United Wheels and Niner Bikes Adds to Engineering and Design Team

Fort Collins, Colorado (February 25, 2022) – Niner Bikes is pleased to announce the addition of multiple new staff to the engineering and product team in Fort Collins. Recently relocated to a new office location with significantly larger research and development space, the group will contribute to product development for Niner, VAAST, and other brands within the United Wheels portfolio.

"Niner Bikes is a product-forward brand," said Chris Sugai, President and founder of Niner. "With these new engineering staff and resources, we are thrilled to accelerate our development cycles and add projects to bolster our long-term product plans."

Leading the group is department manager Matt Fevergeon. Fevergeon joined the company in July 2021 after 14 years at Boeing, where he was a Lead Structures Designer working in control surface and mechanism development, most recently on the new 777X wing. A lifetime mountain bike rider with roots in Ellensburg, Washington and close ties to the cycling and frame building community, he brings a wealth of process control and design iteration discipline to the group. Fevergeon assumed leadership of the group in October '21 and has been working to implement new CAD design tools along with improving the Product Lifecycle Management methods within R&D while also developing the next generation of Niner Bikes.

Niner Bikes Lead R&D Test Lab Engineer Peter Field, having joined the company in 2018, will carry on with overseeing the test lab. Peter brings a decade of practical experience in the cycling industry plus a degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University to his role. He was heavily involved with shock tuning for the Niner Bikes MCR 9 RDO full suspension gravel bike and testing the company's first ebikes. Peter also headed up procurement of a new shock dyno, coordinate measuring machine (CMM), 3D printer, and other lab equipment. Now with added staff support, he's newly empowered to adopt more product design and development project work.

Grady Barfoot cut his teeth as an industrial designer working for brands such as Otterbox, Liviri, and Magpul. He is an Art Institute of Colorado graduate who has been working professionally since 2008. He has multiple product design credits, and his greatest passion is two-wheeled vehicle design. Barfoot was involved in the design and development of two prototype motorcycles which were featured in publications such as Cycle World, MCN, and Hell for Leather Magazine. Project M85 was an ultralight freeride motorcycle which bridged the gap between downhill bikes and motorcycles before e-power was viable, and the Magpul Ronin prototype motorcycle which saw limited production as an exotic concept vehicle.

From Fort Collins, David Rose has been tuning motorcycle suspension as an independent operator for over fifteen years. At Niner, his expertise will be applied to refining and customizing suspension fork and shock tunes, managing prototype fabrication, and executing all in-house product testing.

A recent graduate of the Ole Miss engineering department with a degree in mechanical engineering, John Bryan is tasked with assisting in the R&D lab. A committed cyclist and bike enthusiast, he's contributing to the daily test lab operations. Newly located in Fort Collins after growing up among the mid-Atlantic cycling community, he's quickly adopting the bike-centric lifestyle here.

"It's thrilling to see this group come together," said Fevergeon. "We have so many exciting products on the horizon and this team will be essential to bringing our concepts to fruition."

About Niner Bikes:

Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Niner Bicycles was founded in 2005 on the premise, "Do what you love, and you'll never work another day in your life." We are a passionate group of off-road cyclists building bicycles with impeccable design and exquisite ride qualities. We believe off-road cycling can co-exist with other forms of recreation and support those who are committed to advocating for trail access.