Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
The company had quickly built a reputation for the versatility of its e-bikes and the durability of their batteries. Over the years, the popularity of models such as the CrossCurrent, HyperScrambler, and RipCurrent only bolstered the brand’s status.Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.Juiced Bikes’ getting sold quickly might be a sign of what consulting firm Houlihan Lokey says is a recovery in the North American e-bike market.
The industry has had a roller-coaster ride during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A huge spike in demand for e-bikes had combined with disrupted supply chains to create a supply/demand mismatch of “historic proportions," Houlihan Lokey said.
In what is the first merging of this new technique with an existing and bel0ved Reebok shoe, this new and improved Liquid Floatride Run promises to be 20 percent lighter than the original version, and also comes with two new features — liquid lace and liquid grip.
While your conventional shoe requires traditional laces that must be tied (and invariably become untied), Reebok has solved this problem by 3D-printing laces directly onto the shoe. The result is a stretch-to-fit slip-on shoe. The Liquid Factory process stretches across the top of the shoe at key pressure points to ensure that your foot remains in place, while offering the convenience of a slip-on shoe.
Liquid grip, on the other hand, promises to improve traction. Reebok used the liquid printing technique to draw stripes across the bottom of the shoe, but only placed the stripes where needed. After all, the rubber outsole often makes up the bulk of the weight of a sneaker, so by substituting this component with liquid, Reebok not only increased grip, but also reduced weight.
A few things didn’t change, of course, most notably the proprietary Floatride cushioning midsole. This midsole, after all, was named the Best Debut from Runner’s World in 2017, and is likely what makes the Floatride such a popular shoe among athletes.
“Last year we launched the Liquid Factory concept with the Liquid Speed shoe. It was definitely a striking silhouette, as we aimed to showcase the way that the 3D-drawing process could change the way shoes are made,” said Bill McInnis, Head of Reebok Future. “What we’re excited to highlight with Liquid Floatride is how we can apply the Liquid Factory process to any of our existing products, to make great shoes even better.”
The company seems to have ambitious plans for its Liquid Factory process moving forward. McInnis added, “The next generation of Liquid Factory products will be even more innovative, as we can create the entire shoe using the Liquid Factory process – outsole, cushioning and upper fit systems – the whole shoe. We are looking forward to bringing many more products to market that incorporate the ground-breaking Liquid Factory process.”
The limited-edition Liquid Floatride Run will be available on March 21 at the Reebok website.