Industry News
AMES, Iowa (BRAIN) — Cycle Force Group, LLC has been acquired by Messingschlager GmbH, a German distributor. The sale closed on Dec. 31, 2021.
MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycle Components will begin direct online sales of bikes to U.S. consumers next week, adding a “Rider Direct” option for the purchase of non-electric bikes from its website.
AMSTERDAM (BRAIN) — Dutch e-bike brand VanMoof debuts a new campaign Wednesday with a short film featuring stop-motion puppets to demonstrate its anti-theft technology.
GARDENA, Calif. (BRAIN) — After 50 years of selling and preaching the benefits of wool cycling clothing, John Kucharik Jr. is leaving the industry.
Kucharik Bicycle Clothing will close on Thursday, 88 years after his dad, John Kucharik Sr., began the business. Kucharik Sr. died in 2008 at age 93.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Alfred Todrys, who launched the company that became Todson, died this month at his home here. He was 97.
VENICE BEACH, Calif. (BRAIN) — Alec Wilimovsky, Andy Lau, and Jake Durrant created Ocean and San cycling apparel to manufacture casual but functional tops sized for all body types.
And to do it all in the U.S.
DENVER (BRAIN) — Samuel J. Mancini, who was arrested last July for securities fraud and other charges related to a plan to invest in cycling companies, is close to a plea deal with prosecutors on some charges, according to court documents.
HAINESPORT, N.J. (BRAIN) — Margaret "Marge" A. Ronn, a long-time industry sales professional, died Jan. 8 from complications related to COVID. She was 72.
HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN) — A consortium headed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. reached a conditional agreement to buy the Accell Group N.V. The group, which includes Teslin Alpine Acquisition B.V., reached agreement on an all-cash offering for the shares for 1.56 billion euros ($1.76 billion).
NEW YORK (BRAIN) — A CNBC report that Peloton had paused production of its exercise bikes because of slackening demand caused the company's stock price to fall to a two-year low on Thursday.
SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — Tony Ellsworth is returning to his namesake mountain bike brand after a four-year absence to become chief development/design officer.
DETROIT (BRAIN) — Cardinal Cycling Group, a new company formed last year to acquire the TIME bicycle business from Rossignol, has acquired Detroit Bikes.
CHICAGO (BRAIN) — SRAM announced Wednesday the acquisition of cycling computer brand Hammerhead. The transaction was completed Dec. 30.
SEATTLE (BRAIN) — Kona Bicycles has been acquired by Kent Outdoors, a Ohio-based company that was known until Wednesday as Kent Water Sports. Kent Outdoors owns several outdoor sports and watersport brands, including the Arbor snowboard brand.
IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Nearly 56% of female cyclists riding today either started cycling during the pandemic or returned to it after a layoff, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association's Bicycling Buying 2021 Consumer Research
Study.
SEATTLE (BRAIN) — REI Co-op will build a new distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee, to support growth on the East Coast, Midwest, and South.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Many members of the global bike industry received email surveys this week from Emerald Expositions, a trade show company that produces the Outdoor Retailer expos and which owns Interbike, the bike expo last held in 2018 in Reno, Nevada.
VANTAA, Finland (BRAIN) — Amer Sports has sold the Finnish adventure wearables brand Suunto to Liesheng, a Chinese technology brand. Amer is the parent of Enve Composites, Louisville Slugger, Arcteryx, Wilson and other brands, and the former owner of Mavic.
EMPORIA, Kan. (BRAIN) — Shimano North America is the founding sponsor of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, which will be launched here in June prior to the Unbound Gravel 2022 event.