Updated 6/16/26 to add information about a class-action lawsuit filed on June 12, 2026 against Trek.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Specialized in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California yesterday, alleging that the bike company owes customers refunds of tariff-related surcharges. The suit seeks total damages in excess of $5 million.
A similar lawsuit, filed June 12, 2026, alleges refunds are owed to Trek bike buyers as well.
Specialized and Trek implemented tariff-related surcharges in 2025
In 2025, Specialized announced a surcharge on bicycle sales related to increased tariffs implemented by the US government. According to the lawsuit, the surcharge ranged from $25 up to $1,400, depending on the product.
In February of 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled that tariffs imposed by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were illegal. As a result, the Court of International Trade said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection must return any tariffs that were collected.
Specialized and many other bike brands, including Trek, Ibis, Marin, and Shimano, sued the US government to recover tariff fees they had paid.
“Despite seeking and now being entitled to a refund of the duties collected as a result of the subject tariffs, Specialized has not refunded the tariff surcharges it collected from consumers,” the Specialized suit says. “Upon the determination that the subject tariffs were unlawful, giving rise to Specialized’s right to receive the duties it paid under the unlawful tariff scheme, Specialized was likewise obligated to return the corresponding tariff surcharge it collected from Plaintiffs and Class members. Specialized’s retention of those surcharges unjustly profits Specialized at the expense of consumers.”
The plaintiffs allege tens or hundreds of thousands of Specialized customers were affected. Boilerplate language in the Trek suit estimate that more than 100 customers are affected.
Plaintiffs in the Trek lawsuit are listed as Milton Wade and Noah Wright, “individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated.” The suit says, in part, “If Plaintiffs and the Class had known that Trek would unfairly retain the tariff surcharge Trek imposed on consumers despite asserting the subject tariffs were illegal, they would not have purchased or would have paid less for Trek’s products.”
Many companies are due massive refunds, but most have not announced plans to refund customers
USA Today reports that many of the largest US companies are seeking tariff-related refunds, including Ford Motor Company ($1.3 billion) and UPS ($500 million). The article notes that among major corporations, only UPS has committed to returning funds to customers.
The Specialized lawsuit names as plaintiffs “all individuals in the United States who purchased a Specialized product through Specialized or at an Authorized Specialized Dealer,” and applies to customers who purchased bikes beginning February 1, 2025, through the present date. Plaintiffs are seeking a refund of any tariff-related fees plus interest for affected class-action members, or $500, whichever is greater.
Specialized and Trek have not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
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