we tested the reaper powerplay 24. it was a hoot for my boys, but didn't quite hold up under grom huckage for very long. it also made them pretty salty at having to pedal a regular bike for a few months after lol
we tested the reaper powerplay 24. it was a hoot for my boys, but didn't quite hold up under grom huckage for very long. it also...
we tested the reaper powerplay 24. it was a hoot for my boys, but didn't quite hold up under grom huckage for very long. it also made them pretty salty at having to pedal a regular bike for a few months after lol
This is what worries me. I get the technical benefits of putting a kid on an ebike, but at the same time they're going to see that you don't need to put in the effort to get to the top. Just another shortcut in life that's so popular these days.
Maybe if you could limit it to a certain level and not have any assist levels, only on or off, but it will still be a pain when they go to a regular bike. Which they will have to if they want to race for example.
IMO it's too much of a slippery slope and more of an excuse so you can ride with your regular style (pace, time, etc.). In reality you just have to adapt to the group you're riding with, both length, pace and trail difficulty wise. Or pick who you're riding with to get the rides you want.
How did we ever have fun riding bikes as kids before batteries and motors? What a terrible childhood I must have had.
All bikes are fun. I was at a moto event recently where every kid had a Levo and they were all having a blast. Maybe more of a focus on just straight fun than the groms that normally inhabit the bike park. It was entertaining to see a bunch of moto kids ride the bike park. Some of them will convert to mtb riders in the future no doubt.
My megapost on Fox Factory is up. One fun side quest I took in this one was trying to show how/why interest rates matter so much, and even built a little calculator everyone can play with. TL;DR, when the discount rate goes up, future earnings goes down and the TAM is sort of eaten, the stock price tanks.
This is what worries me. I get the technical benefits of putting a kid on an ebike, but at the same time they're going to see...
This is what worries me. I get the technical benefits of putting a kid on an ebike, but at the same time they're going to see that you don't need to put in the effort to get to the top. Just another shortcut in life that's so popular these days.
Maybe if you could limit it to a certain level and not have any assist levels, only on or off, but it will still be a pain when they go to a regular bike. Which they will have to if they want to race for example.
IMO it's too much of a slippery slope and more of an excuse so you can ride with your regular style (pace, time, etc.). In reality you just have to adapt to the group you're riding with, both length, pace and trail difficulty wise. Or pick who you're riding with to get the rides you want.
In addition to Lapierre filing for judicial reorganization, Raleigh (Accel UK/Ireland) has filed to appoint administrators. Both are trying to restructure separately from the Accell holding...
In addition to Lapierre filing for judicial reorganization, Raleigh (Accel UK/Ireland) has filed to appoint administrators. Both are trying to restructure separately from the Accell holding company. Should be interesting.
Update from Bike EU: The Amsterdam District Court has revoked the suspensions of payments of the Dutch Accell companies and simultaneously declared these companies bankrupt, the two...
Update from Bike EU:
The Amsterdam District Court has revoked the suspensions of payments of the Dutch Accell companies and simultaneously declared these companies bankrupt, the two court-appointed trustees announced this afternoon. The consolidated factory in Hungary has stopped production.
There are six entities listed on the Dutch insolvency register:
Thanks for the bungee suggestion. My bank account won’t allow the kids’ eMTB thing to happen even if I wanted it to, so I bought two...
Thanks for the bungee suggestion. My bank account won’t allow the kids’ eMTB thing to happen even if I wanted it to, so I bought two of these. DM me with pro tips.
As for the weight thing, I disagree, mostly because I’m around a lot of kids on the moto side. Those bikes are often heavier than the kid riding them, and they don’t seem to struggle with the weight all that much until they drop them. I know it’s different, but I also know I got perpetually smoked at races as a junior by kids who grew up on dirt scooters. Kids are pretty damn good at adapting.
What does screw a kid up, though, is putting them on something that is just flat-out too big. If the bike is too tall, they can’t touch the ground, the standover is bad, etc., that’s a much bigger problem than the raw weight of the bike.
