Mavic gone bust?

moonshine
moonshine Posts: 1,021
Seems the famous Yellow neutral service may be a thing of the past :(

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Comments

  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,722
    😱😢😢😢
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,384
    ....bloomin' hell....😦
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • alistaird
    alistaird Posts: 290
    Another one after Time going and the sale of Colnago...


    A
    Alistair


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  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    If that's true I would genuinely be amazed.

    Appreciate in these uncertain times no one is safe but they are a big worldwide brand & you could think of plenty of smaller companies that would go to the wall before them.
  • moonshine
    moonshine Posts: 1,021
    Bicycle wheel manufacturer Mavic has been placed in receivership, according to a report in the Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday. The French unions have demanded accountability from former parent company Salomon and its main shareholder Amer Sports after the company was sold in 2018.

    "The Grenoble commercial court declared us in receivership on May 2, with an observation period of six months," Gérard Meunier, secretary of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE), told AFP.

    Mavic employs 250 people worldwide, including 200 in France. The brand was created in 1889, and has been a supplier of the Tour de France for 40 years – its iconic yellow cars and motorbikes providing neutral service. In 2017, the company extended its contract with ASO through 2022.
    https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-supplier-mavic-placed-in-receivership/
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,097
    ibr17xvii said:

    If that's true I would genuinely be amazed.

    Appreciate in these uncertain times no one is safe but they are a big worldwide brand & you could think of plenty of smaller companies that would go to the wall before them.

    Seriously? They are a small French company, less than 250 employees, whose main business line, aluminium rims and factory built wheels, is under threat on two fronts; the rise of carbon rims and cheaper manufacturers based in Asia. I'm not surprised at all that they are in financial difficulty, even without factoring in Covid-19.
  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    andyp said:

    ibr17xvii said:

    If that's true I would genuinely be amazed.

    Appreciate in these uncertain times no one is safe but they are a big worldwide brand & you could think of plenty of smaller companies that would go to the wall before them.

    Seriously? They are a small French company, less than 250 employees, whose main business line, aluminium rims and factory built wheels, is under threat on two fronts; the rise of carbon rims and cheaper manufacturers based in Asia. I'm not surprised at all that they are in financial difficulty, even without factoring in Covid-19.

    I honestly thought they employed more people than that with the size & stature of the brand.

    I've always had no problems with any Mavics I've bought, winter wheels have been bombproof although never owned any higher end stuff.

    Appreciate they would've been getting squeezed as everyone will be but I thought they would be OK.

  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    edited May 2020
    Mavic have been a huge pain in the **** to deal with for years.

    An incomprehensible but also outdated product range, weird compatibility issues, proprietary parts, none-existant or slow spares availability assuming you could figure out the SKU you actually wanted because wheels built on Wednesdays were actually slightly different than those built on other days unless it was the second full moon of the year, excluding leap years and it was all topped off by the attitude "we're Mavic, we know what we're doing".




  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,284
    Bit of a rubbish time to be going bust, with many major cities putting temporary bike-lanes in that (with a bit of luck and some pushing in the right places) could become permanent and lead to a proper cycling boom.
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  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,722
    edited May 2020
    True but the majority of those riders will be short distance leisure and commuting.
    People who spend £250-£500 on a bike, not on a set of wheels.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,731
    I liked Mavic - my experience of their wheels has been pretty good. I'm still using a pair of those Ksyriums with the red spoke on an old Look 585 occasionally - must have done a good 12-15k on those wheels and bar lubing the freehub when it squeals not had to touch them.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,384
    I liked the road ones I had, I rode them till the rims looked like a 'c' and never touched them in all that time.

    The MTB ones I had were more problematic though in ways Jimbo described...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,235
    I also thought they were a larger company... but there you go.

