tech the bicycle brand name

I first noticed this brand of bicycles more than 10 years ago when I acquired a tech Nova. I knew nothing about the brand name and I do not think that I had ever seen it before.

I began to search for more information about the company and about all that I could find is that the company was from Calgary, Alberta and the Mongoose had made a financial investment in the company.

I began to see many more “tech” bicycles and saw that the quality was better than department store bicycles. In fact some models were very good quality.

Later I realized that I had purchased from a local bike shop a tech inner tube back in the 1980s. Wow. Who notices the brand name on the inner tube box.

In 2023 I finally found information about the founding of the company. From there I was able to piece together more individual bits of information from a variety of odd sources. From this I pieced together this picture of the company. I may not have the picture entirely correct or complete, but this is what I know for the moment.

Cycletech Canada Ltd. aka Canadian Cycle Technologies aka Tech

In western Canada there was a demand bicycle supply companies to supplied basic bicycle supplies to local bicycle shops or independent bicycle dealers (IBD) . The IBDs also needed bicycles to sell in their shops.

One of these supply companies was Cycletech Canada Limited of Calgary, Alberta. This company was distributed bicycle products, including bicycles, to independent bicycle dealers (IBD) beginning in 1982. So this company was similar to Norco from Coquitlum, Boyers and Rossier (BRC) from Vancouver and TransCan Imports (TCI) from Edmonton.

Cycletech was at the beginning of the mountain bike era. The bicycles imported and distributed were primarily mountain bikes. This was good timing because IBDs in western Canada needed a mountain bicycle product in their stores.

At some point the brand name and product was exported to companies in Europe. It should be noted that there was a Cycletech Europe brand name and a tech by Trade (in Germany?). I do not know if there is any connection between the Calgary and European companies.

Origins and history of Cycletech

For many years this company was a mystery to me. Who are they? I knew they were from Calgary but that was all.

Cycletech Canada Ltd was established by Faye and Casey Botman in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on 16th August 1982. Casey Botman had a long career in the bicycle business prior to Cycletech. He was a licensed bicycle technician from the Netherlands and had worked at and owned his owned his own bicycle shop in Calgary.

Faye and Casey retired in 1992, but the Calgary based company continued .

History of ownership of Cycletech Canada Ltd name.

• 1982 – 1992 – Faye and Casey Botman of Calgary, Alberta
• 1992 – 1994 – Optimus Investments Ltd, Calgary, Alberta.
• 1994 July – 1995 July – Mongoose Bicycle Canada Inc., Granby, Quebec.
• 1994 July 18 – Cycletech Canada Ltd. changes legal name to 116899 Canada Ltd.
• 1995 July – 1998 – Bell Sports Canada, Granby, Quebec. Cycletech Canada – A Division Of Bell Sports Canada Inc.
• 1998 September – HB Acquisition Corporation of Boston, Massetuchetts purchases Bell Sports Canada, Inc.

Note: In January 1994, American Recreation Group, Inc. of Commack, NY established Mongoose Bicycle Canada Inc. in Granby, Quebec. Six months later Mongoose Bicycle purchases Cycletech Canada Ltd, or at the least they purchased the corporate name because the original company continued under a new name.