DISTRIBUTOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Continuing in our series ‘Distributor in the Spotlight’, where we go behind the scenes to share with you more about our MERIDA family, for our third instalment, we travelled to Germany. Our distributor MERIDA & CENTURION Germany GmbH is based in Magstadt, near the technology hotspot of Stuttgart, and the team is headed up by cycling industry legend Wolfgang Renner. So we will dive into the history of this long-standing distributor and find out how Wolfgang and his team have made an indelible mark on the industry and the MERIDA family over the last 50 years. We will also learn more about the man behind the legend and his passion for not only having two wheels on the ground but also no wheels on the ground when he spends time up in the clouds. 

I was an active racer; I was German Cyclo-cross champion three times, and I was leading the Cyclo-cross World Cup. Unfortunately, I had a bad car accident and broke my pelvis. That was the beginning of the end, and I knew I would never be able to build on my successes. As you can imagine, this experience was very depressing for me. After my electrical engineering degree, I went on to study business administration and this was when the accident happened. My plan had been to go racing on the road full-time, after finishing my second degree, but the accident made that impossible. As a result of the accident, I could not sustain long intervals of intensity on the bike. I tried to persist and get over this but after three years of trying (while still studying) I was still not able to compete at the highest level, so I had to call it quits. 

I fell into working in the cycling industry by chance. A good friend at the time, Eckhard Teichgreber, worked at Messingschlager (a large bike parts distributor in Germany at the time) and was supposed to sell Japanese brands like Suntour, Sugino, Sakai and Nitto to German wholesalers. But the German wholesalers there were still very Campagnolo-orientated and aligned with the French market, so they weren’t keen on the Japanese brands. So, I said, "I’ll do it", and that’s how I got into the business; this was in ’76. So, we will be having our 50th birthday in the not-too-distant future!

MCG stands for MERIDA & CENTURION Germany GmbH. Centurion was very successful in the late 80’s, it was founded in Japan. They were a trading company that sold bicycles. The Japanese market was very big then, this was before Taiwan became involved in the bike industry. The bikes were simply painted, and the name we chose had to be a certain length to suit the design of the down tube; it had to be easily pronounced and make ‘sense’. Messingschlager who was the original importer of the bikes, named the brand Centurion – this originates from its meaning ‘leader of 100 men’ in the Roman army, and was a strong and recognisable name for our product. 

At the beginning of the 1990’s, I took it over from Messingschlager to further develop the brand. With great team effort and some inspirational design, we managed to take the brand to the next level. Over the years, we won the European Design Contest from Shimano twice, further strengthening the relevance of the Centurion brand. 

During one of the early Eurobike shows, Ike Tseng, the now-deceased owner and founder of MERIDA, came onto our booth to meet key players in the European bike market. He only spoke rudimentary English, so he was reluctant to ask me if we wanted to distribute MERIDA. I, too, was unsure if I should make the first step myself as our business was rather small in comparison to the large operation that was MERIDA. So, we did not make anything of that early encounter. If I had come to MERIDA back then, I might have been spared some of the more difficult times. At a later meeting, when we both put our cards on the table, we remembered our first rather unfruitful ‘get together’ with a smile. We also realised that "Nothing is too late in life" and agreed on a distributorship deal. So that’s how I came to MERIDA.

We are very technically orientated and have a good reputation in the market. We are a strong team (more like a family) and have stood the test of time and our dealers know that we play fairly. Because we have so many long-standing employees, the dealers build relationships with them, and they don’t have to deal with new people every few years, as in some other companies. I think it is also probably unique that the boss is a cyclist himself and is still riding regularly and at a very high level at the ‘mature’ age of 77. I think that is rather impressive, even if I say so myself! Although I am the boss, the team know I am approachable. My door is always open, so we have a harmonious team, and I think this comes across to our dealers too. 

