Distributor in the spotlight – meet Gábor Mikula

After touching base with Tamás Kovács, the main MERIDA man at BikeFun, the organisation that looks after Hungary and Romania, we continue getting to know the team by sitting down with Gábor Mikula, another long-standing member of the BikeFun family. Gábor is a sales rep for Hungary. He manages the sales team and looks after the MERIDA Marathon Team. When he's not representing the MERIDA brand, he can be found playing in one of his bands, riding (and fixing) his classic motorbike, or taking part in long-distance gravel adventures on his SILEX. Join us as we talk to Gábor about his 18 years at BikeFun and his passion for introducing new riders to the sport.

Who are you and what is your job role?
I am Gábor Mikula, known as Mikusz to my friends and work colleagues. I am a Sales Representative for BikeFun in Hungary, and I am a part of the sales team that covers Hungary and Romania. I also manage the MERIDA Marathon Team. I am 50 years old, and I live in Budapest with my partner, her three children and our son Robert, who will be six years old in January.

How long have you been working at BikeFun, and how did you get to your current position?
I had three different jobs before moving into the cycling industry; I initially trained as an electrician, then built computer networks and communication antennas, and my third job was fixing flippers and making slot machines, so all quite removed from the bike industry, but cycling was my hobby. I started my cycling career in 1996 and established a Marathon Sport Club in 1997. I met Tamás Kovács (the MERIDA Product and Marketing Manager - read the full story here) in 2000 while training in the Buda mountains. He arranged for MERIDA to sponsor our Marathon Team in 2001. It is through him that I started working for Velotrade Ltd. and first started selling MERIDA bikes. Robert Sipiczki was the boss at Velotrade Ltd., and when he left to establish BikeFun, like many of the staff, I followed him; that was 18 years ago!

What is a typical working day like for you?
I work from the office here in Budapest 2-3 days a week; the rest of the time, I am on the road. I visit big dealers and am always scouting for new partners. Initially, I covered Eastern Hungary for 16 years; now I ‘only’ cover Budapest and central Hungary. This is still nearly 150 partners (incl. MERIDA dealers), though, so it keeps me busy.

Does your interest in cycling help you in your day-to-day role?
Being a keen cyclist always helps me in my work as the dealers often have a lot of technical questions which I can answer immediately, and I can also share my experiences of brands I have used.

For a young person interested in becoming a sales representative, what advice would you give them?
I think good communication is fundamental in every aspect of my role. You also need to have a lot of patience, understanding and keep up to date with new developments. It is also important to remember that it is not all about the sales figures, but more about the relationships you build.

What sort of cycling is popular in Hungary?
I think most of the cycling in Hungary is for leisure, then commuting and then sport. Cycling is increasing in popularity in Hungary, but for cycling in cities, the infrastructure needs to be improved, and perhaps there needs to be a shift in the mindset of drivers, too! There is a government department that is responsible for making cities more cycle-friendly, but unfortunately, in our current economic situation, this isn’t seen as a big priority for investment.

We have seen an increase in e-bikes around the world. What is the use of e-bikes in Hungary?
In Hungary, as in the rest of Europe, the e-bike market is growing, but the cost restricts this growth. People need to get experience riding them to gain confidence and realise how it can change their riding habits. If the price reduces slightly, then it could open up the market to a lot more people.

What MERIDA bike are you currently riding, and have you made any changes and alterations to it? If so, what benefit did they bring?
This is where I must admit to having several MERIDA bikes: a ONE TWENTY 7000, e-ONE SIXTY 975 with a big battery and full XT, making it ideal for longer rides. I have two older SCULTURA TEAM bikes for road cycling and a SCULTURA 9000E. My main ‘new’ bike is my SILEX 7000. All I changed were the tyres, grips and bar tape. These were purely aesthetic changes; I like the factory specification, so there was no need to change anything else.

What is your all-time favourite MERIDA bike, overall and in the current range?
I think my all-time love affair is with a first edition of the carbon BIG.NINE TEAM from 2011, it was a sample bike, I loved it then, and I still love riding it now. 

What do you think are the most exciting developments of the MERIDA brand over the years?
Regarding the bikes themselves, from a road perspective, it is the increase in tyre clearance, the braver colour choices and improved cabling solutions. Off-road it is the development of the suspension systems and storage compartments in the frames. The first TWENTY-NINE from 2010/2011 was the 1^st 29er in the range, and it had excellent geometry. The SILEX evolution has been a big step change; it is such a capable bike for a leisure ride, for racing or for a proper bike packing adventure.

Regarding the teams, of course, the Multivan MERIDA Biking Team was legendary, and we had so many successful riders in the team like Gunn-Rita Dahle, José Antonio Hermida and Ralph Näf. Then the road team took over, and we saw MERIDA in the WorldTour.

What is your main cycling discipline, and how did you get into the sport?
I started MTB riding in 1996 for sport. I got into cycling in an unusual way. I founded a punk band at primary school, and a friend who played bass guitar in the band was always missing rehearsals as he was out riding his bike, so I thought I would see what could be more fun than playing in a band! I had to admit I could see his point, and I got the cycling bug too and started racing cross-country.

