Knolly Bikes is an iconic name in the lore of B.C. mountain biking. Since 2003, the North Van outfit’s designed bikes to survive the infamous Shore trails. In a statement released Thursday, CEO and founder Noel Buckley shared that Knolly hopes to keep doing so in the future, but that the road ahead is looking pretty rough.
The Canadian brand is, it seems, the latest to reveal how much it is struggling as the current downturn in the bike industry drags on.
In a typically blunt statement from Buckley, the founder cites not only the industry downturn but a decision by RBC to write down its account as the causes forcing Knolly to restructure. He added that the brand is still in the process of deciding what its future will look like.
Buckley said that the past few years weren’t easy, but the brand was finding ways to deal with it before RBC’s decision.
“We have been fighting through it,” Buckley says, “We were making progress.”
“This is not an obituary.”
Buckley is confident this isn’t the end for the storied B.C. brand, adding that it has several models that were in development. From what Knolly shared at Crankworx last summer, 2026 was going to be an exciting year before this news.
“This is not an obituary,” Buckley states. “I started Knolly in a garage because I believed I could build a better bike. I still believe that. The question in front of me right now isn’t whether Knolly should exist- it’s what Knolly needs to look like to keep existing.”
While the future looks rocky for Buckley and Knolly, the founder seems intent on keeping the story going and the bikes rolling into the future. We’ve seen other brands battle back from rough economic times, most notably YT Industries. Hopefully Knolly can find a way forward through this.
Here is the full statement from Noel Buckley shared by Knolly Bikes:
I’m going to keep this simple because you deserve that.
The last few years have been the hardest this industry has ever seen, and Knolly has not been immune. But we have been fighting through it: restructuring costs, tightening operations, and doing the difficult work of right-sizing the business to match a new reality. We were making progress.
That progress was cut short. Our bank, RBC, has made the decision to call in our account. This comes at a time when RBC is posting record annual profits, $20.4 billion last fiscal year. RBC has been…
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