Please "Like" and also " Share" to keep the conversation going. More insights from my perspective with 30 years of experience in the cycling Industry in the playlist: kzread.info/head/PLdfUXv0-z1u42bZpCLWmT2VtNW-7AIf2A

"Strong. Light. Cheap. Pick Two." Keith Bontrager

@mcmlxv9827

3 ай бұрын

Just like with girls; Hot, Single, Sane-you can only pick two.

Interesting, when I got into riding a few years ago, I bought my bikes at a Trek dealership and I just thought of Bontrager as Trek's accessories brand. I'd never heard of Keith Bontrager or knew that he made bicycles. Thanks.

That is the one hardest thing about working at a trek shop. There's too many freaking options and at the end of the day I'm like bro pick what you like. Also lights starting at $54.99 for the smallest led with micro-USB lol.. I can't sell this stuff.

@lastfm4477

4 ай бұрын

AliExpress to the rescue!

@TenFalconsMusic

3 ай бұрын

I'm beginning to think Trek has a cocaine addiction. Behind on their bills and can't focus on anything for more than a few seconds.

He also took narrow Mavic 700c road rims and cut them and bent them to 26" and started selling the first narrow, light mtb rims.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

That was a fun insight that I came across, it's in one of the articles listed in the description.

@mgoo1713

4 ай бұрын

I own a two hoops of the original cut downs

@oldguyandabike

4 ай бұрын

MA40s?

@larryt.atcycleitalia5786

3 ай бұрын

Yep, they were MA40's and the shop I worked at in SoCal couldn't get enough of 'em! But, like the guy says the Big T soon waved fat stax at them along with Fisher, LeMond, Klein and that workstand company - is that now (or then) Ultimate? Soon enough, the Big-T's house brand stems (previously ICON which I guess they bought earlier?) and other stuff was re-branded as Bontrager. Then they screwed-over LeMond, cut Fisher and Klein loose (after selling those bikes, as noted here to dealers just down the block from their T stores) and the whole consolidation thing hit full speed. Now Bontrager's name is no longer useful so that's getting the ax. The whole thing is sad as the founder was a tough guy, but fair, more-or-less. His kid's just a jerk IMHO and he'll run the thing into the ground before he's through unless someone else takes over. I've owned a few of 'em over the years but NFW would I EVER buy another one!@@oldguyandabike

Back in the day I had a Bontrager RaceLite in extension cord orange. Wished I hadn’t sold it back in ‘08. Hard to believe Trek is sunsetting the brand.

I have my 1999 Bontrager Privateer. Still draws looks and comments. Mine has the black, yellow, and red paint scheme 😊

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Those were awesome rides!

@briandeis4796

4 ай бұрын

The Privateer was a fantastic ride and steel was the right choice for frame material.

@davevessey7324

3 ай бұрын

I also have a Privateer, one of my favorite rides from around the same year.

Remember when Trek sided with Armstrong and dropped LeMond because of his comments toward Lance? Remember when they bought Klein and subsequently killed off the brand in only a few years for reasons I'm not sure of. Remember when they bought Gary Fisher and used that branding for about 5 years until they ceased with it? Oh, and most, if not all of the Fisher road bikes were just repainted LeMonds for a few years. I'm honestly shocked the Bontrager branding stayed around for this long, especially since he mostly did mountain bikes beforehand. Trek has been headed off the rails for some time now. Glad karma is finally catching up too them. Too bad though because they once made fantastic bikes; that company has long been dead though.

@jeffdavis5841

3 ай бұрын

Still have my Klein Attitude in team colors I bought new in 96 and one of the last to come out of Chehalis WA

The Trek store down the street has the cold, corporate ambiance of a Red Lobster but the folks there sure are nice. We’ve bought two E bikes from them and they treat us very well.

@meliodashadeyoshi2115

3 ай бұрын

Yeah but when your not there to buy something then you won't get the same results from them they look at you as money not a customer I was going to buy a top fuel through a trek bike shop but they just gave me that vibe that was pushing me to buy the bike and not telling me to do my research which gave a huge flag for them there might be good employees out there but I decided to go to a local bike shop and got myself a Santa Cruz hightower v3 personally wanted a trail bike not a cross country/trail and I told them that so do your own research sit on the bike ride it and if it feels just right sit on a couple more and make sure but If someone is pushing you to buy a bike and say it's a great bike but you don't like the feel of the bike don't buy it it's what you like.

