SEATTLE (BRAIN) — REI announced Thursday that its retail store will be offering mountain bikes from Rocky Mountain and road and gravel bikes from Van Rysel this year. The co-op retailer also is adding women's cycling apparel from Peppermint Cycling, bags and accessories from Swift Industries, and apparel for cycling and other outdoor sports from Stio.
Rocky Mountain is currently under court supervised re-organization in Canada.
Van Rysel is a brand owned by France's Decathlon sporting goods retail chain. The brand, which sponsors the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team, is being sold through bike shops in the U.S.
"We are committed to welcoming and serving beginner to dedicated riders who want more selection in our cycle shop," said Alicia Applegate, divisional merchandising manager at REI. "By expanding our specialty offering beyond our current lineup and continuing to offer nationwide bicycle service, REI will make it easier than ever for our customers to access great gear with great member benefits, to get outside and enjoy the ride."
REI said Rocky Mountain's Altitude, Element, Instinct, Growler and youth models will be sold by "select" REI stores and on REI.com.
"Having REI as a partner helps us reach more riders in the United States. REI provides service and technical maintenance that supports consumers and complements our existing distribution," says Rocky Mountain U.S. Sales Director Chris Newlin. "They set the standard in outdoor retail and present Rocky Mountain to a broad and active user group through their members."
Beginning in April, REI will be the exclusive U.S. retailer for Van Rysel gravel bike models, with aluminum road bike models becoming available later in the year. The bikes will be sold in "select" REI stores and on REI.com.
"REI's expertise in cycling, commitment to making gravel riding more inclusive, along with their nationwide full-service bike shops make them the perfect partner for our U.S. launch," said Catherine Bhattachar, Chief Marketing Officer USA at Decathlon. "With this partnership, we're excited to introduce more riders to Van Rysel's performance-driven designs and ensure they have the service and support they need."
REI recently announced an authorized service partnership with Canyon Bicycles and is now working with DirtLabs Suspension for off-site mountain bike suspension services.
The co-op also said it now offering lower priced models in its Co-op Cycles lineup, including the $599 DRT 1.1 Mountain Bike. It also has added the DRT e1.1 class 1 electric mountain bike, priced at $3,199.
