Santa Cruz Bikes Co-Founder Rob Roskopp Appears to Have Left the Brand

Jan 10, 2023 at 15:43
by Henry Quinney  

Rob Roskopp, a pivotal figure in the Santa Cruz brand, appears to have moved on from the Californian manufacturer. A former professional skateboarder, Roskopp joined Santa Cruz Skateboards before co-founding the Santa Cruz Bicycles with Rick Novak.

Santa Cruz was sold to Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings in 2015, which has a number of other major mountain bike brands in its portfolio. At the time of the sale, it was at that time announced that Roskopp would stay on as CEO, although that position is now filled by Joe Graney. The reasons for the split are unclear, but we've gotten confirmation that he's out.

Rob Roskopp
Photo: Matt Wragg. Roskopp is a well-known figure within the mountain biking industry.

Rob's comments on his new Unno ride that "Every other bike manufacturer should be sweating…" have some people wondering if he's involved with Cesar Rojo's Spanish brand, but we are told that's not the case.

We've reached out to all the parties and will have some more updates soon.

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309 Comments
  • 582 38
 I'd like to address another rumor circulating regarding Rob and all my CEO friends. I've been told that many think he is after my job as CEO of the world largest outdoor media network (Outside Interactive Inc.)...rest assured my friends, just like your BETA subscription refund...it will never happen.

Be safe be well,
Incognito Robin
  • 118 1
 Ha...yeah I'm still awaiting my Outside refund after they bait and switched me with Beta only to kill it weeks later. I seem to recall Brian Park saying they would reach out to all effected. That was what, a year ago?!
  • 64 1
 @tcmtnbikr: dispute the charge on your CC.

That’s what I did, and got my $$ back right away.
  • 9 0
 @tcmtnbikr: I did get some email saying I'm now on Outside Plus for free for some time. I did try a couple times to login but it didn't work. I'm not that interested in that subscription so I never pursued it.
  • 13 48
flag weebleswobbles (Jan 10, 2023 at 17:35) (Below Threshold)
 Nobody cares outside co
  • 133 1
 I hear he’s doing welding in the Bay Area…..
  • 15 1
 I hear he is joining Wade's post Cyclingtips death Substack
Not everyone prefers quantity over quality.

wadewallace.substack.com/p/onwards-and-upwards
  • 28 2
 I don’t think he could even afford his bikes
  • 18 2
 Beta Youtube was way better than Pinkbike's imo
  • 81 3
 we just wanna know where the advent winners are?
  • 2 0
 @paulwatt: I've had an ongoing 3 week email chain trying to get a login to work. Useless.
  • 2 0
 I got one issue of Outside and a month of Trailforks.
  • 6 0
 @FrankS29: likewise, I did the same thing, that seemed to be the only way.

F outside, lost me as a customer for sure.
  • 2 0
 @tcmtnbikr: Reach out and into your wallet
  • 1 0
 @sewer-rat: Pretty sure they used all the entries in that fusion reaction experiment recently. *poof*
  • 4 1
 @notoutsideceo OT - Do you have a skateboarding background as well?
  • 21 0
 We'll all have to see how Santa Cruz does without Robb.....I can tell just from his pic that he was clearly the brains of this outfit...
  • 4 0
 @sewer-rat:
Advent winners list is not (O)outside….yet.
It will be presented as a new model for 2024 in next couple of months.
  • 3 2
 @finistere: no he rides a drop handlebar e gravel bike w a lefty fork no BMX background needed
  • 1 0
 @tcmtnbikr: Just invoice them for services rendered and see if they issue you a check.
  • 144 15
 Wow, the end of an era. Rob's been the spiritual leader of the brand for decades. Between this and the Syndicate, that's a hell of a run. Congrats and good luck with whatever you do next Rob!
  • 7 0
 Was thinking the same thing. Curious to see how thins shift over the next 2-5 years.
  • 14 3
 An absolute legend!

Wouldn’t be surprised to see HQ move to a different town after this.
  • 45 48
 @Chondog94: Everyone tries to get out of California because they think it'll be cheaper... but many companies are finding out that's not necessarily the case.

But I would not be surprised to see them expand production with additional facilities. And/or start to combine facilities to reduce cost across brands.

The fact they're called Santa Cruz and are made in Santa Cruz does hold some value. Be pretty stupid in my opinion to completely pull out... IMHO.
  • 31 0
 @onemanarmy: the $/sq ft on the west side of Santa Cruz is insane. I work down the street from them and overhead is bonkers
  • 67 5
 @Chondog94: You're not kidding. I live and work here as well. Storage is a large problem.

Point being... there's value in maintaining offices and production lines here even if they move the bulk of it away. They're clearly not having a hard time selling bikes and making money.

It's easy to look at an excel sheet and go... yup cheaper to move all this to Alabama. But what they don't realize is that the bulk of the current work force is made up of passionate mountain bikers. So there is value to them to work where they love, get discounts on bikes they love and other gear. They work harder because they're stoked and they use what they build.

Take that away and hire new people... you're production is going to be down for at least a year if not forever because people need to learn. Turn over increases because people get burned out and won't stay because they don't care. Quality goes down because people don't care. Cost per minute on the line often times stays cost neutral and or goes up. I know a lot of people that work there and they bust their butts. They would not get that sort of output from a team that didn't care and or was just doing it for a job.

Cost/benefit needs to be evaluated on a deeper level than a line item where assumptions are being made.
But it won't.... and it wouldn't surprise me if they bailed out. Especially without him in the office forcing them to maintain it.

Plenty of example of people making these types of mistakes.
  • 14 4
 @onemanarmy:

From an "obvious" costs perspective, it would be difficult to find someplace much more expensive than their current location (I guess they could go to Manhattan?)

The other issues you list are valid, but hard to quantify. I did have coworkers in CA who when their company got bought out, refused to move, so that is absolutely a thing.

But I think if they moved to another place with deep mountain biking roots (Bellingham or surrounding areas of WA, Park City area of UT, Front range area of CO), they'd get lots of people who would move, and/or they'd have no problem finding different passionate bikers to fill the positions.

Curious to see how this all shakes out. Anytime CEO's go... things are likely going to change.

Who knows, maybe eventually we'll be able to visually identify which model of Santa Cruz we're looking at in the future Big Grin .
  • 77 3
 @onemanarmy: The are made in Taiwan. Not Santa Cruz.
  • 59 6
 @onemanarmy: Made in Santa Cruz?? Lol. They are not even American owned and have not been in a while.
  • 22 39
flag bogey (Jan 10, 2023 at 18:08) (Below Threshold)
 @herbertmarcusavich: frames & parts are made overseas but the bikes are assembled (made) in Santa Cruz. Many of their wheelsets are made there also.
  • 32 2
 @bogey: All this talk about what "Santa Cruz" should do misses the point they're simply a brand owned by PON at this point which includes Focus, Cervelo, Cannondale, GT etc, so you can imagine someone at PON starting to get itchy palms thinking about the savings consolidating might offer (I'm not suggesting it's a good idea or a bad idea...).