When I initially did the joint venture with MERIDA, they didn’t really know me. They wanted to figure out "Who is Wolfgang Renner?". So, they made enquiries, in particular in Japan, where, thankfully, I had a very good reputation due to my long-standing relationships. And luckily, they knew that I had never made any fundamental mistakes. That’s why when MERIDA had a couple of rather significant challenges to deal with, namely two of their biggest customers were insolvent, and they had to decide which of them to take over to secure the ongoing production, William (former head of international sales) asked me for my advice, and I said: "You have to take over the company where the owner is still part of the setup".

Michael Tseng (son of the founder and head of MERIDA) and the entire MERIDA team have full confidence in me and fully trust me, resulting in the ideal conditions for a healthy working relationship. That trust has never been broken since we started working together so Michael (Tseng) knows what he has in us; he knows he can fully rely on us to represent the MERIDA brand in our market. Besides MCG, we also have two further companies, MERIDA Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of MCG, and MRD, the product development department. That triad of a large distributor in one of the key European markets, the link with MERIDA Europe and our product development team, means MCG is always a very important partner for MERIDA in Europe.

We offer all the usual distributor services like sales, aftersales, technical advice, and warranty, and our marketing team works closely with our dealer base to support them where needed. We are super excited about opening our new showroom and test centre at the beginning of 2026, which will be opposite the building where MERIDA Europe and our R&D department is based. The dealers and their invited customers will have the opportunity to view the entire range throughout the year and discuss the details with our engineers if they really want to dive into a subject. The building we are using used to be a car dealership, with a showroom that is more than 2,000 square metres. We can add further offices, workshops and even changing facilities if we choose to. Our sales team have been asking for this for several years as they know how important it is for our dealers to see and feel the product and it gives our dealers the opportunity to bring key customers into the heart of the brand. We are lucky that Magstadt, where we are based, also has a large network of quiet roads, gravel lanes and MTB tracks, in case a test ride might be required. 

I think it is the company culture. I treat all employees and colleagues equally. It makes no difference to me whether they work in the loading bay, whether they are cleaners or anyone else. They know that my door is always open, and they can come to me with their needs and concerns. This approach is then also adopted by the senior management team and the area managers. This makes it a nice place for everybody to work, and the atmosphere is positive. Equally, if people choose to leave (for whatever reason), I always say our door will remain open, and I have noticed several have come back again; I guess the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!

The work itself is rewarding as we work in an industry which gives people pleasure. Most people here are passionate about cycling and therefore about their job. Each person sees the finished products they have contributed to (in whatever way), it’s a team effort. We give everybody the opportunity to try out what we sell, particularly if they weren’t involved in the development process as that gives them in in-depth view of the product and a personal experience which we can’t replicate in any other way. 

Besides being on two wheels, I can also ride a unicycle. When I was young, I also used to do artistic cycling; in fact, I was German champion. But nowadays, when not going for a leisure or training ride or testing out some new product, I like flying aeroplanes. I got my pilot’s licence when I was 64, before that, I didn’t have the time or the money to learn to fly. What I really love is flying in the mountains as there is so much more to see and it is far more exciting than going over flat land. I have invited some of my team members along over the years, which they (well, most of them) have really enjoyed! I rent the planes I fly, I don’t own one, this is better for me as I just turn up and fly and don’t have to worry about servicing or maintaining the plane. It is a great hobby which gives me the chance to unwind and let my mind wander.  

Through our involvement with the Multivan MERIDA Biking Team, we gained a significant reputation as a technical bike manufacturer. One of the key bikes from that era was the NINETY-SIX, which was massively successful not only as a bike for the brand but also as a ‘tool’ for the team. Unfortunately, today, MTB are not as key for a bike manufacturer as they used to be. However, we keep pushing the envelope on the human-powered and e-bike segments to create some hugely capable as well as test and award-winning machines. 
 

