(Photo | Courtesy of The Robert Axle Project)
The Robert Axle Project, a U.S. manufacturer of thru axles for bikes based in Bend, announced the purchase of Old Man Mountain Products of Santa Barbara, California. The acquisition of Old Man Mountain will complement the existing product portfolio of The Robert Axle Project and both brands will continue to operate as separate entities. The purchase will support The Robert Axle Project’s mission to provide the highest quality products for cyclists to enjoy traveling by bicycle.
In 1996, Old Man Mountain founder Channing Hammond developed the first bicycle cargo rack to fit on suspension bikes, using the center of the wheel as the main connection point. The company has continued to be a driving force in providing adaptable gear-carrying solutions for all bikes. Similarly, in 2013, The Robert Axle Project was born from a necessity of attaching trailers to thru axle equipped bikes. It is now considered to be the authority on thru axle fitments.
The natural convergence of The Robert Axle Project and Old Man Mountain occurred as a result of the close synergy and trust of both owners, and the shared vision to provide high quality, durable components and racks to fit all bikes. The Robert Axle Project has been supplying Old Man Mountain with thru axles for the past five years.
“We come from a strong history of bike touring and trail building and our first thru axles that we sold were for attaching B.O.B. Trailers to modern bikes,” said Robert Axle Project co-owner Chris Kratsch. ”We’ve continued to watch bike touring and bikepacking evolve and we feel that Old Man Mountain makes the most durable, strongest cargo rack that fits nearly any bicycle. And as a side note, we’ve personally used Old Man Mountain racks on our bikes since 2000, including a full summer on the entire Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 2003. I love the durability and function of the product.”
Robert Axle Project co-owner and brand manager Katy Bryce adds that fit, function and customer service is paramount to both brands. “With The Robert Axle Project, we understand that our customers want things to fit their bike perfect, and we’re striving for that model with Old Man Mountain,” said Bryce. “These racks do not require eyelets on the bike, and they attach to the thru axle, so we’ll be using our extensive thru axle knowledge for Old Man Mountain, as we do with The Robert Axle Project.”
Old Man Mountain products will be available in Fall 2019.
