Pole Bicycles returns: Leo Kokkonen on CNC'd bike frames, bankruptcy lessons, and eMTB prototype

What this episode covers

Leo Kokkonen is the founder of Pole Bicycles, a boutique mountain bike brand based in Finland that's known for its innovative design and construction techniques. Founded in 2013, the brand was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2024, but now they're back with a brand new prototype and a desire to continue pushing the envelope.Why start a bike company in 2013? What did you want to do that wasn't already being doneHow did the mountain bike community react to your geometry ideas back then?In 2017, you were planning to produce a carbon fiber bike. But then you decided not to. WhyHow did you come up with your process for machining frames out of aluminum?What are the advantages of designing and manufacturing bikes in Finland? What are the challenges?What are the MTB trails like in your area of Finland?Tell us about the challenges Pole faced that ultimately led to bankruptcy. What happened? What did you learn?What can you tell us about the latest prototype you're working on?How has your production method changed?What's next for Pole?Visit polebicycles.com online and follow @polebicycles on Instagram to see the bikes and to keep up with the brand.An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

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