Messingschlager acquires the US-based Cycle Force Group
The Cycle Force Group, LLC has been acquired by German cycling parts and accessories importer Messingschlager GmbH & Co.KG.
The Cycle Force team will continue operating as before. Founder Nyle Nims does complement the new board of directors and focusses on a new role as Director of Sales, Business Development and Industry Relationships. With more than 50 years on both the buy and sell side of the bicycle business, Nims said he is “thrilled to leverage both the relationships and friendships” he has built over the years.
Nyle said, “During a year of consolidation, we felt the need to find a partner who is not only financially stable, but also shares our core values. Messingschlager is at its heart a family business. Cycle Force has always been a family business. And with a distributor relationship and history lasting over 10 years Messingschlager products in the USA this felt like a perfect marriage.”
Cycle Force Group and its subsidiary, distributor North America Cycles, have been working with Messingschlager for more than a decade.
Kobus van der Zel is stepping in as CEO of the new entity. He is an experienced leader and business optimiser in many international supply chains, and he also brings a unique people development approach. “The way the team is embracing the new knowledge offered during the last three month is remarkable,” says Kobus. “This will translate into better products, delivery performance, and an overall better experience for our customers”.
The new entity, incorporated as Messingschlager USA, will continue to do business as Cycle Force Group, with North America Cycles being the premium sales platform catering to Independent Retail, and Cycle Force handling logistics, QC, and sourcing.
“Their core assortment of P&A has always been complementary to our bicycle business,” said Matthew Nims, VP of Marketing and Sales. “What really intrigued us was their approach to electric mobility. The U.S. and Europe are certainly different markets, but there are more similarities than there are differences, and we look forward to sharing these new opportunities with our customers.”
Messingschlager has been in the bicycle business for nearly 100 years and claims title to the largest stock of P&A in Europe. Its portfolio includes many of the most well-respected OEM brands in the world, including KMC, Kenda, Velo, Novatec, Beto and Samox, as well as its own P&A brand, M-Wave.
In 2018, Messingschlager became an preferential and approved OEM supplier for Brose Electric Motors followed by Bafang in 2020, marketing specifically to those brands looking for a turnkey, yet premium e-bike solution.
In April of 2021, the Hama Group took a majority stake in the Messingschlager business, something that has opened up opportunities for acquisitions such as this.
