[Closed] Bike brands that were of their time and then disappeared

Are Lotus Bikes still going?

AC Components
Proshift

by that stage I had been mountain biking for 10 years already!

were you lost?

Allsop.

Orange.

Disappearance confirmed last month when I tried to buy a circa £2.5K cross country bike from them. My last three bikes (1991, 1999 and 2008) where from them, but they seem to have lost the plot.

On a more serious note, Shocktech. How can a company producing such quality forks disappear?

Global, I had one of their titanium frames. Can only assume that they went out of business in the last decade.

Chumba.
They used to be huge. Then that spoilt rich kid lawyer bought them and destroyed their reputation.They are still around and make some nice looking frames under a new owner.

British Eagle, and maybe a bit lesser, Univega.

Ahh the iron horse scandal.

From memory, fella at the top was selling stock out the backdoor for cash, these bikes found there way into discount stores priced for retail way below what the actual bike shops paid trade for.
This devalued the brand in america as they got viewed as cheapo bikes, proper bike shops dropped them over it, and all sort of happened just as they hit the big time with world cup wins. Really good bikes, fella at the top really scored a massive own goal....... 🙂

Trimble?

Q[img] [/img]

Website implies still available but is dated 2006/7

I recall Kirk going bust round about 1991, about the same time we all agreed that denim look lycra was a bad, bad thing.

Paul's Components - much anodised rainbow goodness......

Anyone have the Onza spuds - they used elastomers instead of springs and winter you were pretty much nailed to your pedals as you plunged into the undergrowth, your 45mm XC100's having bottomed out some time beforehand.

and I miss those random Chinese component adverts in the back of MBUK, with pidgin English and hand drawn pics of assorted gubbins...

I always wanted a Zinn with Campag.

Wished Campag still made mtb groupsets, a modern Record OR would be amazing*

*Probably

Always wanted a Mountain Cycle San Andreas, so far ahead of the time.

Richard Cunningham's Mantis, and of course Nishiki.

^Trimble is a great shout.

Noleen
Magic Motorcycle
Boulder
Monolith (before he sold his soul to Spesh)
[img] [/img]

Remember a local guy having some ZZYZX forks which still look mahoosive!

Bullet Bros with their chain tensioner that was really popular in DH racing In the mid nineties. Didn't they do a suspension fork as well?

Iron horse
They're just a defunct brand, not sure I'd say they were "of their time", in that they didn't innovate and got left behind or owt, they just didn't sell many bikes!

P-Jay and NJee, Guessing Cully and the rest of original Iron horse team of the early 80s were before your time?

Cully (Dave Cullinan) was an absolute Legend! look him up! as far as I'm concerned, nothing Cully does isn't worth reading about. and look up the early history of Iron Horse bikes while you're at it.
The Sam Hill/Rennie "flat out" IH glory days and the imergence of the "Sunday" were when IronHorse made their big comeback.

It's a shame how Iron Horse finally came to an end too (dunno how easy that will be for you to find out about though)

The name "Iron Horse" still lives on. bought by a US sports store chain IIRC and stuck on cheap bikes bearing no resemblance to their heritage.

Kooka- loved their cranks
Paul's components - nice cantis
Azonic - shorty was a cool much copied stem design
Club Roost - my first riser bar
Sintessi
Claud butler.

This thread is ace. Lots if brands/things I haven't thought if in a long time.

Onza spds are the single worst product I have ever purchased in my life ever. Death traps.

I'm glad Pace have disappeared. I wasted a grand on their Monstor DH fork and it broke every time I rode it. Their after sales care was hopeless too. I worked in a Pace dealer at the time too and never sold another pair of their forks after the shit service they gave me.

I loved my rox t-shirts.

MTrax Raleighs race brand. Did some mega nice xc Bikes Inc some titanium.

Pace lost the way give me some 36 pro classes.

Of all the brands Marin seem to have fallen the furthest, so many mount visions about in the late 90's they were literally everywhere, now I hardly ever see a Marin. Some of my old school favorites are Kore, Tioga, Middleburn, X-lite and Manitou who for a while made lovely forks.

Pace, I had some on my first Heckler in about 97/98 the drop outs came unbonded in Les Arcs and I smashed my face in, not great.

My BIL had a San Andreas just like the one in the picture apart from he had an orginal set of Bombers at the front and a Risse shock at the back, Magura Gustaf brakes and full XTR drivetarin. This was all back in the 90's. He lent it to me for the week when I first visited Germany and my mind was well and truly blown when I went riding in the mountains on it even though the brakes were set up Euro style. In the end he part-exed it a few years ago for a Cannondale Prophet of all things without telling me. Gutted was not the word. I would have bitten his hand off to buy that thing. 🙁

Carefully read this whole thread only to find someone said Univega right at the end. Damn.

So how about... Zoom components?