    In fairness, lately they haven't been nearly as innovative as they were in the 1990s

    Ksyrium, Cosmic, all stuff that hit the market nearly 20 years ago
    left the forum March 2023
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,454
    I assume very little of their actual manufacturing was done 'in house' judging by the number of employees. I'd also thought they were a much bigger company with the sponsorship and sheer number of Mavic wheels you see around. I guess it shows how insular Tour sponsorship is even today that they played such a major role
  • racerex
    racerex Posts: 69
    Sorry to hear, I’ve done my part to support the brand. Love my Kysrium Pro’s, love my bib shorts, love my shoes, I’ve bought Mavic every chance I get.

    So related question, I’ve watched every televised minute of every stage of the tour for as long as I can remember. In all that time I don’t recall ever seeing anyone riding one of those yellow neutral support bikes. Is that just a complete faux pas for the riders from a sponsorship standpoint? So much so that the network is advised to not even show a rider on a yellow bike?
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,612
    racerex said:

    Sorry to hear, I’ve done my part to support the brand. Love my Kysrium Pro’s, love my bib shorts, love my shoes, I’ve bought Mavic every chance I get.

    So related question, I’ve watched every televised minute of every stage of the tour for as long as I can remember. In all that time I don’t recall ever seeing anyone riding one of those yellow neutral support bikes. Is that just a complete faux pas for the riders from a sponsorship standpoint? So much so that the network is advised to not even show a rider on a yellow bike?

    Froome rode one after his little jog on Ventoux.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    Like @racerex I'm a fan of the brand, their stuff fits me well - shorts, jerseys, helmets, shoes (especially). I do have a pair of wheels, but only Aksiums, though would have always bought rims in years gone past.

    Time to try and find some more shoes before they're no longer available.
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    @racerex they are used, but the GC contenders at the front are rarely separated from their support vehicle and spare bikes. It’s mainly the bus and riders at the back that take them.

    Generally they are only a stop gap until a rider can get back on a team bike.

    I do like their shoes and was going to get a pair this summer
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,638
    @racerex I remember Jens Voigt having to ride one in about 2010 and said it was an awful experience
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,384
    edited May 2020
    They re obviously 'generic' bikes so as soon as the rider can get back on their own, perfectly fitted and tuned bike, they do so. They re not usually at the sharp end (where the cameras are) any more by then though...

    It was rather lovely having salmon and Mavic shoes and ski boots all in the same size and knowing that they'd all fit because they all used the same last was rather nice. Unfortunately, they've been getting narrower recently and no longer fit me :(
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,542

    @racerex I remember Jens Voigt having to ride one in about 2010 and said it was an awful experience

    Wasn’t it a kids bike?
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460

    @racerex I remember Jens Voigt having to ride one in about 2010 and said it was an awful experience

    Wasn’t it a kids bike?
    That’s my memory too.

  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,803
    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,235

    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.

    The brand has appeal, let's hope for a proper investor, rather than someone who's only after the name...

    But they need to innovate again... they used to be the name when it came to innovation in cycling
    left the forum March 2023
  • slowmart
    slowmart Posts: 4,480

    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.

    Depends how French law attaches employment rights post administration. French employment law is heavily weighted towards employes

    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

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  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,573

    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.

    The brand has appeal, let's hope for a proper investor, rather than someone who's only after the name...

    Not Mike Ashley then?

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  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    edited May 2020
    The clothing range has been a mainstay for me the cosmic pro bibs and jackets and shoes - very understated but excellent. I got two sets of the limited edition La France. May frame one of them now



  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,612
    daniel_b said:

    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.

    The brand has appeal, let's hope for a proper investor, rather than someone who's only after the name...

    Not Mike Ashley then?

    He can spec them on his Muddy Fox bikes.
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,036

    Receivership doesn't mean they've gone out of business. I'd be surprised if another buyer doesn't move in soon.

    Yes it is more like Chapter 11 in the States. There is a 6 month (or longer) period in which the receiver tries to find a buyer and work out if the business is a going concern. Ok the same happens in the UK but things are more oriented towards keeping the business going than satisfying the creditors. In this case it seems like the unions were asking for receivership to be imposed. The creditors can also petition for the business to be wound up of course.

    Mavic had already been bought by the Chinese.
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