I just bought a Trek Domane AL5 a couple of weeks ago and put Bontrager Elite 35 carbon wheels on it. The bike looks sick now, and it is a smooth ride.

@TenFalconsMusic

3 ай бұрын

I didn't buy a Trek a couple of weeks ago and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

As soon as they stopped selling even ammo at Dick's sporting goods most people I know stopped shopping there. The local fishing tackle shop is better too. I think it's just a city soccer mom shop now.

Tom Ritchey built a good brand with a limited selection of bicycles and accessories. He seems to be well postured for the tectonic shifts ahead for the cycling industry.

@e.con0210

4 ай бұрын

He’s the only one left making those quality frames. I hope he never sells his company, find someone with same mentality and ingenuity to keep it going. I’m still working on getting one

@lastfm4477

4 ай бұрын

@@e.con0210 You know he sold his company to Specialized... only to buy it back?

Does anyone know of other channels like this? I love the discussions on the biking industry and the little history lessons. Thanks!

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

@GCPerformance18, @Mapdec, @bkefrmr, @MTBShed that has some content like this.

@kevindolan2194

4 ай бұрын

escape collective has a great 4 part series on the covid boom/bust. I believe you need to subscribe to get the podcast . Great journalism

Interesting about the REI going in Loveland. That Scheels there is a beast of a store, they have a small Trek store inside of it, at least small compared to the Boulder Trek store.

"At 70 he may want to go ride his bike, HA HA". I'm only 2 years behind him and I commute to work most days on my CX bike, and 2 yrs ago I did the GAP trail ride, Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD. Age doesn't really matter if you keep on it.

@GregBalzer

3 ай бұрын

OMG, born in 1957. How is he still alive? /s

Cool little history lesson on Bontrager 😎🤘🏻

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Don't know if it's common knowledge but Merida owns 49% of Specialized.

It appears that Trek is trying to strengthen the brand brand name across product lines and make them exclusive. The stores, the bikes, the parts all being Trek brand. The Bontrager name was used to create a sense of after-market, higher end, custom parts. Now Trek wants their name on that piece of the pie. They just couldn't have worse timing with the market.

I won’t buy Trek bikes because of all the bontrager parts on their bikes. So for me i like it.

Still have my pre-trek RaceLite. And my cross bike. They both ride like a dream.

Still riding my Bontrager TiLite, best bike for climbing ever. Managed to get a couple of RockShox SID Race Titanium locking forks that I'm still able to maintain, so hope to keep this ride going for a few more decades.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

2 ай бұрын

Nice!

I had a comment regarding "this" on your last video. You deleted it (I understand. I was harsh regarding Trek and Bontrager stating I'd never buy another Trek after owning 4 over the past 15 years). Well, you are right about all of this...

thanks man learned a lot.

I had a Bontrager Switch Blade fork on a Bridgestone MB-3 in 1990!

Bicycling magazine did the same thing with other magazines around that same time. Remember Cyclist and Bicycle Guide? Seems like there were others that got munched up too.

My local bike shop Trek Dealer retired here on Long Island NY and another very good local Bike shop bought him out to take over the business. In the meantime during the renovation I took my road bike for a new chain and brake pads and I called back to replace the battery that was in the frame (due tap) Had to wait 10 days for the bike and had to buy a service package too $$$. While my old bike mechanic I would have the bike back the same day or next. Ok times have changed I get it, but when I took the bike out for a ride it was not shifting correctly and my bike computer register the battery was running low. Had to wait two days because they were closed Sunday and Monday. Never again I will step foot in that store for service. Support your small local bike shops is the lesson learned here.

I’m surprised it took so long. Trek kills so many iconic brands.

... Story-time: Rolling Rock Beer ... made w/ the chrystal clear waters of the Laurel Highlands (of Pennsylvania) ... Budwieser purchased them ... and moved brewing to the Passaic River, New Jersey ... Result: Sales Crashed !!!!: You can not find Rolling Rock on tap anywheres ... and it is no longer Penn States' "goto" beer ... Thats thinking !!!

So that is why I recently bought a ion 200 rt light and it is branded Trek and not Bontrager...

I went into a trek store and saw a pair of bontrager boas on sale! Snagged one pair on thr spot. Nice!

