News Roundup - Week of October 13th

Pon agrees to buy Dorel Sports for $810 million

Dorel Industries Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Dorel Sports, its bicycle segment, to Pon Holdings B.V., a Dutch mobility group, for US $810 million in cash, representing approximately CAD $1 billion, payable to Dorel at closing. Dorel Sports bicycle segment includes Cannondale, GT, and Charge bikes, while Pon Holdings owns the Santa Cruz, Cervelo and BBB brands among others.

Dorel expects to use the net proceeds from the sale of approximately US $735 million (subject to closing adjustments) to reduce indebtedness, return capital to shareholders and for general corporate purposes. The sale of Dorel Sports is expected to close before the end of the first quarter of 2022. Dorel intends to announce specific details regarding the use of the net proceeds from the sale at the time of closing.

“Acting on feedback from our shareholders, Dorel embarked on a thorough review of strategic alternatives earlier this year. Our objective has consistently been to create value for our shareholders. The divestiture of Dorel Sports represents a unique opportunity to unlock value by capitalizing on strong demand for scaled assets in the bicycle segment,” said Martin Schwartz, Dorel President and CEO. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend my sincere thanks to the entire Dorel Sports team for their outstanding efforts over the years. Dorel Sports has been an important part of our organization since 2004 and we are very proud of the global success it has achieved. While making the decision to sell Dorel Sports has been difficult, we are confident that this transaction represents full value for Dorel shareholders,” Mr. Schwartz added.

Janus Smalbraak, the CEO of Pon Holdings, said, "Today's step is a milestone in the creation of a world-leading bike company with a variety of quality brands. With the acquisition of Gazelle in 2012 we launched a strategy that step by step led us to the 1.5 billion in revenue bike group that we are today, with great comfort and performance bicycle brands, of which 70 percent electric. As a result of this strategy, we have now reached a highlight with the acquisition of Dorel Sports. They have a rich history with their iconic bike brands all with an impressive heritage. Schwinn is an institute in the US. Caloi the pride of Brazil. And Cannondale is a truly global brand with an excellent reputation. Dorel Sports really is complementary to Pon.Bike and that's why this is such a logical step. Together we can further cater the ever growing demand for quality and electric bikes, whether it's for urban use, leisure or sports. Biking is not only healthy, it also plays a critical role in fighting inner-city congestion. It's one of the most sustainable ways of transport. We are determined to make bikes a powerful part of mobility."

Damien Oton Announces His Retirement From EWS

Damien Oton has announced that he is retiring from Enduro World Series racing, following a 2021 campaign that saw him finish 17th overall. During his career he posted wins at EWS La Thuile 2014 and EWS Finale 2017, along with a series of podiums and a 2nd overall finish in 2018 behind a dominant Sam Hill.

From his Instagram: "Everything has to end, and this is when I hang up! So we often say that adventures are beautiful, but when they happen without looking for it, like for me, it's magic. I have spent exciting years on the EWS circuit and in all the races I have taken part in, from Whistler to La Thuile (what a blast!), From Maçanet to Rotorua. Everywhere I gave the best of what I had to have fun, because that's how fast we go! Thank you all for following and encouraging me, on the side of the track or on social media, thank you for believing in me, the teams of Caminade, Devinci and of course Orbea, obviously my family, and especially my wife, my daughter for their effort during my long absences, thank you for everything.

So on top of that it's over without being over, I'm going to continue working with Orbea and you'll see we'll have the opportunity to meet again. But now, the pleasure will be to ride fast and… without a chrono."

We want to wish Damien all the best in his future endeavors, both on and off the bike!

Yoann Barelli Joins the Whistler Performance Lubricants Team

If you’re a fan of mountain biking you’ve probably heard of Yoann Barelli before. He’s the gnarly Frenchman known for going fast, hitting jaw dropping features, and bringing a smile to everyone's face while he rides. Inspiring generations of mountain bikers through his years of competing on the world stage, it’s what Yoann does off his bike that truly inspires us here at WPL.

Being local to Whistler we’ve been able to grow an appreciation for Yoann’s environmental stewardship and his advocacy for more sustainable practices within the mountain bike community. We knew our mission aligned directly with his and we are beyond excited to welcome him to the WPL family.