Ultimately, PON is returning value to shareholders which is sadly a long way removed from what the core brands did while they were still rider owned.
  • 10 0
 @onemanarmy: this is hard to understand unless you own a company and have experienced it. Even hard to imagine for MBA types. But so real.
  • 24 6
 @onemanarmy: "...and are made in Santa Cruz..." Wrong. Frame fabrication occurs in China and Taiwan. Nice bikes for sure, but NOT made in Santa Cruz.
  • 15 4
 @onemanarmy: They're assembled is Santa Cruz theirs a difference from "made in Santa Cruz". And it's cheaper per sq/ft in other states and the cost of energy is a lot cheaper in other states. I work for a manufacturer with 135K sq/ft which costs $120K/mo in PG&E costs. I use to work for a manufacturer in Washington State with 425K sq/ft and the energy costs were about the same with the more consumption due to processes. To convert the 135K sq/ft facility to solar would cost $8 million and it would only cover 85% of our consumption.
  • 6 14
flag likeittacky (Jan 10, 2023 at 20:07) (Below Threshold)
 @onemanarmy: I disagree on that. Name some of these company's you speak of, that opened their books and were like, we will do much better hand over fist and gain incentives from the places they relocate to and say Fuk Cali and its MOB rule on requirements, taxation, penalties and lock downs, etc.,etc....

The decisions made by companies were strategic and examined in and out. Moving large business is a huge task that is never looked at so irresponsibly. They run the numbers, long term is where the profit lies, the move and short term revenue are not what their interested in; so the numbers will be down from the move at times but increase exponentially over a course of time or when the pandemic hindrances subside.
  • 11 2
 @rivercitycycles: Won’t get the expertise of their employees outside of Santa Cruz. They’ve developed quite the team down there and word from the inside is that they aren’t going anywhere for a long time. Moving their operations would ruin the brand and I think they understand that.
  • 17 0
 @herbertmarcusavich: they are made in China in a factory they own. Bikes are assembled in Santa cruz
  • 6 2
 @onemanarmy: what exactly do you think they are making in Santa Cruz?
  • 8 0
 @herbertmarcusavich:

China, carbon frames are made in China for Santa Cruz
  • 5 1
 @norcaljedi: wrong. Made by ten tech composites.
  • 2 0
 @onemanarmy: They have a factory in Germany now that is more or less just like the HQ. Know more than some Wink
  • 4 0
 @shredsled: I'm not sure Ten Tech is doing their stuff after PON bought them. I believe Ten Tech is Scott and Pivot?
  • 3 1
 @heinous: This. PON is a big corporate machine. Im surprised they have kept him on for this long to be honest
  • 3 3
 @knarrr: Nothing. Some R&D and an assembly line for US bikes that could be located anywhere
  • 9 4
 @herbertmarcusavich: They’re made in China. You think Santa Cruz is going to pay Taiwanese wages? Companies like Yeti even send their cheap Chinese carbon frames to places like Vietnam to be painted an assembled because it’s cheaper than doing it in China.
  • 8 1
 Given The Syndicate was always his baby, will be interesting to see if it survives in its current incarnation beyond the current contracts or once Greg retires will it morph into something more staid and purely results driven (if they even see any value in in keeping it going)
  • 13 0
 @thenotoriousmic: The reason they send frames to be assembled/painted outside of china, is due to anti dumping duty incurred when you import to the EU and UK direct from China. Which is 48% on frames and bikes and 62.5% on e-bikes.
  • 19 3
 But wasn't he also the guy who shit-talked other bike brands for making e-bikes and losing their realness, claiming that Santa Cruz would never sink this low. And look at Santa Cruz now.
  • 10 9
 @onemanarmy: they could move to Bentonville, cut their overhead in half and pay a high wage for Midwest standards, or anywhere else in the Midwest. There are plenty of people there that are passionate and would do a fine job. The cost of living difference is incredible. I highly doubt there are very many SC customers basing their buying decisions on the fact SC is based in SC. Everyone that has any knowledge knows their frames are made in Asia. What would make a difference is if they lowered the price of all their bikes by 15% as a result of the lower overhead.
  • 33 4
 @txcx166: and then you have to live in NW AR, which seems like a nightmare for many people
  • 4 0
 @rivercitycycles: that $8M solar retrofit pays for itself in six and a half years. Honestly shorter than I expected.
  • 5 0
 Allied is based in Arkansas and they aren’t exactly paying big bucks to their employees relative to cost of living. I think I saw job posting for a manufacturing line worker and the pay was around $42k.

In the case of Allied I imagine that’s because their operation is small, their volume is low, and they’ve got tons of debt that needs paid off.
  • 3 0
 @Muscovir: Aye but its different when you take a big fat check and forget your hypocrisy.
  • 9 1
 A Santa Cruz without Rob is not Santa Cruz. I worry it will be like Titus without Chris Cocalis.
  • 2 0
 @onemanarmy: I think Fox recently moved some staff to Georgia - I’m curious how that’s going for them. Maybe more on the automotive and moto side…?
  • 2 1
 @shredddr: Yep bike stuff is still out of Scotts Valley.
  • 7 0
 @PHeller: Allied’s parent company is owned by a couple of the Waltons. Lacking money to pay staff is not the issue.
  • 9 9
 @Mntneer: Friendly people, cheap housing, plentiful jobs, excellent schools, minimal crime, zero homeless. Legal weed (probably) soon-ish.

Truly a nightmare. (Food does suck tho).
  • 6 1
 I assemble my porridge in my kitchen.
  • 10 7
 @greenblur: low pay, weak regional airport, terrible restaurants, limited culture to experience, very homogenous, summer weather is brutal, corporate job market is very regional/limited compared to coastal cities. Great for a vacation or relocation from a minor urban area. Not great if you want to live in more majestic places with higher elevation and better weather or if you want to live in a trendy urban area with growth potential.
  • 10 4
 @greenblur: I moved here from Denver 2.5 years ago and completly happy with it. Actually riding more now (and more variety) than in Denver. Is Bentonville a major city? No and that is a good thing. Great people and welcoming vibe to all, despite what some of the naysayers say, The downtown/square area has several good restaurants and the regional food scene slowly growing. Crime is zero compared to Denver (great thing). Major college town only 30 min away, within an hour drive mulitple state/nation parks, water recreation, and other MTB trail systems. Every single place has pros/cons. 'MTB Capital of the World' is a super cheesy Chamber of Commerce slogan (or some bureaucrat decieded) and most of us roll our eyes at it. The 'low pay' as a broad term is BS. All depends on the job you are looking at. I work remote even before covid so not a major concern. Wife is a teacher and she is happy with her pay and almost the same as Denver with less expenses.
  • 1 0
 @Chondog94: Bellingham?
  • 2 0
 @Chondog94: I hope they bought the building. It used to be the Wrigley's Gum factory. I had been through it when they shut that down and were auctioning off equipment. Looks a lot different now.
  • 2 0
 @Puddings: I thought it already was results driven. Its not as if Greg, Laurie, or Nina are anything other than out and out racers
  • 2 1
 @greenblur: That list was the same for a number of other locations that now have expoensive housing, crime, and homelessness. Growth will always make cities change to what people moved away from.
  • 10 1
 @greenblur: when you see the beach every day and ride loam in the redwoods after work, and get a California burrito for dinner, it's hard to want to move.
  • 1 0
 @onemanarmy: @onemanarmy: I'm curious if they own their buildings where offices/warehouses/assembly etc. is done? I work for a ski industry brand and the ownership of the brands owns the buildings our internal team and warehouse is based out of and essentially charges their own brand rent as a tax loophole/benefit, which forces our HQ to be based out of an area that isn't exactly beneficial to the brand from a marketing/accessibility to the mountains perspective, but definitely makes the books look good.
Also, the value of the real estate itself is probably too good to leave, unless they leave and just charge rent to the next group who comes in.

Again, this is just anecdotal speculation haha!
  • 1 0
 @rcrocha: I know. I just moved from a place where that happened.
  • 7 5
 @ocnlogan: Bellingham doesn't need any more CA transplants up here.

Sincerely,
Guy who recently moved from SC to Bellingham.
  • 3 1
 @ocnlogan: CO doesn't want or need them
  • 5 0
 @whambat: Ah, Titus is but a distant memory being lost in fog in geezer's minds.

However, the name of their DH rig remains in mine: Quasi-Moto
  • 1 0
 @blensen: Yep, at 915 Disc Drive - a tip of the hat to the makers of Winchester-Disc drives like Seagate, who I almost worked for as a kid in the 80's but didn't really think computer storage would amount to much.

Debug -g=C800:5 > Fdisk > Format C:/s
  • 1 0
 Dorel (owner's of Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Roadmaster, Pacific, Iron Horse, and Mongoose before Pon bought them) started building a new assembly building in Georgia. From my understanding Cannondale had planned to start assembly of bikes in Georgia very soon. I don't see why Santa Cruz (along with Pons other brands) could not be assembled in this new building. But who knows if this could change. GT is moving its headquarters back to CA to in the Cervelo or Santa Cruz building (Santa Cruz had a job listed for GT on its website).

www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2021/10/26/hage-bringing-assembly-back-us-just-makes-sense#.Y77zf_7MJD8
  • 6 0
 @DCF: it is hard to beat. However, when you need to grind your way to a Director level or above in any of these outdoor companies to afford a shitty 800sqft starter home in Santa Cruz, sometimes it looks appealing to move elsewhere.

Unfortunately there aren’t many places where one can work in the industry, have easy access to the outdoors, and have other job opportunities if things fall through in this country. What’s your other options other than coastal CA? Boulder? Just as dang expensive.
  • 2 1
 @ocnlogan: @ocnlogan: All of those places are more expensive to operate than you'd think. Santa Cruz is insanely high. But any location that has passionate qualified employment base also has an increasing expectation of wages. I've seen places shut down in California purely because they thought they could get the same quality people for less money AND pay less in overhead. Turned out they ended up paying just as much and in many cases more. Then because competition locally was increasing they also dealt with massive amounts of turn over which they did not deal with in California. That means they're paying money to train people then those people were leaving for better opportunities elsewhere and they had to start over with the next person. So they have to increase the pay scales to keep people and/or deal with massive fluxes in production and quality.

But you're not wrong... at all. It's stupid expensive to operate in California and Santa Cruz specifically. The state does not do a very good job trying to keep people here.

You're also not wrong about that last statement. LOL!
  • 2 1
 @herbertmarcusavich: The frames are built in Taiwan. The bikes are assembled in Santa Cruz and corporate is out of Santa Cruz.
  • 2 3
 @OzarkBike: They're literally assembled in Santa Cruz. They haven't been American owned for awhile but it's still Americans/californians/Santa Cruz people that are laying hands and building those bikes.

If you want to get literal about it, there is not a single american made or Canadian made company in existence. They are ALL sourcing parts from Taiwan, Vietnam, China, etc. There's still a lot of great smaller companies to support that have home bases in places like BC, Washington, Colorado, Etc. But that has nothing to do with any of this.... I'm all for supporting those guys.

But yes... they're made in Santa Cruz because that's where they're assembled and distributed from... as a home base.
  • 2 0
 @camelvendor: you ain't lying.
  • 1 2
 @Hpbike: None of those companies have the name of a city on the frame.

But sure... they could... and likely will move. It'll make sense to set up lines overseas to avoid shipping costs. It'll make sense to move lines to place like that or bentonville or any of these other hubs. And it'll likely happen.

I don't like it. But it'll happen.

But I have a hard time believing they'll completely shut down everything in Santa Cruz.... doesn't mean they won't as from a pure line item expenditure it makes perfect sense.... if that's all you're looking at.

A lot of companies are moving to Georgia. Including Fox. Kia builds cars out there. Etc. Competition is rising quickly. Cost is increasing dramatically. And many of these companies will find that what they thought they were saving they are not. Especially when it comes to the business side of things.

People don't want to live in those places. So companies that hold onto areas where people do want to live will always draw a higher more passionate level of talent.

None of the people saying stuff is made in china are wrong. None of the people saying they'll move because it's expensive as fuk out here are wrong. All I'm presenting is an alternative perspective. One that's shown to be right more than once.

My guess is they'll operate purely on cost dollar lines on a spread sheet and they'll look to communize production and shipping. SC will move. They'll start to look and feel like other bikes. They'll decrease in popularity in some areas but be just fine in others. People buy the shit out of Specialized and don't care where they're built.
  • 3 2
 @blensen: A lot is still in Scotts Valley. Not as much as there used to be but a lot.

Engineering for both sides of the company. Testing. Finance. Marketing. VP/Director level personnel. There's still test labs and machine equipment.

I'd be curious to find out but I'd imagine that the building is close to 50/50 between bike and powered....
  • 2 4
 @knarrr:

@knarrr: You guys are all literally repeating the same shit.

It's semantics. You say made as is the frames are built and bonded in Taiwan and China. I say made because they are engineered in Santa Cruz, marketed in Santa Cruz, ops is run through Santa Cruz and they're built in Santa Cruz.... with exception of duplicate systems in Europe...

By definition neither me or any of you is incorrect. But your soapbox works just the same so enjoy it..

adjective
produced by making, preparing, etc., in a particular way (often used in combination):
well-made garments.

artificially produced:
made fur.

invented or made-up:
to tell made stories about oneself.

prepared, especially from several ingredients:
a made dish.

assured of success or fortune:
a made man.


I'd say my usage of MADE ticks off several of those boxes... assured success one could argue they're doing just fine and it's not necessarily because their bikes are way better than the competition. Prepared, especially from several ingredients... check. They're literally prepared in Santa Cruz from parts sourced elsewhere, invented... check... the engineers are in Santa Cruz for the most part, produced... check. Well I'll be damned... I checked off all the boxes.....
  • 1 0
 @onemanarmy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz. In my current location the holy cross is a river

@club-roost: you'd think HQ isn't a rental
  • 6 3
 @txcx166: lol. Come to Bentonville bro, it’s awesome bro. Trust me bro. The drop at Kohler is awesome bro.
  • 3 2
 @wibblywobbly: @txcx166 didn't use "Bro" one time in his post but you act like He is being (Pro Bro) kinda ignorant of ya' if you ask me.
  • 2 0
 @onemanarmy: Maybe they could get away with what DeWalt does: "MADE IN THE USA (with globally-sourced components)"
  • 1 3
 @suspended-flesh: Lot of people get away with that. LOL! That's why I thought it was funny the way people were blasting me for using the word made when referring to SC.... technically it is made here... even though EVERY part on the bike is from another country. Least I'd venture to guess there's nothing USA on those bikes. Maybe the bearings? But doubt it.

It's the same with almost everyone. Not many companies are fabricating frames in North America these days.
  • 6 0
 @onemanarmy: In the bike world 'Made in .....' almost exclusively relates to the where the frame is made. Everyone understands this, especially our small Pinkbike audience. Pedantics aside, SC has been made in Asia for a decade if not longer. Yes, they are assembled/boxed up in Cali, but that is the same for many other brands. They aren't made here, they are assembled here. Handful have frames made in the US/Canada (GG, We Are One, Allied, few other smaller brands), but Yetis, SC, Trek, Specialized, etc. haven't been 'Made in the USA' for a long time if ever.
  • 6 0
 @onemanarmy: Living in Santa Cruz isn't all that great IMO. While the beach and redwoods are fantastic, the actual city of Santa Cruz has changed so much in the past decade that I don't see the value in living here anymore. The culture has shifted with massive tech influence and neighborhoods aren't what they used to be. As soon as my job goes remote I'm outta here. Most people with reasonable jobs are forced to commute in from Watsonville or other surrounding areas just to work in the actual city of SC. I'd be curious to see a statistic of how many people on SC's bike assembly floor can actually afford to live in something reasonable or within a bikeable distance of the warehouse.
  • 5 4
 @bman33: Don't completely disagree. There's honor in being able to truly say... made in America. I wish more companies would do more here. Same with Canadian companies.

Much respect to companies like Guerrilla Gravity that are truly made in America.

But I still factor in where companies are founded, based, where the bulk of operations lie and where the parent companies are. So I suppose one could consider Santa Cruz a Dutch company. LOL!

Santa Cruz for example (I could most definitely be wrong but this is my understanding as of right this second)...
The frames are engineered in Santa Cruz. They do the carbon layup, design etc in Santa Cruz. They do the testing in Santa Cruz. Once complete they move production to Skybox which is there own personal production facility... in china. Much like Fox has their own factories in Taiwan. They're not sending their frames to a one of the many manufacturing plants shared by a multitude of other companies... Skybox is there's. Once it's produced in China it's then shipped to Santa Cruz to be assembled into a functional frame... and bike... They don't even ship the full suspension frames complete. They come in 2 pieces.

So if you break it down into parts....
1. Engineered. 2. Designed. 3. Prototyped 4. Tested. 5. Produced. 6. Assembled 7. Assembled into bikes. 8. Sold 9. Marketed.... You've got 8 out of 9 steps based in Santa Cruz. Then you toss in headquartered as 10. And owned as 11. Now you have 9 based in Santa Cruz. 1 in china. 1 dutch.... but it's still made in china?

That's my thought process.... I'd call me abnormal. Ha!

Interesting comments in here.... a few anyways. Some are basic and common to the pb section. Appreciate your input...
  • 4 0
 @Chondog94:

You ain't wrong. Most people I know that are on the floor at SC are sharing homes with each other or their SO's carry enough financial weight for them to live together. None of them are buying houses.

Hell I can't afford to live here and between my wife and I we make enough money that we'd live comfortably in 95% of the country. I bought a house but can't afford to maintain the damn thing. All these rains right now are killing me.

And you're right. If you are not one of the fortunate few that have created a lifestyle with a ton of free time that revolves around being active in the area then it's very difficult to make enough money to survive here AND have the time to enjoy being here.

The large companies and the economy have created a situation where it cost Bay Area money to thrive here but they're paying Santa Cruz money... If you're working at one of these bike companies you probably bake 25-35% less than you'd make 25 minutes over the hill. And its justified because it's Santa Cruz and the industry is cool.... Those times are gonna have to change.

Otherwise you end up with a workforce that can't afford to work... which is what we're facing in many industries. That's why Pacific Coffee Roasting closes at like 3pm. They can't get people to work.
  • 5 1
 @heinous: A) Pon is Family owned, no shareholders. B) they let brands run, do not interfere to much (they are not accellWink the synergies they help with across brands is sourcing/manufacturing/purchasing, and of course sales channels. That’s it.
I think no relocating to be excepted. But I guess SC will be Pon’s first brand with Porsche motors (formerly fazua, now owned by a joint venture of Porsche & pon). Plus pon has a second joint venture for Porsche complete bikes with them. Wait for 2025Wink
  • 1 0
 @wibblywobbly: good one
  • 1 0
 @onemanarmy: you may be right, but this is hard to measure. Theoretically, there’s truth to what you are saying and reducing transaction costs upstream (monitoring costs, search costs, training and attrition costs) is a viable way for a firm to appropriate a larger share of value. The other side of it is, this is a really difficult topic to study as ultimately the measure we’re interested in is productivity and that’s challenging to measure. We spent years on this in my department and I don’t think we landed anywhere other than some theory papers on the topic. A natural experiment would be ideal, but there’s no strong counterfactual to use as a control group. I was on your side of this while we were doing research in this area, but having moved to industry, I can see a strong argument for just reducing costs across the board and not banking on affinity to help reduce those transaction costs. Good codified processes might do as much or more. Then there’s the other side of the equation being the cost of inauthenticity, and what happens when you move your operation to Alabama in the hopes that good processes and inexpensive labor and rents will help you capture more value. Unfortunately, it’s turtles all the way down.
  • 1 1
 @greenblur: Arkansas is overall trending away from the things people like about NWA.
  • 1 0
 @wibblywobbly: coler.
  • 1 0
 @whambat: You mean that they will be discount bikes at Planet-X? Good, then maybe I can afford one. Smile
  • 1 0
 @Mntneer: true, but that’s how something gets better. Progress.
  • 2 1
 @fruitsd79: long time locals say that all the time. They're very suspicious of coastal libs. For better or worse, the rest of the state is hard one way politically, so massive change will be difficult locally.

Also, tech people are the one that ruin places. There aren't many tech jobs here. If Amazon or Google or a social media giant moves in, then yea watch this place burn.