Bontrager is a known brand and the component designs stand the test of time. A very short sighted decision.

Just stopped by a trek store that once was a LBS. the employees are awesome. The Bontrager stuff is going on sale. And I was told the stores are making room for Rapha clothes.

@GregBalzer

3 ай бұрын

While I own my fair share of Rapha, I can’t imagine there is a huge market for bike kit in that price range.

I really hope Trek recovers from this

Biggest complaint I have are the axle seals on a Trek 220 24", and presumably 26", MTBs. The wheels, axles, and tires are all Bontrager parts, including the axle/wheel hubs. Literally, they do not sell the axle seals as a replaceable, standalone part. They only sell them as part of an axle rebuild kit. The problem is, I'm used to dealing with cup-and-cone axles, not cup-and-seal axles. And if you have to pull the bearings out of the hub and screw up the axle seals trying to get it apart, the hub is machined much too narrow to get a normal cup-and-cone hub seal to actually let the hub rotate around the axle. And while I understand sealed bearings are a thing, this isn't really needed on a bike meant for 8-13 y.o. girls who, more than likely, won't be riding on trails or in the rain. In a word, such hub engineering is unnecessary.

Not a good move. I'd consider putting a Bontrager part on a random bike, but not something Trek branded. Also I always get the feeling of cheapness when it come to "own branded" components, even when thats not the case. Another thing I have is the dislike Trek for killing off the Klein and Gary Fisher brands. Cycleurope has in some ways gone a different (but same) path and focus on Bianchi instead of debatably top brand Monark. But all their brands still exists on their local markets.

Great info dude I never knew all this info on Bontrager and Trek history very interesting 😃 shame that Trek are now dropping the brand name 😮 Pete 🚴🏻👍

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Yep, it's the last brand name they grabbed in the 90's. Crazy, Gary Fisher left about a year ago as well. Now it's only John Burk and the corp peeps....

@madtownangler

4 ай бұрын

Fisher is the brand of bike that I have the most of. Kinda weird that way but someone always had one for sale in the 2000's. All of mine were Trek made though. One strange dude

I noticed Trek buying up way too many shops too fast. Big boom = big bust eventually. Overreaching means you gotta cut some weight to stay in the air. When they bought out the small shop in my college town and then in another, I was thinking this is going to end badly. It took a lot of money to do that, and when they can't sell enough to pay back the loans, they are going to be in big trouble. People don't go into a bike shop for just one brand. They like multiple brands to compare against. Just like clothes or car parts or whatever. If anything, they could have made bikes again out of Bontrager and Fisher to give the illusion of multiple brands. That actually would have been smart. Like how Giant does Liv as a "other" brand when it's not.

Did bontrager have a separate design team? I always thought that trek were just using the name to make it easier it sell parts to specialized owners.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Not sure on the team, but I know he was activity involved in all products with his name on them.

How much were they paying Bontrager every year???

The best bontrager parts are the older vintage mtb parts. I have a set of Chris king bontrager hubs that I’ve used and relaced for about 15 years on my road bikes.

I never met Mr Bontrager. I did meet Mr Fisher and Mr Ritchie at some industry trade shows over years. Nice men with a passion for excellence.

That is disappointing. My 99 Gary Fisher and Tassajara were spec's with a lot of Bonttager components. I still have my Bontrager Grassroots jersey from the late 90's. One of my favs!

That Montrose saddle was a good one, I know that

I suspect many older consumers have more respect for the Bontrager brand than they do for Trek

I have Bontrager shoes and I think Bont is like Trek's specialty line where it's got more of a personal touch and quality and less plain. Mostly because of the really cool name.

Selling to Trek was Keith's greatest move.

Most people that I know that own a bicycle shop have a Bontrager Frame laying around somewhere.

My LBS carries Trek, Giant, Salsa, and a couple others. People would come in wanting a Trek, sales staff would show them how they could get same with Giant for 25% less. Now, with the Dick's deal, I see 2 Giant and about 35 Treks in the store, but the cheaper F/X and Variant models. So they must be pushing those.

Same with Gary Klein, Gary Fisher, Diamont, Trek destroys everything it touches. Nike Cycling comes to mind when they stated they(Nike) made more money with Nike Bowling.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Oh, I forgot about Nike and Snap-On. (Snap-On made some of the Wrench Force Tools)

Always interesting and informative content Please do a similar, in depth look at KLEIN bicycles Can you share more about those transitions years when TREK acquired KLEIN in future content More details how production remained the same until TREK ...

