Michael Chen, president of Mountain Cycle and board member of parent-company Kinesis, has just released the first official statement regarding the local layoffs and shutdown of Mountain Cycle.
Chen’s statement refers to the move to completely dissolve the brand’s Portland presence as “trimming the fat” and he places blame squarely on the brand’s management. Here’s an excerpt from the press release (full PDF version):
“This restructuring was necessary to refocus the Mountain Cycle brand on its core business: freeride and extreme terrain bicycles.
…the management team in charge of advancing the brand strayed from the company’s core values and products. After a string of misguided niche-market introductions like our road and cyclocross frames, Mountain Cycle’s core customer didn’t recognize the brand any more.”
Wow. I thought their cyclocross frame was actually one of their bright spots. I also think this statement shows a complete lack of integrity by Chen and just rubs salt in the wounds of the laid-off Portland staff. I hope this is the last we hear of Kinesis, we’re better off without them.