DCD chain tensioners! I had one on my cruddy first bike

[b]AMP Research[/b]- Horst Leitner (Mr. Horst Pivot) sold the FSR rights to Mike Sinyard at Specialized. AMP (a product design house) continued making cool automotive stuff like custom interior parts for Mercedes, etc. last time I looked.

[b]Syncros[/b] - Pippin Osbourne (one of the founders) left the business when a customer in Canada became paralysed after a stem failed, and went on to co-found Banshee Bikes. Syncros later changed hands again, going to Ritchey Design Group.

[b]Iron Horse[/b] - all ended in an accounting scandal / alleged fraud by the father/son owners, including a raid on the employees pension fund, and off-invoice stock clearances through an on-line retail store owned by the same family. Interesting reading on the US forums, from some understandably bitter ex-employees

[b]Kore[/b] - co-founder Bob Morales did a deal with Riteway (GT) doing lots of OE business in the 90's, but left the business in the in late 90's. Its been relaunched several times with a wobbly product focus, but currently doing some good business on mtb side

[b]KHS[/b] - very little prescence in the UK (no current distributor), compared to the 90's where they did good business with their Montana mountain bike range made from True Temper cromoly steel.

@molgrips

Zoom was a brand name of HL Corp in Taiwan, who do huge amount of OE business with design/marketing "brand" owners

Whatever happened to Azonic?

Azonic has some new stuff. nothing too interesting though.

Sotello
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Club Roost
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Pul-star hubs
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=66725 [/img]

Nukeproof (original)
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=223762 [/img]
Nite Sun and BLT

Allsop Soft Ride
[img] [/img]

Bromwich
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=222799 [/img]

I've just been pouring over an MBUK from 1997. All of the above in abundance. Great stuff!

some pics of two new onza bikes from the uk bike show last year. dont look too bad, but not seen anything on them since.

[url=[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15359272570_7ff59f5108.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3928/15359272570_7ff59f5108.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ppfhCj ]IMG_20140927_133557[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/24922954@N08/ ]keefmac[/url], on Flickr]full suss[/url]

[url=[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15542232381_17d1d32862.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15542232381_17d1d32862.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pFq1cP ]IMG_20140927_133550[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/24922954@N08/ ]keefmac[/url], on Flickr]fat bike[/url]

magic motorcycle. and their berylium bike. anyone remember that.

teethgrinder - Member
Sotello
Club Roost
Pul-star hubs
Nukeproof (original)
Nite Sun and BLT
Allsop Soft Ride
Bromwich

I used to have a Parkpre that came with a pair of lovely purple Pulstar hubs. Really nice bike with a Tange Ultimate frame.

Pastey Howler
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i had some original nukeproof carbon hubs, fitted with ringle skewers.
snapped the rear one 3 times.....crap.

calange clothing, breezebloc pullover was ace.

I thought it was American Bicycle that did the Be bike - $26000 or something for the frame, and it was highly toxic to work with.

Merlin

anyone know what happened to AIRBORNE who used to make the lancaster hardtail. i think they were titanium frames, very nice looking bikes.

teethgrinder.....it was, sorry. it was awfull iirc.

Haro

[img] [/img]

[url= http://mombat.org/MOMBAT/BikeHistoryPages/American.html ]A bit about the beryllium frame in the 1993 section[/url]

This is a proper Haro
[URL= http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z416/toofast4love/DSC_0060.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z416/toofast4love/DSC_0060.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

magic motorcycle. and their berylium bike. anyone remember that.

ABM, shirley?
[img] [/img]

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=137203 [/img]

[url= http://mombat.org/MOMBAT/BikeHistoryPages/American.html ]Source[/url]
Magic were bought by Cannondale, IIRC.

Now, what about Funk?
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=176004 [/img]

thats the one...gopping.
and what about Trimble and Kirk presision.

Now, what about Funk?

They're still going. Producing custom built Ti frames.

http://www.funkcycles.com/bikes/

[url= http://www.paulcomp.com/ ]Pauls components[/url]
I had a pearlescent pink funk.Cracked at the seat collar..... chainstays......and headtube.

Ta, Stu! Hadn't read the whole thread! 😳

Are Christini still around with their two wheel drive bike?

What about the company who had a couple of bikes with a big orange button that used the rear shock to massively extend or shorten the travel on the fork? Surely they can't still be going...

Vista light.. with lead acid batteries..

Alpinestars

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=132950 [/img]

(Greg) Fuquay?

[s]Alpinestars[/s] MS Racing

#retro

Sintessi

Sintes[s]s[/s]i

Oh yeah!

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I remember when Windwave started importing them. Looked so ahead of their time. At the time!

Until recently I'd have said Fat Chance but they seem to be making a comeback.

Was it Boulder Bikes that had the shock mounted inside the top tube?

