The fall of Kona Bikes :(

[unterhausen]

I feel like selling bikes 2 for 1 might have been a clue, but I dunno, I'm not a bike industry genius.

[GonaSovereign]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I feel like selling bikes 2 for 1 might have been a clue, but I dunno, I'm not a bike industry genius.

That was a very loud alarm bell.
The midsize company often has it hardest.
It stinks because Kona is/was so much more interesting than many.

[prototoast]

Strange, considering they just announced a new model yesterday (https://bikerumor.com/kona-ouroboros...e-dropbar-mtb/), which was their first new/updated bike model since 2019? 2020? It's been a while.

[EB]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Strange, considering they just announced a new model yesterday (https://bikerumor.com/kona-ouroboros...e-dropbar-mtb/), which was their first new/updated bike model since 2019? 2020? It's been a while.

Probably the marketing guys who lined these press drops up for Sea Otter were just as much in the dark as the people who actually went to Sea Otter.

[redir]

That is very odd, could be somethign else going on. If not then bummer. I just was in one of my LBS's yesterday and was looking at their Kona bikes. Not that I am interested in buying but still, you know. The shop owner spoke highly of them.

[steelrimbrake]

Bummed to hear - their MTBs always fit me great.

[benb]

I really want to hear about the bike companies that didn't ring up Taiwan and order way too many bikes in the middle of the pandemic and then end up in this situation.

Is it just the companies that actually still make their own bikes who didn't fall into this?

Like when you just call Taiwan and say make us bikes it's so easy you don't think about it ahead of time whereas any manager who actually has a factory realizes they shouldn't expand the factory 4x and hire 4x the workers just cause you couldn't make enough bikes in 2020?

Are there any boutique builders or factories the size of Seven, Moots, IF, etc.. who are in trouble?

[jcs7282]

Originally Posted by benb

Are there any boutique builders or factories the size of Seven, Moots, IF, etc.. who are in trouble?

Seven itself has been shedding some employees as of late...

[whatshubdoc]

Originally Posted by benb

Are there any boutique builders or factories the size of Seven, Moots, IF, etc.. who are in trouble?

From the MTB world, POLE bikes just went bankrupt. EVIL bikes did some downsizing. ORANGE went out, then came back (I think?). Ibis is getting leaner (selling less peripheral things like decals, touchup paint, merch). Those are the ones that come to mind.

All City just got axed from the QBP lineup last month.

Canyon seems to be doing OK due to MVDP?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by whatshubdoc

From the MTB world, POLE bikes just went bankrupt. EVIL bikes did some downsizing. ORANGE went out, then came back (I think?). Ibis is getting leaner (selling less peripheral things like decals, touchup paint, merch). Those are the ones that come to mind.

All City just got axed from the QBP lineup last month.

Canyon seems to be doing OK due to MVDP?

From some numbers released late last year, Canyon's revenue was up, but had a small loss. https://www.bicycleretailer.com/inte...three-quarters

For larger companies, having profits that fluctuate over the business cycle is a perfectly normal thing, and is also plausibly profit-maximizing in the long-term.

For the very small players, they generally need to be profitable every year to finance their ongoing operations. In between, it can go either way.

[benb]

Originally Posted by whatshubdoc

From the MTB world, POLE bikes just went bankrupt. EVIL bikes did some downsizing. ORANGE went out, then came back (I think?). Ibis is getting leaner (selling less peripheral things like decals, touchup paint, merch). Those are the ones that come to mind.

All City just got axed from the QBP lineup last month.

Canyon seems to be doing OK due to MVDP?

Which of these companies actually make their own bikes as opposed to ordering them up from Taiwan?

POLE sounds like the only one that manufactures all their own bikes.

IBIS makes a limited # themselves but outsources most (bonus points for seemingly moving some back)

Orange makes some themselves and outsources the rest

Canyon is outsourced AFAIK

All City is outsourced

My conjecture was just that actually manufacturing your own bike would have put a brake lever on the desire to massively increase production during 2020-2021 which seems to be where so much trouble started.

If Seven has had to lay people off that's interesting. I thought Parlee was more just long term failure as opposed to the supply/demand cycle issues that are hitting most companies right now. Parlee is also partially outsourced now too.

[jcs7282]

Originally Posted by benb

If Seven has had to lay people off that's interesting.

I know someone directly impacted by the changes there, so, can confirm.

[SpeedyChix]

Originally Posted by jcs7282

I know someone directly impacted by the changes there, so, can confirm.

This is not good news. They so some nice work.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by benb

Are there any boutique builders or factories the size of Seven, Moots, IF, etc.. who are in trouble?

Parlee Cycles went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. and was essentially "saved" when it was bought by a private investor:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/p...clist-investor

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Parlee Cycles went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. and was essentially "saved" when it was bought by a private investor:

Heard on Geek Warning they are selling made in Europe bikes now.
design input from Mr Parlee himself.
https://parleecycles.com/products/ouray
looks good.