The objective was to assess the viability of the niche and identify what makes a luxury brand, what cyclists expect, and how they expect to purchase and interact.
We identified a strategic opportunity at the intersection of the luxury market and cycling through deep research in ChatGPT and NotebookLM. The luxury industry has grown 7.5% annually over the past five years, while the global cycling market has grown 8.1% annually. This parallel growth reveals how cycling is evolving from a sport to a symbol of status, style, and well-being.
7.5%Annual luxury market growth
8.1%Annual cycling market growth
0True luxury cycling maisons
Market Research
Two growing markets, one unserved intersection
Both the luxury and cycling sectors are on parallel growth trajectories. The overlap — a luxury brand built specifically for cyclists — remains an open white space with no dominant player.
Competitive Landscape
The Absence of Luxury and Good UX
We analysed the leading brands in the sector: MAAP, Pas Normal Studios, Assos, Q36.5, Rapha, and Rubber N' Road NYC. While they stand out for their visual identity, their websites are confusing and display too many options, leading to user frustration.
"I don't understand the difference between one jersey and another." — Moderate usability test
The common failure pattern across all competitors: aesthetic ambition without UX rigour. Premium pricing paired with confusing information architecture destroys the luxury experience before the product is even seen.
What makes a curated web experience
During research we mapped the elements that turn a website into a curated experience — closer to a product than a sales floor. Three reference categories from outside cycling shaped our standard.
Reference I
Apple
A premium-tech web that performs as a product experience, not a sales pipeline. Many users feel that even reaching checkout is hard — and that resistance is part of the desirability. The buying process is memorable, individualised per product, and offers deep customisation along the way.
Reference II
Louis Vuitton + traditional luxury
Built on Shopify. Online sales aren't the core: the site reads as brand presence and catalogue. Strains under high product volume and deep internal navigation. Monumental UI: white background, soft white-to-grey gradients, no border-radius. Gucci, Hermès and other heritage houses follow the same pattern, varying only by inventory size.
Reference III
Watches · Auto · Nautical
Luxury watchmaking, automotive and nautical brands invest in individual product storytelling, much shorter ranges and significantly higher price tiers. Each product earns its own narrative — a benchmark for VELOQUE's per-garment editorial pages.
Cycling brands with a perception of luxury
Within cycling, the brands carrying any luxury perception are MAAP, Pas Normal Studios, Pinarello (frames), Assos, Rapha and Q36.5. Below, the four most relevant to our positioning, broken down one by one. MAAP and Pas Normal both run on customised Shopify templates — that already secures a baseline UI quality, but each still surfaces friction.
Brand 01 — MAAP
Inter-category navigation is complex, and several UI choices create friction (confirmed in our user surveys). Dropdowns showing tag clouds of product names confuse users; product categorisation reads as ambiguous. Aesthetically MAAP is spectacular, but the lack of white space leads to sensorial overload for some users. A recently introduced sitemap section on the home page has been very well received.
Brand perception (interviews + surveys): premium, avant-garde design, strong community focus, with flagship stores in major capitals. Some users find it overpriced for the quality and comfort delivered, asking for more refined details and better durability. Loses luxury perception due to the wide range, production volume, and end-of-season heavy discounts — pointing at a clear demand-management problem. Packaging is perceived as generic but well designed (logo shipping bags, vivid colours). Designed and manufactured in Australia.
Brand 02 — Pas Normal Studios
Navigation is even more complex. Cognitive overload — large amounts of imagery and graphic elements layered to build storytelling but distracting from the product itself. The catalogue is too large and stays online too long. Aesthetic is a Scandinavian / Danish minimalism that aligns with mid-tier luxury but never reaches the very top. Pops of vivid colour, bold lettering and the logo are the only standout graphic elements.
Pricing is the highest of the cycling field, without justifying it on real innovation or technical quality — positioning the brand as aspirational, with value residing largely in the brand itself. The site struggles to communicate optimal use per garment and how to combine pieces into versatile outfits. The brand polarises: perceived as posh or pretentious by some, deeply desired by others. Notable upside: gravel and influencer sponsorship campaigns fuel a clear storytelling thread visible across home, landings and social.
Brand 03 — Assos & Q36.5
Both sit as premium-technological, not aspirational. Q36.5 leans on innovation; Assos leans on comfort. Many of our interviewees praised the value but felt the visual design has fallen behind. Neither delivers a memorable online experience — both are built on WordPress with plugins and WooCommerce, which limits how far the digital craft can go.
Every premium cycling brand has invested in visual identity. Almost none in digital craft. The opportunity for VELOQUE is structural, not just aesthetic.
