Signal kids bikes

[ChrisF]

12 minutes ago, Danger Dassie said:

Not really, Dragons was bought out, so the entire marketing team/HR etc was revamped and fresh people brought in. Oli, Luke and co.

They’re doing great work, especially with Avalanche which has long needed a bit of an overhaul. 

 

For clarity ... are you talking of the change of ownership some 6 years ago ?  Or was there another more recent change ?

[quade]

I recently bought the momsen 24 JSL orange colour bike from olympic cycles 

I thought it would be light but was still 13kg+

So far I've replaced shocks, upgraded to carbon bars, switched to custom wheels on stans crest rims and DT swiss hubs 

It's still way heavier than I want, so need to get it down to 9kg to feel nibble

Crankset, BB, seat and post are next,

I wish I'd bought a 2nd hand donor bike with light frame set as it would have worked out cheaper 

Good luck in your quest, 24 inch wheel bikes are a minefield.

 

 

 

[Shebeen]

11 hours ago, quade said:

I recently bought the momsen 24 JSL orange colour bike from olympic cycles 

I thought it would be light but was still 13kg+

So far I've replaced shocks, upgraded to carbon bars, switched to custom wheels on stans crest rims and DT swiss hubs 

It's still way heavier than I want, so need to get it down to 9kg to feel nibble

Crankset, BB, seat and post are next,

I wish I'd bought a 2nd hand donor bike with light frame set as it would have worked out cheaper 

Good luck in your quest, 24 inch wheel bikes are a minefield.

 

 

 

There is a kickass momsen superlight 24 somewhere in cape town southern suburbs. I never actually weighed it but probably about 10kg. totally the way to go if you can spend the time and move decent adult stuff onto the right platform.

 

Some skollie nicked it off the back of the car on the way to cederberg (long story), still holding out hope it turns up somewhere

[Shebeen]

15 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

For clarity ... are you talking of the change of ownership some 6 years ago ?  Or was there another more recent change ?

https://bikehub.co.za/news/dragons-sports-refreshed-by-new-investment-r8320/?srsltid=AfmBOor0g6gRS5Kg8k8AwkKOE4Q7frV_RL0ffTQFUxOX95DLkEViwx1W

 

Oct 2021, so just over 3 years ago. 

Lots of changes, but Oli was the "face" of Signal. If you don't believe me, go read what is still written on their website here

Quote

Fundamental to the essence and credibility of Signal Bikes is the partnership with Oli ‘Pinner’ Munnik, a born and bred Capetonian, whose proven racing pedigree and one-of-a-kind vibe enables Signal Bikes to deliver its promise of speed you can afford.

 

so, ja, none of us are on the inside here, but join all the dots and I would say that the expectation is that Signal is on the way down and Avalanche on the way up in the junior market. The real life experiences in the posts here point to that.

Getting AH onto a Jayco Alula is potentially also a massive win locally. There used to be more Anthems on our trails than Spez bikes in total. A sleeping giant could be emerging.

[NickGM]

10 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

Getting AH onto a Jayco Alula is potentially also a massive win locally. There used to be more Anthems on our trails than Spez bikes in total. A sleeping giant could be emerging.

OK that's quite enough of that

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, NickGM said:

OK that's quite enough of that

To increase the SNR, I went down the rabbithole a bit further.

While I know it is not directly related to kids bikes, but Signal pulled off a bit of a marketing stunt in 2019 with their team riding on their "budget" market bikes (with custom mods) to 38th place. I remember it being a big part of the launch material when they launched the Signal Elite hardtail.

In 2023, they followed up with the Signal Spectre, their Full sus model. It looked pretty ready to go, even if prototypes and custom paint/gear. They came in 36th, 2nd in the amateur cat just behind these ringers called Docker and Boswell.

here's the bike, and the story . It's been 20 months and I don't see it in the flesh yet.

 

so ja, it would appear to me that Signal are in a bit of a pause and reset stage, hence issues finding stock. Maybe they still have big plans, I like competition, it would be sad to see a morewood repeat.