Coyote - the original good ones. I had an F2 like below. Carbon fibre swing arm, 4" or 5" adjustable travel. Shame it had a stupid, proprietary shock with an i2i measured in feet. Keep looking on eBay for another. Fairly sure it's better than a Five 😆
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=66320 [/img]

Was it Boulder Bikes that had the shock mounted inside the top tube?

Yep.

Seen here;

[img] [/img]

😉

I'm kind of surprised no-one has mentioned erstwhile STW darling Soli[s]tude[/s][s]turd[/s]tude Cycles. Can't find any good pics online, so this will have to do:

[img] [/img]

I think this has been mentioned, but definitely needs a pic:

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=42545 [/img]

Also, jumping disciplines, but for me Jad BMX were probably the ultimate "of their time" brand:

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There was never a good Coyote.

It's just a generic hardtail, hardly reminiscent of the world cup winning times of Nicolas Vouilloz & Anne-Caroline Chausson.

[url= http://sheldonbrown.com/org/hetchins/index.html ]Sheldon Brown Hetchins[/url]

Hetchins, curly stay loveliness.

Caloi

[img] [/img]

Kirk Magnesium Bikes

[img] [/img]

http://www.chathambikeshop.com/%5Cclassic.htm

http://www.kirk-bicycles.co.uk/Kirk-History.htm

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Truly a thing of beauty

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[img] [/img]

I want one still

On a can of Tab clear, just to date the photo properly.

Has anyone mentioned Overbury's Pioneer. That was the first bike I really, really wanted - as a grown-up.

Verlicchi. Made seemingly half of the full suspension bikes in the early 90's (including the 'Iron Horse' that Cully rode, plus Kona, Diamond Back, Sintesi etc).

Bullseye cranks, wtb finishing kit( I know they still make tyres)

Thread.of.the.year.

Ooh, what's happening at Brooklyn machine works?

Seriously, amongst other things, sweatshirt collaboration with Uniqlo:

[url= http://d15udtvdbbfasl.cloudfront.net/catalog/product/large_image/09_145315.jp g" target="_blank">http://d15udtvdbbfasl.cloudfront.net/catalog/product/large_image/09_145315.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Someone mentioned Airborne. They are now [url= http://www.vannicholas.com/Mountain/6/allbikes.aspx ]Van Nicholas[/url]. The Tuareg still has the flat plate at the top of the chainstays that the Lancaster used to have.

Breezer bikes.

[img] [/img]

Shogun Bikes?

Townsend.
Had one in the early 90's in Orange with black flecks (I've seen a Orange with the same paint scheme) and a odd triple triangle frame

Club Roost had a chunky steam with a I beem running through it, and a raised bar.

Was going to say GT but it looks like they are making good(ish) bikes agin

Another vote for:

Rox clothing.
AC components (have a pair of Lo Pro cranks for my single speed)
ZZYZX forks
Onza pedals (I have two pairs in the man cave)
Zooka cranks
Spooky (the Metalhead was ace)
Sintesi

Plus I'll add:

Roox (chain devices, bars and stems)
Answer products (still have ao old stem of theirs somewhere)
Stratos forks (have a par of FR4's in the shed)

bigdummy - cheers for the info.
i did have a look at the bikes on the van nicholas stand at the bike show last year, they really are gorgeous.

Nothing says early 90s more than a Kirk Magnesium, a mullet, and an airbrushed truck.
[img] [/img]

I blame KHS for 650B/27.5/kitten-killers. They were pushing them in 2009 in Mountain Bike Action mag.

Well after 5 pages and we get to Overbrurys !

Well done LAT as that's what I was going to post .

Had one when the U brake came out Was a great bike but wish I had not had the u brake !!!

I still have an Overburys frame from before the Pioneer .Its hung on a wall in the garage ,think its a Crossfell or Fellrider

[img] [/img]

Brands from when I started that have disappeared include a few of those above, like Club Roost.

There were loads of cheap dirt jump and trials brands that were big in the early 2000's that've vanished-

DDG-

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Base-

[img] .html[/img]

24-7

[img] [/img]

Or, if you were rich, 24-

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I think alot of those little companies like Twenty Four bicycles died with the riding style. There has been a big shift away from street, "BSX"/4X, dirt jumping by lots of peoples. Enduro is so now.

Lots of good suggestions.

So, given that we've found plenty, next question. Why did they disappear? Poor marketing? Failed to follow mtb trends? Poor management of the business? Poor product choices/quality/etc?

Back to my original post then

KHS - seemingly dropped out of the UK market as quickly as they appeared due to Scott Dommett similarly disappearing (or was he actually any good? did he just get found out?)

Proflex - K2 made the pretty poor (IMO) decision to rebrand a popular make and then focus much more on the XC market IIRC just as DH/FR was becoming increasingly popular - they certainly squandered a good market position.