Source: am tech worker (kind of), brought my super high paying remote job. Doing my best not to ruin my new home. You're welcome NWA. Enjoy my income and property taxes.....
  • 1 0
 @onemanarmy: Rob’s future is a real Mith-tery!
  • 1 0
 he can't hear you...........
  • 2 0
 @onemanarmy: I confirm : frames in two separate parts (swingarm & front triangle) are made by Skybox Composites Co., Ltd. in theirs China located factory. Than assembling process is done in Santa Cruz CA. USA.
Skybox also doing there for other well known companies like Enve, Ibis etc.
  • 1 0
 @Crazy-Crank: wow how can you know that ? What can Skybox do for Enve as Enve manufacture in Utah ?
Also I read somewhere SCB is assembling bikes in Germany for Europe market
  • 2 0
 @Monotrace-proto: I used to be Santa Cruz exclusive distributor in Poland for 20 years (2002 - 2021) so I have some knownledge. Regarding to Enve - just look how many contairnes has been shipped out from Skybox to Enve : www.importgenius.com/suppliers/skybox-composites-co-ltd
  • 1 0
 @Monotrace-proto: Regarding to Europe - Santa Cruz has assembling facility in Mainz (DE), they are not making any frames in Europe, they just assmebling bikes.
  • 1 0
 @Crazy-Crank: Wow, I didn’t know they shared manufacturing factory with others. At least that’s not what they say. I had heard many time they own the factory, lol
Thanks for telling
  • 1 0
 @Crazy-Crank: yeah I know frames are made overseas , that’s why I wrote assemble
  • 1 2
 @Muscovir: Yes, but eBikes have got a lot better since then. As he mentions in the podcast he thinks they ride better than regular bikes, which I actaully agree with.
  • 1 0
 @Crazy-Crank: Import records: www.importgenius.com/suppliers/skybox-composites-co-ltd
  • 2 1
 @norcaljedi: Funny how you think any outside company "owns a factory" in China. They are merely borrowing time from the CCP. No company in China gets to just own there factory. Every single major company there is required to have gov't placed individuals within the the company to keep an eye on things. Don't get me started how the continually extort manufacturers for exta money to get orders out the door in time. Still amazed none of the so-called journalists on here have dug into it. Ask the right people and you will surprised what you find out.
  • 2 0
 @Monotrace-proto: There only a few factories that produce "all the bikes in the world" and most of them are produced by Giant.
  • 1 0
 @MikeGruhler: Boycott China
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: if only it were that easy. I predicted in 95' when I was 15 that manufacturing would eventually move around the world back to America where it started because we will need the jobs and money. Wasn't to far off, just wait another 5yrs and shit will be about bottomed out and ready for comeback...though shit is getting weird. Stay safe out the
  • 1 0
 @MikeGruhler: You can shop carefully but it's not easy. BTW the 2023 4Runner is one of the very few Toyota vehicles still made 100% in Japan.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: and they have a TRD Pro in stock and for sale in Squamish right now. $80,000.
  • 1 0
 @Jvisscher: LOL F that! I paid $3000 for my 2000 a few years ago. I'll never buy a new car of truck in this life but the Covid markup is disappearing down here in the lower 48.

Edit they are sill $60k here so maybe with the exchange rate that's about right. IDK.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: the US market is much more volatile than the CDN one in real estate and everything else(so more deals to be had and money to be made fast). I just can’t believe they are selling a vehicle that is essentially a carbon copy of the one I bought in 2009 for twice what I paid then and there are no material improvements! It is like paying more for a rotary phone while everyone else is using cell phones. I’m sure it will sell though. There is no other inventory.
  • 1 0
 @heinous: PON is a private company, no shareholders
  • 1 0
 @blensen: But all their bike stuff is made in Asia. The high-end moto type stuff is made in the US, Ran into some manufacturing engineers at a show in GA and they said their new plant is struggling to maintain the quality they expect and need.
  • 1 0
 @onemanarmy: Cane Creek Headsets maybe?
  • 124 2
 Even he couldn't afford the bikes he's selling
  • 56 0
 Wouldn't surprise me if an Unno is now cheaper than a Santa Cruz.
  • 32 1
 He's heading off to dental school.
  • 7 1
 So he switched to UNNO ? LMAO
  • 7 10
 @ratedgg13: wouldn't suprise me now that Unno is just another Chinese carbon brand
  • 4 2
 @ratedgg13: Actually, looking at both the bikes specs and pricing... it's a bit tough because with Unno you get factory fox suspension at a price that's $3k lower than Santa Cruz, ha!... but you also get X01 AXS where as on the Unno you get GX AXS. Also, at that price level you get carbon rims with Santa Cruz and alloy with Unno.

So really... pretty damn close if not more expensive with SC and/or better value with Unno!

Which would I rather have... obviously an Unno!!
  • 8 0
 He sure could, although there´s no money to be made in the bike industry, or at least that´s what we´ve been told?
observer.com/2018/02/misahara-jewelry-designer-lepa-galeb-roskopp-home-tour
  • 2 0
 @islandforlife: Unno, a value brand!
  • 58 0
 Looks like his 5yr PON non compete clause is up. Go Rob!!
  • 2 5
 what is PON?
  • 44 0
 @Kimura, Pon is a massive corporation that does everything from importing Bugattis into the Netherlands, selling diesel engines, and manufacturing bicycles via one of the companies they own - the list includes Focus, Cervelo, Santa Cruz, Cannondale, and others. pon.com/en/about-pon/companies.
  • 6 38
flag onawalk (Jan 10, 2023 at 17:17) (Below Threshold)
 @mikekazimer: Maybe I’ll get a deal on those Fillmore valves for review…..
Offer still stands Kaz, @brianpark
  • 5 0
 Yeah. Non compete. Would not be hard to create a new brand to compete with current bike industry prices…….
  • 20 0
 @mikekazimer: don’t forget “PEAK, a subsidiary of URUS, leads the industry in developing the most profitable genetics and produces the largest amount of bovine semen in the world.”
  • 7 0
 @onawalk: buy 76projects valves instead
  • 6 39
flag onawalk (Jan 10, 2023 at 21:00) (Below Threshold)
 @wburnes: you might have missed my horrific ongoing diatribe about being pissed at @mikekazimer and PB for including Fillmore valves as a product of the year nominee…..go check it out, I kinda lose my shit
  • 4 0
 @mikekazimer: Wow. PON is like the Dutch version of Hitachi.
  • 39 1
 @onawalk: With the amount of time you have spent on a pointless mission to get free valves from a website that doesn’t want to give you them, you could of just gone to work for a couple hours and bought them. Give up man. Its over
  • 6 0
 @idecic: maybe that stuff can be used as tubeless sealant. Creating synergies is what they call that in the corporate world
  • 1 0
 @idecic: Seems I've been building skills to this team for many years:
"The PEAK team specializes in genetics, semen production"
  • 2 1
 @bocomtb: yeah I know Hitachi makes earth moving equipment and sex toys. Diversity is good apparently.
  • 1 3
 @mikekazimer: The bike arm falls into perspective when you see the own the likes of Audi, VW, SEAT & Lamborghini- I had not idea they were that big
  • 4 0
 @tomo12377: Hi, they only have the import right for the Netherlands. It’s a pretty common practice in automotive. The G-Wagon was imported into the U.S through a guy in Texas until Benz realised he was making a boat of money they could have by doing it themselves.
  • 2 13
flag onawalk (Jan 11, 2023 at 6:46) (Below Threshold)
 @drfunsocks: wasn’t about getting free valves, in fact the “work” I was offering to put in would have cost me 10 times what the valves were worth.
It was giving PB and @mikekazimer the opportunity to stand behind what they said.

