Cycling companies from the past...
#1
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Cycling companies from the past...
This has likely been done in the past, but what the heck..
Cycling companies that vanished.
-Rhode Gear. Best known for the flickstand. They also made helmets, racks, and clothes.
-Balin Helmets.
-Blackburn. Some of the nicest racks and water bottle cages to be had.
-SR. Seatposts, crank sets, and entire bicycles. I remember their ads.
-Avocet. In a bit of Twilight Zone, their website is still running after all these years.
The exact fate of the company, bought out, bankrupt, whatever, seems to be something
of a mystery.
Cycling companies that vanished.
-Rhode Gear. Best known for the flickstand. They also made helmets, racks, and clothes.
-Balin Helmets.
-Blackburn. Some of the nicest racks and water bottle cages to be had.
-SR. Seatposts, crank sets, and entire bicycles. I remember their ads.
-Avocet. In a bit of Twilight Zone, their website is still running after all these years.
The exact fate of the company, bought out, bankrupt, whatever, seems to be something
of a mystery.
#2
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Suntour - nice components. I still have some Suntour thumbies on my mountain bike.
Klein - made nice light mountain bikes. Bought out buy Trek and slowly allowed to die.
Klein - made nice light mountain bikes. Bought out buy Trek and slowly allowed to die.
#3
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California: built aluminum freewheels in the 80's. (Not sure if they made Ti ones).
To O.P: Rhode Gear was excellent. (Also made panniers and saddle bags).
To O.P: Rhode Gear was excellent. (Also made panniers and saddle bags).
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#4
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Tunturi. I have one. The company is still around but they've switched to fitness equipment (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunturi)
Also...CCM...the hockey equipment company. For those that don't know...CCM stands for Canadian Cycle and Motor. I guess they quit making bikes in the 1990s. Not sure.
Dan
Also...CCM...the hockey equipment company. For those that don't know...CCM stands for Canadian Cycle and Motor. I guess they quit making bikes in the 1990s. Not sure.
Dan
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Extinct companies whose name still exists for marketing purposes = Raleigh, Mercier, Masi, Motobecane, Austro Daimler
Gone but not forgotten = Serotta, Merlin, Klein, Lemond
Just gone = Softride
Components = Huret, Simplex, Zeus (components and bikes)
edit: Does Peugeot still manufacture bikes?
Gone but not forgotten = Serotta, Merlin, Klein, Lemond
Just gone = Softride
Components = Huret, Simplex, Zeus (components and bikes)
edit: Does Peugeot still manufacture bikes?
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Last edited by Wildwood; 12-12-17 at 10:14 PM.
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Extinct companies whose name still exists for marketing purposes = Raleigh, Mercier, Masi, Motobecane, Austro Daimler
Gone but not forgotten = Serotta, Merlin, Klein, Lemond
Just gone = Softride
Components = Huret, Simplex, Zeus (components and bikes)
edit: Does Peugeot still manufacture bikes?
Gone but not forgotten = Serotta, Merlin, Klein, Lemond
Just gone = Softride
Components = Huret, Simplex, Zeus (components and bikes)
edit: Does Peugeot still manufacture bikes?
#7
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I think:
Maruishi
Nishiki
Centurion
Tange (tubing)
Modolo
Kirtland (bags/panniers)
Bridgestone
Guru
Maillard (hubs, etc.)
Maruishi
Nishiki
Centurion
Tange (tubing)
Modolo
Kirtland (bags/panniers)
Bridgestone
Guru
Maillard (hubs, etc.)
#8
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I had an Azuki 10-speed in the 1970s. I have learned it was a co-brand of Nishiki.
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Not sure if anyone has mentioned Eclipse yet, but I still have some of their (well used) panniers on my touring bike.
Rick / OCRR
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Much of the machinery of the Guru plant in Canada was sold to that company that is now making bikes in, I believe, Arkansas. Is Modolo still ion business? In '86 I bought a used Trek 660 that had Modolo brakes with aero levers and a Campy Nuovo Record drivetrain. I felt like I had become a serious cyclist because I was riding Italian components.