We are now closely involved with the World Tour. Initially, we were the second sponsor of the team, but over the years, we concentrated on being the material supplier, creating some of the most sophisticated road bikes in the peloton. One of the key bikes there is our REACTO, which was one of the first mass-produced aero bikes and remains a class-leading example of what you can achieve when you combine German engineering skills with Taiwanese manufacturing prowess. Playing a key role in the exciting world of top-tier road racing has given us massive exposure but also the ability to benefit from the wealth of experience only a professional team can provide. We regularly provide the team with new models and innovations, and their feedback is invaluable throughout the development process.
 

A new but also hugely exciting sector is gravel riding and racing. We were lucky to win the World Championships in 2023 when our SILEX, ridden by Matej Mohorič, crossed the line ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, this year, Matej had an unlucky crash in training and was not able to repeat his success, but despite his bad luck he still finished in a strong 7th position. I guess that is racing. 
 

We must look at the two brands separately here. With Centurion, we focus very much on the e-bike sector and have achieved an amazing reputation for reliability, ingenuity, and style. A combination that works well in our key markets, in particular Germany. With MERIDA, we cover the entire spectrum. From kids bikes to e-full suspension, from race ready hardtails to lightweight road bikes and from gravel adventure and bikepacking bikes to companions for the urban jungle. In Germany, the e-bike sector is very much key, so it is great that we can supply that market with two rather different ranges, but we also have the ability to fill the gaps with our award-winning human-powered models. 

Well, we have an assembly facility in Hildburghausen, Thüringen. It is around 30,000 square metres of production and warehouse space. Various Centurion e-bikes are assembled there, and we are also going to look at adding selective MERIDA bikes to the assembly line. That will give us great flexibility and the ability to deliver fully assembled bikes to dealers. We are hugely excited about the possibilities this will create for us over the next few years.  

For me there are lots of white dots on the map, however I have been to pretty much every continent on and with my bike. One of the highlights has been cycling in Tibet for me. I had the chance to climb one of the big ones. I rode up to the base camp on my bike and then continued on foot to the 8,000+ meter summit. That was something very special. I also shared some cycling adventures with Eddy Merx, riding over the Khardung La pass, the highest road in the world, which is more than 5,300 meters high. And then, of course, I made the first crossing of the Alps, 38 years ago. It was the first ever on a mountain bike - not clipped in and on hardtails, too! 

Then more recently, during the Covid pandemic, like many of us, I discovered my local riding and fell in love with it once again. 

Looking at who I would like to take with me, the first person who comes to mind is Stephen Roach. 

He was the one who managed to win the Tour de France, the Giro and the World Championship in one year. After that, only Eddy Merx and Tadej Pogačar managed to achieve that. Stephen always invited me to ride with him in Ireland, but I have never managed to make it there. Same as with Scotland, it is still a white dot on my map. 

I simply need more time, and as I mentioned before, there are so many treasures on your doorstep which are worth investigating. I don’t feel the need to go that far away from home anymore. However, I do have a trip planned next year, with my friend Reimund Dietzen, where we will ride the Camino Primitivo one last time. It is, and has always been, very special over the years to arrive in Santiago after 10, 12 or 14 days out on the Primitivo.  

Looking back, I have been really privileged to ride in some amazing places alongside some of the greats of our sport and I will make damn sure I will add a few more memorable trips to my tally before I turn 90. As long as my body plays along, and I am still fit, I will be riding my bike. 
 

It is clear from talking to Wolfgang that he lives and breathes bikes; his passion has not waned in the 50 years he has been in the industry. Not many people have worked so long with bikes, or ridden bikes for as long as he has, or been to so many far-flung places on a bike. Wolfgang’s down to earth leadership style where his door is always open to all staff clearly pays off. As we talked to other team members, it became apparent that most people at MCG have worked there for most of their careers. His approach works, and the team view their colleagues as family, which is unique in today’s world. Two of the employees who have been there the longest are the Oppold brothers Simon and Raffael. Join us for the next instalment in our news section, where we will be talking to Raffael, who is the sales manager at MCG and has been there a mere 30 years. Find out what makes his pulse race outside of work, but then what slows it down again when he spends his nights under a blanket of stars.