Waterford is BACK!!!
 

https://theradavist.com/waterford-an...eid=9e3393cbdd

so maybe not the same, but will incorporate some same design.

That is very good to hear, thanks for sharing:thumb:

Waterford lugged brazed?

Guy

It will be interesting to see what they are up to.

Great news, most excellent! :thumb:

Mmm. is this like the artisanal version of Dorel industry?

I've owned a Waterford 1200 and a Gunnar Crosshairs. Glad to see the brands return in at least some form.

I wonder if they can succeed in today's market with changing tastes and razor-thin margins. Lots of other boutique builders competing at the same price point, and D2C is taking a bigger share of the retail market at a lower price point.

Many moons ago, I might have splurged on a custom Waterford or Gunnar, as I used to live near their HQ and have toured the plant. But I've sold all my nice steel and titanium road bikes and moved strictly to full carbon - a Specialized Sirrus X 5.0 and an Argon 18 Krypton.

All subjective, of course, but my current carbon bikes are much more compliant than any of my older road bikes. So a custom doesn't appeal to me the way it might have in the past.

It's nice that the Waterford and Gunnar names will live on. Be let's be real - these will not be Waterfords or Gunnars, they will be Sanitas bikes with the names and perhaps some of the guiding principles that were behind the Waterfords and Gunnars we all know. Is that a bad thing? Probably not. But let's see what Sanitas puts out before we go ga-ga over them.

I do hope that this sale makes Richard Schwinn's retirement easier. He's worked hard for a long time.

My Thoughts Exactly
 

I ran into Richard on a Santana Adventures vacation right after he retired and I found him to be a great guy and amazing historian of the bicycle industry. He seemed to be enjoying a comfortable retirement but, like many famous names in the cycling industry, not rolling in dough. The cycling industry inspires a lot of passion but is not necessarily a great return on investment from a money standpoint. I hope Richard got a little bank from the asset sale and the Sanitas guys are appropriately inspired by the great history these names are connected to.

Best we have the right to hope for.

Until proven otherwise, I'm no longer impressed by these kinds of ventures. The most recent disappointment for me was the acquisition of Bob Jackson Cycles by Woodrup. The new bikes are just Woodrups, which are far more bespoke and expensive than the semi-production style of bikes that Bob Jackson was known for making, with different decals and funky color schemes.

-Gregory

Cool. My Milwaukee is Waterford made.

A company 3 states and well over 1000 miles away bought the brands and 'historic designs and specs'(whatever actual value that has) and the bikes will be built by people with no connection to the original brand.

Cool that the brand names live on, I guess?...but it seems like a big stretch to claim 'Waterford Cycles is back'.
An extreme example of this is Bikes Direct and Motobecane...and the internet is overflowing with people still criticizing that.

I suppose its no different from the countless brands that have been sold to holding companies and are effectively marketing brands now(Cannondale, Cervelo, Fuji, Santa Cruz, Salsa, Kona, Raleigh, Niner, etc).



Kinda funny that if the shop in Waterford had just been taken over by a new president and thru time the fabricators continued to retire and pass the torch to younger employees, then the brand would be viewed as still a genuine Waterford without any hesitation or pushback.
What has effectively happened here is a new president(head of company, whatever) has taken over and new fabricators will build...but I see the brand as just a brand now and distinctly separate from an original Waterford...whatever that nebulous definition could mean.

To be fair Kona was bought back by the original owners.

Yep. I used Kona as an example because of the stark difference in the brand within just a couple years of the sale to Kent.

I think this could be just another name buy. A bad time for this , I mean I wish the company well but the bike market is not that good right now. Some of the good brands and shops are struggling to compete with the flood of imported e-bikes. I see too many folks these days throttling instead of pedaling! Sales for good American brands of components like Chris King are not doing that well unless they go after e-bike stuff. Everything changes , nothing stays the same. Buy vintage!

No one is trying to decide between a Waterford or a throttled e-bike though.

Well , the problem with marketing something is that there has to be volume to compete. Small , niche markets aren’t doing well and may be unsustainable. How many independent bike shops have closed down? Many had been around for many years with great reputations. Think Rivendell , how many times have they been in panic mode over the last few years? Grant has worked very hard just to keep it alive , not an excellent business model. Good for those that hang on , like Grant , but……

but how many folks would buy a Waterford ? We shall see.

If Richard Schwinn says it is good, it is good.

Its almost like a quirky bike brand tying up money in $220 hatchets, $7 goat soap, $60 Paddington Bear looking rain hats, and stuff like Australian leather slipper socks is a questionable path to sustained success.
Topical though- Riv did make a decision that would help ensure success, and it is applicable to the conversation here- Riv pushed US frame production overseas. Kinda interesting in a thread about a MUSA brand.

Now, if they hire Marc Muller to head up design I’ll get interested. Otherwise I have Paramount OS he did so I’m good.
Tim