As one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of after market parts, we’re proud to have been recognised as one of SIP’s largest retailers.
Looking at SIP today it’s hard to imagine that 32 years ago its founders Ralf Jodl and Alex Barth were selling scooter spares out of a car boot.
Early days
“Like many young Germans at the time, both Alex and I had PK80s” began Ralf. “Those little scooters gave many German teenagers their first tase of freedom, but my goodness they were slow! Alex and I were friends and started to look at ways to improve their performance. This opened our eyes to the world of scooters. When others saw the parts we’d found they asked us how to get them. At the same time word got out that two kids were interested in old scooters and were offered old machines and spares that people had in their garages. Of course this was when poor quality parts flooded the market so we also began to produce our own kits and components. By 1994 we had a good customer base and were regular visitors to Italian parts fairs and rallies. As we drove home from a rally in the Italian Lakes, Alex calculated that we’d made €1,000 in an afternoon. We both realised that it was time to do things properly, the whole journey home we talked about how we could make the dream a reality.”
A Legend is born
The full name of their business was Scooter Innovation Products, which was quickly shortened to ‘SIP’. This grand sounding name carefully masked reality as there was no real warehouse or office space. In fact their stock was split between the beehives owned by Alex’s father and a rented basement. The first catalogue was only 4 pages long and each parcel was packed and posted by either Ralf or Alex.
The mid 1990’s were a low point for scooterists. As many drifted away from the scene and demand fell, the supply of New Old Stock parts almost dried up and the quality of pattern spares varied considerably. Against that background Alex and Ralf’s determination to provide quality, innovative parts quickly won them a loyal group of customers. By 1996 SIP had outgrown the basement and secured accommodation in the old Landsberg army barracks. This quickly proved too small to cope with increasing demand and more warehouse space was rented nearby. Parts were transferred between sites using an old Ape three wheeler. “It was great fun but took up too much time and money” said Alex. “We had reached the point where we could afford our own bespoke premises and June 2016 we moved into the new building,”
As the winner of several architectural awards, SIP’s premises are well known throughout Bavaria. With a sales counter, pizzeria, cafeteria and carefully curated shop, it’s a pleasure to visit their headquarters. If you're lucky enough to be there when a behind the scenes tour is running, it becomes obvious that real effort has gone into making SIP a pleasant working environment .
Simpler orders
Both Ralf and Alex still have the passion that first threw them into the world of scooters and continue to develop new products. However, since Britain’s withdrawal from the single market, the process of ordering spares direct from SIP has grown more complicated. Customs charges, import fees and VAT payments can make it difficult to calculate the final amount that will be paid for parts. Additionally, and although a final date has yet to be set, the current allowance of £135 for VAT free imports is going to end.
Against that background it’s much easier to place your order with us, being certain of the price you’ll pay and we’ll take the heat if there’s any need to return the item.
This is something that countless British scooterists have already discovered, and we’re pleased top say that our success in supplying SIP products has been recognised by Alex, Ralf and the SIP team.
If the item you want to order from SIP isn’t on our website don’t worry. Just contact our sales team on: 01226 203377 or drop them a line at: sales@rondaleyscooters.co.uk and we’ll add it to one of our regular orders.
