Geico parting way with Alias

RandyS
Profile picture for user RandyS
Posts
6181
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Grass Valley, CA, USA
RandyS 5/9/2018 3:39pm
5/9/2018 3:39pm Edited Date/Time 5/9/2018 3:40pm
AJ565 wrote:
Clicky

This was posted today.
tek14 wrote:
Alias is not closing doors and will have something new... like what if not gear sets?
Alias Fitness, no compete expired in November. ie: Still apparel, just maybe not gear. I'm sure fitness apparel was included in the no compete assuming PF sold T Shirts at least. Just a stab in the dark.
-MAVERICK-
Profile picture for user -MAVERICK-
Posts
68154
Joined
3/26/2015
Location
Ontario, CA
-MAVERICK- 5/9/2018 4:19pm
5/9/2018 4:19pm
Personally I would love for FXR to jump on this kind of opportunity. They have the coin to make it happen. You're seeing more and more of it out there but landing a big team like Geico would be a major move for the company.
stillwelding
Profile picture for user stillwelding
Posts
3237
Joined
1/22/2007
Location
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
stillwelding 5/9/2018 6:14pm
5/9/2018 6:14pm Edited Date/Time 5/9/2018 6:18pm
jenssog wrote:
Rumour has it that it might be something "new": [img]https://wulfsport.info/mt-content/uploads/2017/12/2018multikitw.jpg[/img] ?
Rumour has it that it might be something "new":


?
Don’t laugh. That brand of riding gear has outlasted some of the most popular gear brands in the last 37 years.

The Shop

See All »
Squirrelings 5/9/2018 6:17pm
5/9/2018 6:17pm
rikhek wrote:
Serious question, not trolling. I'm curious why you or anybody would care what gear a team or rider for that matter wears? MX has been a...
Serious question, not trolling. I'm curious why you or anybody would care what gear a team or rider for that matter wears? MX has been a major part of my life for many years but I don't think I could name the gear a single team/rider wears. I really could care less but it's evident others don't feel as I. Just wondering why?

Rick
Do you still ride yourself and how old are you? I think those things have a lot to do with how someone may feel differently than another on this topic. I have my favorite gear brands, just like my favorite bike brands, goggle brands, etc. And I don't necessarily try to pay attention to what anyone is wearing although I know from watching, reading vital, listening to podcasts, etc. The older I get, the less I care.
jenssog
Profile picture for user jenssog
Posts
72
Joined
7/7/2017
Location
Hudson Valley, NY, USA
jenssog 5/9/2018 6:18pm
5/9/2018 6:18pm Edited Date/Time 5/9/2018 6:19pm
stillwelding wrote:
Don’t laugh. That brand of riding gear has outlasted some of the most popular gear brands in the last 37 years.
37 years to be exact :D I remember it from back in the mid 90s - and apparently, it has changed much. The design team must be located in a rural part of Germany.
RoflCopter726 5/9/2018 7:06pm
5/9/2018 7:06pm
I hope they're staying in the gear game. My favorite thing was the ability to have them put my name/number on the jersey right out of the gate, and not having to mess with 3rd parties for that.
Tarz483
Profile picture for user Tarz483
Posts
6344
Joined
2/25/2009
Location
Mankato, MN, USA
Tarz483 5/9/2018 7:10pm
5/9/2018 7:10pm
I'd a rather it be Fly
I've always been a fox fan
But this whole supreme thing
Has left a bad taste
That and there $100 jerseys
...and Of course because JT is awsome
I listen all the time on the podcasts
MikeID
Profile picture for user MikeID
Posts
361
Joined
3/29/2016
Location
Boise, ID, USA
MikeID 5/9/2018 7:43pm
5/9/2018 7:43pm
I keep an eye out when watching races for gear I like the look of then go to the company’s website to learn how it’s made as well as other color options. I’ll check out some online dealers to read reviews and hopefully see it at a local dealer, get an idea of fit and prospectve durability, and buy it there.

