Iconic US bike brand pauses new releases as staff face layoffs

Iconic US brand GT Bicycles has paused new product releases while it sets about downsizing its workforce and considers its future.

There will be staff layoffs made before the end of the year, company director Jason Schiers told Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN), but it would continue to trade in 2025.

The 52-year-old company separated from the Cycle Sports Group at the end of 2022 to set up as a standalone company with Pon Holdings.

In a statement, GT said: "To ensure a sustainable and successful future, we are implementing a strategic reorientation to align with evolving customer preferences."

It would concentrate "on core strengths, and refining our strategy to position GT for long-term growth. ... We will continue to sell our current range from existing inventory," according to the BRAIN report, while warranty and customer service will be handled by Cycling Sports Group.

"GT Bicycles remains a brand with strong potential, and this decision has been taken to lay a solid foundation for its next chapter," it added.

GT, famous for its 'triple triangle' frame designs, is active in the gravel space with its Grade model coming in a variety of iterations and has sold a wide variety of road bikes over the years – indeed André Tchmil won the 2000 Tour of Flanders on a GT.

It also sponsored the Jelly Belly road team from 2007-8 and even the US Postal Service team in the 1990s, before it began using Trek bikes.

However, it is best known in BMX and MTB circles, and sponsors a number of athletes. Some of those took to social media to paint a less optimistic picture than the official one coming from GT.

Phil Kmetz of the Skills With Phil YouTube channel, posted a short video saying that he had just come out of a meeting with Pon and his fellow sponsored athletes, and the news had come as an unexpected blow.

"We were just informed that GT is going to be no more," he said. "[Pon] is not shutting it down, they're going to sell off the inventory. And then once that inventory is done, they're going to pause the brand. It's a bummer."