WATERLOO, WI (BRAIN)—Trek will introduce a new Klein road bike line to its worldwide dealers this summer.
The line could replace LeMond bicycles on shop floors if Trek is successful in its appeal to drop the brand. The company yesterday asked a federal court to release it from its licensing agreement to produce LeMond bicycles.
Trek owns the Klein brand, which it purchased from Gary Klein in 1995. Trek withdrew Klein from the U.S. market a few years ago. It remains a current brand with current products outside of the United States.
Some Trek retailers speculated that Trek would simply put a Klein decal on current LeMond road models to preserve those designs.
But Joe Vadeboncoeur, director of product development for Trek Bicycles, said Trek is developing the new line expressly for Klein.
“Since there is a current Klein brand with its own unique product mix and brand identity, we will not be selling any current products that Trek developed for any of our other brands, relabeled as Klein,” said Vadeboncoeur.
Vadeboncoeur described the line as a nice, tight product offering that will fit well into the current dealer base.
“That product lineup will clearly point where we will take the Klein line in the long haul,” Vadeboncoeur said. “We are very bullish about investing into the Klein brand as something that we can offer our dealers, and offer to them for as long into the future as it makes sense for them and for us.”
Trek will reveal the details of the Klein line at its dealer meeting in August.
—Megan Tompkins