I like to buy gear and other stuff from companies that I see supporting the sport. To me, that support is helping racers race and in some cases helping put on races.
craigathan404
Profile picture for user craigathan404
Posts
744
Joined
5/2/2017
Location
Oregon City, OR, USA
craigathan404 5/9/2018 8:42pm
5/9/2018 8:42pm
If I’ll be honest, I bought a Honda 250 and a set of alias gear because I thought it looked so damn sweet last year. So if that’s what they were trying to do, they achieved it lol.
jbrown15
Profile picture for user jbrown15
Posts
587
Joined
1/19/2017
Location
CA
jbrown15 5/9/2018 10:04pm
5/9/2018 10:04pm
It's Shift, stamp it.
craigathan404
Profile picture for user craigathan404
Posts
744
Joined
5/2/2017
Location
Oregon City, OR, USA
craigathan404 5/9/2018 10:16pm
5/9/2018 10:16pm
Now can we find out what set of shift gear they will be wearing so I can buy it?
spd721
Profile picture for user spd721
Posts
1390
Joined
9/23/2009
Location
Fenton, MO, USA
spd721 5/10/2018 7:37am
5/10/2018 7:37am
I'm curious as to why Geico is parting ways with Alias when the owner of Alias also has ownership in the team. Would it be safe to assume that Grondahl also pulled out as an owner with Geico??
kkawboy14
Profile picture for user kkawboy14
Posts
11486
Joined
6/5/2015
Location
USA
kkawboy14 5/10/2018 7:41am
5/10/2018 7:41am
JT Gear got fed up with paying teams to use their gear back in the day.......
Cokeham23
Profile picture for user Cokeham23
Posts
581
Joined
3/4/2010
Location
USA
Cokeham23 5/10/2018 7:57am
5/10/2018 7:57am
I’ve been wearing Alias for a long time, I’m really curious to see what happens with them. I’ve always been a big fan of their designs, and the quality/durability of gear has been good for me too. In the mean time, I guess I’ll be switching to Fly though.

JT$, more green, and teal, please! Wink
Crush
Profile picture for user Crush
Posts
21154
Joined
4/26/2009
Location
Sydney, AU
Crush 5/10/2018 8:08am
5/10/2018 8:08am
Gandorlf wrote:
You're both right... The team manager co-owns Alias or something like that
MelonFan123 wrote:
The two main partners in the Geico Honda team are Ziggy from Factory Connection and Mr Grondahl (can't remember his first name). Grondahl is a successful...
The two main partners in the Geico Honda team are Ziggy from Factory Connection and Mr Grondahl (can't remember his first name).

Grondahl is a successful businessman who started Planet Fitness gyms - big time $ those franchises are everywhere. He is the person (owner) behind Alias MX which is the connection you guys are speaking of.
Langhammx wrote:
Mike Grondahl
So is he bailing bailing or is Alias failing and shutting down the sewing machines?
mauidex
Profile picture for user mauidex
Posts
2069
Joined
9/12/2011
Location
Haiku, HI, USA
mauidex 5/10/2018 8:19am
5/10/2018 8:19am
from my understanding Alias was started because no one would pay the Geico team what they wanted and Im sure they figured that the profits from selling their "own" brand would be equal to or more than the $$$ they wanted.

Maybe that didn't pencil out and someone at this point has come to the table with the wheel barrow full of cash they want now???

Lots of pieces to the puzzle in marketing a clothing brand and lots of work. Why bother if you don't have to?? Not like Alias is gonna become a top 3 brand without even more work!! Unsure Unsure Unsure
DoubleA
Profile picture for user DoubleA
Posts
406
Joined
11/17/2017
Location
GB
DoubleA 5/11/2018 11:42pm
5/11/2018 11:42pm

Pit Row

See All »
Travis707
Profile picture for user Travis707
Posts
237
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
USA
Travis707 5/12/2018 4:14pm
5/12/2018 4:14pm
Jt$ wrote:
Other than needing to pay the team 400k or so (guessing on that). And that's just talking real dollars, not bonuses or product or man-hours to...
Other than needing to pay the team 400k or so (guessing on that). And that's just talking real dollars, not bonuses or product or man-hours to create any of it.
It was a few years ago, but if I remember correctly what Michael told me, about $400K was the original number however that amount was reduced and Ziggy and Jeff each received 5-10% ownership in Alias. The GEICO logos also got bigger with Alias gear. But you've got to sell a lot of gear to cover that sponsorship nut.

