Watsonville’s Easy Racers, recumbent bike maker, shutters

​

Watsonville’s Easy Racers, recumbent bike maker, shutters Santa Cruz Sentinel

WATSONVILLE >> Recumbent bicycle company Easy Racers closed the doors of its manufacturing facility and storefront, owner Denton Coetzee announced, putting an end to the company’s nearly 40 years of production — at least for now.

Founded in 1979 by Gardner Martin, Easy Racers is known for its ergonomic and aerodynamic recumbent bicycles that allow riders to pedal from a reclined seat that sits closer to the ground. The niche company gained notoriety in 1986 when one of its bikes became the first to break 65 mph on level ground, winning a prestigious prize and a place at the Smithsonian.

“Since 2008, things got a little tougher and a little tighter,” Coetzee said. “Sales declined, and as a result of declining sales the cost of labor increased.”

He said a second factor was the rising cost of housing in Santa Cruz County, forcing workers to move further away and in some cases take second jobs.

“It’s a very unfortunate story,” Coetzee said. “Small businesses are having difficulty because we can’t afford to pay the wages people are required to earn to live in the area. It’s a very complex situation.”

Easy Racers ceased operations at its 14,000-square-foot facility on Hanger Way on Sept. 1, according to Coetzee, laying off the small number of remaining employees after a ratcheting down its size in recent years.

The company didn’t announce the closure until Sept. 26, a delay Coetzee attributed to his holding out hope that he would be able to find a way to continue manufacturing in the U.S.

“I was going through a personal sense of loss because I really wanted it to succeed,” Coetzee said. “I really wanted to make these bikes here.”

But closure doesn’t necessarily spell the end for Easy Racers bikes and parts.

Coetzee said he is in negotiations with a Taiwanese manufacturer and major U.S. distributor and hopes to have bikes back on the market come next summer. He declined to name the distributor while negotiations are underway. Continuing to manufacture replacement parts in particular is a priority for Coetzee, he said.

“I have a commitment to the thousands of customers that I have to provide the bikes the parts they need to keep their bikes on the road,” he said. “People love these bikes.”

In the interim, the company’s stockpile of frames and parts continue to be available for purchase.

After becoming a fan of Easy Racers bikes as a local cycling enthusiast in the 1980s, Coetzee purchased the company following Gardner’s 2004 retirement. Coetzee saw an opportunity to shift the company’s focus retrofitting its bikes with electric power, but was disappointed by the market’s response.

“It just never took hold as I anticipated it would,” he said. “The electric bike market has exploded worldwide but not yet in California as far as I can tell.

Ray Shreder, of New York, said he has tried other recumbent bikes but none have compared to the Gold Rush replica he purchased from Easy Racers about eight years ago. Shreder said he was planning on buying a new model before seeing the closure announcement on Facebook but is holding out hope that the company will soon be up and running with a foreign manufacturer.

Another of the dozens of online commenters expressing dismay ...

Continue reading...