In a year that’s seen more than a few bike industry shakeups, one of the most surprising headlines came not from a flashy new product or a major brand merger, but from an unexpected comeback. Revel Bikes, the Colorado-based brand known for its carbon trail bikes and small-batch ethos, is back in the hands of founder Adam Miller. After selling the company to a private equity group in 2021 and watching from the sidelines as it quietly faltered, Miller has stepped back in to reclaim and relaunch the brand he started with a small team and big ambitions.
I sat down with Adam Miller for an exclusive video interview to discuss how this all unfolded—and where Revel goes from here. We're trying something a little different with this format, so let us know in the comments if you find it valuable and want to see more of this kind of storytelling.
A Brand with a Mission—and a Heart
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Revel Bikes launched in 2019 with a clear goal: build the bikes the team wanted to ride, and do it their own way. The brand quickly earned a loyal following with its Canfield Balance Formula suspension, carbon frames, and commitment to sustainability and customer service.
“Revel was never just a company to me—it was a personal mission,” Miller said in a letter announcing the relaunch. “We built the bikes we actually wanted to ride, rooted in quality, sustainability, customer service, and a genuine love of riding bikes and being outside in the mountains.”
Miller sold Revel in late 2021, believing that outside capital could help scale the business while preserving its core values. “I believed that with more capital and infrastructure, Revel could grow into something even bigger, while holding on to what made it special,” he wrote.
He stayed on during the early stages of the transition, but stepped away entirely in early 2024 when he says the company’s mission began to diverge from his own.
The Shutdown—and the Comeback
That divergence eventually led to Revel’s closure this spring, just days after new models were announced and shown at Sea Otter. Customers were caught off guard. So were employees. And so was Miller.
“Last month, I found out, just a day before the public announcement, that Revel was shutting its doors,” he wrote. “The employees, the community, the customers... we were all left hanging.”
Rather than let the brand fade away, Miller made a bold move: he bought it back. “This news was truly devastating to me—I had poured my heart into Revel for the better part of a decade, and I couldn’t just let it disappear. So I bought Revel back, and now we’re here to stay.”
What Comes Next: Leaner, Smarter, and More Focused
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This isn’t a return to business as usual. Miller says the new Revel will be smaller, leaner, and smarter, prioritizing customer connection over unchecked growth.
“The business is going to be smaller, leaner, and smarter, and the team and I are more motivated than ever to make Revel what we always knew it could be—a responsive, customer-oriented company with incredible, carefully crafted bikes that we want to ride and we think you will too.”
In practice, this means a tighter product line, direct-to-consumer sales, and a frame-only program for dealers to support high-end custom builds. It’s a back-to-roots strategy.
“This company is not going to chase growth for growth’s sake,” Miller wrote. “We’re going to create something we’re proud of, for the long haul.”
A Second Start, Built on Passion
“We’ll sell directly to riders, and we’ll have a frame-only program for dealers with the hopes of seeing more epic custom builds. My team and I are committed to running everything with the same obsessive attention to detail that started in that bedroom bike shop in Alaska and that put Revel on the map in 2019.”
To longtime fans of the brand, it’s a message that resonates: Revel is back, not because a boardroom saw a market opportunity, but because its founder couldn’t bear to see it disappear.
“To everyone who stuck with me and this company, thank you. To those just discovering Revel, welcome. We’re just getting started, again.”
I sat down with Adam Miller for an exclusive video interview to discuss how this all unfolded—and where Revel goes from here. We're trying something a little different with this format, so let us know in the comments if you find it valuable and want to see more of this kind of storytelling.
A Brand with a Mission—and a Heart
“Revel was never just a company to me—it was a personal mission,” Miller said in a letter announcing the relaunch. “We built the bikes we actually wanted to ride, rooted in quality, sustainability, customer service, and a genuine love of riding bikes and being outside in the mountains.”
Miller sold Revel in late 2021, believing that outside capital could help scale the business while preserving its core values. “I believed that with more capital and infrastructure, Revel could grow into something even bigger, while holding on to what made it special,” he wrote.
He stayed on during the early stages of the transition, but stepped away entirely in early 2024 when he says the company’s mission began to diverge from his own.
The Shutdown—and the Comeback
That divergence eventually led to Revel’s closure this spring, just days after new models were announced and shown at Sea Otter. Customers were caught off guard. So were employees. And so was Miller.
“Last month, I found out, just a day before the public announcement, that Revel was shutting its doors,” he wrote. “The employees, the community, the customers... we were all left hanging.”
Rather than let the brand fade away, Miller made a bold move: he bought it back. “This news was truly devastating to me—I had poured my heart into Revel for the better part of a decade, and I couldn’t just let it disappear. So I bought Revel back, and now we’re here to stay.”
What Comes Next: Leaner, Smarter, and More Focused
“The business is going to be smaller, leaner, and smarter, and the team and I are more motivated than ever to make Revel what we always knew it could be—a responsive, customer-oriented company with incredible, carefully crafted bikes that we want to ride and we think you will too.”
In practice, this means a tighter product line, direct-to-consumer sales, and a frame-only program for dealers to support high-end custom builds. It’s a back-to-roots strategy.
“This company is not going to chase growth for growth’s sake,” Miller wrote. “We’re going to create something we’re proud of, for the long haul.”
A Second Start, Built on Passion
For now, Miller and a small team are focused on rebuilding the company from the inside out, returning to the obsessive product development and rider-first philosophy that first made Revel stand out in a crowded industry.“We’ll sell directly to riders, and we’ll have a frame-only program for dealers with the hopes of seeing more epic custom builds. My team and I are committed to running everything with the same obsessive attention to detail that started in that bedroom bike shop in Alaska and that put Revel on the map in 2019.”
To longtime fans of the brand, it’s a message that resonates: Revel is back, not because a boardroom saw a market opportunity, but because its founder couldn’t bear to see it disappear.
“To everyone who stuck with me and this company, thank you. To those just discovering Revel, welcome. We’re just getting started, again.”