 

 

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, Shebeen said:

https://bikehub.co.za/news/dragons-sports-refreshed-by-new-investment-r8320/?srsltid=AfmBOor0g6gRS5Kg8k8AwkKOE4Q7frV_RL0ffTQFUxOX95DLkEViwx1W

 

Oct 2021, so just over 3 years ago. 

Lots of changes, but Oli was the "face" of Signal. If you don't believe me, go read what is still written on their website here

 

so, ja, none of us are on the inside here, but join all the dots and I would say that the expectation is that Signal is on the way down and Avalanche on the way up in the junior market. The real life experiences in the posts here point to that.

Getting AH onto a Jayco Alula is potentially also a massive win locally. There used to be more Anthems on our trails than Spez bikes in total. A sleeping giant could be emerging.

 

Parallel to this ....

 

Gert left Dragon's, and started Darrvin bikes.  At a guess this was around 2018.  Before 2020 one of @Hairy fellow commuters were on a Darrvin.  I bought mine early 2021.

 

September 2022 Gert sold the Darrvin business to GoElectric, and he went back to the new Dragon Sports.  (apparently he is still involved with Darrvin ....??)

[Hairy]

39 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Parallel to this ....

 

Gert left Dragon's, and started Darrvin bikes.  At a guess this was around 2018.  Before 2020 one of @Hairy fellow commuters were on a Darrvin.  I bought mine early 2021.

 

September 2022 Gert sold the Darrvin business to GoElectric, and he went back to the new Dragon Sports.  (apparently he is still involved with Darrvin ....??)

yo yo yo 

 

Not sure RE the current status of the dealer, but I can tell you that her bike has done many a thousand km and is still running strong. To the point where her wife is now using to the bike to also commute to town and back a few days a week.

 

This has proven to have been a really good buy for them.

[ChrisF]

29 minutes ago, Hairy said:

yo yo yo 

 

Not sure RE the current status of the dealer, but I can tell you that her bike has done many a thousand km and is still running strong. To the point where her wife is now using to the bike to also commute to town and back a few days a week.

 

This has proven to have been a really good buy for them.

Mine has done almost 11 000km.

 

Gert got the formula right with these bikes 👍👍

[Danger Dassie]

19 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

For clarity ... are you talking of the change of ownership some 6 years ago ?  Or was there another more recent change ?

Hey Chris, yes although not quite as far as 6 years. I see Shebeen pointed that out already. Although it was in 2023 when they made deeper changes in the marketing/sales side - https://diverge.info/2023/10/09/dragons-sports-adds-experienced-human-capital-to-strengthen-team/ 

Oli's departure is purely coincidental as far as Signal/Rush goes, notwithstanding that Signal is but one part of Rush Sport's portfolio. 

[Shebeen]

23 hours ago, Danger Dassie said:

Hey Chris, yes although not quite as far as 6 years. I see Shebeen pointed that out already. Although it was in 2023 when they made deeper changes in the marketing/sales side - https://diverge.info/2023/10/09/dragons-sports-adds-experienced-human-capital-to-strengthen-team/ 

Oli's departure is purely coincidental as far as Signal/Rush goes, notwithstanding that Signal is but one part of Rush Sport's portfolio. 

Sure, there are a lot of moving parts here. Not sure if GM as a director fell away either once he left SC was significant or not.

This thread was started on "what happened to Signal kids bikes?", but has progressed to the brand as a whole.

The FB page hasn't been updated since this shift of staff, and this IG post kind of sums it up. (that's december 2023)

would be cool to find out they have been beavering away in the background.

[lukelockie]

On 1/6/2025 at 6:08 PM, Danger Dassie said:

Not really, Dragons was bought out, so the entire marketing team/HR etc was revamped and fresh people brought in. Oli, Luke and co.

They’re doing great work, especially with Avalanche which has long needed a bit of an overhaul. 

Thanks dude! We are having a great time with the brand and our team is PUMPED!

[Andre van Aarde]

Not to add to the derail of the thread further, but just to give some clarity on some of the points and questions raised by the various Bikehub members:

We (Rush Sports) have maintained our focus and commitment to providing service and value to independent South African retailers (and you their customers), and over the last 24 months this has of course meant navigating the oversupply within the bicycle industry, especially in the bicycle segment where mid-range brands have taken a massive hit with a glut of inventory they have had to clear well below their cost in order to liquidate the post Covid hangover.

