[jackalope]

So the Xprezo thread got me thinking about several bike companies, mostly from yesteryear, that are still around - despite making savagely sh!tty bikes and/or selling a very low volume (IMO). I'm sure I've forgotten some good candidates, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind.

 

[jonKranked]

fvcking ellesworth. and somehow staying a float despite charging stupid money for bikes that were outdated the second they started designing them

 

[jackalope]

fvcking ellesworth. and somehow staying a float despite charging stupid money for bikes that were outdated the second they started designing them

No way man, they use "rare earth crabon" and shit! That alone has to be worth at least $1K per frame, to say nothing of the ICT upcharge.

 

[jonKranked]

No way man, they use "rare earth crabon" and shit! That alone has to be worth at least $1K per frame, to say nothing of the ICT upcharge.

my favorite part about Ellesworth bikes is when HBCTC talked so much shit on Tony

 

[FlipSide]

http://www.slingshotbikes.com/

 

[StiHacka]

Who-the-f buys the overpriced crap from Ellsworth? Don't dentists do any research on intercraps before sending the big bucks down the drain?

 

[kidwoo]

Might as well throw iron horse in that mix.

Too many good choices. I can't decide.


Cannondale is actually making okay bikes........usually with only one stupid design choice per model

 

[Inclag]

You missed one.

http://www.chumbausa.com

 

[canadmos]

Who-the-f buys the overpriced crap from Ellsworth? Don't dentists do any research on intercraps before sending the big bucks down the drain?

Saw one in the wild a week or two ago, being ridden by a female.

I almost lost it.

How about Mongoose?

 

[TrumbullHucker]

You missed one.

http://www.chumbausa.com

saw an F5 a couple weekends ago at killington.. love those bikes

repped for avatar

 

[jackalope]

Cannondale is actually making okay bikes........usually with only one stupid design choice per model

Yeah, I debated this, but I guess I'm surprised they survived (relatively speaking) the motorcycle debacle, bizarro bikes like the Claymore & some recent Jekyll iterations and generally not offering modern-ish geo up until fairly recently. I certainly think Clementz has helped them develop a legit AM/enduro offering, and I'd guess the Habit is "rideable" as well. Hell, they even have fat and electric bikes now, so it would seem their future is secure. And in truth, I'd assume they're still moving their fair share of road/hybrid bikes, and their soft goods bizz is probably solid as well.

You missed one.

http://www.chumbausa.com

Wow, I actually thought about Chumba, but just assumed they were long gone and didn't even both using the Googz. I'm now a little concerned to search for Cortina and Muddy Fox.

Whew, just confirmed that Mountain Cycle is still a distant memory. Just checked on Rotec, and it looks like Sully is still alive and kicking. New R9 looks rad, hope they make it happen.

 

[djjohnr]

Cove surprises me just because I don't remember the last time they made anything new.

Ellsworth gets by on brand name with the well heeled set looking for a (perceived) status symbol. I probably sold a 100 of those things when I worked at a bike shop in Marin.

I've always been amazed that Marin Bikes USA has survived. I worked there for a while and their business practices/mindset didn't seem like it would last long term (then again Bob sold it a few years ago).

 

[jonKranked]

Karpiel
you can apparently still purchase Risse suspension
Hannebrink is making some bizarro bikes these days. including a golf bike
nemesis project

 

[jonKranked]

brooklyn machine works

 

[Fool]

You missed one.

http://www.chumbausa.com

Hm. Only making hardtails now ... that still break pivot bolts.

 

[jonKranked]

some days i wonder how SRAM has managed to stay as large and relevant as they are

 

[BadDNA]

Craftworks
Sinister

 

[djjohnr]

http://www.voodoocycles.com/
http://www.brodiebikes.com/2016/

 

[jonKranked]

http://www.voodoocycles.com/
http://www.brodiebikes.com/2016/

wow there's a blast from the past.

i just googled klein, they stopped making bikes in 2009

 

[Kanye West]

I think a lot of those listed are either:

1) Questionably "still around", or in some cases just gone without notice. In other cases (Corsair) they've been in and out of business multiple times. Current status unknown.
2) Subsidized/doubled as another business. I think Ellsworth is a machine shop or fab shop for example. Bikes are just a fun side thing.

I'm really surprised Turner is still around. As far as I know, they don't have any alternative means of income and their popularity seems to have plummeted. I see plenty of Intense bikes around, so they should be doing OK.

 

[FlipSide]

http://www.voodoocycles.com/
http://www.brodiebikes.com/2016/

It seems Voodoo is getting reborn in 2017. I have a Bizango I purchased in 2011 as a backup bike. I always wanted a classic steel HT and, in those days, it was still possible to just buy a new frame and put whatever leftover parts you had sitting in your garage. (Shocking, I know... Thankfully, the industry made sure nobody will ever be able to do that again in the future.)

Just after I purchased my Voodoo, it seems the company closed its NA operation and only sold bikes in the UK and Asia. The bikes were different and somewhat uninteresting iirc but it seems they have a new line for 2017. My old-school Bizango is quite a nice bike, with Reynolds 853 tubing and nice welds, but you need to adapt to the unridabru head angle.

 

[jonKranked]

2) Subsidized/doubled as another business. I think Ellsworth is a machine shop or fab shop for example. Bikes are just a fun side thing.

This is the case with Foes as well.

 

[jackalope]

I think a lot of those listed are either:

1) Questionably "still around", or in some cases just gone without notice. In other cases (Corsair) they've been in and out of business multiple times. Current status unknown.
2) Subsidized/doubled as another business. I think Ellsworth is a machine shop or fab shop for example. Bikes are just a fun side thing.

I'm really surprised Turner is still around. As far as I know, they don't have any alternative means of income and their popularity seems to have plummeted. I see plenty of Intense bikes around, so they should be doing OK.

