When Did Trek buy Electra And Is That Why....
05-03-19, 03:30 PM
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When Did Trek buy Electra And Is That Why....
I was boxing something up the other night re-purposing a old Trek bike box and among the Bontrager and Lemond and other brands on the bottom I noticed Electra
Electra? When did Trek buy Electra? Is that why the cool stuff in like the Ticino goodies went away?
Electra? When did Trek buy Electra? Is that why the cool stuff in like the Ticino goodies went away?
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
05-03-19, 04:31 PM
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The story I heard goes like this. Electra first sued Trek in 2011 over over the patent infringement of the Electra Townie by the Trek Pure:
Electra Files Lawsuit Against Trek; Cites Patent Infringement
(https://bikerumor.com/2011/01/26/ele...-infringement/)
Then a few years later in 2014, Trek purchased Electra:
Didn’t See That Coming- Trek Acquires Electra Bicycle Company
(https://bikerumor.com/2014/01/06/did...cycle-company/)
There may be far more to it than I am privy to, but the rumor on the ground here in Wisconsin was that it wasn't looking good for Trek legally and that purchasing Electra outright was cheaper than settling. It seemed to be an amiable acquisition, but like almost all Trek acquisitions, all the interesting stuff eventually falls out of the catalog. Perhaps someone else will have more information.
Electra Files Lawsuit Against Trek; Cites Patent Infringement
(https://bikerumor.com/2011/01/26/ele...-infringement/)
Then a few years later in 2014, Trek purchased Electra:
Didn’t See That Coming- Trek Acquires Electra Bicycle Company
(https://bikerumor.com/2014/01/06/did...cycle-company/)
There may be far more to it than I am privy to, but the rumor on the ground here in Wisconsin was that it wasn't looking good for Trek legally and that purchasing Electra outright was cheaper than settling. It seemed to be an amiable acquisition, but like almost all Trek acquisitions, all the interesting stuff eventually falls out of the catalog. Perhaps someone else will have more information.
05-03-19, 04:33 PM
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Interesting
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
05-03-19, 05:56 PM
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There was a point where Electra was conducting a "firesale" almost, of the "retro" bits... I have to see if possible to reference that.
They may have experienced a cash shortage along the way too, I could see Trek making that lawsuit expensive no matter the legal standing.
They may have experienced a cash shortage along the way too, I could see Trek making that lawsuit expensive no matter the legal standing.
05-03-19, 06:47 PM
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That sale was epic. People were able to get their low trail forks for $20. I was not one of them, but I got lucky at the co-op a year later.
05-03-19, 10:34 PM
#7
Pedalin' Erry Day
When I worked for a Trek dealer in 2016 we had some Electra bikes on the sales floor and could order Electra parts at the beginning of the season, but they disappeared by the fall - or I should say the parts became unavailable, the bikes didn't sell. I got some of their pedals (not impressed), cranks (okay), and fenders (really nice) at bargain prices. I should have bought a bunch of those ridiculously cheap fender sets to resell later... alas.
05-04-19, 07:26 AM
#8
Senior Member
True^^^ missed opportunity! Nice kits which came with the fenders a plus. All the hardware(and extras) with leather washers and short flaps.
