# Bontrager / Titec connection: Is there one?



## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

I seem to recall that KB was somehow associated with Titec components. Will someone please remind what, if any, connection there was/is and present a rough chronology?

Thanks! :thumbsup:


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

scooderdude said:


> I seem to recall that KB was somehow associated with Titec components. Will someone please remind what, if any, connection there was/is and present a rough chronology?
> 
> Thanks! :thumbsup:


seatposts and handlebars.


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

Started about 1993 and sold through the rest even after Trek bought them in 95. They were specced' parts in 94 (as shown in the 94 Bonty catalog)

Bars.Stems,Seatposts in silver, black. Saddles too. And carbon/aluminum seatposts.

Think it was a mix of US/Asia sourced, but mostly Asia.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

MrOrange said:


> Started about 1993 and sold through the rest even after Trek bought them in 95. They were specced' parts in 94 (as shown in the 94 Bonty catalog)
> 
> Bars.Stems,Seatposts in silver, black. Saddles too. And carbon/aluminum seatposts.
> 
> Think it was a mix of US/Asia sourced, but mostly Asia.


But what was the connection between KB and Titec? Was he an owner/partner? Did he do design work under contract?

This is what I'm trying to flesh out.


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

His design, they distributed, he spec'ed on his bikes


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## richieb (Oct 21, 2004)

He designed Titec's parts for a few years, and some of the stems were produced in the Bontrager Santa Cruz HQ. The acrbon post with alloy sleeve insert, and many bars, stems, etc...

He is said to have been a very strict designer who didn't allow anything less than the optimum design be approved. Apparently, Titec's QC folks were not entirely sad to see him go after the contract expired. Apparently, it allowed much more Titec product to hit the market, not having to meet KB's strict criteria.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

I worked in a Trek dealer some years ago and I remember seeing the same stuff that was Titec, branded as Bontrager, including the Titec 118 bar side by side with the other's branding.

A few years ago, perhaps 2004 or so, Titec had a big shakeup when the bigwigs in Japan (I always thought they were Taiwanese) came over and told everyone they were fired, take a severance package or don't get one at all. 

Didn't see their products on the market for some time after, and still really don't see much more than the low to mid end stuff. I have always trusted their stems and bars, but never liked their seatposts. I bent a couple of them and the thumbwheel on the two bolt clamp was nice at a pricepoint, but barely functional.

Forgot the Pluto saddle I got last year. Lasted two rides until the rails bent to hell. I had a comparable one in the past that was a private label Velo and lasted through three bikes.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

my 94 diamond back axis came with a bonrtrager rims and seat and a titec/bontrager handle bar... 

i do have a titec stem on my yeti, cost me 10 bucks


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

_"He designed Titec's parts for a few years, and some of the stems were produced in the Bontrager Santa Cruz HQ. The acrbon post with alloy sleeve insert, and many bars, stems, etc."_

Cool. Then seems OK to have a Bontrager seatpost and Titec stem on a '96 Race Lite I'm attempting to refine the build on. Right now it sports both 90's vintage and some newer components on it.

Can one tell the vintage of Titec stems at a glance? I need one with a removable face plate to accomodate the Bonti Ti "Crowbar" I have on the bike.


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

If you wanted it "correct" - a Titec only branded stem would not be made in cooperation with KB.

Only the ones with Bontrager _and_ Titec on the stem would. Those were on 93-95's.

96 had KB's own branded parts - some were made in SC and some in Taiwan. Since you are using a Ti Crowbar (those were made in 96-98) you would want a stem like this. They came in Silver or Black.

Seatposts of the '96 era were Bontrager branded only. The highest were of course the Race Lite with the Easton moniker on the post. In Silver and lower Comp model in Silver or Black.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

MrOrange said:


> If you wanted it "correct" - a Titec only branded stem would not be made in cooperation with KB.
> 
> Only the ones with Bontrager _and_ Titec on the stem would. Those were on 93-95's.
> 
> ...


OK. I have a Bonti silver "comp" post on it with a Thompson-esque two-bolt clamp. The silver Titec stem I plan to use is all Titec, no Bonti. I had one of those matte silver Bonti stems in the past. I never liked the look or feel of it; seemed cheaply made and flexy to me.


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

One of the strongest stems I've ever used as it is cast aluminum . . . but to each his own.

I was only trying to point out what would be period correct. That's all.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

MrOrange said:


> I was only trying to point out what would be period correct. That's all.


Roger that. It's all good. Turns out the Bonti stem I mentioned, I still have by golly, and looks like it's a 150mm reach. I went searching for it after my previous post, and there it was!


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

designer(per the literature and DB)

now who has one of these?


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

hollister said:


> designer(per the literature and DB)
> 
> now who has one of these?


I honestly think they never saw the light of day -ie never made it into production. I've never seen one. But . . . somebody might have.

Those from the pic and/or some protos . . . hmm I wonder who . . . .


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## MrOrange (Jun 21, 2004)

hmm. I might hava shorter one if you need it.


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

MrOrange said:


> I honestly think they never saw the light of day -ie never made it into production. I've never seen one. But . . . somebody might have.
> 
> Those from the pic and/or some protos . . . hmm I wonder who . . . .


thats what I'm thinking...

when I picked through titec when they shut down I didn't see any

still kicking myself for not picking up more wizard of oz kits:madman:


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## Tall Tom (Oct 6, 2005)

I was the first employee of Titec, and ran the company from '97-'99. I took over the design and product development duties '94 (I think) after Bontrager was sold to Trek. 

It's a very complicated story, but Titec was owned by a Japanese businessman with a wide variety of investments in bicycle and component factories in Taiwan and China. He also had a weird role in Marin Mountainbikes (they imported and distributed the bikes, but the company everyone knows as Marin did the development, sales, and marketing). 

Bontrager did not own Titec. He was contracted as a designer and engineer. We co-branded and distributed the components until Bontrager was sold to Trek. From that point forward the products were labeled "Titec" alone. 

I did not have a stake in the company either and left in 1999. A few years after that the company was sold to Profile by Design. At this point I believe the they still own the brand, but that it is dormant.

If you want to know anymore, just ask.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

This thread revival is great! Although it's a tad hard to follow when you guys are talking about Keith and when you're talking about bontrager, the company. 

Thanks for the info.


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## Tall Tom (Oct 6, 2005)

hollister said:


> designer(per the literature and DB)
> 
> now who has one of these?


Those never made it to production. Never passed testing.


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

This is what makes the VRC forum THE place to be. It's all the cool kids.


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## Freefall79 (Jul 22, 2014)

Tall Tom said:


> Those never made it to production. Never passed testing.


But what about Marin's 1993/1994 Team Issue and Team F.R.S.? According to the catalogues these were equipped with Titec bottom brackets.
Just recently I'd been looking at a stock little used Team F.R.S. from 1993 and that definitely didn't have a Shimano bottom bracket.


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## Tall Tom (Oct 6, 2005)

Freefall79 said:


> But what about Marin's 1993/1994 Team Issue and Team F.R.S.? According to the catalogues these were equipped with Titec bottom brackets.
> Just recently I'd been looking at a stock little used Team F.R.S. from 1993 and that definitely didn't have a Shimano bottom bracket.


This is one of those complicated things. Marin was sort of a related company to Titec. They sourced a Ti BB from the Ti factory that Titec used, but Titec and Bontrager never had anything to do with that BB. Marin just called it a Titec BB in their literature.


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