PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — Custom wheel building company Sugar Wheel Works is joining forces with custom bike builders Breadwinner Cycles. The companies are based blocks from each other in Portland.
"Our partnership over the last 10 years made this a natural progression," said Sugar Wheel Works founder Jude Gerace. "We have common core values with an emphasis on quality and customer service. We started our businesses around the same time and have been helping each other grow ever since."
Nearly every Breadwinner Cycles bike is spec'd with Sugar Wheel Works wheels.
In 2013, Breadwinner Cycles owners Tony Pereira and Ira Ryan merged their successful independent bike building companies, Pereira Cycles and Ira Ryan Cycles, to form Breadwinner Cycles.
"We are thrilled to be joining forces with our longtime partners Sugar Wheel Works," Pereira said. "Sugar has been building wheels that match the quality of our bicycles since day one. Bringing them in-house will help us improve on the custom experience our riders expect."
"I cannot think about the bicycle industry in Portland without thinking about Sugar and Jude," Ryan said. "We have a tight knit community that is like a family — we have grown our businesses side by side over the years. It feels natural to know that we trust each other with our 'babies' that we have spent years growing and fostering. I am proud to call Sugar and Jude family."
Jude Gerace founded Sugar Wheel Works in 2009 when she realized there was a lack of companies that focused on quality, sustainable bicycle wheels. After 10 years establishing the company, she now plans to depart for her next adventure: She is developing an advisory business that will incubate and foster the growth of other small businesses.
Sugar Wheel Works will retain its name; operations will now be housed at the Breadwinner Cycles headquarters. Current wheel builders will remain on staff. Through a partnership with United Cerebral Palsy job placement and coaching program, Sugar Wheel Works created a specialized position to meet the skill set of Dan Waugh, a young man who was eager to find a job after high school and who will remain on staff. The company said business operations will not be disrupted during this transition.
