GOLDEN, CO (BRAIN) Jan. 19, 5:30 pm MT — The mountain bike cult brand Maverick has shut down as of Jan. 1, and the brand's future is uncertain.
Former Maverick technical support manager Ethan Franklin announced on MTBR.com that operations ended at the first of the year. Franklin plans to open a small parts and repair business to service Maverick owners.
RockShox co-founder Paul Turner, a co-founder of Maverick, has reclaimed the brand and intellectual property, according to Franklin.
"What he will do with it remains up in the air; some rumors have floated around but none for me to add to," Franklin said. "I don't think the technology will disappear, it's too good and other manufactures are looking for ways to beat their competition."
Turner told BRAIN in an email that he's talking to "different folks who are interested in doing something with the brand and some other options. Hopefully it won't die."
Turner founded Maverick with Frank Vogel in 1999. In 2008 Mike Swafford and Chris Russum, formerly longtime employees at Wheat Ridge Cyclery, bought the company and moved it from Boulder to Golden. Turner received royalties on sales of Maverick bikes.
While the brand was ahead of its time when founded, the company apparently lacked the resources to keep it up to date and develop new designs, including 29ers.
Maverick shared space with Spot Brand bikes in Golden but there was no ownership relationship between the two brands.
