SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Longtime industry member John Neugent died recently at age 76. Neugent worked for Service Cycle, led Sachs USA and worked with several other brands before opening his own consumer-direct wheel brand, Neuvation, in about 2004.
Friendly, unpretentious, and always candid, Neugent claimed to know little about internet marketing or social media, but in his late-life career quickly developed a reputation online as an authentic industry insider and wheel expert. He produced a regular newsletter for his wheel business and later even launched a Youtube channel, where he displayed his banjo skills while sharing wheelbuilding tips.
Neugent entered the industry in 1973 when he and a childhood friend, Scott Johnson, opened Sunshine Cycle in Willimantic, Connecticut. The retail bike business was promising enough that Neugent closed his leather goods business, which had produced belts, guitar straps and other products. Unfortunately, the store opening came just as the 1970s Bike Boom was ending and the business couldn't support two partners, so Neugent soon left to join the distributor Service Cycle as a sales rep and later as a product manager.
Neugent left Service Cycle in 1989 and moved to the West Coast to become president of Sachs USA, the U.S. outpost for the German component brand. Sachs was best known for its internal gear hubs, Sedis chains and a derailleur business inherited from France's Huret. Neugent had a role in developing high-end road and mountain bike groups and sponsoring Cannondale's racing teams in the 1990s; he left Sachs soon after SRAM acquired the German company in 1997.
Neugent soon joined Lee Iacocca for about a year on Iacocca's EV Global e-bike project, which was by all accounts well ahead of its time. He also worked with the Trico saddle brand for a time before launching his own business developing a wheel program for Schwinn and other clients in Taiwan. After Schwinn went bankrupt for a second time, Neugent opened his consumer-direct wheel business. Along the way he obtained at least two patents for bicycle products: a quick release lever and a bottle cage.
Besides cycling, Neugent's other interests included music and photography, his brother Bill told BRAIN.
"He learned to play guitar and banjo at an early age and became quite good, performing at many open mikes in the San Luis Obispo area. He also painted and was a great photographer," Bill Neugent said.
Neugent leaves close friend Joan Henry of Arroyo Grande, his next of kin, Bill said. He also leaves his daughter Kathryn Neugent and her husband Garrett Neugent of Colorado; ex-wife Linda; brother Bill and his wife Jill, who live in Virginia; and brother Bob, who lives with his wife Kathy in Connecticut. Bill Neugent said the family will soon release details on a memorial service.
