Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. “It was Rich’s idea to start a bike company. The most recent collaboration with Santa Cruz Bikes offers a signature version of SC's aluminum hardtail, painted bright red and emblazoned with Supreme's white, block-lettered logo. From seasoned pros and weekend warriors, to kids and commuters—if you ride, we’re for you. Once we had time, we developed it further and received a patent in 2008 after waiting almost five years,” Rob explains. In 1997, the brand was acquired by Minnesota-based Quality Bicycle Products, which transitioned from a wholesale bike-parts distributor to a bike-brand conglomerate, with a focus on biking in climates with cold winters. Don't miss out on MBUK – get your next 3 issues for just £5, Get the next 3 issues of the UK's number one cycling magazine for just £5. 2005: Rob signs legendary rider Steve Peat to join his muscle team, the Santa Cruz Syndicate. 1983: School never gets a look-in. I ask Rob about the perceived upmarket identity of Santa Cruz. They’re both instant successes. (Almere, 03.07.2015) With immediate effect, Pon Holdings acquires Santa Cruz Bicycles, the California-based market leader in high-end mountain bikes. tricycles and power assisted cycles but does not include Motorcycles.For bicycle parts, see List of bicycle part manufacturing companies.. In case you missed it over the weekend, Santa Cruz bikes was sold to Dutch company Pon Holdings, which also owns bike brands Focus, Cervelo, and others.In addition to bicycles, Pon Holdings also imports car brands like Volkswagen and Lamborghini into the Netherlands, specializing in logistics, marketing, distribution, and service for everything from vehicles to bikes, heavy equipment, and tires. A professional skateboarder throughout the late ’80s, Rob’s affinity with the burgeoning sport of mountain biking at that time would result in the creation of Santa Cruz Bicycles. We make bikes we want to ride!” Those bikes, it turns out, are often full-sussers. This versatile, bob-free platform opened the possibilities for Rob’s designers, and the Blur XC was born, bringing with it a new fresh wave of cross-country orientated interest. It is a Dutch conglomerate that owns several bike brands, such as Focus, Cervélo, and Gazelle. For the US and Canada , head on over to the 'find a dealer' page and enter your zip code (or allow your browser to know your location) to find your closest retailer. Today we’re locat­ed in San­ta Cruz with 26 (or so) peo­ple work­ing at Ibis. And f*ck Sram for even making NX and giving all bike companies a way to downgrade their low end builds while keeping the price the same. Our eBikes have fully integrated electronics and premium drive systems from Bosch, Brose, Shimano and TranzX. In 1999 we created the first mountain bike aimed specifically at female riders. Peat, Minnaar and Bryceland ride the Fort William World Cup on carbon V-10 bikes. Start Shopping. Free Agents hail from all over the world and race in everything from cyclocross to four-cross, and downhill to dirt jumps. Selling bikes since 1986! Focus Bikes 2021 | Focus Premium UK Stockist Founded in 1993 by World Cyclocross Champion Mike Kluge to pour his racing experience into true product development. We have a service door, Please wait there for a technician to invite you inside. 1984-90: Rob’s a skateboarder with his own pro model deck that’s made by Santa Cruz Skateboards. Also, Santa Cruz still offer more than one suspension platform, which says a lot about the mind behind the company. He drives an Audi RS4 to and from a house he’s equipped with a battery of solar panels. “For the most part, yes,” he says, “because we’re not the first people to the [carbon] party. Within two years, Santa Cruz Skateboards – headed by Rich Novak – was producing a Roskopp pro-model deck, versions of which are suspended on the wall at one end of Santa Cruz’s bike warehouse. Racing has always been a passion for Rob and the Syndicate’s evolution from an athlete launchpad to a streamlined World Cup winning mega team, bare witness to his competitive nature and love for downhill racing. “We wanted to see how much difference the VPP shock rate would make by applying it to a single pivot. Bikes haven’t always been Rob’s scene, though – he spent six years as a pro skater in the ’80s before launching Santa Cruz Bicycles. Frames are powder coated on site, allowing the company to