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United Wheels announced today that it is pausing Niner Bikes to focus on its other brands. James Huang of N-1 seems to have broken the news, with Niner making an official statement to BRAIN<\/a> shortly after.<\/p>\n “United Wheels is pausing operations for Niner while it evaluates and realigns the brand\u2019s strategic direction. This decision reflects a broader review of how United Wheels allocates focus and resources across its portfolio of brands. We are taking disciplined, responsible steps to manage through it. Our priority is to support our dealers and riders while handling this transition in a professional and thoughtful way. This includes maintaining continuity where it matters most\u2014service, warranty, and relationships\u2014while aligning our operations to the realities of the market. As such, Niner\u2019s customer service, warranty support, and parts availability will remain active throughout this period. We have deep respect for what Niner represents to the cycling community and to the dealers, reps and riders who have supported the brand. We are committed to keeping our partners and customers informed as our evaluation progresses, and will share additional information as it becomes available.” <\/p>\n Niner filed for bankruptcy in 2017, with United Wheels purchasing<\/a> the brand in 2018. At that time, the purchase allowed \u201cthe dedicated team at Niner to keep producing high-quality bikes.\u201d However, now it seems that United Wheels will focus its efforts on the entry-level brands in its catalog, namely Batch and Huffy.<\/p>\n In an updated interview with BRAIN, United Wheels CEO Bruno Maier said they are focusing on expanding Huffy to European and Chinese markets. He also said they are shutting down their e-bike brand, Buzz, and moving desired models under the Huffy and Batch brands.<\/p>\n Tough times continue in the bike industry. Niner is the second brand to close its doors in the last five days. Last week, we reported that the entire inventory of Knolly Bikes<\/a>, from frames to office desks, was up for bid. As of right now, it is unclear if \u201cpausing\u201d means simply that or if Niner is officially on the chopping block.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.<\/p>\n The post Niner Bikes Pauses Operations, Lays Off Employees<\/a> appeared first on Bikerumor<\/a>.<\/p>\n