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

I'll see what I can do. Thanks for watching.

Bontrager hard case tires are the best tire bar none. I personally have put over 40k combined miles on different sets of tires without a single flat.

Thus Trek has sunset Greg LeMond, Gary Fisher and now Keith Bontrager.

So are we to assume that with the announcement of Trek now carrying the Rapha brand that eventually Trek will buy Rapha? I've heard that Rapha is ripe for the picking of late with sales in the crapper.

@BaggettCyclingAdventures

3 ай бұрын

Walton boys bought Rapha last year or the year before...

Bontrager branded stuff at Trek stores was confusing. Especially since most don’t know the history of Bontrager and might not care. People buying a Trek at at Trek store want Trek branded parts

I wanted the Rock Shock Judy, so bad!!! 🎉 Ok might have found my mid-life bike : the Norco Shore A2 41% off on Jenson, pink & blue

Keith was a tinkerer genius Had a machine in the shop that he would run parts through impact cycles on to see how many tens of thousands of impacts they would last. He loved breaking other brands parts with it when people would bring them in to get tested. His welding philosophy was that the molecular structure of the metal needed to be aligned in the weld for strength. Can’t remember the techniques he used that he said achieved this. He put that machine to a lot of use perfecting his welding and the proof was definitely evident in the product. Boeing should have hired him, but then like Trek; corporation's #1 responsibility is to shareholder value not the users of the product and that’s enshrined in law

Awesome story

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

3 ай бұрын

Thank you 😀

I think it’s a mistake. I’m putting as much Bontrager on my Trek 5200 frame as possible.

Still have my original Bontrager Race I bought new direct. Black with silver/Blue decals. Picked the frame up from Keith's shop in Santa Cruz. Built up with XT and LX Shimano. Machine Tech "Power Claw" hubs and Machine Tech brakes, Ringle stem, Specialized front fork (actually they were built by RockShocks I'm told.). Always garaged or inside house when not being ridden. Still looks new, I believe this one was powder coated so paint is great.... has a couple of chips in the downtube decal but not into paint....and I have a replacement set of decals in case I need them....only been 37 years so not sure if they will be needed!?????Still performs great.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

3 ай бұрын

Nice! Thanks for sharing.

Bontrager frames are awesome - wish I had one. Bontrager branded parts however, I found are.of sub-standard quality.

I bought a Trek in 2011 and almost everything Bontrager on it broke in the first year or two.

The only stuff I've bought from Trek the last few years has been Bontrager stuff.

Trek replaced my whole bike under warranty, so I was happy. Then I bought another Trek, and it failed. Treks are getting very cheaply made. Their QC sucks. I'm so glad I am building my own. I helped a buddy out because their new trek was not shifting right. The SRAM cassette was torqued to maybe 5nm when it should be 40nm.

A nice homage to Bontrager.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

2 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Keith Buntragger is a leggend.

I’ve owned trek bikes for over 30-years. I’m now 60. While trek makes a lot of fancy road bikes - most everything is about “sport”. They really don’t make much in the ebike space that is appealing to me. R&M, Gazelle, and even Aventon make far more of the models that I want just to get around town for errands or fun. My relationship with Trek is, sadly, probably over. They can continue to build $10k road bikes I guess and just sell it to others (maybe).

So many brands like Klein, Greg Lemond and now Bontrager

Anyone else here have Bontrager Buzzkill bar-end plugs? They actually do make a difference for hand numbness.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

3 ай бұрын

You can still find them on eBay.

Is bontrager going to have a "going out of business sale"?

Damn first trek was a Gary Fischer... they are gone now Bontager...

Speed springs…White Industries right?

Those frames were great, shame people apparently preferred aluminum and ugh carbon, lol!

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Love me some steel bikes!

Looks/sounds like something got cut out at the 2 min mark.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

I edited out a sneeze, not the cleanest cut.

Remember the bontrager revolt x xc tires, beaut's.

As the seasons change.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Another change in our current market and the new norm.

The industry needs to force a return to French threaded bottom brackets to create a demand for more stuff! T47 on steroids! Everything you have is now obsolete. Save the needy corporate executives!