The original plan for Alias under Michael's direction, beside the direct-to-consumer business model, was to be a "grass-roots" gear company. We were going to start off focusing on New England and Cali and attend/sponsor as many amateur events as we could to support the sport. Eventually, the plan was attend local and amateur national events across the entire US and sponsor a few AMA Pro racers from about 10th place back. Then, as the company became financially stronger and the brand was stronger, we'd look at sponsoring top 10 Pros. Unfortunately that never came to fruition and the focus of Alias changed.

One thing to keep in mind regarding Alias, is that it’s just a piece of the bigger picture.

To step back for a minute, Michael bought The Nest so his oldest son Eric had a world-class facility to become the best motocross and supercross racer he could become. Coming up through the amateur ranks, Michael saw to it that Eric had everything he needed to succeed. One of Eric’s race bikes, I think it was a Honda CRF150R, had a “special” set of forks and there were only about 3 sets in the world. According to Michael, they were essentially mini works forks. When he was on the verge of turning pro, Eric’s Honda CRF250R race bikes had motors done by the GEICO boys. They weren’t full race motors but were a step below.

Regarding Alias, there’s quite the story behind the scenes. I’m surprised it hasn’t been “leaked”. It’s one of those stories where you'd say there's no fucking way that happened. I've often thought about how much fun it would be to write a book about Michael Grondahl's life. It's pretty extraordinary in many aspects. Just interviewing the people from his past and hearing their stories would be amazing. I have a few myself LOL. But I digress.

Anyway, Michael purchased Alias mainly for Eric. When Eric wasn’t pounding out the laps under the watchful eye of JoJo Keller and later Tim Ferry, he was into designing moto gear. Alias gave Eric the opportunity to take gear design as far as he wanted to.

Michael is the third owner of the GEICO Honda Team. He’s the “silent” partner with the big bank account. But anyone who knows Michael knows he’s anything but silent haha! Anyway, if Eric was able to reach the upper level of AMA Pro motocross and supercross, you can be sure he would have been on the GEICO Honda Team.

Now that Eric has “retired” from pro racing, there was no need to keep The Nest. If Eric took moto gear design as far as he wanted to, there’s no need for Alias. I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael sold his share of the GEICO Team at some point.

However, there’s more to the Alias story. Michael’s youngest son Justin is a talented golfer. Michael loves golf. Michael has even sponsored a pro golfer and I heard talk a few years ago about an Alias golf line. I haven’t been in the loop for about 3 years but if I were to place a bet on the future of Alias, I’d say it involves golf if Michael remains the primary owner.



Ramrod
Profile picture for user Ramrod
Posts
4998
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Ontario, CA
Ramrod 5/12/2018 5:44pm
5/12/2018 5:44pm
Very interesting! Wish you could tell us more.
tek14
Profile picture for user tek14
Posts
4974
Joined
1/26/2014
Location
Vantaa, FI
tek14 5/14/2018 12:11am
5/14/2018 12:11am
Travis707 wrote:
It was a few years ago, but if I remember correctly what Michael told me, about $400K was the original number however that amount was reduced...
It was a few years ago, but if I remember correctly what Michael told me, about $400K was the original number however that amount was reduced and Ziggy and Jeff each received 5-10% ownership in Alias. The GEICO logos also got bigger with Alias gear. But you've got to sell a lot of gear to cover that sponsorship nut.

The original plan for Alias under Michael's direction, beside the direct-to-consumer business model, was to be a "grass-roots" gear company. We were going to start off focusing on New England and Cali and attend/sponsor as many amateur events as we could to support the sport. Eventually, the plan was attend local and amateur national events across the entire US and sponsor a few AMA Pro racers from about 10th place back. Then, as the company became financially stronger and the brand was stronger, we'd look at sponsoring top 10 Pros. Unfortunately that never came to fruition and the focus of Alias changed.

