The Measure of Joe Montgomery

In Wilton, Connecticut, a loft above a pickle factory held the beginning. Light slipped through narrow windows and settled across aluminum and fabric scraps, hand-drawn notes, and tools placed within reach. The space carried the spark of work in progress. Every surface told part of the same story.

Joe Montgomery, along with a small crew of dreamers and creators, stood in that loft with the calm focus of a man who trusted curiosity more than convention. He once saw a cyclist straining beneath a heavy pack and felt a small ache in his chest—a simple moment, but the kind that changes the course of one’s life. Solve the strain. Lighten the load. This is where it started.

The Bugger was how Joe answered first. The first high performance bicycle trailer, with a wry grin of a name, born from a simple observation and realized by a growing team of thinkers and builders he brought together. Packs followed. Bags. Gear. Each product reflected the environment Joe created—clear thinking, honest intention, and a shared commitment to solving real problems for riders.

Aluminum frames rose next. Large-diameter tubing entered a world accustomed to skinny steel. The ST-500 touring bike rolled out looking like nothing else on the road, carrying the promise of long days made lighter through design. Suddenly riders felt something different beneath them: clarity, immediacy, the sense of a bike that worked with them instead of against them. The entire world of cycling changed that day, ushered in to a new era where energy and innovation replaced hide-bound tradition as the motivating force, with Cannondale at the forefront. In the decades that followed, the brand evolved into an entity that mirrored Joe’s values of camaraderie, unfettered curiousity, and relentless drive, cranking out a never-ending stream of industry-changing innovations, wild prototypes, and game-changing sports marketing that inspired generations of riders and fans.

Joe Montgomery passed away on January 2, 2026.

Joe carried the same attention throughout every part of his life. Family stood at the center. Flying taught him how lift and balance work together. Fly fishing trained his eye toward patience, timing, and quiet focus. He raised his children with the same steady care he brought to his work. When his chapter at Cannondale came to rest, that way of thinking moved with him. He turned to healthcare systems and refined how physical therapists recorded care, meeting another human problem with the same calm clarity that defined his days.

The company grew. The rooms changed. The core remained steady. Cannondale continues to value ideas that serve riders directly. Innovation not for its own sake, but to move cycling forward and make it better, faster, and more fun for everyone. That lineage traces back to a loft, a problem observed, and a man in a quiet room, imagining better days ahead.

Joe Montgomery brought Cannondale to life. The road continues to carry that influence onward.

Through every line we weld.
Through every bike we release.
Through every rider who rolls onward.

Thank you, Joe.
The road forever carries your name.