ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BRAIN) — New cycling component company RP Designs has acquired mountain bike brand Ellsworth from the ASG Group. RP Designs and Ellsworth will offer a complete bike lineup, components, and accessories.
Ellsworth will continue to focus on designing and manufacturing mountain bikes and operate separately from RP Designs.
The ASG Group acquired San Diego-based Ellsworth in 2018 with founder Tony Ellsworth staying on initially after the sale before leaving the same year. Ellsworth founded the company in 1991. ASG invested in developing lifestyle products and apparel to complement the bike brand.
RP Designs, which was started this year by CEO Rudi Pienaar to develop cycling smart technology, has four patents pending, including the Smart-Cockpit, which has a crowdfunding campaign under way at StartEngine with 20 investors and $49,772 raised as of Wednesday afternoon.
Pienaar previously spent nine years in various managerial positions at High Duty Castings, a South African foundry.
"RP Designs' core mission is to drive rapid and targeted innovation in products designed for the broader cycling sector, and the Ellsworth brand is a great fit," Pienaar said. "Not only will we instill the company's core mission into every Ellsworth product, but products will have RP Designs technology either as standard or as an option, which we expect will drive tremendous value for riders and stakeholders alike."
Among the new technology is the Smart-Cockpit, an integrated touch screen built into the handlebar that features wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto technology. RP Designs said the Ellsworth Truth will be the first mountain bike offered with the Smart-Cockpit. Truth pre-orders will begin in March with the deliveries expected in June.
In April, the first bike designed and developed by RP Designs will be unveiled.
