Knowledge is power.

The more you know.

Hello and good day. I’m Stevil and will be your host in today’s cavalcade of crap.

What do we have on deck you might not be asking? Not much, but I do sincerely hope everyone enjoyed Record Store Day yesterday. Since ‘wreckids’ no longer cost ten dollars, I did the best I could at my local joint;

Remember when, at most, this would have represented about $40.00 worth of wax? Oh, son… Sadly those days are well behind us, and folks in the know are aware of just how much plasma I had to sell in order to cover just these three.

Moving along, it’s come to everyone’s attention by now that Kona Bicycles is very literally circling the bowl like the gigantic McJunkin that it is.If perhaps you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last year, in shirt, it was acquired from the founders by Kent Outdoors- A faceless corporate conglomerate based in Ohio, with by the looks of things, nary a single iota of an idea about how to run a bike brand. Well, a bevy of whichever employees hadn’t yet been fired arrived at this past weekend’s Seas Otter Classic, only to take the tent down on the first day. Rumors and speculation began to fly, though two of my favorites so far were that all of the company credit cards had been canceled, and that the company owed its vendors (Hodaka in particular) more than the company is currently worth.

Ho. Lee. Crap.

But in a fun turn, some of the hearsay was proven correct upon the publishing of Zack Overholt’s piece in Bike Rumor, and the anonymous comment that followed which read like so;

I’m posting anonymously due to potential repercussions, but as someone who works at Kona under Kent Outdoors, I feel compelled to share the distressing realities we face and urge you to take action.

Kent Outdoors is currently run by short-sighted individuals who are utterly disconnected from the communities, sports, and people attached to their brands. Their lack of understanding and interest in cycling and any other sport has not only led to poor decision making but also to a toxic corporate environment where Kona and their other brands are suffering greatly. Under their management, Kona has accumulated millions of dollars in unpaid debts to our suppliers (Fairly and Hodaka), with no attempts made to negotiate or even communicate, effectively planning to stiff them. This strategy isn’t limited to Kona; it’s a disturbing pattern that is evident across all brands under the Kent Outdoors umbrella. I urge all suppliers and partners across the board that do business with Kent Outdoors to be careful. Everyone should be seriously concerned about this pattern of non-payment and poor business ethics.

The working conditions here are more than just poor—they’re abysmal. Communication is practically non-existent now under the new management, creating a chaotic environment where decisions are made without transparency or employee input. The stress of potentially not getting paid has been a reality for some of us, adding to an overwhelming sense of job insecurity. Long hours, and weekend work, is the norm all without additional compensation or even basic recognition of our hard work.

The only individuals who seem to survive and even advance under the current regime are the “yes men” those who align too readily with a flawed agenda, lacking critical engagement or genuine passion for the brands. This has caused significant unrest among other brands under the Kent Outdoors umbrella, who are equally upset about these new leaders. Their inability to effectively manage people, combined with a lack of fundamental understanding of the communities they serve, is rapidly destroying the companies. These leaders are not just failing; they are actively dismantling the very essence of what made all of these brands successful.

The company is not just being led poorly; it’s being led by individuals who don’t seem to care about the damage they’re doing to the brands, communities, or people. Any company considering a partnership with Kent Outdoors should seriously reconsider. Any customer should consider carefully buying products from our companies since who knows if we will even have the parts to support them.

In light of these issues, I am calling on all community members to join us in boycotting all Kent Outdoors brands. We need to demonstrate that these destructive practices are unacceptable. By uniting and applying public pressure, we hope to initiate a significant change in Kent Outdoors’ direction and leadership to a model that values the employees, respects the community, and truly understands the sports industries they are part of.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any support you can lend. Let’s stand together to save Kona and the other brands we cherish.

Never before has a meatball been so spicy.

And for those with an interest, Robot and I will have a real, live former employee on the olde podcast to dish some of the tea.

I can’t wait. However we’re gonna have to because it’s hard enough for Robot and me to make time for one another, let alone looping another person into the mix.

Lastly, it was against my doctor’s wishes that I rode a bike 72 hours ahead of when I was instructed to;

Having driven more over the last three weeks than I have in years, I gotta say, I don’t know how people do it. It’s maddeningly inconvenient, and brings to mind that one t-shirt;

Is it actually necessary to involve five thousand pounds of steel to transport all 190 pounds of me?

Obvioulsy that’s the prevailing thought and I understand it less every single day.

Finally, it is my distinct pride to present the one hundred and twenty fourth episode of Revolting;

As always, there is a lot no knowledge dished out, resulting a whole lot of no power.