If you’re not interested, that’s no big, you know no one is holding you accountable to reading PB comments right, there’s no homework assignment, or pop quiz after .
  • 1 0
 @Numberonebean: thanks for pointing that out - super confusing that they list companies they only import for in with those they own
  • 1 0
 @bocomtb: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcUs5X9glCc
  • 1 0
 @Numberonebean: was actually New Mexico, not Texas.
  • 1 0
 @Phlippie: And badly welded power station components along with the #voetsekANC
  • 1 0
 @jpmccrash: Apologies
  • 1 0
 @Kimura: We are the pons. They are all the other powerful pieces.
  • 62 7
 Hes got quite the Skull.
  • 8 0
 Let's all post a 4k full page headshot.
  • 11 0
 To skulls what dangerman is to legs
  • 9 0
 Head! Pants! NOW!!
  • 3 0
 Pachycephalosaurus
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: Shhh - you'll give the boy a complex
  • 1 0
 @thingswelike: It's like a strawberry on a toothpick!
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: (I think it's an Orange on a toothpick)
  • 48 0
 That’s what happens when you leak XX1 on craigslist
  • 2 0
 Lol do you have a link to that story?
  • 2 0
 Came here for this! Didn't think he would move on to being a welder after his stint at Santa Cruz though!
  • 50 10
 Is enthusiasm for an eBike is...off putting.
  • 15 3
 Yea it’s a bit odd.
  • 24 10
 Enthusiam for e-bikes is proportional to age. Rob is an aging human with the ability to change his mind. Case closed.
  • 13 9
 @BenPea: I know plenty of young people, including myself, who have tons of fun on eebs and analog bikes just the same. Bikes are fun.
  • 1 0
 Where's Ben, I miss his YT videos!
  • 11 0
 I have been seeing an increase of DIRT bikes (no pedals) riding along with eBikes. So my enthusiasm for electric bicycles will remain muted. Even worse when the dirt bike riders will straight faced tell you they are doing nothing wrong, roosting MTB trails where eBikes are strictly prohibited too. And yes, I did experience that. A Surron riding with a pack of eBikes on a National Forest trail with "No eBikes" posted at every trail head. And the rider claiming he was on a bicycle.

My local MTB trails are eBike friendly, and I see dirt bikes riding with them.
  • 4 0
 @kilz: Burned out. The videos took a lot of work and it was a passion project only.
  • 2 0
 @JSTootell: Ah, thats a bummer. But totally understandable. He still racing?
  • 2 0
 Ben will be more visible when racing returns. His YT channel has been pretty dormant lately. Man has a youngin', too.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: The Ben I am talking about doesn't have kids.

Are you talking about Goyette @kilz ? If so, he is planning on doing some local fun races like Southridge, which start up soon. Probably miss a round here and there. But he's mostly just having fun.

Though, he has gotten serious about his Sim racing lately like @mikelevy
  • 2 0
 @BenPea: I suspect his aging body helped change his mind. Mine is working on my mind but the wallet says NFW.
  • 3 0
 @headshot: The holy trinity of ebiking: mind, body and cash money.
  • 2 0
 @JSTootell: Yep yep, Goyette. Always enjoyed having his race videos on at work.
  • 2 0
 @JSTootell: it's a bit like a baby pig imprinting on an adult dog, and viewing the dog as it's mother.....
  • 1 0
 @kilz: Checked up with him last night. He is doing well. Has no legs, so he will start racing again in a few months.

He's a legit good dude (unlike me)
  • 2 0
 @JSTootell: Heh, same. I wanted to do some of the early southridge races but man, i got sick over thanksgiving and then just compounded it by eating like an actual garbage human and not riding enough over the holidays. Need a few months to get a shred of fitness back.
  • 2 0
 @kilz: There were so few people out there, it was pretty sad. The course was great to ride. You should definitely consider coming out anyway as I am pretty sure the course will will be gone forever soon, at least as we know it. The city is going to build on the land.
  • 2 0
 @JSTootell: Yeah, I figured the weather would keep a lot of people away. And yeah, very sad about the development.
  • 43 5
 Probably got tired of making the same bike over and over and over
  • 19 0
 I have a friend that started a painting company in a high end coastal community. Today he has done very well for himself - very well - like he's my age with an 8 digit portfolio.

How did he do it?

He charges the most - and he'll be the first to admit that's what he's always done. In the beginning he used to take painstakingly long to make sure every job was flawless. Word got out and 30 years later here he is.

It's a relatively simple business model - as long as the product is good - the most expensive product will always sell because those clients egos won't have it any other way.
  • 1 0
 A mate of a mate did ok for himself, his tag line was "I'm not the best, but I'm the dearest". All accounts, pretty accurate.
  • 21 0
 PON should sell hubs. Get the domain Ponhub.com and get a lot of accidental traffic.
  • 26 6
 29", 64° HA, 450mm CS and 1224mm WB in the smallest size, surely turns on a dime
  • 18 2
 Roskopp rides an E-Bike reminds me of those Cheney skis in jeans bumper stickers.
  • 3 0
 Haha! Need top tube sticker!
  • 16 0
 Sold at the top like a boss!!!!
  • 15 0
 Perhaps he is tired of running the bike brand he built into the ground as a tax haven for the Dutch royal family.
  • 20 0
 Well then maybe he shouldn’t have sold the company to them.
  • 17 1
 *megamind*
  • 14 0
 I wonder if his severance package looked and performed like other severance packages..... but was way more money?
  • 2 0
 It's more because it was a SCeverance package. Excellent PB name, Bucky.
  • 12 0
 My impression of Rob has always been as a skater from the day I met him at Joe Lopes' place. I was 12.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfIAZgD2tEg
Good on him, wish him the best.
  • 38 28
 Réal reporters go to the source … not this social medias “appears to “ kinda crap.Every one of us can get the same news , get it from the man himself and call yourself professionals… anything else is amateur reporting… Man you guys suck
  • 15 3
 I'd like more deep-dive type content too but come on dude...this isn't long form investigative journalism, it's a scoop. Online news moves quick so you post what you find when you find it. Then, for instance, include a phrase like "We've reached out to all the parties and will have some more updates soon". The alternative is to be days or weeks behind the competition. And not everyone follows Rob Roskopp or even knew who he was.
  • 9 20
flag neroleeloo (Jan 10, 2023 at 19:37) (Below Threshold)
 @kevinjordans: no it’s click bait garbage reporting.You’re paying for this crap everytime you buy a mtb product from a company that advertise on here which is pretty much all of them…
  • 4 0
 I don’t think there has been any real “reporting” in bike media ever. Get Roskopp’s attention seeking post up asap to get clicks and then call the Marketing people to ask what they are allowed to “report” and make sure they are on the invite list for the next demo bike/junket trip
  • 3 1
 We’ll, they did say they got confirmation that he is out. So they did reach out to an actual source.
  • 1 5
flag neroleeloo (Jan 11, 2023 at 6:30) (Below Threshold)
 @pisgahgnar: they’ve updated the article buddy
  • 4 0
 @neroleeloo: it was stated in the exact same way as soon as this article was posted yesterday, pal. The Instagram post was shared on other forums, Pink Bike was late and included the statement that they had confirmation.
  • 2 0
 @wibblywobbly: harsh but fair
  • 3 0
 @neroleeloo: Welcome to the internet, you must be new here.
  • 11 0
 Rob I still remember when your boards came out, the best tails in the business! You have come a long way since those days! Congratulations on whatever you do and wherever you go, if anywhere! Cheers to the years!
  • 1 0
 Even made a good street deck.
  • 10 0
 "Santa Cruz was sold to..." is a bit misleading. More accurately: "Rob sold Santa Cruz to..."