Back when I was a "serious" adventure racer we made tow ropes out of a retractable leash and a loop of shock cord (towing is legal in most ARs. I used the same set-up w/ both my kids and it worked really well (and it's very helpful having the leash take care of any slack), instructions here for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AGlXaWy27g
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up Raleigh's current product lineup on their website, and my how the mighty have fallen.
It wasn't that long ago that everyone I knew had a Raleigh Furley for commuting or riding cyclocross, but now Raleigh is just generic mass-market Walmart bikes with the Raleigh label slapped on them. Ironically the Union Jack flag is still flying proudly all over the website, even though these bikes have as much to do with the UK as Dick Van Dyke's accent in Mary Poppins.
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up...
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up Raleigh's current product lineup on their website, and my how the mighty have fallen.
It wasn't that long ago that everyone I knew had a Raleigh Furley for commuting or riding cyclocross, but now Raleigh is just generic mass-market Walmart bikes with the Raleigh label slapped on them. Ironically the Union Jack flag is still flying proudly all over the website, even though these bikes have as much to do with the UK as Dick Van Dyke's accent in Mary Poppins.
Raleigh has been a weird one for years, I feel like that head badge has been violently tossed around more than anyone else. Here in Canada they had a factory based in Waterloo quebec which was government subsidized, which seemed to be disjointed from the rest of the UK and US businesses. My first real mtb, or "bike with shocks" was a 1997 Raleigh Tarantula that was a steel frame with a suntour fork that was unforunate enough to come into my possession around the same time as I was shown Kranked 3. RIP.
Since then I've seen the canadian arm make an attempt at a DH bike (The Smokin' DH, a catalog 4 bar frame that I can't find a mention on anymore), make a beautiful alloy XC hardtail that just came up a bit short on the parts, then to suddenly fall in as a canadian tire lisenced bike brand. All seemed pretty grim until the UK arm started slinging some beauiful touring, commuter and cross bikes that a few shops here in CA brought in. Then they dive back down into the dirt pile. The between the US, UK and Canada, none of the parts seem ever seem to have connected, and I'm not sure if there were technically 3 different companys or just let to do thier own thing. If they had of all been on the same page, maybe they could have done something cool.
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up...
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up Raleigh's current product lineup on their website, and my how the mighty have fallen.
It wasn't that long ago that everyone I knew had a Raleigh Furley for commuting or riding cyclocross, but now Raleigh is just generic mass-market Walmart bikes with the Raleigh label slapped on them. Ironically the Union Jack flag is still flying proudly all over the website, even though these bikes have as much to do with the UK as Dick Van Dyke's accent in Mary Poppins.
In Europe they seem to not sell MTBs at all anymore. Just classic looking commuter and ebikes.
Too bad, 30 years ago they had sick ti frames (sadly not mine).
email from YT today - users waiting on avinox bikes (or if they buy one before aug 31) get a free fast charger. i wonder if avinox bike delivery dates are getting closer w/ news like this?
----------------------
PRESS RELEASE (FOR IMMEDIATE DISPATCH):
YT Upgrades its Avinox Customers With 12A Fast Charger for a Limited Time
Hausen, August 18th, 2026 – Waiting on a preordered bike is frustrating – and YT gets it. Recognising strong demand for the Avinox-equipped DECOY X, YT is upgrading both new and existing DECOY X CORE customers to the 12A Fast Charger to help riders win back that time. With 2.8x faster charging, it tops you back up three hours faster than the standard charger, and costs £269.99 / €229.00 when purchasing separately.
To qualify for a free fast charger, order any DECOY X CORE model before 31st August. If you’ve already ordered one, there's no need to get in contact – your fast charger will arrive in your bike box or ship straight to your door. Launch Edition customers haven't missed out either; your Fast Charger was already included.
This is not standard brand related economics, but I want to get a better picture of Gee Atherton and his desire to do crazy shit. How much money does he make when he makes one of his risky edits? Does he get paid handsomely to keep going back doing it? They are often on location or with huge build budgets, but on the other hand Red Bull is often involved. I am sure it is a brand value play from Atherton, as he's likely not able to pay himself a huge amount given the size of the outfit.