Coming off an incredibly exciting participation in the School Series followed insanely successful "test run" at the Cape Epic, Signal was building some great momentum and as you've all noted, was starting to make it's way into the hearts and minds of kids and racing snakes alike. Unfortunately however it cannot overcome the rules of supply and demand, and when virtually every competitor in the market is sitting with warehouses full of bikes that they are having to clear below their cost in order to create space (and free up capital) for new bikes, we had to make the difficult but necessary decision not to participate and to sit on the sidelines. A decision which was obviously communicated with our retailers across the country who have done an amazing job at supporting Rush and Signal along the way.

The decision to sit on the sidelines from a sales perspective has not meant that the wheel have stopped however. Product development, testing, planning etc is still being done daily thanks to the fact that we are a company of multiple brands and resources. So while we've not been in the market selling Signal we've certainly not stopped developing it's future product or delivering value elsewhere such as in tyres, tubes, bearings, accessories and bicycle care products from our other brands.

The lessons learned at Morewood will never be forgotten...  Fortunately things are proceeding nicely with factory trips already planned for the first quarter of this year, and our Signal dealers all know and can be excited by the fact that the silly cycle is passing and we can all look forward to having fresh looking product available for the second half of 2025.
 

[Shebeen]

48 minutes ago, Andre van Aarde said:

Not to add to the derail of the thread further, but just to give some clarity on some of the points and questions raised by the various Bikehub members:

We (Rush Sports) have maintained our focus and commitment to providing service and value to independent South African retailers (and you their customers), and over the last 24 months this has of course meant navigating the oversupply within the bicycle industry, especially in the bicycle segment where mid-range brands have taken a massive hit with a glut of inventory they have had to clear well below their cost in order to liquidate the post Covid hangover.

Coming off an incredibly exciting participation in the School Series followed insanely successful "test run" at the Cape Epic, Signal was building some great momentum and as you've all noted, was starting to make it's way into the hearts and minds of kids and racing snakes alike. Unfortunately however it cannot overcome the rules of supply and demand, and when virtually every competitor in the market is sitting with warehouses full of bikes that they are having to clear below their cost in order to create space (and free up capital) for new bikes, we had to make the difficult but necessary decision not to participate and to sit on the sidelines. A decision which was obviously communicated with our retailers across the country who have done an amazing job at supporting Rush and Signal along the way.

The decision to sit on the sidelines from a sales perspective has not meant that the wheel have stopped however. Product development, testing, planning etc is still being done daily thanks to the fact that we are a company of multiple brands and resources. So while we've not been in the market selling Signal we've certainly not stopped developing it's future product or delivering value elsewhere such as in tyres, tubes, bearings, accessories and bicycle care products from our other brands.

The lessons learned at Morewood will never be forgotten...  Fortunately things are proceeding nicely with factory trips already planned for the first quarter of this year, and our Signal dealers all know and can be excited by the fact that the silly cycle is passing and we can all look forward to having fresh looking product available for the second half of 2025.
 

Brilliant response, if any of my own speculation seems unfair it was mainly due to there being no public knowledge. 

Wish you all the best in getting bums on bikes and smiles on the trails.

[Andre van Aarde]

1 hour ago, Shebeen said:

Brilliant response, if any of my own speculation seems unfair it was mainly due to there being no public knowledge. 

Wish you all the best in getting bums on bikes and smiles on the trails.

No stress at all, I think all of the comments above were pretty fair and based on what people know and see. For us the most important thing is sustainability and servicing customers, sometimes this requires difficult decisions to be made and egos to be set aside

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, Andre van Aarde said:

No stress at all, I think all of the comments above were pretty fair and based on what people know and see. For us the most important thing is sustainability and servicing customers, sometimes this requires difficult decisions to be made and egos to be set aside

 

How does this translate to the original question ?

 

Can the OP get a Signal bike ?

 

Which other bike in your range should they look at ?