There are a couple of bikes on tardme with listings saying that Essence bicycles (cotic importer) is closing and getting rid of stock.

What gives?

And does anyone have a medium soul frame they want to sell me?

That's very sad, but I can totally relate. Best of luck to Paul and family for the future...

Must resist....

What direction is it moving that he doesn't like?

Just curious.

Thermo wrote:What direction is it moving that he doesn't like?

Just curious.

Perhaps cookie-cutter, mass produced, disposable bikes? Who knows. Regardless, Essence has been awesome, and I'm sad to see it go - but if it means Paul has more time for his family and enjoying life then

It is a pity but I'm sure he has good reasons. All the dealings I have had with him (2 Pace forks and one Cotic Simple) have been brilliant. I wonder if anyone else will pick up the Cotic dealership - I must admit to being very tempted by the new redesigned Soda although I would hate to imagine what it would cost.

j2hyde wrote:And does anyone have a medium soul frame they want to sell me?

Whats one worth to you

Depends on condition and warranty (if new).

I built one up and havnt even got round to riding it yet but I dont think I can sell it, well, maybe for $1800..

But you're going to be a family man soon with no time for such things and plenty of pressure on the finances. The longer you delay the greater your motivation will be to sell me that frame

Tri wrote:It is a pity but I'm sure he has good reasons. All the dealings I have had with him (2 Pace forks and one Cotic Simple) have been brilliant. I wonder if anyone else will pick up the Cotic dealership - I must admit to being very tempted by the new redesigned Soda although I would hate to imagine what it would cost.

less than you'd think at .47 to the NZ peso

My dealings with Paul have been excellent also. But the "simplify and focus on other stuff" thing I totally get.

Go on then. Wasn't going to reply here, but I am.

It is true. We are closing down. There are a few reasons - a sort of perfect storm of clarity has hit me. Call it getting old, call it getting wise, call it getting weary. It is hard to explain.

The simple reason is time and a desire for craftsmanship in life. I only have a finite amount of energy, and it just isn't enough to go around. I find myself balancing an intense day job, a young family, riding and Essence. of all those things, Essence is the one that has to make way. I get very frustrated when I do a half-baked job in anything, and I am increasingly finding this happening, in Essence and beyond. Essence was never set up to make money, my rewards were seeing people ride bikes that really suited them, and working with them to put together those bikes. It meant putting in lots of energy creating a spec, and sourcing components. This was made harder by having to go overseas due to distributors here either keeping pretty poor stocks, or just not importing many parts. This is particularly true when building Roadrats. If you don't want a mainstream MTB or Roadie, it has been very difficult finding parts here. It is changing now as singlespeed, 29er, CX, touring and city bikes finally get here. Add the energy needed for all the marketing, accounts etc etc and you have a time consuming activity. Ultimately, I have hit the point where I'd rather spend the time playing with my kids, or socialising, or riding, or just simply relaxing and reading a good book.

As for the mountain bike market thing. I can't explain it simply. But this is a collection of thoughts that might go some way to suggest why. I am opinionated. I don't expect anyone else to share that opinion. But, after riding MTBs for 20 years I have reached a moment of clarity. It is a lovely feeling. I see my riding as being a big bag of experiences. Over time I add more experiences - new stuff. The bag gets shaken and some of the bad experiences fall out. Repeat this over many years and I have been left with the stuff that really is MY riding. For me it is about purity of experience, craftsmanship and simplicity. It means rigid, singlespeed, swooping singletrack, long backcountry rides, and hard riding that tests me physically and mentally. The bike I choose is important, as it needs to suit me and all the riding I do. But - it is only a tool that allows me to access the real rewards of riding. I got into riding for very personal reasons that still make me emotional. I have always used riding as time to focus and to think. Those things haven't changed - they have stayed with me right the way through. Unfortunately, the MTB market and me have drifted apart. I don't see many of the pure and simple qualities in the market any more. The bike has become more than the tool, it is actually defining the type of riding. I think that is all upside down. The bike industry creates riding niches to create more bikes to convince us that we must ride a particular bike on a type of trail. It is getting silly. Five inch travel fullys with slightly different builds are meant for totally different riding? Sure. I also find a good proportion of MTB riders can be quite superficial and get totally hung up on parts and bikes. This is nothing new and I was one of those riders a decade or so ago, but the fragmentation of the industry is driving this to ridiculous levels. Being in the industry and dealing with this, when I am drifting further and further from it is difficult. I am weary of spending evenings talking to someone about which stem is better when all I want to do is scream "it makes no difference, you'll still ride the same trails in the same way with the same enjoyment with either of them, stop making it such a big thing". They probably come from the same factory in Taiwan anyway. As I said. When the motivation goes, the energy drains away very quickly. If the motivation and energy goes, I can't offer the level of service and quality I am happy with, so I have to stop before I tear myself apart. Simple really.

All my opinion. Don't take it personally. Don't think I want you to agree. Or care if you do or don't

This is hard financially and mentally (I've put a lot into this), but it is a bit weight off and is totally the right decision for my medium and long term happiness.

Thanks to all who have supported Essence along the way, and thanks for all the good words I'm getting now. I really tried to be a little different in the market, and work with riders and riding rather than just selling bikes and frames. I hope some of that came across.

Happy riding, and say hi if you see me out. There is more chance of that now as I'm riding more - and I have set a crazy riding goal for 2010! Time frees up. Time fills up. Thats my bag.