offer the customer a customisable bike build. Rob passes a proprietorial eye over the fruits of his team’s hard labour. maybe? He goes with $800 on him and the idea of attending school there. Rob buys the VPP patent from Outland Cycles, who have gone bust. With IZIP you have a winning combo: great looks paired with quality, reliability and value. “I’ve done everything in this place, from sweeping the floors to looking after trade shows,” he grins, now glancing around the hotchpotch of tin-clad buildings that house his company. Even then the resulting Chameleon was designed to be a little different, with the ability to slot in a (then) long-travel fork or be converted to a singlespeed. Indeed, despite the hills surrounding Santa Cruz being littered with fast singletrack that can be ridden on a cyclo-cross bike, a hardtail didn’t come to fruition until 1996. Santa Cruz Among Few Counties Keeping Beaches Open July 3, 2020, 5:29 PM Surfers were out enjoying the weather and waves Friday at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz where, unlike most California beaches, they were not breaking the rules. A professional skateboarder throughout the late ’80s, Rob’s affinity with the burgeoning sport of mountain biking at that time would result in the creation of Santa Cruz Bicycles. Our 5 own­ers all work full time for the com­pa­ny. I shudder to think of how many of his competitors’ high-end frames have been reduced to splintered objets d’art at the hands of Rob. Learn more about our approach to designing and building bikes. Hans Heim is our CEO , Tom Mor­gan is our pres­i­dent, Col­in Hugh­es leads our engi­neer­ing depart­ment, Roxy Lo is our design­er and Scot tries to stay out of the way. So what’s his secret? SHOP SANTA CRUZ EBIKES. By ‘94, Rob’s vision of a bicycle brand had been realized with the three-inch travel Tazmon, marking the beginning of a 25-year journey that would create some of the sports most iconic bikes. 2010: Santa Cruz launch the APP platform, adding a swinglink to drive the shock on two new bikes: the 5in- and 6in-travel Nickel and Butcher. Competitive Cyclist is your shop for everything bike. Does Santa Cruz have no respect for ther own bikes? 1993: Working part-time at Santa Cruz Skateboards, Rob leaves night school to start Santa Cruz Bicycles along with co-founder Rich Novak. 1995: Santa Cruz follow up with the esteemed Heckler, a 4in-travel full-susser. Our team of riders hunting Enduro World Series races across the globe, from Aspen to Madeira. Focus is a brand that is pushing hard with e-MTB models, which have been outselling its regular MTBs for a few years now. Customers of Santa Cruz, which include retailers and consumers, expect the best. ... surfboards, clothing, posters, stickers, banners, etc since 1978. Overwhelmingly, shops identified price points between $500 and $1,000 as the biggest growth area. What was it like in the early days? While the Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) platform is popularly attributed to Santa Cruz, it was Rob’s curiosity and resourcefulness that led to Santa Cruz being the home of the VPP. 1982: Rob Roskopp, 19,  leaves his home in Ohio for Santa Cruz, California. Spot Bikes | mountain bikes, gravel bikes, city bikes, belt drive bikes. Our family of riders and mechanics pushing World Cup downhill to be a little weirder and a little wilder for more than a decade. Many people have refered to the Maestro suspension as the "poor-man's" VPP. This simple truth drives us to be—and do—better. Determine whether Santa Cruz Bicycles grew or shrank during the last recession. I’m kind of over it now.” Still, Rob’s immersion in skating did supply him with the ability to keep his finger on the pulse of emerging trends. I look at the exquisite Blur LT carbon I’m straddling – clearly things have changed. Lured by the Californian attitude (and sunshine), Rob took the 2,400-mile bus ride from Ohio to Santa Cruz at the age of 19 with just $800 in his pocket. There’s history here: the same premises once housed a fish cannery before becoming Keith Bontrager’s workshop, and Santa Cruz still shares this space with a commercial bakery. With his versatile outlook, it’s hard to categorise Rob. The company initially focused on producing bicycle frames and custom stems. Santa Cruz, for example, is still assembling bikes at its California factory to fulfill dealer orders, said Joe Graney, the brand's CEO. The bike industry was about 10 years behind in style,” he continues. Based in Cloppenberg Germany Focus is part of a group that owns other brands such as Cervelo and Santa Cruz.Focus bikes pride themselves on uncompromised performance, smart technology and high quality design. 