Jeff Jones only bike OG left

Well, I guess I picked the wrong time to open up a bicycle shop out of my home garage, I do have the LLC & tax stuff but nobody told me that it takes lots of red tape to have a supplier, so Ill stick to fixing bikes in my home garage. I also acquired the Amazon business acct, which it gives me a % off some bicycle product items, and at the end Ill let my LLC run out, I guess "open up a bike shop, it will be fun, they said"

@dustind3960

Ай бұрын

There might be a market for a bike shop fexing all tje chineese bikes and amozon cluld supply you with all the sapare part yo fic all the cheap chineese bikes

Keith managed to hang around long than Greg, plus he was more fun to race with.

I don't think it's goin to matter at all IMO. If you line up any bontrager item's an stack them against similiar specialized item's specialized brand beats them most evry time i have bought a ton of both specialized branded item's an same with bontrager an specialized lasts longer an usually works better also.. I build all my own rides an i won't buy any bontrager anymore got a new bontrager light lasted 1 week they replaced it an 2nd one lasted 1 month it was the bontrager ion 750 lumens headlight few yrs ago.. Same with tired got some bontrager r3 tubeless 32c and again not impressed

Far out, Keith is the real rock star from that era. Was fortunate to visit his factory (back in da day) pre Trek. He gave us a factory tour and got to check out some prototype stuff. About this time he was pissed about a-headsets and stems taking over quill stems and 1' threaded headset standard. Just a really cool cat obviously very passionate about the bike industry. Pretty sure he mentioned something about his wife inventing 1st iteration of v-brakes long before Shimano. I grew up in the Midwest, one of our favorite past times was riding up at the Kettle Moraine forest trail system, then heading over to Trek for a dumpster dive. Man the good old days!

Is Trek heading to be another Pon Holding acquisition?

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Well that would be interesting...

Sad to see the Bontrager name go. I'm hoping Trek at least keeps the name for their tires, wheels, and bars like Specialized does (Roval) for their wheels and bars. Though as much as I loathe Trek, I loathe Specialized even more. I'm hoping your next video is to celebrate the news of Specialized's "right-sizing"..

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

4 ай бұрын

Right!?!?, Well see about the "S" brand here soon.

Didn’t you just have a video stating that Trek was acquired? Was that bad intel? Where did it go?

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

3 ай бұрын

I didn't have one that stated that. Trek is still privately owned by John Burke, but the current indicators do show that Trek looks like it could be heading in that direction. Something to look into.

A rebuildable 32 hole wheel with j bend spokes and a normal rim wins again.

@brockjennings

4 ай бұрын

Amen! I had a pair 32 hole Velocity Aerohead rims with Shimano 105 hubs. Those wheels were indestructible!

Justin, the Bontrager name is NOT going away. Yes, there have been accessories and the "On the Body" categories that have transitioned to Trek branding, but Bontrager will still be the components brand. When Covid happened, a huge new crowd found there way into cycling and bought a Trek. They know the Trek name and do not know Bontrager like you and I do. There is strong demand for Trek branded accessories, the feedback was hear loud and clear and this is why the changes are being put in place. Things change and demand changes. But Bontrager will remain strong in the components arena. They just introduced a new line of MTB tires with the Bontrager brand and 2 models are even Colorado town names - Montrose and Gunnison. Please stop misinforming the public. Keith hasn't been "approving" every item with the Bontrager name on it. Not sure where you heard that or thought that. There is no sob story for Mr Bontrager. He's been well taken care of and it was the best move he could make, which is why he did it.

@IKnowAGuyBicycles

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

Yes! Any bad news about Trek is good news. Trek sucks!

@wymotome

4 ай бұрын

They didn't use to, but I agree...current Trek sucks. They've earned all the bad mojo they are experiencing.

Sounds like the management at Trek practices capitalism (for better or worse, depending on how you fit into their world).

@wymotome

4 ай бұрын

Ironic given their wokeness the past few years.

Who would buy anything by Trek and theirs.........???? Seriously.

@BaggettCyclingAdventures

3 ай бұрын

My whole family...

MountainSpeed/MRP was the shiz for springs.. the boss was a tyrant.. but the products were tits..)/*

Trek lost its MOJO years ago. Go9d. I dont know anyone who uses their products. The one near me has cool people in service. That's about it. I walk in, and they say nothing, no hello, can we help you? Definitely, won't buy a bike from them.