From this research we extracted the takeaways — opportunities, decisions to copy, decisions to avoid — and translated them directly into the UI principles you'll see in the next chapter.
Competitor Analysis
Strong visual identities, weak UX execution
Every established player in the premium cycling apparel space has invested in visual brand identity while underinvesting in digital experience. The opportunity is not just aesthetic — it is structural.
Strategic Opportunity
A Great Opportunity
VELOQUE's strategy is based on scarcity, exclusivity, and belonging. Inspired by luxury and streetwear brands, it seeks to generate desire and loyalty through limited drops, aspirational pricing, and an exclusive community.
Our research also revealed the importance of a subscription system — one of the greatest opportunities identified to foster loyalty and generate recurring revenue. This model allows users to receive seasonal kits for a monthly fee, strengthening their connection to the brand and ensuring a continuous and personalised experience.
The financial model projects gross margins of 40–75% per product sold, based on actual costs analysed. The strategy broadens the focus to include experiences, accessories, and lifestyle, consolidating VELOQUE as a complete and sustainable luxury ecosystem.
I
Scarcity
Limited numbered drops that sell out and do not return. Scarcity is enforced by design, not manufactured through artificial launch windows, creating genuine secondary market value and anticipation for future drops.
II
Exclusivity
Access before release gated through club membership. The blockchain closet authenticates ownership and enables verified resale — exclusivity extends beyond the point of purchase into the garment's lifetime.
III
Belonging
Club rides, athlete collaborations, and member-only content create identity attachment that transcends the garment. Belonging is the durable value that survives the wash cycle.
User Research
Defining the Clients
To clearly define our users, the team (Jorge, the manufacturer, and I) conducted an empathy mapping exercise. This allowed us to categorise our audience into five distinct personas, each with different motivations, purchasing behaviours, and pain points.
Five Cyclist Personas
Five audiences, one brand.
Each persona maps to a distinct set of needs, motivations, and online purchasing behaviours. Understanding these differences shaped every UX and product decision.
Persona 01
Enthusiasts
16–24 years
Javier Torres / Alex Reed. Young cyclists with a racing profile. They seek a bold yet functional streetwear style, dream of luxury but don't yet have much purchasing power.
Motivations: Competition · Social approval · Belonging · Visibility
Pain PointsDifficulty understanding sizing, product value, materials, and product differences. Need real-life examples to feel confident.
Persona 02
Progressives
25–35 years
Luis Ortega / Daniel Cooper. Young workers who view cycling as a lifestyle. Obsessed with extreme performance, aerodynamic garments, and a refined neo-old-money aesthetic.
Pain PointsFrustration with unclear descriptions, confusing sizing, excess of options, and difficulty visualising differences between product lines.
Persona 03
Engaged
36–50 years
Carlos Méndez / Michael Harris. Experienced cyclists with high purchasing power. Gravel and gran fondo style, prefer regular fit, modernised old-money style and minimalism.
Motivations: Comfort · Distinction · Community · Premium events
Pain PointsExcessive checkout steps, lack of visual coherence, poorly explained materials. Reject silicone. Prefer mid-sleeved garments with discreet style.
Persona 04
Experienced
51–63 years
José Antonio Ruiz / William Bennett. Veteran cyclists seeking comfort and quality. Rides of 2–4.5 hours, regular or loose cuts, visible seams, classic aesthetic of elegant luxury.
Motivations: Active ageing · Elegance · Tradition · Comfort
Pain PointsComplicated websites, excessive technical information, and lack of guidance for selecting the ideal garment balancing comfort and elegance.
Persona 05
Cycling Sage
63+ years
Ricardo Gómez / George Campbell. Veterans who see cycling as pleasure and connection with their past stories. Seek heritage, comfort, classic style, and wide cuts above performance.
Motivations: Health · Heritage · Personal luxury reward · Artisanship
Pain PointsConfusing navigation, unclear payment steps, lack of accessible information, absence of visual guides to aid decision-making. Prefer direct contact options.
Research Output
Storyboard and User Flows
Once the research phase was completed, a detailed study of user interactions with both the brand and the website was conducted. This process led to the creation of comprehensive user flows and storyboards — essential tools to visualise every touchpoint of the VELOQUE experience.
The flows were built in FigJam, mapping five entry points: direct brand discovery, social media, search, referral, and club membership. Each flow terminates at a different conversion goal — from first purchase to recurring subscription.
Continue to UX-UI & E-Commerce
How the research shaped the sitemap, platform strategy, and conversion system for the digital boutique.
