“Dear Helix Family,

I sincerely apologize for the long delay for this update. It has been an unprecedented time with all that is going on in the world.

There is much to update you on, but the only thing that I want to focus on in this update is your bikes.

We had started off the year with high hopes of things returning to normal and we were looking forward to resuming our pre-pandemic schedule and picking up where we left off with our goals for Helix.

As the year began however, another world crisis is upon us, this time rebooting the supply chain problems, increasing the costs of materials and further restricting the flow of business. Specifically, bicycle supply chain timelines were expected to improve this year but are now the same or worse than during the pandemic. With the majority of our parts coming from Taiwan there is further uncertainty for the future.

Also, since the year started, titanium prices have gone up 20% and are expected to increase further. Lead times for titanium have also nearly doubled. On top of this, getting the parts and materials out of their country of origin is increasingly more difficult as there are ripple effects throughout the shipping industry from the various crises of the moment. For example, the current lockdown in Shanghai has significantly affected logistics again. In the background is the ever increasing inflation that adds an additional component to all of this.

Despite the above we have mostly persevered and have not only continued to keep our doors open, but we have managed to get ahead of some of the supply chain issues and ordered enough components to carry us. We also made significant manufacturing improvements that allowed us to decrease the retail price of Helix when the vast majority of bicycle manufacturers were increasing their prices. This was only possible by putting a priority on retail bike orders. The alternative would have been bankruptcy.

However, with no end in sight to the changing global trade landscape we have realized that the possibility of delivering Kickstarter and pre-order bikes in a reasonable amount of time is unlikely.

I apologize for the shock of this announcement but I feel that this is the best path moving forward.

If you choose to upgrade to expedited delivery, your bike will now come with these upgrades:

• titanium dropouts ($200 upgrade)
• Tubolito inner tubes ($80 upgrade)
• Ti rail saddle ($110 upgrade)

The above reduces the weight of Helix by approximately 1lb.

Unfortunately, if you are looking to upgrade to the Ultralight spec, the supply of Ultralight parts this year will be extremely low. We expect to have more in stock by spring of 2023 but I don’t recommend that anybody wait. Get your bikes now and start enjoying them.

Please email us directly if you decide to proceed. We will then send you an invoice for payment with a guaranteed delivery date.

As a reminder, the price on Kickstarter in USD was $1200, $1300 and $1600 and for pre-orders $300 more than this.

We will start delivering these bikes in July and will be working to complete all deliveries by September on a first come first serve basis.

If we do not hear from you by July you will automatically go in to a refund queue. The process of receiving a refund is a delicate one as we have to balance the finances of keeping the lights on at the factory and ensuring that everyone still receives their bikes. We expect to complete all refunds within 6-12 months.

The method of refund, for pre-order customers will be back to the original card, if possible (even if the card is expired the refund will come through to the existing card), and for Kickstarter either by cheque or wire transfer.

Again, this was a very difficult decision to come to, but as I was watching retail bikes leave the factory it was bitter sweet knowing that you are all still waiting. I hope this news will bring some excitement as the riding season is now here.

Accessories production is about to begin. It will not be in time to deliver with your bikes but there will be everything you have hoped for by the end of the year. Please visit our website for a preview of our accessories and our next update will show the travel case/trailer, rear rack and mudguards.

Best regards,

Peter & The Helix Team“