What Rocky Mountain Bicycles did not announce today was the termination of most, if not all, of the employees who made the brand worth supporting. But it happened. The dreamers, the designers, and the doers are all down for the count. The brand’s claim that its restructuring process allows for “continuing normal operations” shows a blatant disregard for its 43-year history and a corporate cynicism towards its foundation and marketing.
“That’s what we’ve been up to since 1981, when we started testing mountain bikes on Vancouver’s North Shore after growing bored of riding road bikes. Since then, one core thing has remained consistent—an obsession and group dedication towards sharing that passion and expertise with riders here on the North Shore and across the world.”
As of today, there is no Rocky Mountain presence in Vancouver and the North Shore beyond a whole pile of fired folks who’ve worked on building the brand, and our local community, some for decades, who get to spend Christmas updating their resumes. And, frankly, without those people and their connections to the folks who came before them going back four decades, it might as well be dead.
Sure, the company may survive in some form, answering phones and e-mails from elsewhere whilst riding their historical bona fides into the future like they are Cannondale or GT. And, yes, we all understand that in a world where 3-million-cars-a-year companies like Honda and Nissan are discussing mergers, the next decade will inevitably see fewer bike brands, fewer bike dealers, and more mammoth examples of both.
But it’s today, not tomorrow. And, regardless of what organs may be acquired by other entities or how long the current ownership may keep the company’s corpse dancing as a puppet, December 19th, 2024 seems to be the obvious end date for a local & BC icon. So long, and thanks for all the bikes.
I feel terrible for the folks who have lost their jobs and their incomes (I am sorry, folks. I hope it’s a short journey to a great new gig), and I feel time will show that their impact on the local riding community stretched far beyond their history of making mountain bicycles.
Sorry.