»Strike Bike« Filed For Bankruptcy

In November 2010, Strike Bike GmbH, including its two remaining executive directors and full-time workers André Kegel und Sven Aderhold and two part-time workers, had to file for bankruptcy. The »Strike Bike« production stopped at the end of 2010.

From militant resistance of a whole factory against Lone Star - a finance investor group from the United States, which took over a bike factory in Nordhausen (Germany) - to self organised labour: this bold try now failed. 21 years earlier, 1989, Biria, a south German company, took over Nordhausen's bike factory straight after Germany's reunion. Then Biria had been bought by Lone Star in 2005, which decided to close the factory in 2007. But the workers fought back.

The workers occupied their factory after they heard of its closure, motivated and supported by activists of the FAU and other unions, and started to produce bikes by themselves. Firstly, it turned out to be a big success. 1.800 bikes were sold until October 2007. But one month later, machines were shipped away and sold by Lone Star and most workers started to work in an outplacement company.

Despite all difficulties, 21 workers remained and started the »Strike Bike« production. They managed to sell 2.500 bikes in 2009 and there had been plans to invest into electronic bike production. Yet, several difficulties crossed their plans, e.g.: there are lots of high quality bikes on the market but their component suppliers delivered bad quality. By the time, more and more workers started to work somewhere else.

In November 2010, two remaining full-time and two part-time workers had to file for bankruptcy and the last »Strike Bike« left its factory at the end of 2010.