#11
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Bridgestone still makes lots of bikes, it's just that they stopped their North American operation, largely because of currency fluctuations.
Austro Daimler Puch is gone, but someone revived the brand.
Were this on the C&V forum you'd get a lot more responses.
Austro Daimler Puch is gone, but someone revived the brand.
Were this on the C&V forum you'd get a lot more responses.
#12
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#13
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
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This has likely been done in the past, but what the heck..
Cycling companies that vanished.
-Rhode Gear. Best known for the flickstand. They also made helmets, racks, and clothes.
-Balin Helmets.
-Blackburn. Some of the nicest racks and water bottle cages to be had.
-SR. Seatposts, crank sets, and entire bicycles. I remember their ads.
-Avocet. In a bit of Twilight Zone, their website is still running after all these years.
The exact fate of the company, bought out, bankrupt, whatever, seems to be something
of a mystery.
Cycling companies that vanished.
-Rhode Gear. Best known for the flickstand. They also made helmets, racks, and clothes.
-Balin Helmets.
-Blackburn. Some of the nicest racks and water bottle cages to be had.
-SR. Seatposts, crank sets, and entire bicycles. I remember their ads.
-Avocet. In a bit of Twilight Zone, their website is still running after all these years.
The exact fate of the company, bought out, bankrupt, whatever, seems to be something
of a mystery.
I have a saddle with a Bikology label, remember them? Also a seat bag for tubulars from "Bike Warehouse" Arnie Nashbar's first mail order marketing endeavor.
#15
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SR (Sakae Ringyo) is still around. In fact, it bought the defunct SunTour name and now markets products under the "SR-SunTour" moniker.
Other extinct companies include Weyless, Hi-E, Arnold Industries, Artisan Tool & Die (still around, just not making bike tools anymore), Edco, a whole slew of French companies including Simplex, MAFAC, CLB, Belleri, Huret (bought by Sachs, then allowed to die, as were Maillard and Sedis), Super Champion, in Britain Williams, TDC (still around, just , not making bike components anymore), Belleri, etc.
Other extinct companies include Weyless, Hi-E, Arnold Industries, Artisan Tool & Die (still around, just not making bike tools anymore), Edco, a whole slew of French companies including Simplex, MAFAC, CLB, Belleri, Huret (bought by Sachs, then allowed to die, as were Maillard and Sedis), Super Champion, in Britain Williams, TDC (still around, just , not making bike components anymore), Belleri, etc.
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In a way that I can't quite explain to myself, I feel particularly sorry for those brands that aren't allowed to die. Long after the original company is gone the name's new owners keep slapping it on new production. I know this is just a fact of marketing and the business world, but it irks me nonetheless.
BD:
Motobecane
Windsor
Planet X:
Viner
Holdsworth
Carnac
Selcof
etc., etc.
BD:
Motobecane
Windsor
Planet X:
Viner
Holdsworth
Carnac
Selcof
etc., etc.
#17
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in a way that i can't quite explain to myself, i feel particularly sorry for those brands that aren't allowed to die. Long after the original company is gone the name's new owners keep slapping it on new production. I know this is just a fact of marketing and the business world, but it irks me nonetheless.
#18
Senior Member
My wife's bike, hanging unused in the garage, is a CCS Mistral. Reynolds 531 frame, relatively junky component group. It hangs because it's too big for her.
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I'm sure that the folks at Blackburn would be just as surprised by reports of their demise as I was.
https://www.blackburndesign.com/en_ca/
https://www.blackburndesign.com/en_ca/
I got it at Sports Authority, another bankrupt company.
#21
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-Vetta. Someone gave me a circa ‘85 Vetta helmet like new in original box.
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70's French road bikes were a good value, besides Peugeot there was Gitane, Follis etc. Always esp liked the Mafac center-pull brakes.
Won't miss (Italian) Universal brakes. Fiamme made nice rims.
Won't miss (Italian) Universal brakes. Fiamme made nice rims.
#25
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Joel sold Vetta several years later and the buyer hired Dick Steele to run it; which he did successfully for several years (I worked with Dick when we were at GT in the 90's). No idea what happened to Vetta after that.
Rick / OCRR