Outside, a leading creator of active lifestyle content, services, events and experiences, has today announced the acquisition of Pinkbike and its sister brands CyclingTips and Trailforks.
In a release, Outside noted that.. ‘The deal represents a significant expansion of Outside’s leadership position in cycling media and mobile mapping technology, and it adds an array of premium benefits and best-in-class content to Outside+, the company’s popular consumer membership.’
Back in February 2021, Outside (formerly Pocket Outdoor Media) purchased Outside magazine and related properties – including Peloton magazine and athleteReg, which operates BikeReg.
The owner of VeloNews, Triathlete and BRAIN has been on an heady acquisition path – with 2020 purchases including FinisherPix, Big Stone Publishing and Active Interest Media.
Pinkbike is a digital and video-centric media business created in 1998 and operated by British Columbia-based mountain biking enthusiasts Radek and Karl Burkat. With more than 700 million annual pageviews, it is recognized as a global leader in mountain bike content and entertainment.
‘Its stories, product reviews, and thriving marketplace drive more than 50% of the category’s total pageviews, and it has successfully expanded into reality TV production among other product extensions.’
In recent years, Pinkbike acquired CyclingTips, a rapidly growing news site for road and racing fans, and launched Trailforks, a GPS-enabled trail database with more than 300,000 mountain biking and hiking routes and 6 million users.
Outside CEO Robin Thurston said “This acquisition is a key moment in fulfilling our mission to build a vibrant home where active lifestyle participants will discover a wide range of content and tools to fuel their adventures. We’re very excited and honoured to welcome the Burkats and their team to our family.
“As a lifelong cyclist, I’m a huge fan of these brands, which are perfect complements to our own cycling titles – VeloNews, Peloton, Beta, and Bicycle Retailer – and to our recent acquisition of Gaia GPS, the dominant mobile mapping app for hikers, backpackers, and overlanders.
“The marriage of these businesses creates a truly comprehensive resource for all types of cyclists and outdoor adventurers.”
Pinkbike’s Radek Burkat said “Like Robin, we’re motivated by the belief that a single ride can change your life.
“We founded Pinkbike to share the thrills and spills of singletrack, and we’ve inspired millions of cyclists to get out and ride by staying true to the soul of the sport. Joining Outside gives our team an opportunity to tell stories to an even bigger audience and to collaborate with world-class journalists at the other brands in our new family.
“We’re also thrilled to bring our Trailforks technology and community into the membership ecosystem that Outside is building. In partnership with Gaia, we intend to map every trail in America, and eventually the world, so that Outside+ members can ride, hike, run, and ski with greater confidence and safety.”
The core Pinkbike and Trailforks teams will continue operating out of their offices in Squamish, BC. CyclingTips will maintain its office in Australia, and its US-based staff will join the larger Outside team in the company’s headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
www.pinkbike.com
www.trailforks.com
www.cyclingtips.com
www.OutsideOnline.com
www.PocketOutdoorMedia.com