I am now more of a ‘gravel man’, although I don’t have any tattoos! I have just come back from Italy; I was at the Dolomites Gran Fondo, and three weeks before that, I completed the Tuscany Trail (gravel). I have done the Tuscany Trail twice now; the first time was an El-Camino for me! I did it in three days in 2024 on my own, and this year I rode with a friend, and we finished in four days. It is a beautiful trail, but so much climbing. The SILEX was perfect for the event as it is amazing to ride on any terrain. The MERIDA bike bags are roomy and easy to attach to the bike, but are also very stable when riding.

One part of your role is to look after the MERIDA Marathon Team. What are the key elements of this aspect of your job?
I am the president of the team, which sounds very grand, but I am happy to roll up my sleeves and work with my colleagues to make sure everything runs smoothly. We have 20-25 racers in the team, and we have the support team who all work together on race days, putting up the race tents, managing the entries and paperwork and so on. I write the social media posts and organise the annual team building events; this is an opportunity for us to discuss any issues, future plans, and to train together in the mountains. As the team manager, I support our riders where I can, and we are always looking out for new talent. I have a friend network for scouting for new riders to join the team. Our riders mainly compete in the Masters category, but I hope that we will have some team riders under 18 in the future.

The racing is cross-country marathon racing, the team have been performing very well for a long time now with lots of wins, so we have lots of medals and Hungarian championship titles. The bikes we race are carbon hardtails, so BIG.NINE, NINETY-SIX and ONE-TWENTY’s, we also use road bikes for training.

Any riding/bike tips for your fellow cyclists?
I would say the most important thing is the ratio between training and rest, providing this is balanced correctly, then it will always feel like fun when you are riding.

Do you have other hobbies away from two wheels?
That would be music and motorbikes! I love playing guitar, bass guitar and singing. I play in three bands (not at the same time, of course!). I have three motorbikes: a Honda VT 1100 Shadow, which is currently stored in the warehouse at BikeFun (see photo), a motocross bike and a Honda GL650, which is my project bike and is currently in bits in my shed! My 5-year-old son, Robert, already has two bicycles and a small motocross bike, and we go out riding together. My partner also comes cycling with us. We are a blended family of six, so home life is busy, which is why some of my motorbikes will remain in the shed untouched for a little while longer!

What do you like most about working at BikeFun?
I love my job; it is my dream job. My colleagues are my second family, so it doesn’t feel like work!

What is your proudest achievement in the last 18 years at BikeFun?
I am proud that I am well known in the bike fraternity as a cyclist as well as a sales rep. Relationships are so important; it is not all about the sales figures. I am also proud to be selling MERIDA as it is such a progressive and well-respected brand.

As well as cycling, what else is a ‘must see’ or ‘must do’ while visiting Hungary?
A Budapest sightseeing tour is a must, and if you have time, the two other cities I would recommend are Sopron, which is near the Austrian border, and Eger, another beautiful city in the northeast. The Hungarian countryside is breathtaking, with the Mátra and Bükk mountain range in the north, and of course Lake Balaton.

Where is the best place for MTB, gravel and road riding in Hungary?
For MTB, I think the Pilis mountain region in the Transdanubian Mountains is the best. For gravel, my favourite would be around Lake Balaton, but to be honest, all of Hungary is perfect for gravel riding with the closed forest roads.

Of the three previous industries you have worked in, which is your favourite and why?
I think what I learnt in my previous jobs is the importance of teamwork and good communication. I also love to problem-solve. I find it rewarding, so I enjoyed these aspects of my work in all my previous roles, but the bike industry ticks all these boxes and more; I have new challenges every day and am constantly moving forward with the new developments in bike design and performance.

With your many years of experience, what would be the most useful piece of advice old Gábor would give to young Gábor starting out in the bike industry?
I think it would be one word – persistence, as Hungary currently has a difficult market situation, so being in sales demands persistence.

Given the choice for a little bike adventure (time and money no object), where would you go?
I have a few ‘dream’ trips. One would be to do a tour of China, Mongolia, Pakistan & Tibet. Another one on my bucket list is the North Cape 4000 bike adventure series, but the problem is I like my creature comforts, so instead of these two extremes, I would perhaps settle for a tour across America!

If you had to recommend one MERIDA bike to one of your closest friends, which one is it and why?
For the terrain we have in Hungary, I would always recommend a SILEX as it is so versatile, you can enjoy the gravel roads with amazing views whilst climbing and combine this with technical descents as well, so the best of both worlds!

Gabor’s enthusiasm for cycling, the brand and his love for his colleagues shone through during our interview. His cheeky grin and positive vibe must always be welcome when he walks into a dealer’s shop. We suspect he is somewhat of a cycling superstar in Hungary, very well respected for not only his own cycling achievements, but the way he runs the Marathon Team; they are hugely successful, but as they all need to go to work on a Monday morning, his ethos is fun first, medals second. Although he is not usually shy when getting up on stage to perform, he was nervous about talking to us because he felt his English wasn’t good enough. He had no need to worry as his English was fine, but more importantly, the sentiment behind everything he said was clear as he spoke with such passion and conviction about MERIDA, BikeFun and his family.  

Join us for our final interview with the BikeFun team when we meet Mátyás Jurecska (please keep an eye on our news section for updates). He provides technical training for the many MERIDA shops in the two countries that BikeFun looks after. Mátyás also supports the sales team in the Budapest-based concept store and loves representing the brand at events and out on the trail. Not only is he the most enthusiastic MERIDA fan we have ever met, but the day we interviewed him was rather momentous for him, and you will never guess why….