A few hours ago, an employee of Portland-based bike manufacturer, Mountain Cycle left a suspicious comment on my recent post about the Specialized/Stumptown Saga. The employee wrote, “I don’t think Specialized will be bothering Mountain Cycle any longer. More news to follow…” Then, after being prodded by another commenter, he added, “I have not been given permission to make an official statement.”
Now, I notice there is a post on a popular mountain biking forum site that says Mountain Cycle employees have been given notices and that “there is no more Kinesis USA, or Mountain Cycle.”
None of this is official yet, but if it’s true, the timing is very unfortunate. The company was in the midst of a major upswing and had a lot of exciting new energy around it. And, as many of you know, Mountain Cycle is also currently entangled with Specialized Bicycle in a trademark disagreement over the use of the name “Stumptown”.
I will keep you updated on this story as it develops.