One thing to keep in mind regarding Alias, is that it’s just a piece of the bigger picture.

To step back for a minute, Michael bought The Nest so his oldest son Eric had a world-class facility to become the best motocross and supercross racer he could become. Coming up through the amateur ranks, Michael saw to it that Eric had everything he needed to succeed. One of Eric’s race bikes, I think it was a Honda CRF150R, had a “special” set of forks and there were only about 3 sets in the world. According to Michael, they were essentially mini works forks. When he was on the verge of turning pro, Eric’s Honda CRF250R race bikes had motors done by the GEICO boys. They weren’t full race motors but were a step below.

Regarding Alias, there’s quite the story behind the scenes. I’m surprised it hasn’t been “leaked”. It’s one of those stories where you'd say there's no fucking way that happened. I've often thought about how much fun it would be to write a book about Michael Grondahl's life. It's pretty extraordinary in many aspects. Just interviewing the people from his past and hearing their stories would be amazing. I have a few myself LOL. But I digress.

Anyway, Michael purchased Alias mainly for Eric. When Eric wasn’t pounding out the laps under the watchful eye of JoJo Keller and later Tim Ferry, he was into designing moto gear. Alias gave Eric the opportunity to take gear design as far as he wanted to.

Michael is the third owner of the GEICO Honda Team. He’s the “silent” partner with the big bank account. But anyone who knows Michael knows he’s anything but silent haha! Anyway, if Eric was able to reach the upper level of AMA Pro motocross and supercross, you can be sure he would have been on the GEICO Honda Team.

Now that Eric has “retired” from pro racing, there was no need to keep The Nest. If Eric took moto gear design as far as he wanted to, there’s no need for Alias. I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael sold his share of the GEICO Team at some point.

However, there’s more to the Alias story. Michael’s youngest son Justin is a talented golfer. Michael loves golf. Michael has even sponsored a pro golfer and I heard talk a few years ago about an Alias golf line. I haven’t been in the loop for about 3 years but if I were to place a bet on the future of Alias, I’d say it involves golf if Michael remains the primary owner.



Sounds like father has done more than everything for his kids. Would be nice to hear more of these real stories behind everything we see.
Conkey
Profile picture for user Conkey
Posts
481
Joined
12/14/2009
Location
Vegas, NV, USA
Conkey 5/14/2018 7:41am
5/14/2018 7:41am
The old company clubhouse in Portsmouth was pretty cool. Funny that the guy that owned Planet Fitness was not at all into fitness.
rikhek
Profile picture for user rikhek
Posts
328
Joined
2/26/2012
Location
Tulsa, OK, USA
rikhek 5/23/2018 7:34am
5/23/2018 7:34am Edited Date/Time 6/12/2018 1:28pm
rikhek wrote:
Serious question, not trolling. I'm curious why you or anybody would care what gear a team or rider for that matter wears? MX has been a...
Serious question, not trolling. I'm curious why you or anybody would care what gear a team or rider for that matter wears? MX has been a major part of my life for many years but I don't think I could name the gear a single team/rider wears. I really could care less but it's evident others don't feel as I. Just wondering why?

Rick
Squirrelings wrote:
Do you still ride yourself and how old are you? I think those things have a lot to do with how someone may feel differently than...
Do you still ride yourself and how old are you? I think those things have a lot to do with how someone may feel differently than another on this topic. I have my favorite gear brands, just like my favorite bike brands, goggle brands, etc. And I don't necessarily try to pay attention to what anyone is wearing although I know from watching, reading vital, listening to podcasts, etc. The older I get, the less I care.
Your response makes sense and yes, at 57 years old I still ride an average of 100 hours/year. Been riding 45 years.
Funny thing is even when I was younger I could care less about what the pro's/sponsored guys were wearing. I guess it's just a personality trait on whether you care or notice.

Rick

Post a reply to: Geico parting way with Alias