We just received the final press release from Craig Pollack, former Race Face CEO and managing partner:
Race Face – The End of An EraEffective March 12 2011, an end of an era occurred as Race Face Components Inc. went into receivership. Effectively this means that Race Face’s bank, The Bank of Nova Scotia, has taken control of the company, appointed a receiver, and will sell the company and its assets. The receiver, Grant Thornton, will determine a sales process for the company in the days to come. The reasons for the receivership are complex but basically the company recently got offside on its borrowing base with the bank. The partners in the company tried to structure a deal with the bank to get the company back on side but unfortunately, a deal could not reached. In this event, it was hoped that the company could be sold as a ‘going concern’ but this solution also did not materialize.
Craig Pollack, Race Face’s former President and CEO, comments, “it is a sad sad outcome for the brand, but more importantly for the people involved with the company. I personally thank all of our staff, riders, suppliers, customers, and consumers for their support over the years. Our talented staff truly were the backbone of this brand. I have been humbled by their loyalty and determination throughout this process and wish them well moving forward.”
Pollack adds, “Race Face, started in 1992, is an iconic brand and has been instrumental in creating the fiber of the mountain bike industry. We are proud of our accomplishments over the last 19 years. Hi-lights include: helping to create the free ride mountain biking movement with our line of Diabolus components, being one of the first component suppliers to design parts for the All Mountain market, and currently producing the Next line of carbon fiber cranks – the lightest production crank-sets ever produced. The company will undoubtedly be sold to a new buyer, and the brand, as we know it today, will forever be changed but we are proud of the Race Face legacy and the impact it made on the mountain biking industry and community.”
For any questions concerning Race Face, please contact the receiver, Grant Thornton.
Craig Pollack can personally be reached at cpollack1992@gmail.com.
RIP Raceface..
They should have like a picture or film competition, like best photo created that represents raceface in a way and raise money, or just have it as a free activity so we can end it in a good way..?
RIP RaceFace
So sad to see such a great company go, there has to be something we can all do.
From the press release above, "In this event, it was hoped that the company could be sold as a ‘going concern’ but this solution also did not materialize." Furthermore, the press release also states, "Effectively this means that Race Face’s bank. . .will sell the company and its assets."
This can be compared to selling your old bicycle. If sold as a "going concern," you would sell the bike as a whole to a buyer who would continue to care after it, maintain it, possibly upgrade it, and ride it as it is. Unfortunately, this is not the case with RF. Selling the assets is equivalent to parting out the bike and selling it by pieces. If the bike was deemed not worth selling as a whole, then you sell the cranks to one person, the wheelset to another, and so on and so forth.
Unfortunately, someone (possibly the bank, possibly interested buyers) has decided the company as a whole is not valid as a profitable business in its current state. Someone will buy the remaining inventory, someone else will purchase some of the tooling and manufacturing equipment, yet another someone will buy the company's computer system, etc. Among those items sold will be the intellectual property: the name, logo, trademarks, patents, etc. Someone will own the RF name after a while, but the company will not be the same company with new management and staff. It will simply be a company with the same name and logo as so many knew and loved.
If someone purchased the company, as a whole, they would not only get the assets of RF, but they would also assume all of its liabilities (aka debts). If the previous management team over-leveraged the company, it's possible no one else feels they can pull it out of the hole it's currently in.
Your next sponsor should be thrilled that you are available.
RIP RaceFace, you live on in the hearts and minds of the riders worldwide
Just remember that. Banks lend and lend, they inflate economic bubble till it explodes, until they are empty, and then they demand the government to bail them out. If gov doesn't the consequences are easy to see: Scenario 1.You will never see again the savings you located at their premises as they go bankrupt 2. They will raise the interest to insane levels and rob you off everything you have. All according to the law. And remember, they lend your savings to others! And when they screw up their "investments", you pay! And they don't care for themselves, it's only few CEOs who win all the time.
I would give 20$ to RF and 100$ for someone to punch this guy in the stomach
PS learn how to spell/type and if You dont like what they make read about what you ride with don't hit up a post about a loss in the industry it hurts every rider ... and RF is (was) one of the few real North American company's left sorry to all the employees and their Family's ,Best of luck in the future
also you can't really tell him to spell and type properly when you can't even do so yourself. sorry to be a knob but try to make sense in your sentences, and plurals do not have apostrophies...
very sorry to see raceface go, my FR knee shins have lasted me for 3 years and are still sick!
its always one of the main components i see on peoples bikes. now im not going to see any of it
whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ?
raceface is such a sick company
Its gona be sad to see them leave the industry
but good luck moving on to all the familes that were a part of raceface
it just wont be the same
I kid you not; I went to race face to get a warranty on turbine cranks that had been sitting for about 10 years because the square-taper bb interface mushroomed, and they gave me brand new shore dh's for $50. And a tour of the facility; which was really better than getting the cranks.
