SAN DIEGO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Knolly Bikes Inc., a bike manufacturer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, is suing Intense Cycles, Inc. for alleged patent infringement involving a rear suspension design.
Knolly claims that Intense infringes on a patent granted to Knolly's CEO and chief designer, Noel Buckley, titled "rear suspension system for bicycles." The patent, US 10,363,988, was filed in 2014 and granted Aug. 7, 2019.
The suit charges that Intense infringes on the patent on at least six of its models: the Tracer, the Carbine, the Tazer e-bike, the Primer 29, Primer S and Primer 27.5. The suit says that Knolly has information and belief that Intense has examined Knolly's bikes that use the patent.
The patent describes a suspension linkage and frame design that includes a seat tube that is angled so its axis meets the downtube above and in front of the bottom bracket. The patent claims to describe a system with at least four inches of travel with optimal traction, rear brake interaction, and pedaling efficiency while also allowing the seatpost to be inserted at least four inches into the seat tube.
Knolly is asking for a jury trial and to be awarded damages and attorney fees.
The suit was filed Monday. Neither party was immediately available to comment.
