Our Story

We here at Platzangst don’t like to compromise, whether it’s on our riding style or the function and the performance of our bike gear. We also don’t want to make you choose between price and performance, here you get a great performance and a good price.

Platzangst is German, it translates to „claustrophobia“, and ever since day 1 our name stands for our joint goal: Using our bikes to escape the claustrophobic surroundings of the city, to experience nature and to tackle any mountain. With smart designs and clear color schemes, we deliver the matching bike apparel that doesn't restrict you in any way, but instead enhances that unique feeling of freedom.

We are convinced that you don't have to recognize bike clothing for its functional cut and high-quality materials at first glance. Inspired by Berlin's unique lifestyle, our collections look clean and casual, at the same time they are highly functional and technically well thought through.

By working closely with our team riders and athletes, we are able to incorporate their feedback from the trail directly into the design of new products, thereby advancing the functionality of every piece until it is perfect.

We market our cycling gear and bike accessories directly, that way we can offer you excellent value for money, because we believe that good cycling clothing is best when it’s also affordable.

Platzangst now looks back on about 30 years of company history, and we are proud of our roots! In the early 1990s, founders André Horak and Daniel Bohne were infected by that mountain bike bug and spent every free minute in the mountains on their bikes over the next few years. Despite all their athletic ambition, fun came first for them, as it did for most riders at the time. They wanted to have a good time on their bikes and to free their minds from the worries of everyday life. So they rode through all kinds of wind and weather without compromise. Unfortunately, appropriate bike clothing was not yet available, and motocross pants had to serve as a substitute. But those pants were usually too heavy, too stiff, and not comfortable enough, especially in changing temperatures on enduro and freeride tours. So one day André, our lead designer to this day, and his grandmother, a tailor by trade, took a pair of those pants apart completely and started to redesign them to fit the riding position and movements on the mountain bike. Together they spent many hours sewing some prototypes, which were modified again and again after various test rides and fitted into additional designs and styles. The two also proved their creative talent when it came to choosing the right material - they procured and used leftover fabrics from a manufacturer of patio awnings. This way, they created and sold a good dozen pairs of pants during the first year.

The new line still needed a name, so in 1999 André and Daniel sat together for many hours brooding over a catchy name for their freeride clothing. It was supposed to express exactly what they loved about their bikes and what they wanted to achieve with their clothes: to feel uncompromisingly free. So the name Platzangst Progressive Freeride popped up and it stuck, because mountain bikes still are the perfect way to escape from the confines of the city, to experience adventures in the mountains and to enjoy some quality time in the great outdoors - these days of course dressed in appropriate MTB clothing! Friends and family quickly took notice of the bike apparel and placed their first orders. With innovative designs on the shelf and the idea of freedom in mind, Daniel Bohne and André Horak officially founded Platzangst Progressive Freeride GmbH in 2005.

Since 2016 Platzangst has been part of hoco online GmbH, it is run by the managing directors Daniel Bohne and Sven Mack. The spirit of the brand and the technical demand for functional bike clothing remain the decisive foundation for all products Platzangst makes for mountain bikers and gravel bikers.

RIDE FREE