It's not like he was ousted...he sold the company, cashed out, and now is parting ways.
  • 5 0
 Pretty salty considering he is the one who married off his baby to a wealthy suitor.
  • 12 0
 I saw his farewell post on Craiglist.
  • 11 1
 Just a matter of time after the Pon acquisition. They are interested in one thing only.
  • 7 16
flag Kimura (Jan 10, 2023 at 16:59) (Below Threshold)
 what is PON?
  • 34 3
 @Kimura: What is Google?

Anyways, PON is a large conglomerate that owns many bike brands and many outdoor things. Like most megacorps, they squeeze both the brand and customer at the same time in order to increase "shareholder value" and capture mind-numbing bonuses while alluding to "impending recessionary fears".
  • 2 0
 Truth. Just talk to anyone involved. I'm bummed for the local community and culture...
  • 16 2
 Pon are only interested in one thing and it’s disgusting.
  • 10 12
 Ben Pon designed the Volkswagen T1 van that Mike Sinyard sold to make money to get in the bicycle business and eventually start Specialized who claims to have developed the first mass produced mountainbike which was a reason for the development of Pinkbike who put a comment section under each article. Let that sink in. Without Pon, we would never have had this amazing comment section. We should be grateful.
  • 13 4
 The fuck rob roskopp fucking peddling e bikes haha
  • 8 0
 He’ll be cryin himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillah
  • 10 3
 "appears to have moved on" but "we have gotten confirmation that he's out"

Which is it?
  • 5 4
 Those are the same thing, no? Saying “appears to have moved on” or “looks as if he has left” are just round about ways of saying that he did in fact leave. The “we have confirmation that he’s out” statement was a follow up to the first clause of that sentence where they said the reasons for him leaving are unknown, but, he has in fact left.
  • 1 0
 @Keegansamonster: Why be round about in the beginning? Just get to the point. Starting with the ambiguous "he might have left" and then following it up with the definite "we have confirmation" is just dumb.
  • 3 0
 @justinfoil: First paragraph:“..the reasons for the split are unclear, but it has been confirmed that he’s moving on” In case you haven’t noticed, these pre-official “stepping down” announcements are purposefully a bit vague but this is plenty clear. Besides, who gives a shit
  • 1 1
 @emptybe-er: Pinkbike editors give a shit. Enough to make a post about it. And it's not vague, they "confirmed" it, after speculating about it to appear vague. I'm saying, why bother saying both in the same article? It's bad writing.
  • 2 0
 @justinfoil: No way it’s great writing. It’s compelling, most crucial of the 3c’s.. I was on the edge of my toilet seat. I‘m not sure I would’ve given a shit (no pun) if Rob left without that added suspense. You’re right though, it’s more speculative than vague. Purposefully vaguely speculative
  • 7 0
 I heard that he's opening an artisan cheese shop in San Francisco.
  • 7 0
 Dude kinda looks to be trolling.. weird
  • 3 0
 Rob is a childhood hero of mine from the 'Wheel of Fire' / Street of Fire' video days. My first proper Skateboard was Rob Roskopp. My first full sus was a 1999 Bullitt. I understand he got permission to start Santa Cruz bikes and use the name since making lots of money from board sales and being an all round ledge etc. Read an article years ago that their first bike, the Tazmin? was based on a prototype full sus BMX he made back in the day. I had a couple of SC bikes since but couldn't afford one now.
Good luck in the future, Hollywood. Hope you keep innovating and inspiring for many year to come.
  • 2 0
 I had one of the rare Roskopp foam core boards. Big money now.
  • 7 0
 Roskopp out here getting petttttyyyyyy
  • 5 0
 That bike has a serious phallic issue. The paint scheme really nailed it. Haha
  • 16 0
 Looks like a Vape
  • 6 0
 I thought Joe Graney was the CEO?
  • 4 0
 It says on LinkedIn he’s been in the position since 2016.
  • 7 3
 Been a fan of his since my skateboarding days in the 80's and again when I got my first Santa Cruz VP Free. Excited to hear what Rob gets up to next.
  • 6 5
 Jesus, you remained a fan after having owned a VP Free?
It might be the single worst bike I ever rode, it excelled at nothing, and inspired less confidence than try to ride a bag of smashed apples.
My first test ride was at Interbike in like 2004 or 05, and I had the largest crash in front of a stacked audience of Freeride legends (I still remember Jay Hoots trying to pick my broke ass up)
  • 2 3
 @onawalk: u speak the truth. I was so excited about the VP-Free coming off a Bullit and really getting into the whole freeride thing. Shortly after getting it I took it to Whistler and was almost immediately tossed over the bars and pile driven on A-Line on the jumps that preceded what is now The Moon Booter. That was the beginning of about a year and a half of time where I swore that bike was trying to kill me. Something about that suspension design was absolutely lethal. Got a Cove Shocker after that and it was like a breath of fresh air
  • 11 0
 @onawalk: So basically you hated the VP Free because you looked like a fool in front of freeride legends.
  • 3 5
 @dualsuspensiondave: honestly, it was a shockingly terrible bike.
I spent countless hours trying to figure it out. I’m sure others had a better experience, I wasn’t quite as skilled at setup as I pretend to be now, but Jesus, that bike, especially if you had the displeasure of a 5th element rear shock. Hot garbage, piled on a flaming dumpster of a bike.

