Syncros is a bran of bicycle components, with an emphasis on off-road bicycle parts. Founded by Peter Hamilton and Pippin Osborne in 1987 and originally based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Syncros had its heyday in the early 1990s as one of the most respected names in high end off-road bicycle parts, when its trademark black stems and seatposts were de rigueur on high end mountain bikes. In the late 1990s, the company had financial difficulties and was sold to the large U.S. based bicycle company GT. Shortly thereafter, GT itself was purchased by Schwinn, which in turn was purchased by Pacific Bicycle Group, a large Taiwanese conglomerate known mainly for low end, mass market bicycles and parts. Pacific was quick to try to capitalize on the Syncros brand name, and used the Syncros label on many cheaply produced OEM parts, severely damaging the brand's reputation. Due to a lapse in trademark registration in the early 2000s, the Syncros brand name was briefly grabbed in the UK by Super Cycles of Nottingham. However, a settlement was reached between Super Cycles and Pacific, resulting in Pacific regaining control of the brand name.