PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — Independent framebuilder Simple Bicycle Co. has acquired an investor and will expand its production capacity.
Portland-based entrepreneur Chris Blandford announced a partnership with Simple Bicycle Co. owner Oscar Camarena, who will oversee fabrication. Camarena also will lead a newly hired team of framebuilders in a new commercial space.
Blandford will manage business operations, with the company focusing on small-batch contract-production of titanium, steel, and aluminum frames for independent brands.
"I'd been doing this type of contract work for a long time, but I'd outgrown my backyard workshop," Camarena said. "With daily requests for small production runs coming in, the timing was right to grow. What we're building is something unique, especially for a U.S.-based builder."
Simple Bicycle Co. will be fully functional in its new space by May. The company has scheduled runs of 25-50 frames for production this summer, with plans to produce 500-plus frames during its first year.
"We're not trying to compete with overseas manufacturers who follow a similar model, but we recognize a demand for a U.S.-based small-batch frame shop," Blandford said. "We hope to be a dependable and flexible partner for a quickly growing list of aspiring, high-quality brands."
Camarena said the goal is 1,000 frames a year.
"Beyond that, we'll see what happens," he said.