I think it was around for only a couple years, I don’t think it ever got a gen2, and Santa Cruz loves to “refine” a sus design
  • 1 3
 What about when sc had Swobo shirts at bungholebike and did nothing with it and somehow some knuckled heads from colortucky ran that name into the ground. That’s something to complain about!
  • 1 3
 @onawalk: why don’t you complain about how sc had Swobo shirts at ibike and then all the sudden some knuckleheads from colortucky ran them into oblivion. Please. Complain about that.
  • 5 2
 @Tigergoosebumps: I’m not entirely sure what you’re on about,
Maybe take a breath and start over?
  • 2 3
 Vp free was so horrible. Then the blur. Bullits and the Superheroes were the last cool thing santa cruz had a part of imo.
  • 4 0
 @onawalk: I loved my VP Free and I rode many, many days of Shore and Whistler tech on it and it worked beautifully on the slow, twisty trails littered with drops. I can't say I was in love with it on the high speed Whistler trails though.
The Driver 8 was its successor in my mind. I hated that bike in every way!
  • 2 2
 @bogey: good on ya,
As far as I was concerned the VP free, and driver were terrible bikes.
Maybe the free worked better in the real slow speed stuff, most of the stuff I was riding was medium speed, but not a tonne of jank, Northern BC trails were not the stuff of VP free for me.
  • 7 0
 golden dildo
  • 2 0
 I'm sure the Unno is a sweeeeeet ride but - sweating? Most of us can barely afford a 3-5K bike every 3-4 years, much less $10 bikes at all. Again - surely sweet and if I had the $ I'd like to try one but I doubt 95% of us are rushing out to score an Unno b/c Rob like's em. SC is expensive enough! And none of this is to gripe about prices, I think bikes are worth it...just btiching I'm not at the level of casually scoring $10k bikes every 2-3 yrs... my own failure I suppose.
  • 2 0
 If I squint the new Unno bikes look cool in the same way a Lamborghini Countach festooned with spoilers and flaps and louvers looks cool, but when I open my eyes I think they are ugly and ridiculous looking much like a Countach festooned with spoilers and flaps and louvers.
  • 2 0
 It works for its purpose. I have only seen one Countach ever, but I remember it.
  • 5 0
 Reasons unclear? He earned enough money from all the dentists he can retire early and do what he wants.
  • 1 0
 My thoughts exactly
  • 6 1
 Doesn't sound bitter in the slightest. Nope.
  • 2 0
 Congratulations Rob in building a great brand with incredible bikes. I’ve enjoyed riding them for a few years, enjoyed the build quality and the after sales service. Good luck in whatever you do next…
  • 7 3
 Maybe he too couldn't to afford to buy one and left... ;-)
  • 12 0
 Yes, because Unno is so budget friendly
  • 5 0
 Dude could skate!
  • 1 0
 Hollywood was good.
  • 4 0
 His Santa Cruz was the first board I got that wasn't a Powell or G&S. Rob threw down back in the day. Hope he makes out with wherever his future endeavors takes him.
  • 3 0
 Syndicate riders will still have to eat dog food roasted on the BBQ if they don't win though, right?
  • 2 0
 This clears seems and encrypted message which says he got pissed of cause his insights wasn't taked enough so the competition outperformed SC...
  • 2 0
 Sounds like the right move. Looking forward to seeing Unno rise up through the ranks!
  • 22 18
 Santa Cruz sucks
  • 1 0
 For nostalgia's sake its sad to see him go. Helped me out back in the day when I was a kid. Wish him all the best on his next adventure.
  • 2 0
 Jesse's signing is so expensive that even the boss has been sacked to pay for it...
  • 2 0
 I doubt they will invest into Enduro racing.
  • 2 0
 Don´t like seeing real brands disappearing in big groups...that will drain the spirit of our industry and sport
  • 3 0
 He's now on tour with Röyksopp!
  • 3 0
 Holy Cranium for days there Rob.
  • 1 0
 Man, I used to have the photo of Rob Roskopp jumping over the Santa Cruz skate/hardcore band BL'AST! on my wall back in the day.

imgur.com/a/D23DzDs
  • 2 0
 That's a dope pic. Thanks for sharing
  • 3 0
 I will never sweat a moped. Adios Rob.
  • 1 0
 Thank goodness PON owns GT, a bike brand I can still afford on my solo practitioner architect's pay.......If I were a dentist or lawyer, I'd prolly be on a......
  • 1 0
 I'd rather see one overpaid exec not have his contract renewed than them cutting staff or riders. Here's looking at you Spec.....
  • 3 2
 He knows what's next and doesn't want dirty hands as "super" bikes become unmarketable. Smart dude
  • 2 0
 Cesar Rojo / Rob Roskopp combo looks pretty sweet....!!!!!
  • 2 1
 I had always wondered who the investor was in Cesar Rojo's spare-no-expense dream.
  • 2 1
 He must’ve seen how boring and average the bikes became and so decided to quit, good call
  • 3 1
 I hope Santa Cruz bikes will have better color options in the future.
  • 3 0
 HES GOT A BIG BRAIN
  • 2 0
 His comment is a kind of kiss of death
  • 1 0
 The bloke in the picture is actually Mike Ehrmantraut years before Walter White killed him by the river near Albuquerque.
  • 1 0
 Great entrepeneur, he is wrong in his opinion for mobility. Hydrogen or e-fuels will not have any future!
  • 2 1
 Sc bikes are lovely, thanks for bringing it!
  • 1 1
 Speculate this, speculate that, speculate till the dope bikes are e-brat! Booyaah
  • 3 2
 Santa Cruz had to clear up overhead to sign Jesse…
  • 1 1
 Do you guys think this is going to be bad for Santa Cruz bikes for passion, quality and customer service?
  • 1 0
 Looks like artificial intelligence has taken over the E-Santa-Cruz.
  • 2 0
 Buy Unno stock NOW
  • 2 1
 Maybe Roskopp can get hired at Intense
  • 2 0
 THE BARN!!!
  • 1 0
 what about his relationship with the syndicate riders.
  • 1 0
 the top tube looks weeeeak! I'd break it first case on a 50' step down
  • 6 6
 Hopefully he makes that uglyass bike good looking.
  • 2 0
 Agreed. Odd when the previous gen were so clean and functional.
  • 3 2
 Leave at the top.
  • 3 4
 As a teen I rode Santa Cruz skateboards, but I’ve never owned a Santa Cruz bike … just saying there may be a reason Wink
  • 2 1
 Until they have a 900wh battery?
  • 3 3
 Whatevs….it’s still one of the dumbest looking bikes out there
  • 3 4
 Just an FYI pon is a privately owned company so their are no shareholders to worry about.
  • 4 1
 That only means they don't have public shareholding - they might have a huge number of private investors / shareholders though.
  • 3 1
 There are still shareholders in private companies. The shares are only bought, sold and held privately, and the reporting to the shareholders is private.
  • 2 0
 @justanotherusername: Yes except its pretty publicly known that pon is family owned. It would be a pretty big leap to call family members investors/shareholders.
  • 1 1
 @OnTheRivet: A company can be 'family owned' and have significant outside investment, lots of business from small to huge have investors and are owned by individuals or families.

Case in point in the UK in small bike companies - Stanton Bikes, owned by Dan Stanton, funded and ultimately put into administration by an investor - Pembree, invested in by Guy Farrant but 'owned' by Phil the founder, or Unite Components, owned by Andrew but with shareholding by Makefast LTD.

All of them are owned by the founder but all have some form of investor or shareholders from other people / companies for financial investment or otherwise.
  • 2 3
 How the ex founder and CEO of Santa Cruz can enjoy riding such a ugly bike. It hurts my eyes
  • 8 2
 You seen the Santa Cruz Ebike?
  • 1 0
 He has a schwa head
  • 2 3
 Pon Holdings also owns Lambo and Bugatti, now that explains SC pricing model ahahahahaha Big Grin
  • 3 1
 No, they don't. They import them to NL. VW owns both brands, kind of a different scale and league to PON lol.
  • 5 8
 Fu(k you, fu(CK you, YOU're cool, I'M OUT!
  • 1 0
 yup just like that. I hope Greg Minnar is Ok he's the star I hope always shines. I still think carbon wheels and frames was the worst idea for DH and freeride but I'm rough and not too smooth.
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