Is likely getting paid life changing money to do his crazy films or is he risking life and limb the love of the game?
Did Rocky Mountain officially declare bankruptcy on July 29th? The links I found seem to have been removed and I can't find anything about Chaos Sports...
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced that there were no more funds to be allocated for unsecured creditors. I assume the file is now closed.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles, under the recent Chaos Sports acquisition, is alive and well.
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced...
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced that there were no more funds to be allocated for unsecured creditors. I assume the file is now closed.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles, under the recent Chaos Sports acquisition, is alive and well.
ALSO managed to raise another $150 million, but they're not hiding from the fact that it's about much more than a couple of ebikes. They're using the data from the bikes to inform autonomous delivery vehicles for DoorDash, Amazon, etc.
Did Rocky Mountain officially declare bankruptcy on July 29th? The links I found seem to have been removed and I can't find anything about Chaos Sports...
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced...
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced that there were no more funds to be allocated for unsecured creditors. I assume the file is now closed.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles, under the recent Chaos Sports acquisition, is alive and well.
They made some of the least sick Ti frames, using Commercially Pure Ti tubing, not 3Al/2.5V. (Perhaps analogous to iron vs steel, or hi-ten vs 4130)
They did not get the street cred for their frames. However, the frames rode well, were fairly stiff for a ti frame at the time, visually pleasing and were 1/2-1/3 of the price of anything coming out of the US. Craftsmanship was OK, not Moots-level welds, but clean. Mine was 1700-ish g for a M if I remember right, so fairly competitive with more expensive frames.
we tested the reaper powerplay 24. it was a hoot for my boys, but didn't quite hold up under grom huckage for very long. it also made them pretty salty at having to pedal a regular bike for a few months after lol
https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/e-bikes/rocky-mountain/reaper-powerplay-53671
I always just tell parents that now the kids can pull them up on the climbs now.
Apparently nobody talking about the weight of ebikes remembers that Raleigh Choppers and Grifters weighed well over 40lb.
The luckiest kids got Bombers which were about 45lb.
This is what worries me. I get the technical benefits of putting a kid on an ebike, but at the same time they're going to see that you don't need to put in the effort to get to the top. Just another shortcut in life that's so popular these days.
Maybe if you could limit it to a certain level and not have any assist levels, only on or off, but it will still be a pain when they go to a regular bike. Which they will have to if they want to race for example.
IMO it's too much of a slippery slope and more of an excuse so you can ride with your regular style (pace, time, etc.). In reality you just have to adapt to the group you're riding with, both length, pace and trail difficulty wise. Or pick who you're riding with to get the rides you want.
All bikes are fun. I was at a moto event recently where every kid had a Levo and they were all having a blast. Maybe more of a focus on just straight fun than the groms that normally inhabit the bike park. It was entertaining to see a bunch of moto kids ride the bike park. Some of them will convert to mtb riders in the future no doubt.
My megapost on Fox Factory is up. One fun side quest I took in this one was trying to show how/why interest rates matter so much, and even built a little calculator everyone can play with. TL;DR, when the discount rate goes up, future earnings goes down and the TAM is sort of eaten, the stock price tanks.
https://jeffbrines.substack.com/p/how-fox-factory-lost-a-decade?r=cfzd9…
Just have a "follow" mode like DJI drones
More here: https://escapecollective.com/irish-investment-firm-steps-forward-as-bid…
Back when I was a "serious" adventure racer we made tow ropes out of a retractable leash and a loop of shock cord (towing is legal in most ARs. I used the same set-up w/ both my kids and it worked really well (and it's very helpful having the leash take care of any slack), instructions here for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AGlXaWy27g
I know Lapierre is still a desirable brand making quality bicycles (whether they exist in the middle of the barbell, not withstanding), but I looked up Raleigh's current product lineup on their website, and my how the mighty have fallen.
