Niner Bikes faces layoffs, uncertain future after ‘pause’

Niner

Niner Bikes has been put on “pause” with many of its employees laid off today, Escape Collective has learned.

The Fort Collins, Colorado-based brand has an innovative, but troubled, 21 year history. The brand’s name directly references their history as an early populariser of the 29” wheel size, while the company was also a prominent mover in the then-nascent gravel bike space.

The news of the company’s apparent demise was broken by James Huang of the n-1 Substack – formerly tech editor of Escape Collective. In an Instagram story, Huang wrote that Niner Bikes “is no more … ‘winding down operations effective today,’ and all employees have been laid off.”

At time of publication, this had yet to be confirmed on Niner’s social media platforms or website, or that of its parent company, the Ohio-based United Wheels. It's fair to say, however, that this is an abrupt change of fortunes: just four weeks ago, the company celebrated its 21st birthday at Sea Otter, and announced a number of revamped models.

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Escape Collective has independently verified the broad strokes of Huang’s initial reporting, reaching out to a number of current and past staff and ambassadors, as well as international distributors.

A slightly more nuanced, but troubling, picture has emerged. One source at Niner, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that "United Wheels has decided to strategically pause the Niner brand effective immediately," adding that it was a "big shock and surprise to all of us today.”

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