The History of GHOST

More than 27 years of passion and fun!

Since 1993

Like the famous companies of Silicon Valley, everything started for the German brand Ghost in a modest garage, between two friends. Uwe Kalliwoda and Klaus Möhwald, two young cycling enthusiasts, had one objective: to build high-performance, innovative and above all enjoyable machines to ride. Uwe and Klaus would first begin by selling and maintaining bikes at their university before officially founding the company in 1993.

That same year, the two entrepreneurs released their very first creation: the Lector mountain bike. With a name directly inspired by the iconic Hollywood character, high-end components and a weight of just 9.9 kg, this model made a stunning entrance onto the market and established itself as a true reference in Cross-Country racing.

Today the company's headquarters are still located in Europe, where the adventure began, and more precisely in Waldsassen, a town in Bavaria surrounded by lakes and forests that is particularly well suited to mountain biking.

Attached to the Accell group, which includes brands such as Lapierre and Raleigh, Ghost now employs more than 330 people around the world and offers numerous ranges spanning from Cross-Country to DH, through Enduro, Road, trekking and electric, urban and children's bikes. The brand also designs bikes for women with a geometry specially adapted to their body shape.

In 2008, Cross-Country rider Sabine Spitz became Olympic Champion in Beijing (before winning silver 4 years later) and propelled the brand to the forefront. Primarily manufactured in Europe, Ghost products are now world-renowned for their quality, elegance and performance.

Teams at the highest level

To oversee the continuous development of the brand's bikes, Ghost's engineers and designers are supported by several ambitious cycling teams in pursuit of mechanical perfection.

Factory Racing Team

In 2011 the Bavarian company founded its own international Cross-Country team with the objective of establishing close cooperation between athletes and manufacturers. Currently made up of five members (Barbara Benko, Anne Terpstra, Sina Frei, Lisa Pasteiner, and Caroline Bohé), the team has won numerous titles in national and international championships as well as in the European Cup and World Cup.

Gravity

The Gravity Team brings together three Four-Cross world champions (Tomas Slavik, Felix Beckeman and Michal Prokop) as well as two-time German champion Franziska Meyer. All avid mountain bikers, they also distinguish themselves on other circuits, as illustrated by Tomas's victorious run at the Red Bull Monserrate Cerro Abajo 2020.

Racing Riot Enduro Team

Ghost also draws on the experience of various athletes, travellers and coaches — including Eric Frenzel, René Schmidt and Kurt Exenberger — to perfect its various bike ranges, both muscle-powered and electric.