Whether Yoann is cleaning up garbage along the highway, teaching our youth essential mountain bike skills, or shredding gnarly trails around the Sea to Sky, he is always pushing us to better ourselves and the environment around us. Many riders underestimate the lasting effects our luxurious sport can have on the environment, but with role models like Yoann we can challenge the status quo and help push the mountain bike community towards a more sustainable future, for generations to come.

Welcome Yoann!

REVIVE MAX 2.0 213 – Going Long Again

Following the standard 30.9 and 31.6 REVIVES, which were introduced last year, here comes the "beefy" brother REVIVE MAX in 34.9 with a whopping 213mm stroke. The latest introductions of bike models throughout the last year showed more manufacturers shifting to he bigger seatpost diameter of 34.9mm for certain models.

Growing demand for the 34.9er diameter - both by end customers and by manufacturers – finally convinced the gals and guys over at BikeYoke to invest in new tooling and parts to also offer the MAX in 213. Good for customers, because the diameter of the upper telescopic tube, which increases from 25 to 28mm in the MAX models, allows for a stronger design, causes less wear and the function becomes even smoother, especially in the long strokes.

With the ever increasing desire for more stroke the existing, long-time-around, 34.9 "standard“ does look like the superior option over the smaller 30.9/31.6 counterparts on the long run, considering the travel is trending longer and longer and even longer - throughout all frame sizes.

Needless to say, the new 213 MAX also gets all the REVIVE 2.0 updates of its thinner sisters which were already introduced last year:

- 3D forged, one-piece telescopic tube unit, CNC finished

- Hard anodized sliding pin grooves in the upper telescope tube unit for increased corrosion resistance and less wear and tear

- CNC re-machined actuator lever for even smoother lever feel

- Forged aluminum foot/control assembly

- New saddle bolts with integrated tapered washers

- New, symmetrical and extended upper saddle clamp

The existing 125/160/185 REVIVE MAX models remain unchanged in the lineup.

As with its slimmer 30.9 and 31.6 sisters, the bushing spacing on the 213 MAX 2.0 34.9 has been increased to accommodate the bigger leverage of the long stroke and, above all, to curb wear and the so-called "drawer effect" - a possible sticking of the post due to binding.

The concept of sustainability and serviceability has always played an important role in each of BikeYoke's dropper design ever since the beginning of their market entry. Instead of relying on replaceable, disposable cartridges, the internals of any BikeYoke dropper can be fully and easily rebuilt with just common tools and spares and service parts are available for end customers as well as dealers.

The REVIVE MAX 2.0 213 once again aims to set a benchmark: Fully designed for the 34.9 diameter, no aftermarket telescopic dropper on the market offers longer stroke, higher serviceability and more sustainability in one package.

FACTS

Length: 550mm/582mm (without/with actuator)

Weight: 690g

Price: $440 US

The concept of sustainability and serviceability has always played an important role in each of BikeYoke's dropper design ever since the beginning of their market entry. Instead of relying on replaceable, disposable cartridges, the internals of any BikeYoke dropper can be fully and easily rebuilt with just common tools and spares and service parts are available for end customers as well as dealers.

DT Swiss Updates the 1900 Spline Wheelset

1900 SPLINE wheels form the first step in the MTB range of DT Swiss. This line strives to equip as many mountain bike riders as possible with wheels they can rely on, therefore allowing them to focus completely on that moment on the bike when one feels completely free. In order to enhance the already high reliability of these hand-built wheels, the new 1900 SPLINE wheel line has been equipped with the new Ratchet LN freehub system.

Internally Ratchet LN uses the same mechanism as the well-known Ratchet System. The difference in the system lies in the seal placement. To ensure the convertibility of pawl hubs, the seal had to be fixed to the freehub body on Ratchet LN hubs. Hubs with the classic Ratchet System or Ratchet EXP have their sealing on the hub shell.

What makes the Ratchet System hubs superior is the fact that all teeth on each of the Ratchets engage simultaneously every time. In the case of pawl hubs, the engagement surface area is rather small. With the Ratchet System, the whole front face engages, creating much smaller point loads. The result is the legendary reliability of the Ratchet System hubs.

For a full rundown on all the updates to the 1900 Spline wheelset, visit the DT Swiss website here.