An important update on the Katana bike & the future of Supre Drive

I just uploaded a new video discussing the future of Lal Bikes, the Katana, and the Supre Drive: https://youtu.be/Qu_sQRVB_Go

First, thank you to everyone who has supported us since we opened Katana pre-orders last spring. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, we made the difficult decision not to bring the Katana bike to market. We’ll issue refunds to all pre-order customers in the coming days. We’re grateful for your faith in us and for the support of everyone who has followed our journey so far. Moving forward, Lal Bikes will aim to collaborate with bike brands for them to offer bikes with the Supre Drive while we focus on the drivetrain.

While the Katana won’t be hitting the market, it stands as a successful demonstration bike. It proves exactly what the Supre Drive can do. As several test reviews have highlighted, the bike performs exceptionally well. It’s a fun and versatile bike with a drivetrain that’s reliable, shifts precisely, and is extremely quiet. This proves the benefits of the Supre Drive:

“The shifter feel and shifting performance are very similar to Shimano’s 12-speed mechanical groups… but the chain control of the Supre Drive is far better. It’s extremely quiet, there’s minimal feedback from the chain bouncing around, and not having a derailleur cage hanging down in harm’s way is great, too.” – Blister Review

We’ll maintain our capacity to manufacture Supre Drive components, and we’re looking to partner with bike brands that want to build Supre-equipped frames. We are also willing to license or sell our patent to drivetrain manufacturers.

If you want to experience the Katana and Supre Drive for yourself, we invite you to come ride our prototypes Katana bikes. If you’re in coastal BC, reach out to us to set up a test ride. Thank you for being part of this incredible seven-year adventure—from a basement in Quebec to an awesome little factory in BC. The ride isn’t over yet!