It wasn't that long ago that everyone I knew had a Raleigh Furley for commuting or riding cyclocross, but now Raleigh is just generic mass-market Walmart bikes with the Raleigh label slapped on them. Ironically the Union Jack flag is still flying proudly all over the website, even though these bikes have as much to do with the UK as Dick Van Dyke's accent in Mary Poppins.
this is the kind of content we're here for
Raleigh has been a weird one for years, I feel like that head badge has been violently tossed around more than anyone else. Here in Canada they had a factory based in Waterloo quebec which was government subsidized, which seemed to be disjointed from the rest of the UK and US businesses. My first real mtb, or "bike with shocks" was a 1997 Raleigh Tarantula that was a steel frame with a suntour fork that was unforunate enough to come into my possession around the same time as I was shown Kranked 3. RIP.
Since then I've seen the canadian arm make an attempt at a DH bike (The Smokin' DH, a catalog 4 bar frame that I can't find a mention on anymore), make a beautiful alloy XC hardtail that just came up a bit short on the parts, then to suddenly fall in as a canadian tire lisenced bike brand. All seemed pretty grim until the UK arm started slinging some beauiful touring, commuter and cross bikes that a few shops here in CA brought in. Then they dive back down into the dirt pile. The between the US, UK and Canada, none of the parts seem ever seem to have connected, and I'm not sure if there were technically 3 different companys or just let to do thier own thing. If they had of all been on the same page, maybe they could have done something cool.
In Europe they seem to not sell MTBs at all anymore. Just classic looking commuter and ebikes.
Too bad, 30 years ago they had sick ti frames (sadly not mine).
7ANNA, mostly known here for NS Bikes, has a new owner: https://bikebiz.com/storm-riders-acquires-7anna/
They made some of the least sick Ti frames, using Commercially Pure Ti tubing, not 3Al/2.5V. (Perhaps analogous to iron vs steel, or hi-ten vs 4130)
email from YT today - users waiting on avinox bikes (or if they buy one before aug 31) get a free fast charger. i wonder if avinox bike delivery dates are getting closer w/ news like this?
----------------------
This is not standard brand related economics, but I want to get a better picture of Gee Atherton and his desire to do crazy shit. How much money does he make when he makes one of his risky edits? Does he get paid handsomely to keep going back doing it? They are often on location or with huge build budgets, but on the other hand Red Bull is often involved. I am sure it is a brand value play from Atherton, as he's likely not able to pay himself a huge amount given the size of the outfit.
Is likely getting paid life changing money to do his crazy films or is he risking life and limb the love of the game?
I've more than once wondered who is underwriting his insurance or is it Red Bull with "we got you bro"
My impression is that he's the sort of person who would be doing this stuff irrespective of money but that's just my opinion.
Did Rocky Mountain officially declare bankruptcy on July 29th? The links I found seem to have been removed and I can't find anything about Chaos Sports Inc. (their new owners). https://www.journaldequebec.com/2026/08/19/rocky-mountain-bikes-declare-faillite
The media misreported; there was a final meeting yesterday where the law firm handling the bankruptcy case for RAD, the prior owner of Rocky Mountain, announced that there were no more funds to be allocated for unsecured creditors. I assume the file is now closed.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles, under the recent Chaos Sports acquisition, is alive and well.
Great news! I knew you’d know the real story!
ALSO managed to raise another $150 million, but they're not hiding from the fact that it's about much more than a couple of ebikes. They're using the data from the bikes to inform autonomous delivery vehicles for DoorDash, Amazon, etc.
The valuation is now over $1B.
Found the Fortune article without the paywall: https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/3-500-e-bike-1-125000584…
They did not get the street cred for their frames. However, the frames rode well, were fairly stiff for a ti frame at the time, visually pleasing and were 1/2-1/3 of the price of anything coming out of the US. Craftsmanship was OK, not Moots-level welds, but clean. Mine was 1700-ish g for a M if I remember right, so fairly competitive with more expensive frames.
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