Portland-based Velotech Inc. has been acquired by Backcountry. The sale was reported in Bicycle Retailer & Industry News Magazine (BRAIN) on Thursday. Backcountry is an industry pioneer that made their first sale on the Internet in 1996 and is largely credited with being the first online retailer of outdoor goods.
Velotech was founded in 2002 and is the parent company of e-commerce brands BikeTiresDirect, Western Bikeworks and TriSports. Here’s more from BRAIN:
“Velotech’s cycling-first DNA and operational excellence make them a highly strategic addition to Backcountry,” said Kevin Lenau, the interim CEO of Backcountry. “This partnership is rooted in brand independence and fueled by a shared ambition to better serve riders everywhere.”
Velotech will continue to operate its existing sites independently of Backcountry, according to the company. “Over time, Backcountry and Velotech will explore opportunities to collaborate on product assortment, rider education, content, and fulfillment to further enhance the customer experience,” the company said in a release.
“We’re excited to join the Backcountry family,” said Jay Torborg, CEO of VeloTech. “Backcountry’s scale and outdoor expertise will help us serve more riders than ever, while staying true to our roots.”
Reached via email, Torborg told BikePortland he’ll exit the company once the dust settles. “I am looking forward to retiring once I’ve helped to make sure the integration with Backcountry goes well,” Torborg wrote. “I think they will be a great partner.”
A PR rep for Backcountry confirmed that Velotech will maintain their existing warehouse and will-call showroom in Portland. “Velotech staff will continue to operate independently and customers can expect the same great price and same-day shipping,” I was told.
This might be seen as a sign of life from Backcountry, who themselves were purchased by a private equity group just one year ago.
Velotech used to operate a retail store in the Pearl District under its Western Bikeworks banner, but closed that shop in 2020 and consolidated into their current warehouse and showroom in northeast Portland near NE 87th and Columbia Blvd.
Disclaimer: Velotech is a regular BikePortland advertiser, but that relationship did not influence this story.
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Whoa, big news! Glad to hear people will be keeping their jobs
I hope they continue their annual sale. It’s good fun. Not jazzed about the private equity ownership though, it seems it is rarely good for employees or customers….guess time will tell. ♂️
I’m leery of Backcountry. A few years back, they launched a raft of lawsuits against all kinds of small businesses with the name “Backcountry” in their names or products — including ones that existed before they did.
I’d bought with them for years, but I haven’t considered a purchase with them since. I’ve heard they walked back their aggressive stance later, but I haven’t bothered to follow up. I simply forgot about them as soon as they went after the little guys.
In fairless – that was the previous ownership group of Backcountry.
I don’t know the details, but often companies have to do this or they risk losing their trademark.
Bullying small players who actually contribute to the community by attempting to “own” generic terms everyone uses is BS.
Decent people and legit businesses don’t do that — there are plenty with generic names that we all use.
Backcountry trashed their brand with that move, I know a lot of people that dumped them, none that returned.
If the term is judged sufficiently generic in the industry in which it’s used, it can’t be trademarked. For example, I could not trademark “Tire brand tires”, but I could trademark Tire brand camping stoves. I don’t know if that applies in this case, but I think these IP questions are interesting to learn about.
There was an interesting article about that question in the NYTimes recently:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/europe/vetements-trademark-lawsuit.html
It seems entirely plausible that a brand could damage itself by defending its trademark, perhaps more than not defending it and risking loss of the trademark would. Nobody likes bullies, but preserving a trademark sometimes forces you to act like one.
You would really elect a retailer in this industry to make a raft out of something more durable!
Who remembers the Backcountry boycott?
They tried to takedown a really cool and small ski company, much like Specialized did repeatedly
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-news/backcountry-com-lawsuit-backlash-explained
Methinks your disclaimer doth protest too much.
what are you trying to say Steve?
Most editors just state a potential conflict with an advertiser; I have never read one of them adding the line that the potential conflict/influence did not affect their reporting. It is a self-serving declaration on your part, that you should not feel the need to express. You readers either trust you or they don’t.
Ah ok, thanks. And I’m not most editors just FYI. Appreciate the feedback.
NPR, for one, regularly uses a very similar disclaimer, e.g.,
Whether you believe that or not, of course, is a different story. But there it is.
I have listened to NPR for decades and NEVER heard that disclaimer…same thing with PBS; they are good about point out sponsors when reporting on them, but never add the second sentence.
Steve, I too have listened to NPR for decades and currently listen daily. In fact, multiple times daily. I have heard that phrase many times. I copied and pasted the quote I shared from a transcript on NPR.org.
…aaaand there it is.
If someone here has a story that starts with “acquired by a private equity group” and doesn’t end with “staff hollowed out, stripped of assets, loaded down with external debt, then dissolved in bankruptcy” I would genuinely love to hear it. Not a rhetorical ask!
Cannondale, Santa Cruz, etc are all owned by PON Holdings, IIRC
Try Berkshire-Hathaway. They own quite a lot – they are a giant conglomerate started by Warren Buffet – and are famous for actually growing what they buy. Dairy Queen, BNSF railroad, Pampered Chef, Precision Castparts…
not a rhetorical ask, but one based on ignorance of the business landscape.
They’re asking to be informed. Why don’t you shed some light on the business landscape then?
Thank you Paul H & david hampsten. I only ever hear the bad stories.
I never thought of Berkshire-Hathaway as one of this club!