KOGA is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer based in Heerenveen,

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

. The company is known for its long time partnership with Japanese frame manufacturer

Miyata Miyata is a Japanese manufacturer of bicycles, The company has been in operation since 1890. Miyata was also one of the first producers of motorcycles in Japan under the name Asahi. The Asahi AA was the first mass-produced motorcycle in Japa ...

, producing bicycles and sponsoring racing teams under the brand name Koga Miyata. As of May 2010 the partnership ended and the company began manufacturing bicycles under the KOGA brand.
at ''koga.com''

History

The company was founded by Andries Gaastra in 1974
who had left his function at his father's company

Batavus Batavus BV is a Dutch bicycle manufacturer, owned by the Accell Group European Cycle conglomerate. Batavus Intercycle Corporation was the leading manufacturer of bicycles and mopeds in the Netherlands during the 1970s. During its most productive ...

. The name Koga is a combination of his surname and that of his wife Marion Kowallik. The addition of Miyata came from the cooperation with Japanese manufacturer

. Koga Miyata relied on Japanese components from manufacturers such as Shimano. From 1980 Koga Miyata sponsored the ''IJsboerke'' cycle team whose member, the Dutch

Peter Winnen Peter Johannes Gertrudis Winnen (born 5 September 1957) is a Dutch former road racing cyclist. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in road racing and finished in 26th place. After the Games he turned professional in 1981. Among his 14 victor ...

, won a stage in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

at the

Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of th ...

soon after, leading to wider recognition. In 1992, Gaastra sold his company to the Atag Cycle Group, which had acquired Batavus six years earlier. KOGA is now owned by the

Accell Group Accell Group N.V. is a bicycle company based in Heerenveen, Netherlands. They own the bicycle brands Atala, Babboe, Batavus, Carraro Cicli, Ghost, Haibike, KOGA, Lapierre, Loekie, Nishiki, Raleigh, Sparta, Torker, Tunturi Tunturi is a ...

Products

Koga Miyata started with the use of Japanese components. The design and assemblage of the bicycles was done by hand in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. At first Koga Miyata only produced racing bicycles. In 1976 they added a range of randonneurs or touring bicycles, and in 1986 mountain bikes. In 1993, after it was acquired by the Atag Cycle Group, Koga Miyata also produced hybrid bicycles. Koga now produce a range of e-bikes (bicycles with an electrical assist system).

Early models

Some of the early company brochures are publicly available for download. * Pro-Racer * Pro-Luxe * FullPro-L * Gents-Racer * Gents-Touring * Gents-Luxe * Road Racer * Road Winner * Road Speed * Road-Mixed * Silver-Ace

References

External links

* {{Japanese bicycle manufacturers Bicycle framebuilders Cycle manufacturers of the Netherlands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1974 1974 establishments in the Netherlands Companies based in Friesland Heerenveen