1999: Rob sees the limitations of single-pivot designs and his designer advises him to seek out the VPP platform. The differences in ride may be subtle to most, however the longer I ride I find that those little details can make a good ride great. 17' 18' 19' & 2020! The Demo Tour is the perfect opportunity to try our bikes on your local trails. ALMERE, the Netherlands (BRAIN) — Pon Holdings, a Dutch conglomerate that owns several bike brands including Cervélo, Focus and Gazelle, has purchased California-based Santa Cruz Bicycles. “There’s been a change in the industry, especially for the image of high-end models as that’s where you’re going to make your money,” he explains. Rob is thickset, which, along with his shaved head, gives him the look of an East End bouncer rather than the boss of an innovative bike company. As we pass through the powder-coating shop, I’m greeted by two smiling tattooed guys who have death metal blaring from speakers. Santa Cruz also has an award-winning sister brand, Juliana, which makes mountain bikes for women. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. Turbo Levo Comp vs Santa Cruz Heckler vs Orbea Wild vs RM Instinct Power Play ... (It’s his 70s yo father who owns it and it’s not where he can check it out). KHS makes many levels of road bikes, from full-blown race bikes to fun sport ride bikes to off-road gravel bikes that take you to see the beauty of the earth. It was a groundbreaking shift in focus for the industry, driven by a groundbreaking woman - Juli Furtado - one of the fiercest mountain bikers of all time. Find great deals on specialty road, mountain and triathlon bikes, components, clothing, accessories, and more. When Santa Cruz Bicycles launched in 1994, they did so not with a hardtail, as was the norm, but with an early full-suspension bike. ... Raleigh America still owns both brands and has their headquarters in Kent, Washington. The Syndicate remains to this day, one of Rob’s most treasured achievements and something which continues to showcase Santa Cruz on the world stage. No such thing as a quiet day in the woods on an e-bike. Interview: Rob Roskopp, owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles, Rob has seemingly boundless energy on his bike despite a heavy night before our ride, The bikes they make may be bling, but Santa Cruz work in humble surroundings, The company aren’t afraid to experiment with unusual designs and aesthetics, You don’t need a full-susser to ride these trails, but those are the bikes Rob loves to make, There are plenty of colour options you can pick via Santa Cruz’s website-based bike builder, Ten tips to stay motivated through winter, How to ride your first century, double century or longer ride in 2021, Interview: Jeff Steber, owner of Intense Cycles, Interview: Specialized founder Mike Sinyard. Santa Cruz'n Life in the eclectic sea side town of Santa Cruz, California ... My husband bikes over this bridge everyday to work. To maintain that level of service as they grow, Santa Cruz uses Service Hub. Innovation has been key to the brand, spurred on by Rob’s own willingness to look beyond conventions and keep ahead of the trends. For the past hour, I’ve watched Rob kick up the back end of his Blur LT Carbon as he airs the rolling jumps that punctuate our singletrack loop. “We now have an exclusive deal with our carbon manufacturer and are able to employ techniques others don’t, basically because it costs much more. Their product range currently includes 16 models that are sold in 70 countries under the brand names of Santa Cruz and Juliana. When the San Francisco Bay Area first declared a stay-at-home order in March, Santa Cruz shut down its facility, he said. The Tazmon did just that and was followed a year later by the Heckler, a 4in-travel design that boosted sales three-fold, no doubt helped by its pivotal role in the groundbreaking freeride film Kranked. With both online channel and retail stores in San Luis Obispo, California shipping to all US states with free shipping over $75. You can’t wear this stuff but it will make you and your bike radder than ever. I laugh, admitting that much of what I