I guess one criteria I was using was "can I actually still get new a bike from them with a modicum of effort", and it seems like I could with with the possible exception of Corsair. And I do recognize that some of them are "subsidized" by another business venture (e.g. Foes), but it still surprises me somebody would bother with it in today's market. As for Turner, it seems like the new RFX has been well received, although I don't recall seeing one local. Perhaps the only thing that could save them is an updated DHR

Anyway, I wonder if Astrix is still a thing. It appears you can still order stuff from them - http://www.astrixsports.com/sales.html

But it doesn't look their website has been updated in a long time. Maybe the website developer is now working on Hadley's

 

[Udi]

Whew, just confirmed that Mountain Cycle is still a distant memory.

Only bike I've owned which I'd rate as downright terrible. I'd post a picture but:
a) you probably don't want to gouge your eyes out
b) I'd struggle to find one in my current blind state having gouged my own out when I first set eyes on it.

It featured a period-correct Risse fork which, not to be outdone, was equally terrible.

 

[rideit]

Is this thread destined to turn into the 'bikes we are glad/sad are NOT still around thread'?

 

[maxyedor]

Did Ellsworth ever make a non-terrible frame? Everybody else on the list made something decent at least once or twice, Ellsworth, can't think of one.

 

[jackalope]

Did Ellsworth ever make a non-terrible frame? Everybody else on the list made something decent at least once or twice, Ellsworth, can't think of one.

I would argue that Jamis has never made a FS bike wasn't LOL bad. And at least the various versions of the Ellsworth Dare were useful in that they prevented Kona from claiming the coveted "most ridiculously big rocker arm" award.

NSFW

 

[kidwoo]

I would argue that Jamis has never made a FS bike wasn't LOL bad.

Functionally maybe, but damn did they look good. Some seriously beautiful bikes coming out of there.

 

[jackalope]

 

[jstuhlman]

Functionally maybe, but damn did they look good. Some seriously beautiful bikes coming out of there.

#sculpted

 

[Westy]

I have never known anyone who owned a Trek that did not eventually own a broken Trek. I guess the brand name and the large volume of bikes that never get ridden cover the warranty costs.

 

[canadmos]

I was scrolling at ludicrous speed over this thread and thought that black Jamis posted by @kidwoo was a Morpheus at first.

Which is kind of on topic? I don't think I have ever seen a Morpheus.

 

[Jm_]

Tony Ellsworth sold the company fairly recently to some foreign suckers, I mean investors or something. I can't imagine who in their right mind would buy that company. Sure, buy the tooling (if it exists), the machines, the facilities, and then call it "Not Tony E Bikes" or something, but I suspect there wasn't much left to Ellsworth than the name, since he had farmed all production out already, which makes it just sad.

 

[Jm_]

I have never known anyone who owned a Trek that did not eventually own a broken Trek. I guess the brand name and the large volume of bikes that never get ridden cover the warranty costs.

This is probably mostly because Trek absorbed Gary Fisher. I don't think GF could ever design an FS bike to save his life, Sugar, Cake, crack crack crack...

 

[djjohnr]

Did Ellsworth ever make a non-terrible frame? Everybody else on the list made something decent at least once or twice, Ellsworth, can't think of one.

The gen 1 Id with the coil Romic rode well when they weren't broken.

 

[Nick]

Sure, long time fan aside...

To think that Turner, who has maybe two or three of the nicer /nicest bikes out there at the moment, would fade due to non existent marketing, would be a real shame.

You can't put them in the same wagon as a chumba, or astrix, is crazy

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

Guerrilla gravity? No space plastic anywhere in the line up and they are dumb enough to call their pathetic metal boat anchors "aluminum" rather than "alloy" which means they are probably flexy and crack often. Plus a little bird told me @mtg spent all their ill gotten proceeds on a private jet made entirely of (ironically) carbon and replete with not one but two hot tubs.

 

[dan-o]

I was scrolling at ludicrous speed over this thread and thought that black Jamis posted by @kidwoo was a Morpheus at first.

Which is kind of on topic? I don't think I have ever seen a Morpheus.

I saw all three Morpheus dh bikes a few weeks back when the local mtn was invaded by ny/NJ Vinnie's. Ugly as fuck.

And: WTB, for anything beyond saddles. Honestly, just stop.

 

[rideit]

Sure, long time fan aside...

To think that Turner, who has maybe two or three of the nicer /nicest bikes out there at the moment, would fade due to non existent marketing, would be a real shame.

You can't put them in the same wagon as a chumba, or astrix, is crazy

Homer! ;-)

 

[Jm_]

Sure, long time fan aside...

To think that Turner, who has maybe two or three of the nicer /nicest bikes out there at the moment, would fade due to non existent marketing, would be a real shame.

You can't put them in the same wagon as a chumba, or astrix, is crazy

One of my LBS (leaving the name out because he indicated he wants it that way) goes way back with Ventana and Turner, knows both guys personally and has for more than 20 years.

Evidently many years ago TE called up my LBS and asked if he wanted to have one of the Ellsworth bikes to demo and sell. Wanna say it was the Id, but I don't remember for sure now. My LBS said "no way". Guess what showed up a few weeks later? My LBS did not accept the package and sent it right back. Guess who called all irate about "you don't want to burn bridges in this business" a couple days later? My LBS's response was basically "who the F are you?". My LBS of course knew who TE and Ellsworth were, but my LBS just couldn't comprehend how this guy thought he was so important to the industry and everyone else.

I mean, this craziness wasn't even part of what I knew about until just a few months ago when I got my new Turner frame from him. I didn't even ask about TE and this story just popped up. It's this crazy stuff you hear about from all sorts of different angles that really sets the tone.