I am the most optimistic person you will ever find when it comes to Cannondale. I have heard the rumor that the new owners will be at the powersports expo in Indy this month and I will be there to see who shows up to man the booth. I have also heard that the offer has already been accepted, but hey can't make it public yet. Listen to what I just got off of a stock forum . This is apparantly a quote from Scott Montgomery:

Scott Montgomery gave it to us straight. He said that Cannondale’s bicycle and motorsports divisions would be split and sold by the bankruptcy court to the highest bidders. He predicted that the Motorsports wing would either be axed or completely reorganized by a larger entity that is already established in that market.

“We originally believed that we could do it (build the motorcycle) for 20 million,” said Scott, “but we were way off the mark. One motorcycle company told us that it would cost 100 million and take five years. In the end, they were right. We spent somewhere near 80 million in almost as much time. Had we known that going in, we would have never attempted it.”

Will Cannondale bicycle owners and retailers be left out to dry? Scott predicts that will not be the case, primarily because the bicycle division has been resoundingly successful--even in the current down-market. Reportedly, in 1997, Cannondale posted higher profits than all of its U.S. competitors combined. It would be financial suicide for Cannondale’s new owner to make any significant changes considering the bicycle division's profitable track record, and the strength of its world-wide brand recognition.

Scott informed us that, while Cannondale has laid off all of its motorsport division, it has kept its bicycle research and development team working full speed ahead on its 2004 models. The shipping department was also retained to keep bikes and parts going out the doors during the court proceedings. Whether Cannondale’s founder, Joe Montgomery, will be at the reigns of the new Cannondale, or if and to what degree that his son Scott will play a leading role, is up to the new owners.

Scott is optimistic, however, stating that: “Cannondale’s success in the bicycle division is directly attributable to Joe’s leadership, but that decision is really out of our hands now. The bicycle division has always been where my heart lies and I would hope that I could still remain in a similar position--to be a driving force to help take Cannondale to the next level. Either way, I will be working through this period to help make this transition as seamless as possible for our customers.”

The part about his heart always really being in the bicycle division kinda bugs me. I've always been a Scott fan. Like I posted earlier, I had a one on one lunch with him exactly one year ago at the Indy show. I need to hear some good news about a new buyer with lots of money.