saw this time around was his rear wheel kicking dust in my face. It hasn’t happened by chance. Who bought Santa Cruz bikes? Already have an account with us? The pro packs, derailleur hangers, and bearing tools you need to keep your ride running. SC skateboards were good in the 70's and early 80's but were left behing like many other skateboard companies, I used to own a couple of them and really liked them but loved my Alva and Smith boards. Today, most Diamondback bicycles are made by Kinesis Industries, a Taiwanese-based company with a factory in China that specialize in frames and forks. We tested a lot of our competitors’ frames, at least the high-end carbon ones, and as a strength-to-weight ratio there’s nothing stronger right now,” he continues, giving me a peek at the rig they use to conduct 800lb shear tests on carbon seat tubes. It’s funny, our first carbon prototype was made in 1995; we did a co-op deal with a local aerospace company, but the project never saw the light of day. When I ask how easy it was to get Peaty onto his team, Rob replies: “It certainly took some time but I’d been wanting to do it for a while,” hinting at the same ambition that’s kept Santa Cruz ahead of the game. ... And most e-bikes I can hear from 20 yards back as they pass. He smiles broadly and in an instant the person behind the East End bouncer facade is revealed: a regular bloke who isn’t afraid to seize opportunities, be they riding with a visiting photographer, or compiling one of the most revered bike ranges on offer today. The man with the plan who made the Syndicate happen. “We’re always working on something new,” he answers, “and we’ll continue to make great products that put a big smile on my face!”, The glorious sun-drenched buff trails of California are Rob’s playground, Get £10 off the fantastic 1000W Cooks Professional Stand Mixer, Whip up some of your best bakes yet with this powerful and easy-to-use stand mixer. So the bikes had to prove themselves. ARE YOU BROWSING THE CORRECT REGION? But what prompted Rob to get into the bike biz? 2001: The 4in-travel Blur and 10in-travel V10 are launched simultaneously to show off the versatility of VPP. Compare how recession-proof Santa Cruz Bicycles is relative to the industry overall. This page lists notable bicycle brands and manufacturing companies past and present. Since then, he’s built a brand with one of the strongest identities and most loyal fanbases around. He’s yawning – the price to be paid after a night out with Steve Peat – but his riding suggests he’s anything but tired. By entering your details, you are agreeing to BikeRadar terms and conditions and privacy policy. Although completely separate from the Santa Cruz skate brand except  in name, dealers wrongly saw the company as jumping on the mountain bike bandwagon. When I ask him if the more recent carbon Blur XC and Blur LT Carbon were well received by the public, he’s confident. Outland folded around 1998,” he says. Santa Cruz owns Intense? The carbon V-10 and M-16 are scary similar. Founded in Southern California and inspired by sunny weather and laid back cool, our bikes come in zesty colors and stylish graphics. I’m also trying to catch my breath. “You could consider the skate industry as at the cutting edge back then in terms of marketing, hipness and cool factor. Not bad for a man 47 years young. Or maybe Santa Cruz something owns them both, who knows. We’re always trying to improve the ride, so I experimented on a couple of different platforms, figured out what I liked best and purchased the patents from James Klassen and Jamie Calon – who were the original inventors of VPP when it was on Outland Bikes. Some high-end sales continue online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Right now, I’m halfway through a furious ride with Rob Roskopp, co-founder and owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles. Rob loves to push the performance of suspension design and Santa Cruz continued with almost annual increases in suspension travel as Rob kept ahead of the curve. Santa Cruz are drenched in Rob’s history, as this wall of Roskopp skateboards testifies. When Rob pushed for an online bike builder feature to be included on Santa Cruz’s website in ’98, the company were alone in doing so, save for two car firms. Subscribe today and get the next 3 issues of your favourite cycling magazine for just £5! “When the bike company started, I was screening T-shirts for Santa Cruz Skateboards,” he says wryly. As we grab a burger at a nearby grill, Rob fills me in on the other trails he’ll show me next time I visit. 