What is "syncros"

Syncros is a brand of bicycle components, with an emphasis on off-road bicycle parts. Founded by Peter Hamilton and Pippin Osborne in 1986 and originally based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Syncros had its heyday in the early 1990s as one of the earliest and most sought-after brands of high end aftermarket off-road bicycle parts. In the late 1990s, the company had financial difficulties and was sold to the large U.S. based bicycle company GT. Shortly thereafter, GT itself was purchased by Schwinn, which in turn was purchased by Pacific Bicycle Group, a large Taiwanese conglomerate known mainly for low end, mass market bicycles and parts. Pacific was quick to try to capitalize on the Syncros brand name, and used the Syncros label on many cheaply produced OEM parts, severely damaging the brand's reputation. Due to a lapse in trademark registration in the early 2000s, the Syncros brand name was briefly grabbed in the UK by Super Cycles of Nottingham. However, a settlement was reached between Super Cycles and Pacific, resulting in Pacific regaining control of the brand name.

Among Syncros' most successful and well known products from their early Canadian period were the Cattleprod and Cattlehead stems, noted for their innovative used of shaped and machined aluminum and titanium at a time when most welded stems were made of steel, and the ProSeries seatpost, featuring an often-copied two-bolt micro-adjust system for saddle positioning. The seat post design, as copied by such companies as Thomson, remains popular today on high end bicycles.

Syncros was purchased in 2003 from Pacific by Tom Ritchey, who re-established the brand with Marshall Cant, former Product Manager at Rocky Mountain Bicycles, in the position of Brand Manager. Under the guidance of Tom Ritchey, Syncros has returned to its roots as a leading designer and manufacturer of high end mountain bike components. The original micro adjust 2 bolt seatpost is still manufactured but is the only original product still in the line up.

In January 2012, Syncros was purchased by SCOTT Sports.