Germany’s Messingschlager Acquires Cycle Force Group

Nyle Nims, founder of Cycle Force said, “During a year of consolidation, we felt the need to find a partner who is not only financially stable, but also shares our core values. Messingschlager is at its heart a family business. Cycle Force has always been a family business. And with a distributor relationship and history lasting over 10 years Messingschlager products in the USA this felt like a perfect marriage.”

Cycle Force Group and its subsidiary, distributor North America Cycles, have been working with Messingschlager for more than a decade. “Their core assortment of P&A has always been complementary to our bicycle business,” said Matthew Nims, VP of Marketing and Sales. “What really intrigued us was their approach to electric mobility. The U.S. and Europe are certainly different markets, but there are more similarities than there are differences, and we look forward to sharing these new opportunities with our customers.”

Messingschlager has been in the bicycle business for nearly 100 years and claims title to the largest stock of P&A in Europe. Their portfolio includes many of the most well-respected OEM brands in the world, included KMC, Kenda, Velo, Novatec, Beto and Samox, as well as their own P&A brand, M-Wave. In 2018, Messingschlager became an preferential and approved OEM supplier for Brose Electric Motors followed by Bafang in 2020, marketing specifically to those brands looking for a turnkey, yet premium e-bike solution.

“We are very excited to drive our international expansion in the world’s most likely No.1 growth market with our well known and trusted partner Cycle Force Group in the future. Not only that the company cultures and values of our family businesses are very coherent, but from the entire business model Cycle Force Group and Messingschlager do complement each other in an almost perfect way” stresses Dennis Schömburg, Managing Director and Shareholder of Messingschlager Germany.

The Cycle Force team will continue operating as before. Nyle Nims does complement the new board of directors and focusses into a new role as Director of Sales, Business Development and Industry Relationships. With more than 50 years on both the buy and sell side of the bicycle business, Nims said he is “thrilled to leverage both the relationships and friendships” he has built over the years.

Kobus van der Zel is stepping in as CEO of the new entity. He is an experienced leader and business optimizer in many international supply chains, and he also brings a unique people development approach. “The way the team is embracing the new knowledge offered during the last 3 month is remarkable,” says Kobus. “This will translate into better products, delivery performance, and an overall better experience for our customers”.

The new entity, incorporated as Messingschlager USA, will continue to do business as Cycle Force Group, with North America Cycles being the premium sales platform catering to Independent Retail, and Cycle Force handling logistics, QC, and sourcing.