Fim da marca NYC Freeride

A marca de componentes NYC Freeride acabou. Era uma pequena (bem pequena) empresa que fabricava artesanalmente pedais, avanços e outras peças simples. Essas peças eram conhecidas pela beleza e um design exótico, todo furado. Chegaram a ser usadas por freeriders de renome como Jeff Lenosky.

Os donos da empresa escreveram um relato justificando o fim da empresa. Bem interessante. Está no site deles e abaixo (em inglês). Resumindo: Eram apenas dois sócios, um cuidava da fabricação das peças e outro do marketing. Um deles teve uma fratura anos atrás que não o deixa pedalar (se jogar) como ele queria e desanimou. O outro chegou a perder um dedo fabricando as peças, mas continuava a pedalar forte. Eles não conseguiam dar conta dos pedidos de suas peças e não tiveram dinheiro para manter o négocio.

http://www.nycfreeride.com/

"NYC FREERIDE (website/video) Hey everybody...this is bill. This message is to announce the end of NYC Freeride. I would have started this by saying: "I'm sad to say...", but in many ways this is not a sad occasion. While this is the end of something that I once dreamed about, I am optimistic and a little excited about what may come next.

I started nycfreeride.com back when I was still riding my heavily modified GT Zaskar over anything I could. I wasn't the most knowledgeable biker out there...I couldn't name a single pro. I was a former skater who found, in biking, the rush and comradery that I had been missing so much. I figured, why not start a website and see what happens.....my brother russ could hook it up with the graphics. The website then turned into trying to make a video. Back then, steve, bk, pete, and I road all the time....biking was cool. The site was simple: it kept me busy, I got a lot of positive feedback...and most importantly, I met a lot of cool people.

We were riding in Prospect Park one day and met up with a group of bikers. One guy had a super-tricked out freeride bike and was riding like a nut. We were coming down the hill in Prospect Park with all the sets of steps. There was a bunch of us riding down the steps. As you go further down the hill, you really begin to pick up speed. The guy on the tricked out bike, was launching them. I was kind of half launching them, but trying to keep up. Towards the end, I just kept picking up speed and started launching them....it felt great. I made it to the end....not many people kept up. Andy, the guy with the tricked out bike and tattoos, would later confide in me that he "thought I was some type of geek" when he first met me, but was impressed that I could kind of keep up with a XC bike.

NYC Freeride (The components company) Andy, who I later became good friends with, turned out to be hardcore into biking. Andy was the exact opposite of me, he new everything about bikes...his passion for biking is always active, both on and off the trails. It also turned out that he was a skilled machinist. He had been making/modifying bike parts for the past couple years and he wanted to take it to the next level. So we decided to combine resources and turn NYC Freeride into a components company.

Andy is the one who designed and fabricated all of our components. His goal was to design highly functional freeride parts that also had an artistic edge to them. His first design, the Blox stem was an instant hit. No matter where we rode, someone always commented on how 'sick' the stem was. While this is the end of of NYC Freeride...I am sure it will not be too long before you see Andy's trademark dimple pattern on some sick new bicycle component.

NYC Freeride (the downfall) At the time we started, freeriding was just getting popular, but had not yet 'blown up'. We had some of the sickest components out there and they were generating a lot of interest. So what happened?

Well, first of all, there was really only the two of us, and doing the simplest things seemed to take a lot of time. With our own personal priorities, NYC Freeride often suffered. Then as usual, there was the cash issue. We were trying to fund this ourselves...and it just wasn't working out. There were also injuries. I tore my ACL a few years back and after that I really lost interest in biking. If I couldn't ride all out, I didn't really want to ride at all. Andy also had an injury. He lost a pinky finger manufacturing our petals. But Andy, was more passionate about biking, he kept going. And finally, there is the 'personality' issue....its way easier to be friends with someone than business partners. While this is the end of me and Andy's business partnership, this is not the end of our friendship. Even though that asshole does piss me off sometimes. (I know he would say the same thing about me...:)

The Future Well, while Andy did loose a finger, he also was given a healthy beautiful daughter around the same time. And this is not the last time you will see Andy's creativity expressed through bicycle components. While NYC Freeride was not a financial success, I know he made a lot of contacts and gained tons of confidence. The next time Andy starts producing bike parts, he will be that much closer to success.

As for me, I am done with the bike business. I enjoyed the nyc freeride experience, but I realized it was not my ticket to happiness. The past couple years have been kind of tough...and it's good to see my 'loose ends' being taken care of. I started skating again and my soul just feels better. I'm gonna work hard to get my 'cool' back and keep searching for that elusive thing that makes me happy.

To all of you out there who have supported us over the years...thanks."

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