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jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/26/2026 1:29pm
Yeah, I just read it this morning in full and agree, much better than my initial glance suggested. If anything, it was a bit vanilla but he didn't come off as many CEOs do. What I do wonder though is what is really going through his mind day to day during this trying time for Trek, because I don't think its "what book should I read next".
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Jakowitz Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/26/2026 1:28pm
Such a wild read, the idea of getting through 52 books a year by reading just the first sentence of each paragraph and using that to decide whether to read the rest is deeply disturbing.
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jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/24/2026 10:16pm
I just stumbled on an interview with the CEO of Trek. https://fortune.com/2026/05/06/trek-ceo-john-burke-gen-z-tariffs-ai-nat… I only skimmed it but my initial reaction was "woah, tone deaf". Also, LMK if this was posted earlier and I missed - will delete if so.
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pamtbr Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/24/2026 10:15pm
Continental had its CVP motor system with NuVinci back in 2018 or so, but they killed it off despite solid claims. I believe some of that IP ended up at Rheinmetall/Amprio and that later made its way to SRAM. The current Eagle Powertrain was a Brose project, likely started well before taking on Amprio. Does anyone know the status? If I recall, that was targeted at the urban and commuter world along with a Continental belt.
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Mwood Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/24/2026 10:14pm
You called it a few months ago about DJI and others getting rid of the rest of the bike components (drivetrain). The new Avonix MGU with a belt... damn the future came quick.
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jalopyj Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/24/2026 10:13pm
"if you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will"
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Blake_Motley Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/24/2026 10:13pm
For years people have been asking for MGUs from SRAM and Shimano and there has long been speculation that those brands didn’t get involved because they didn’t want to undermine their own market share of expensive, high wear components. In doing so they’ve left their flank wide open for a Chinese company to swallow up the drivetrain market while solving issues riders have complained about for decades. Horrific miscalculation from the drivetrain cartel.
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Blake_Motley Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/8/2026 11:53am
Fallacy or not, if our domestic manufacturing capacity is contingent on wreaking havoc in the Middle East and the global south then I want nothing to do with it. Based on the tidbits shared above, it sounds like our domestic production capacity only exists because the ruling class can’t afford to outsource defense manufacturing without the risk of it being used against them (see Westmag drones) but they’re happy to sell us out for everything else. It may support the workforce but that’s just happenstance as evidenced by them actively trying to replace human labor with AI without any plan...
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ex-ballz Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/8/2026 11:52am
Nigerian scam, the boardroom edition.
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Blake_Motley Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/5/2026 11:48pm
Translation: drone warfare is popping off and we want in on that bag 💰💰💰
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pamtbr Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/5/2026 11:47pm
Unfortunate to see a quality distributor find themselves in too deep and have to go down this path. They had a number of premium brands and, by all accounts, did some pretty heavy lifting on the marketing front, which can't be said of all distributors. Losing Cannondale and Enve certainly didn't help matters, but I would also guess Castelli and TLD (premium clothing) were a drag, and brands like Pivot and King likely carry some heavy inventory dollar/pounds. I don't know about the UK, but Silca is always on sale here, so likely some margin pressure for a distributor, and...
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Bobs_is_better_than_A-line Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
6/1/2026 11:45am
I know pedal bikes are an afterthought when it comes to making money in the bike industry these days, but I was wondering if the concept of model years has proven to be an obsolete model in the bike industry. It feels like a few big brands have steered away (Transition and some others I can't think of.) I wonder if model years are still worth the squeeze of offering something shiny and "new" to the consumer at the expense of needing to discount inventory that doesn't move. I feel like since the bubble pop of '23-'24 its a better...
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bulletbass man Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/21/2026 11:32am
In my group of pals most people are riding whatever enduro bike they purchased since Covid. Quite a few have put what would essentially be the parts package cost of a new bike upgrading their now 4-6 year old frame. I imagine most people will end up with an e-bike. The wealthier folk will get the latest and greatest and sell the used stuff to the less wealthy of us. Once the market is as saturated with e-bikes as it currently is with pedal bikes, well the industry will be right where it is now with pedal bikes. Now the...
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storm.racing Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/21/2026 11:26am
Been wondering for a long time when this would happen " -GoPro sale or merger being considered (how'd I miss this!? Wild! Insta360+DJI ate their lunch)"
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HexonJuan Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/21/2026 11:25am
Niner shutting shop shouldn't surprise anyone. They haven't done anything relevant in near a decade. Geo and aesthetics for their full sus platforms are very much off the back. That they lasted as long as they did was always a wonder to me.
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jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/21/2026 11:25am
Side point, but after talking to a number of brands and shops, one thing keeps standing out: e-MTB is no longer a side quest (even if you aren't amflow). I know this is a big "duh" to those in Europe, but for me (a long time analog bike guy) its a stark reminder things have changed. I have three brands telling me off the record e bikes drive over half the company's revenue. If you don’t have a real e-MTB story right now (like Niner), you’re making yourself harder for shops to justify carrying. From the shop’s perspective, they can...
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Digit Bikes Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/15/2026 11:04pm
Here's the Apple link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/industry-special-part-2-episode-1… And the Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6EZiZkb0omiwWyxKDxIXMC I've subscribed before to Escape, I imagine I'll do so again to access parts 2, 3 and 4/ If anyone has 7 figures that they're eager to invest in a bike company with a patent moat. Please consider giving me a call.
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63expert Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/9/2026 11:16pm
When the rubber meets the road you need to circle back to holistic synergy’s that will establish a new paradigm, with the realization that the confluence of intrinsic idealizations is the pathway to abundance.
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jeff.brines Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread
5/9/2026 11:16pm
@amaranth beat me to it. To each their own but I don't consider anything you mentioned to constitute a "technological moat". Another way to say this is I don't see any intellectual property that is differentiated enough in the market to the point a consumer is willing to pay a premium for it, nor do I see any of those features defensible (they will be copied). I pay attention to bike-nerd culture pretty closely and I'm yet to see one post saying "Orbea's eeb UI is so much better, I just had to have it". Just like every other bigger...
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