Eye-catching colours, a robust frame and special skateboard wheels – a travel case from Floyd is anything but ordinary and a real statement piece for individualists. Just the right premise for a collaboration with BMW M.
The original Floyd skateboard wheels not only look good, they also make for quite, fast and smooth gliding. But that’s not all: for even more speed and a better skating experience, Floyd offers special Super Speed Wheels as an upgrade. The performance of the new wheels was recently demonstrated in a dragster stunt over a quarter mile. But driving in a straight line is one thing, BMW M Motorsport thought: what about cornering? This question set a new challenge in motion.
THE THING ABOUT THE CURVE.
THE THING ABOUT THE CURVE.
A new stunt was needed: the Floyd travel case and its Super Speed Wheels had to prove their durability and performance on the racetrack. Of course, the case was manned by a stuntman again – but in this time around, it was pulled by a 640 hp BMW M Hybrid V8 endurance race car.
At Floyd, we like everything to have a certain lightness about it. A bit like the driving pleasure that is also at the forefront of BMW M.
co-founder and co-owner of Floyd GmbH
In an interview, Floyd co-founder Bernd Georgi revealed even more background information about the sensational stunt and what makes the Floyd brand so special.
Bernd, can you tell us how this collaboration between Floyd and BMW M came about?
We have had a connection with BMW M for quite some time. After the tongue-in-cheek exchange on social media in response to our dragster stunt, I thought we should do something with it again. Ideally with the hypercar, the BMW M Hybrid V8.
Do you see certain parallels between Floyd and BMW M? After all, both brands are known for their expressive design and eye-catching products.
Yes, definitely. The owners of Floyd suitcases seem to share certain values. They love colours. Travelling with our colourful travel cases requires a certain amount of self-confidence. Our customers like to express themselves. It’s not like it used to be, when a travel case was always a utilitarian item, i.e. black, cheap and ugly. Instead, people are starting to see a travel case as an accessory. That may be bold with our colours, but it’s always stylish.
What defines Floyd’s customers?
They enjoy life and enjoy travelling. At Floyd, we like everything to have a certain lightness about it. A bit like the driving pleasure that is also at the forefront of BMW M.
We wanted our travel cases to be customisable, just like a skateboard.
co-founder and co-owner of Floyd GmbH
Speaking of fun and quality: how did you come up with the idea of putting your travel cases on these high-quality wheels?
That goes back to skating. I met my current business partner while skateboarding when we were about ten years old, in the mid-1970s. At that time, polyurethane wheels were just coming onto the skateboard. Before that, there were only those rattling wheels. And with polyurethane wheels, skateboards suddenly had grip, they were suddenly quiet and fast. I quickly asked myself: why do all travel case brands, whether expensive or not so much, have more or less the same wheels? Why doesn’t anyone make different wheels? Above all: why can’t they all be switched out?
That’s how skateboard wheels came to be used on Floyd travel cases – with slightly different dimensions. They are a little narrower allowing them to rotate 360 degrees. Of course, they weigh a little more because each wheel has two ball bearings. The polyurethane is also heavier than the material used in standard wheels. But the advantages were more important to us: we wanted the Floyd travel cases to look unique and cool, to roll well and, above all, to be durable. The wheels really don’t break.
And this unusual concept is popular with customers?
Yes. We have transferred the possibilities of the skateboard to our travel cases. We offer eleven different colours for the wheels. These can be combined with sixteen case colours. This allows you to customise your travel case, just as you could customise your skateboard back then.
We have also been rewarded by customers for not taking a strictly rational approach. People want the travel case because they think it’s cool, practical and good quality. As you can see, you can even sit on it. With most travel cases, this is not possible due to the zip and lack of stability. At Floyd, however, we use an aluminium frame. We also designed the axle ourselves. There were some concerns because the wheels are larger than those on other travel cases and protrude further. But we haven’t had a single case of a broken axle yet.
Your confidence in the wheels is so great that you first attempted the dragster stunt and later the ‘curve stunt’ with BMW M. How did this idea come about?
It has to do with the new, optional speed wheels on our travel cases. As a child, I often played with toy cars. There were Matchbox cars, which were the good cars, and then there were Hot Wheels, which were the cool cars. The Hot Wheels had these fat wheels, often dragsters with engines sticking out of the bonnet. As a child, I was always impressed by the proportions of the wheels. So, for our travel cases, we wanted wheels that were a bit reminiscent of Hot Wheels. And we always loved this connection to the world of the 70s, the world of dragsters. So, it made sense for us to launch a wheel that could do more than the others. Our wheels have ceramic bearings instead of the usual ball bearings. It’s always a bit tongue-in-cheek, because, obviously, it doesn’t matter whether a travel case can roll at 5 km/h or 50 km/h. Probably very few people will ever roll their suitcase at 50 km/h. But it was important to us to go the extra mile; we wanted to put these Super Speed Wheels on the suitcase. And to really show off what these wheels can do, we also put together the Curve Stunt with the BMW M Hybrid V8.
Maybe there will be a BMW M Floyd Dragster at some point?
I’d like that to happen, at least. Let’s see what else comes out of our collaboration.
Maybe there will be a BMW M Floyd Dragster at some point?
I’d like that to happen, at least. Let’s see what else comes out of our collaboration.
You mentioned the BMW M Hybrid V8 earlier. And your enthusiasm for dragsters also suggests that you are a motorsport fan?
I have a certain affinity for motorsport, both current and, even more so, historical. I drive endurance races myself, in an old BMW, by the way. I drove a BMW 2002 for many years, and currently I drive a BMW 3.0 CSL. So naturally, I was interested in the topic. I thought to myself: if we’re not using a historic racing car for the stunt, then the most interesting alternative is the current top class – and that’s the BMW M Hybrid V8.
Is there a current BMW M that you would like to drive on the racetrack?
Personally, I really like the BMW M2 because it’s so compact. But also, the M4 and the BMW M3 – to be honest, I find them all interesting!
What is your favourite everyday car?
We have a few estate cars at the company, classic American ones where you strap your travel cases to the roof. Or a Meyers Manx Buggy and other vehicles. But as an everyday vehicle, I like to use a pick-up truck, a Chevy K10. I like vintage.
The California skater lifestyle inspired you back then and still does today?
When I was in primary school, I got most of my knowledge from television. The series and films of that time had a big influence on me; they shaped an entire generation. And for me, California was the land of my dreams, as I knew it from television or skateboard magazines. The weather was always nice, everyone looked great and drove cool cars. Everything looked like freedom. Of course, that attracted me and inspired me in the long term.
Speaking of distant places, is there a particular type of travelling you prefer?
When travelling, maximum flexibility is important to me. I’ve actually never booked an all-inclusive holiday. I prefer to travel without any ties. I drive somewhere in my car. I don’t usually book far in advance. Sometimes the most interesting things happen on trips that aren’t planned out in detail. I like it best when everything is authentic. It can be authentically luxurious or authentically simple – the important thing is that it’s real.
Thank you very much for talking to us, Bernd.
ABOUT FLOYD.
‘Giving modern travel its mojo back’. This was the vision of Floyd founders Bernd Georgi and Horst Kern when they launched their brand in 2019. To achieve this mojo, their products had to stand out from the usual monotony of hard-shell travel cases in a number of key ways: high recognition value, outstanding stability, a wide range of customisation options and, of course, skateboard wheels. With unbridled independence, the travel cases transport the spirit of 1970s Californian skateboard culture into the present day and inspire a rapidly growing fan base of business and long-distance travellers, globetrotters and weekenders.