2009: Santa Cruz embrace the second wave of carbon technology to produce a carbon Blur XC. This article relates to pedal cycles. Santa Cruz Bicycles was bought by Pon Holdings in 2015. I ask him what’s in the pipeline for the future. Ibis frames and complete bikes are available from retailers all over the world. You can always access these options at the bottom of every page. Almost everyone who lives here owns something with this logo on it. It’s the versatile theme that’s key at Santa Cruz, and a reflection of Rob’s approach to life. Four months later they release the Blur LT Carbon, a 140mm trail bike. It was called the Tazmon, a 3in-travel single-pivot design whose main girder-like swingarm looked decidedly Heath Robinson. Give your nearest dealer a call to find out more. Bolton Ebikes - High quality electric bikes, parts and upgrades. Founded in a single car garage in Santa Cruz, California, in 1994, this bicycle company began by producing dual-suspension bikes but has since expanded to a variety of high-performance mountain bikes made from either carbon fiber or aluminum. When I ask how many bikes they ship each year, he’s quick to reply, “Performance, quality and service are what matter, not how many we make!” As I walk through stickered-up offices and past the Swobo warehouse (now part of Santa Cruz), it’s clear that it’s riding bikes that motivates the team to add the touches that make the brand so successful. Outside the door, raw aluminium front triangles sit stacked next to sacks of flour destined for the industrial bakery unit next door, and it strikes me that Santa Cruz Bicycles don’t really jibe with the typical corporate image. I get the impression Rob has an almost inexhaustible reserve of energy for all things bike. We were impressed, but we were so busy developing VPP, APP got shelved for years. That and the podium places of the Santa Cruz Syndicate team riders Steve Peat, Josh Bryceland and Greg Minnaar, not to mention Cedric Gracia, who’s also been on Santa Cruz bikes for the past year. But that seems to be the way Rob likes it. But more than that, the bikes themselves are simply running low. Mountain Bikes, Hardtail, Full Suspension, Road, Gravel, cycling apparel, bike components, protection. You can unsubscribe at any time. Today, Santa Cruz only license the VPP to one other company: Intense Cycles. We believe bikes have the power to change lives. 1994: Santa Cruz launch their first bike onto the market – the 3in-travel full-sus Tazmon. These bikes are lighter weight than most other bicycles and have higher gearing to allow you to ride with much more speed to really put in the miles on your daily ride. He’s also happy to embrace the wave of carbon technology that’s sweeping the industry. Rob gets into mountain biking on his GT Karakoram. But they don’t just expect the best bikes and technology; they expect the best support and service from the company. “Rich [Novak] was my mentor,” he admits. The Tazmon was Santa Cruz’s first frame, an unconventional full-susser based around a single-pivot design. To learn more about cookies, click on, THE SYNDICATE: WORLD CUP & CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020, West Highland Way: Rab Wardell's Record Attempt, Check out the 5010 design for balanced geometry. This is useful in estimating the financial strength and credit risk of the company. 1993: Working part-time at Santa Cruz Skateboards, Rob leaves night school to start Santa Cruz Bicycles along with co-founder Rich Novak. Many of our dealers carry a selection of demo bikes. 1990: Rob quits pro skating in order to return to school to study business. Call Us. Last year, they added two APP (Actual Pivot Point) bikes to complement their VPP and single-pivot offerings. I got Rich into it too, and one day he said, ‘What do you think about doing Santa Cruz bikes?’ I did some research, looked at the market and full-suspension made the most sense. 1998: Santa Cruz launch the Bullit, their first dedicated freeride bike, which uses a single-pivot suspension design. However, there’s a glint in his eye that suggests he always has something up his sleeve. This is the stuff we wear every day. Only the base model came with the 500wh. 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