Pole announces bankruptcy

Bugger.

Ugly, expensive and snappy.

What about the bikes though?

I feel for everyone involved.

Did they go too niche? Novel manufacturing combined with a very narrow spectrum of products (big travel super enduro, and e-super enduro).

I was interested in the manufacturing (interested and willing to buy one are two different things) but a huge alpine/park rig is not my need at all.

Did they go too niche?

Sales growing apparently – a catalogue of reasons – COVID / interest rates / state of the bike industry post COVID / machine failure / comparatively low wage growth & lack of funding/outside investment.

Thats a real shame. The Taival is one of the best hardtails I’ve ever ridden.

Sad when any manufacturer who is pushing the envelope fails.
I’d seen reports, though, of breakages and of terribly condescending response to customers with problems. Unsubstantiated of course. Just get a Geometron G1. Amazing support. They have the geo Pole was apparently based on.

That’s a shame but very surprised it’s taken this long.
I feel for those who have recently bought one, Leo and crew would have been flogging hard knowing this was coming, based on my experience of dealing with him .

Just watch a vid last night about the ‘new’ distribution in the UK

Nice looking bikes but agree with above that a very niche market.

And I didn’t even Google how much they cost just expected them to be mega bucks

https://youtu.be/j8o4xKdz40U?si=xMYJcIJXDi6RbJhn

This is the explanation from the boss. A difficult watch

They did the Vikkela trail bike with 160/150mm travel too – surely not that niche.

Price was a bit niche mind.

I like the alternative approach and whilst I was highly unlikely to buy to because of the price and what they were doing was unlikely to ever lead to a mass change in the MTB market and always just a curiosity – it was good they existed.

That’s capitalism folks!

Companies with niche, expensive products, made using expensive and novel methods generally don’t weather a global downturn quite as well. No commercial outfit has the right to exist (except banks, we’ll bail those out 😉 ).

Still Sad for employees of course.

I reckon a couple more bike companies will go pop before 2024 is over.
Morbidly Interesting to see who buys up the remnants of each failed company though in all of this, someone will eventually come out on top…

might be some more bad news on the horizon

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2024/04/17/wheres-kona-brand-sets-then-breaks-down-sea-otter

terribly condescending response to customers with problems.

Oh yes. Plenty of that around.

@kimbers I spotted that too. 😕

Not surprised about Kona, the BOGOF deal they were doing earlier in the year was not just writing on the wall, but a big flashing neon sign with dancing girls and performing elephants

convert

I like the alternative approach and whilst I was highly unlikely to buy to because of the price and what they were doing was unlikely to ever lead to a mass change in the MTB market and always just a curiosity – it was good they existed.

I’d never have bought one, their customer service rep was just too bad for me to trust them, but they were massively innovative, always trying different stuff, and reviews suggested they were succeeding a lot of the time.  The machined bikes are stunning in the flesh. And there are a bunch of companies now doing the bonded frames/machined frames (liek Actofive) so they have had lots of influence. It’s a real shame, we need more companies doing mad stuff.

bedmakerFull

Leo and crew would have been flogging hard knowing this was coming, based on my experience of dealing with him .

He says that in the vid, that they were working super hard to get product out as they knew it was happening

I think he meant it more in a “wanted to get bikes to customers who had paid” sense…. but I think I’d have wanted money back if I was being left without warranty

The machined bikes are stunning in the flesh

I saw one at Dyfi, it was very Gold. The bike was gold, the parts that could be were gold, loads of different colours, much clashiness  They guy who owned it was v pleased with it and it attracted loads of attention, but in the same way that a Bentley wrapped in pink and lime sparkles would.

Last time Pinkbike did a group review of Big Bikes (last year I think) the Pole was very marmite and didn’t come out of it well.

Hope the employees can find new jobs quickly, and that customers haven’t been left £££s out of pocket.

Yes we need innovators, but nobody is owed a living if they’re creating wilfully ugly and different products at a high price – and (for example) insisting that we all need sky-high BBs. Then backing it up with notoriously abrasive customer service.

Yes we need innovators, but nobody is owed a living if they’re creating wilfully ugly and different products at a high price – and (for example) insisting that we all need sky-high BBs. Then backing it up with notoriously abrasive customer service.

sick…

Poles were actually very good value, when compared spec for spec with the competition. Obviously too good.

I saw one at Dyfi, it was very Gold. The bike was gold, the parts that could be were gold, loads of different colours, much clashiness  They guy who owned it was v pleased with it and it attracted loads of attention, but in the same way that a Bentley wrapped in pink and lime sparkles would.

That sounds absolutely vomit inducing.

Fair play to the pinkbike comments section though, I didn’t think they were this clever “they’re Finnished”

I liked the EvoLink.

Would I have bought one without a test ride and with the reputation for support, no.

I remember one reviewer mentioning he accidentally left tyre marks on the ceiling wheeling it out the house.

@nickc No arguments on the gold, butt the raw silver frames with regular parts look great

🤮🤮🤮

^ explain to me again why they’ve gone under?

Donald Trump called: he’d like his bike back.

Strewth, who actually speced that up?

The only Pole I saw in the flesh was recently at Glenlivet, it was silver a (raw alloy) ebike and looked incredible! The owner was glowing about it and it’s performance.

Would I own one? Too rich for my blood.

Those big efficiency increases that the owner talks about can only be because of how inefficient they must have been.

Machining a whole frame must have been a time consuming and expensive process with no or minimal gains in performance.

They’re a niche brand selling at a premium price. Unfortunately mountain biking doesn’t seem to have the numbers of high earners that road cycling has, nor does Pole have the racing heritage of say Kona (good luck Kona 🤞).

I’ll miss them, and would definitely have liked a shot of one but I’m not a current or future customer (unless I come into a lot of money any time soon).

Good luck Pole, I hope that they carry on in some sort of way.