1991 Tech Exotic (Cycle Tech)

rockymountaindude · Apr 20, 2024

I think it was a 1991 Tech Exotic.

I have been trying to get more info about the brand Cycle Tech as well. I bought a Tech bike in High School. I believe it was around 1990 or 1991. Attached is an image of my bike circa 1991. This had a 6000 or 7000 series fat tube aluminum frame and I believe the frame was made in Japan. The components were the highest end Suntour components, with a MAGNESIUM chainring and quick access bearing valves that allowed a grease gun to be quickly inserted into the hubs: old grease pushes out the other end and new grease enters in from the grease gun end. I sold it around the year 2000 and have been trying to find it or another one for the past 3 years. It's a unicorn.

I believe the model is "Exotic". Apparently there is a 1991 Mountain Bike Action Buyer's Guide and Tech bikes are in it, including the Tech Exotic.

MattiThundrrr · Apr 21, 2024

CycleTech Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta. They were in existence in the mid/late 1980's and early 1990's.

Their bicycles where labeled as "Cycle Tech" or "tech". Basically, they were a Canadian company making bikes in Asia for both the Canadian, and European markets. Not to be confused with the European bike company (Switzerland?) with the same name.

There's a good bit of company history in this thread:
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/anyone-remember-tech-bikes-from-the-mid-80s.257677/

MattiThundrrr · Apr 21, 2024

A little closer to home, and more pictures and history here:

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/tech-brand-bikes.92037/#post-670351

MattiThundrrr · Apr 21, 2024

Okay, the last bit of history

https://palaeobicycleology.ca/2023/07/cycletech-canada-ltd/
Can you tell I like them, and would love to find one of my own?

rockymountaindude · Apr 21, 2024

MattiThundrrr said:
Okay, the last bit of history

https://palaeobicycleology.ca/2023/07/cycletech-canada-ltd/
Can you tell I like them, and would love to find one of my own?

I like them too. The founder doesn’t live too far from me and I’ve reached out to him. I’m really trying to get pictures from a magazine or something of the Tech bike I owned. If you have a line on the 1991 Mountain Bike Action Buyer’s Guide, supposedly it’s in there: the Tech Exotic.

joglo · Apr 22, 2024

MattiThundrrr said:
CycleTech Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta. They were in existence in the mid/late 1980's and early 1990's.

Their bicycles where labeled as "Cycle Tech" or "tech". Basically, they were a Canadian company making bikes in Asia for both the Canadian, and European markets. Not to be confused with the European bike company (Switzerland?) with the same name.

There's a good bit of company history in this thread:
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/anyone-remember-tech-bikes-from-the-mid-80s.257677/

Good summary.
I also think that the (cycle)tech bikes sold in Canada had something in common with the Cycletech bikes in EU.
Both supplied most likely by same Taiwanese Bike manufacturer, but distributed with a bit of local marketing in different markets.

I think the company in Alberta was a few years ahead, other than in Austria where also just "tech" labeled bikes had been sold, here in EU "Cycletech" bikes where just sold roughly from 1992 onwards.

And yes, don't get confused with "MTB Cycletech" from Butch Gaudy in the Switzerland

There is absolut no relation to Tech or "Cycletech"

Here in Germany there was a local distributor for Cycletech called P&A trading, some other distributors for Switzerland and Benlux are mentioned at the Aspen Ad below

A few pictures:

Aspen CroMo ECS