Sparta is disappearing. That was the news in June. It had been in the air for a while, and the rumours in the industry were flying: who is going to buy it? Several names were mentioned, but none of them became the new owner. Accell announced that it would phase out the brand. From mid-2028, everything would be merged into Batavus. By then, Sparta would have existed for 111 years.
“Mum, my first bike was a Sparta, wasn’t it? I think there are photos of it somewhere, could you have a look?” And sure enough: a few days later an old-fashioned holiday photo album was lying on my kitchen table. A holiday in Winterswijk, in 1987. I was five. (Phew, grandpa is telling stories.)
My father and his Evans
The other photo shows my father. He is the reason I love bikes. He was a great cycling enthusiast himself, on his custom-built Evans from England: Reynolds tubing, with Shimano Crane, the predecessor of what is now Dura-Ace. My father is no longer with us. The bike still is.
Menno Visser also had an enormous influence on me, by the way, but that story is for another time.
I lost the Sparta long ago. Dozens of bikes have followed since. But this was the bike on which I made my first real rides, with and without my parents. Just like your first car, that leaves a lasting impression.
Ahead of its time more often than you think
Only years later, when I started working in the cycling industry myself, did I see how innovative Sparta really was. A few examples, to honour the brand one more time:
- The Spartamet, with that distinctive two-stroke engine by the rear wheel. My PE teacher had one. Oh, how we laughed at him for it, tough as we were.
- The Pharos, with Yamaha drive, one of the first electric bikes for the general public. (The very first e-bike dates back to the nineteenth century, I know, but this one was for everyone.) It was succeeded by the ION, for which I took the special technical training in Apeldoorn. What a nightmare it was to calibrate those wheels and replace the battery.
- The Amazone, the “mother’s bike” with that wide handlebar, long frame, strong 26-inch wheels, a double kickstand and room for two child seats at once. There was even a “father’s bike” version later on, the Pick-Up, which did a lot less well. It was just a little too far ahead of its time.
From a business point of view, I understood the choice. Fewer brands, more focus, a stronger market position. Logical. But as an enthusiast, I simply found it a pity. A piece of my first kilometres would disappear with Sparta.
Update, October 2026. Things have since turned out differently. Accell was declared bankrupt in August, and in October the trustees sold Sparta to e-bike brand Tenways, which wants to respect Sparta’s history and preserve the brand’s own identity. So the merger into Batavus will not happen.
What that will mean for the bikes is not yet known. But perhaps I do not have to say goodbye just yet.
Thank you, Sparta. And Tenways: take good care of it.
Johannes de Bruin helps companies in the cycling industry grow through The Great Ride, with strategic advice, project management and partnerships. More about me