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KOGA is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer based in Heerenveen, Friesland. The company is known for its long time partnership with Japanese frame manufacturer Miyata, producing bicycles and sponsoring racing teams under the brand name Koga Miyata. As of May 2010 the partnership ended and the company began manufacturing bicycles under the KOGA brand. [1]
The company was founded by Andries Gaastra in 1974, who had left his function at his father's company Batavus. The name Koga is a combination of his surname and that of his wife Marion Kowallik. The addition of Miyata came from the cooperation with Japanese manufacturer Miyata. Koga Miyata relied on Japanese components from manufacturers such as Shimano.
From 1980 Koga Miyata sponsored the IJsboerke cycle team which a year later changed their main sponsor to Capri-Sun. Dutch rider of that team, Peter Winnen, won the 1981 Tour de France 17th stage on the Alpe d'Huez and the white jersey of the best young rider. The next Tour he won the 17th stage towards Morzine, leading to wider recognition. [1] In 1991-1992, Koga Miyata was subsponsor of Tulip Computers and also main sponsor of an amateur team, which would be a good development team for the professionals. [2]
In 1992, Gaastra sold his company to the Atag Cycle Group, which had acquired Batavus six years earlier.
KOGA is now owned by the Accell Group.
Koga Miyata started with the use of Japanese components. The design and assemblage of the bicycles was done by hand in the Netherlands.
At first Koga Miyata only produced racing bicycles. In 1976 they added a range of randonneurs or touring bicycles, and in 1986 mountain bikes. In 1993, after it was acquired by the Atag Cycle Group, Koga Miyata also produced hybrid bicycles.
Koga now produce a range of e-bikes (bicycles with an electrical assist system), city-bikes and racing road-bikes. They have also recently started producing a line of gravel-bikes. Additionally, Koga track-bikes have seen some success in the past decade, with the 'Koga Kinsei' frame claiming a gold medal at the UEC European Track Championships. [3]
Koga bikes are especially known for assembling their bikes by hand, and for "smooth welded" aluminium frames; nearly all Koga bikes have their welds smoothed out before painting. [4]
Some of the early company brochures are publicly available for download. [5]
A summary of the Koga 2023 bicycle-lineup: [6]
The Cannondale Bicycle Corporation is an American division of Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings that supplies bicycles. Its headquarters are in Wilton, Connecticut, with engineering offices in Freiburg, Germany. Frames are manufactured in Taiwan. Bikes are assembled in Taiwan, as well as in the USA and in The Netherlands for the local markets.
The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was originally founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century. After declaring bankruptcy in 1992, Schwinn has since been a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the Dutch conglomerate, Pon Holdings.
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A roadster bicycle is a type of utility bicycle once common worldwide, and still common in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Europe. During the past few decades, traditionally styled roadster bicycles have regained popularity in the Western world, particularly as a lifestyle or fashion statement in an urban environment.
GT Bicycles is an American company that designs and manufactures BMX, mountain, and road bicycles. GT is a division of the Dutch conglomerate Pon Holdings, which also markets Cannondale, Schwinn, Mongoose, IronHorse, DYNO, and RoadMaster bicycle brands; all manufactured in Asia.
KHS Bicycles is a bicycle manufacturer founded in 1974 with main operations in the United States and Taiwan. Its bicycles are distributed in over 30 countries. Although KHS' main focus has been in mountain bikes, it has offerings in road bikes, folding bikes, tandem bikes, cruiser bikes, single speed bikes and BMX bikes. Some of its products have been favorably reviewed.
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Batavus BV is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer, owned by the Accell Group European Cycle conglomerate. Batavus Intercycle Corporation was the leading manufacturer of bicycles and mopeds in the Netherlands during the 1970s. During its most productive years, the company’s 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2). Heerenveen plant employed 700 to produce 70,000 Batavus mopeds and 250,000 bicycles a year. During this time, Batavus was exporting 55 percent of its production with the remainder going to the Netherlands, which had more than two million mopeds in 1977.
Corine Stam-Dorland was a Dutch amateur "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1996. From 1996 to 2006 she was also an accomplished Mountain Bike (MTB) Cyclo-cross and Road Bike racer. Her nickname during her BMX career was "The Queen of BMX", largely for her nearly unbroken streak of a total of ten World Champions, several European Championships and an almost equal number of National championships from when she was eight years old until she was 21. She was to Holland and European BMX as a whole as Cheri Elliott was to American BMX. Indeed, her career was much longer than Elliott's garnering far more titles on the local, national and international level than her near contemporary American counterpart. Dorland would go on to a respected MTB cross country (XC) racing career. In that sub-discipline Dorland would capture three national titles in MTB and earn a spot on Holland's 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic team. She also went on to fulfill a prediction that many had made for her in another area. Because of her stunning physical beauty, she was also a model in her adult years concurrent with her MTB career. She appeared in many racing related advertisements. As with Elliott in the United States, many a male BMXer was sad to see her retire from the world of BMX.
Bas de Bever is a Dutch former professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were 1985–1993.
Clark-Kent was a bicycle frame manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado. The name Clark-Kent was a hybrid of the names of the company owners, Pat Clark and Dean Kent, and had no connection with the alter ego of Superman beyond name recognition. Nor is it related in any way with Kent Bicycles of Parsippany, New Jersey.
Cyfac International is a manufacturer of bicycles in La Fuye, in the Loire Valley of France. The name is an acronym that translates from French to "Handmade Bicycle Frames". "Cy" represents cycle (bicycle), "f" for fabriqué (made), "a" for "artisanal" (artisan), and the final C stands for cadres (frame). The Cyfac Postural System is a bicycle fitting system based on research at Lyon Center of Sports Medicine.
Bilenky Cycle Works is an American handmade bicycle manufacturer located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Cycles Peugeot, founded in 1882, is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Sochaux, France and currently a part of Cycleurope, a subsidiary of Sweden-based firm Grimaldi Industri.
The Schwinn Paramount was a high-end racing bicycle produced under the Schwinn Bicycle Company brand from 1938 through 2009.
IJsboerke was a Belgian professional cycling team that existed from 1973 to 1982. Its main sponsor from 1973 to 1980 was Belgian ice cream manufacturer IJsboerke. In 1981 and 1982, its main sponsor was juice drink brand Capri-Sun. Walter Godefroot won the 1978 Tour of Flanders with the team.
Tulip Computers was a Belgian professional cycling team that existed from 1990 to 1992. Its main sponsor was Dutch computer manufacturer Tulip Computers. This team should not be confused with the Spanish cycling team sponsored by Tulip Computers in 1990.
The Norton Model 88 Dominator, also originally known as the Dominator De Luxe was a 500 cc vertical twin motorcycle manufactured by the British Norton Motorcycle Company from 1952 to 1966. It was the first of Norton's motorcycles to use the featherbed frame, which established Norton's reputation of producing fine handling machines. The 88 used the Bert Hopwood designed engine that was first fitted to the Model 7 and was initially for export only. It became available on the home market in 1953. Norton were a small manufacturer at the time and without the economies of scale the model was expensive compared to other manufacturer's equivalent machines. The 88 retailed for 20% more than the contemporary Triumph Speed Twin and was dearer than the 650 cc Triumph Thunderbird.
