I’m burned out on ultra-training and XC racing I’ll get on the big bike and ride Bike Park Wales or get on the jump bike and pretend I’m 17 again. And, if I really want a big change, I’ll get on the road bike.

off-road.cc

Industry Insider: MTB career insights with James Bracey

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