Who knows... maybe some of the (former) RF people will get together and form their own brand?
2008/2009: a bunch of bike manufacturers spec'd RF on their bikes (bars, seatposts, cranks, stems). Sales were (just for example - no clue what sales were) $25Million. At that point running the business would have cost $5M, profit of $2M, the rest would have been cost of goods and variable costs.
2010: for whatever reason, bike companies did way more Shimano cranks and in house bars and posts. Sales fall to $15M. Profit turns into $2M loss because the productions, staffing, marketing are all planned for a company doing $25M in sales. Bank looks at factors and pulls their financing.
Just my guess reading between the lines. Probably the reason they shot themselves in the foot and sold product to MEC - a last-ditch effort to get some cash flow that back-fired and devalued the brand in Canada. I realize Canada was a relatively small market for Canada, but RF may have made similar emergency moves in other markets.
I feel for the RF employees. From my dealings with them they were some of the best guys in the industry.
kinda like Iron Horse ...iconic , ...multiple podiums ....i see the Sunday as a "game changing frame" in DH , and the company goes down when at the top ?...kinda same story no ?
wasnt there a bunch of Race Face adds on PInkbike days ago featuring crank sets (Back in Black ad) Wade Simmons , an others ? , that was like less than a week ago. Maybe i'm wrong and they were from a different brand.
anyways , very sad to see a true moutain bike gear and parts company go down.
Let's look for Grant Thornton on FB, Google, Skype, and all the persons involved on this
-Craig Pollack: cpollack1992@gmail.com.
-Holly Palmer: hpalmer@grantthornton.ca
Let's everybody make a massive strike to let this persons know we want Race Face Back!
Anyway, the comments about hating the banks and receivers are ridiculous. That really is shooting the messenger. RF used the same banks as every other company. It's problems with management that caused this, not some personal vendetta from the banks.
Don't bend your pretty colored bars they only last a season or 2.
They made crappy headsets,and B\B's
The iconic Company made some real quality merchandise .
First no more Big d,Disorder videos ,Now Race face Is in the Grave yard.
I am thinking there is a tonne of scrap aluminum in that ware house,worth like 40 cents a pound.
is that dumpster full of annodized bling parts?
Just kidding though.It sucks that race face is gone R.I.P
U the consumer killed it with your "I want a deal"
Buying from the states instead of local Canadian shops.
think about that next time u buy a part.
What other company are u going to make go under.
U want to blam someone look in the mirror.
Let's check your bikes : We The People (Germany) / Redline (Usa) / Colony (Australia) / Norco (Canada...but not much Race Face components on it)
How did you support, let's say, Race Face? At least, I hope you all got them from your LBS.
Blame the others...
any one know?
will my local shop be selling it cheap?
Did you not see the gravestone in new world dissorder: dust to bones?
Anyway, R.I.P race face in both meanings of the phrase
Unite for Race Face!
every join the rip race face fb page (i didnt make it)
www.pinkbike.com/news/Race-Face-The-Official-Press-Release.html
www.facebook.com/pages/RIP-Raceface/110021402410603
www.bikebiz.com/news/read/taipei-show-north-shore-company-is-a-no-show
www.bikebiz.com/news/read/taipei-show-north-shore-company-is-a-no-show
Maybe those 'good people' should have had better business sense. Borrowed to much money, bank foreclosed.
Perhaps they shouldn't have pissed off all the bike shops by selling to the wallmart of outdoor parts stores, then they might have had enough money to cover the borrowing base. Or maybe not running excessive ads while in the process of going under, that might have saved a couple bucks.
www.royalcityrecord.com/Westminster+Race+Face+goes+business/4459701/story.html
may need to copy/paste
I have benefited from knowing those behind this company and loved so many products they made.
I was fobbed off by their UK Distrib. Silverfish, who actually sent the Diablous seatpost back and said "continue using, its safe" (even though splines had sheared inside clamp head)
weak parts, weak warranty backup
sad news about the company though...especially their employees who are now out of work with little to no compensation
But it seems that this is/was primarily a Silverfish issue, rather than RF themselves.
the advice I recieved on my Diablous seatpost was plain stupid, and also very dangerous (the seatpost was used on a Specialized Big Hit I was doing extreme freeriding on i.e. 30 foot drops into quarries) - they advised me it was safe to continue using, I did not know better and trusted their word
I put it back on my bike, landed a big drop at Woburn Sands and the Titec Beserker saddle rotated backwards against my legs and ended up nearly vertical, almost causing a crash and ruining my day's riding
I switched to Thomson Elite seatpost and Shimano Saint HT2 cranks and never had any component problems again, and no need for "warranty"