For years, cyclists across the U.S. recognized Colorado Cyclist as a big name for bikes, gear, and components. But if you’ve checked the website lately, or tried swinging by their Colorado Springs shop, something feels off. Are they still really in business, or is it just the website that’s hanging around?
A Brief Look at Colorado Cyclist’s History
Colorado Cyclist wasn’t just some random internet shop. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was *the* place for high-end bikes and parts. The company got popular for great mail-order catalogs, later building a big online presence. Thousands of cyclists—and more than a few seasoned racers—ordered from them every year.
Then in 2022, something changed. Investors combined Colorado Cyclist with Planet Cyclery. That merger made sense for both businesses at the time, but it set up a chain of events leading right into the closure.
The Closing Announcement: When It All Came Out
In April 2024, things became public. Suddenly, Colorado Cyclist’s home page featured a headline most retailers dread: **“Closing Sale.”** You couldn’t miss it. Big notices promised discounts on bikes, parts, clothing—the works.
Beneath the sales pitch was a more serious situation. The company wasn’t just doing a normal clearance. Official statements explained it was an “assignment for the benefit of creditors.” That’s a technical way of saying the business was being shut down to pay debts, not just running a big end-of-season sale. It’s a legal step that comes before bankruptcy, but the end result for customers (and staff) looks pretty similar.
What Exactly Happened? Liquidation, and Who Ran It
You might wonder who was actually handling the wind-down. A press release made it clear: B. Riley Retail Solutions stepped in to run the “total liquidation.” That company specializes in closing out retailers, managing inventory firesales, and making sure any money gets distributed back to creditors.
That spring, the focus was on selling absolutely everything—bikes, components, clothing, random accessories. Discounts got steeper as time went on. People trying to buy in the last few weeks found stock running low and popular items sold out. It wasn’t hard to see things were ending for real.
How the Cycling Community Reacted
If you followed bike industry news, you could see the story spreading fast. Bicycle Retailer & Industry News ran updates on the closure, noting the company’s merger history and the official liquidation status. They later followed up with a new twist: that Colorado Cyclist’s brand and web assets were eventually picked up by the owner of Cambria Bike later in 2024.
A few cycling YouTubers also talked about it. At least one news/commentary channel spelled it out—both Colorado Cyclist and Planet Cyclery were shutting their doors, pointing to increased online competition and broader pressures facing bike shops. Reddit threads popped up almost overnight, with real buyers complaining about delays, unfilled orders, and customer service disappearing.
If you’ve ever followed a going-out-of-business sale, this probably sounds familiar. Customers scramble as inventory vanishes. Reviews get frantic. Sites go down for hours at a time. In this case, people noticed orders that were charged but never shipped. That kind of confusion is unfortunately common when liquidation happens at speed, especially with so much inventory moving out the door.
Did the Physical Store in Colorado Springs Survive?
Some folks still wonder whether the store in Colorado Springs managed to stay open. The short answer: No.
Yelp reviews make it obvious. Recent comments describe the shop as closed, with the lights off, bars on the windows, and only a handful of leftover products visible inside. People who’d shopped there for years sounded genuinely disappointed. One customer called it a “once mighty cycling powerhouse” that just ran out of gas.
That change hit local riders especially hard, since the retail location had been a serious destination in the state for many years.
What Happened to the Website and the Brand?
After the all-clearance, things got a little confusing. The **coloradocyclist.com** website continued to load, offering cycling products just like before. On the surface, it looked like business as usual—until you looked closer.
Industry announcements in late 2024 cleared things up: after being shut down, the brand, website, and intellectual property (IP) were bought by the owner of Cambria Bike, another cycling retailer. That means the Colorado Cyclist website you might see now is no longer the original company. It’s a reused brand, brought back under different management, selling similar products but run by a new owner in a completely different setup.
This isn’t all that unusual in the retail world. Once a company closes, their name, domain, and online branding might get purchased and relaunched. So if you’re Googling Colorado Cyclist in 2025 and see the familiar logo, remember—it’s not the same business that was liquidated. It’s someone else, running things in their own way, using the old name.
Why Corporate Listings May Be Wrong
Plenty of internet directories still show Colorado Cyclist as an active business, complete with employees and (sometimes wildly outdated) revenue numbers. As with many other businesses that close, these online profiles often lag behind.
These kinds of data sources—think RocketReach, Crunchbase, or random business lookup tools—tend to update their information automatically. Automated scraping doesn’t notice business closures or ownership changes right away. Unless you see something direct (like a press release from the business itself or a liquidation agent), don’t take those listings at face value.
Official trade press and sources like PR Newswire are your best bet for the real story. They’re the ones that reported on the closing sale, the assignment for the benefit of creditors, and the eventual sale of intellectual property.
So, Is Colorado Cyclist Actually Out of Business?
In practical terms: yes, Colorado Cyclist as you once knew it is gone. The retail company merged with Planet Cyclery, then wound down operations in spring 2024, selling off its inventory through a third-party liquidator. The brick-and-mortar store in Colorado Springs shut its doors. The company stopped fulfilling orders and discontinued all regular operations.
Where confusion comes in is with the brand itself. After the original business closed, the brand and web domain were acquired by another retailer. So while you might see “Colorado Cyclist” online, it isn’t the same company that built a decades-long reputation among cyclists. It’s now just a name—run and managed by someone new.
What This Means If You’re a Customer
If you bought from Colorado Cyclist or Planet Cyclery during the closing sale, you probably noticed delays or communications dropping off completely. That’s typical during liquidation, unfortunately. Orders that were never fulfilled in the closing days likely won’t be, unless you work through your credit card company or the liquidator directly.
After the acquisition in October 2024, the site is technically “back” but with a different management and inventory. So if you buy from the Colorado Cyclist website now, it’s really a new company using an old badge. This is important if you’re looking for warranty support, past purchase info, or have questions about previous orders—old support channels are gone, and this is a fresh operation.
It’s not just a bike shop quirk, either. This type of brand hand-off happens often in retail, especially with well-known names. If you’re interested in how brand transfers work in business, you might enjoy the broader coverage at Quick Business Point, which tracks business transitions and other retail shifts in a straightforward way.
A Final Word: The Colorado Cyclist Name Lives On, but the Company Closed
What happened to Colorado Cyclist is pretty clear. The original business—once a go-to source for serious riders and everyday cyclists alike—is gone. Their inventory was sold off in a forced closing sale in spring 2024, the physical presence in Colorado Springs shut, and the original company ended operations.
Today, the Colorado Cyclist name continues under completely new management thanks to a brand and domain purchase by the owner of Cambria Bike. If you’re shopping today, you’re buying from a new team. If you had a relationship or purchase history with the old Colorado Cyclist or Planet Cyclery, don’t expect the same people, policies, or support.
For customers, the most important thing is not confusing the two. What you see online now is a brand reboot, not a continuation of the old operation. It’s one more example of how retail brands can survive even when the businesses themselves don’t. For cyclists and industry watchers, it’s a reminder: names are persistent, but real companies can and do disappear.
Read Also:
