FRANKFURT (BRAIN) — Some 29 years after selling his bicycle company to Trek and going to work for the Wisconsin brand, Gary Fisher has now been separated from the company since March. At Eurobike, Fisher said he's enjoying being an independent entity again.
"We parted ways ... so now Gary is going out and doing some Gary things," Fisher told BRAIN, suggesting a theme for this article.
Fisher said he's now free to work for other companies and develop products. Trek Bicycle owns the Gary Fisher Bicycles trademark, but he can use the Gary Fisher name on products including helmets and apparel. On Sunday, Fisher was hanging out in the Benno Bikes booth and wearing a Benno T-shirt, but he said we shouldn't assume any kind of partnership with that company. "We're just having fun together," he said. "I'm neutral now, so I can just hang out."
Fisher hadn't attended a Eurobike show in at least 10 years, and he said he enjoyed checking out the new gear and connecting with friends from around the industry. He wore a PPE mask while walking around, which kept him safe from interruptions from fans. "Some people said they could see my moustache poking out of the mask, though," he said.
Fisher, 71, gave no indication he was headed toward retirement; he has multiple ideas for bike products. This week at Eurobike, BRAIN had multiple conversations with company principals said things like, "Gary was just here. He wants to do a (insert product category) with us ... "
Trek acquired the Gary Fisher brand and hired Fisher in 1993. It marketed Gary Fisher-branded bikes as a separate line for about 17 years, then brought the brands back together with "Trek Gary Fisher Collection" bikes in 2010. The Gary Fisher Collection has been gone for several years now. In recent years Fisher has consulted with the company and represented it with dealers and distributors around the world. In 2021 he published "Being Gary Fisher, and the Bicycle Revolution," a trippy autobiography that recounts his life with bikes and the wider world.
"I am happy," Fisher said in a message after Eurobike closed on Sunday. "I get to be friends with my former competitors, I mean everyone! I don’t want to travel as much as I did before. I have two small children a beautiful wife, an incredible house and a super-supportive neighborhood. I am definitely going to put more energy into advocacy."
