With winter being only a few months away, some cyclists will choose to hang up their ride instead of braving the elements. Riding in snow, ice and darkness offers many challenges that some would rather skip in favor of the gym or the couch. A new brand is being created specifically with products geared towards cold weather riding. Based in one of the coldest areas in the United States, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) of Bloomington, Minnesota has announced the launch of 45North.
This new brand will include all sorts of cold weather gear, but the initial offering will be winter specific tires. A new studded tire, available in both a 26-inch and a 700c; along with the Husker Dü, a proprietary fat tire for all-terrain bikes, will hit the market first. Prototypes will be available for viewing at Interbike which we hope to have some photos posted during our trip to the show. The studded tires will be in stock at QBP and available to bike retailers in October, with the Husker Dü following in November.
According to David Gabrys, brand manager: “Our team lives, works and rides in the winter-biking capital of North America, with five months of winter conditions. We have more people riding more miles in more cold than anyone else. We know what it takes to stay warm and dry and comfortable in the cold, and that expertise will be reflected in our products.”
After these new tires hit the market, 45North will follow-up in additional product categories – one of those being clothing. A winter cycling boot designed in partnership with leading insulation manufacturers is on the slate for the 2013 riding season.
Target markets for 45North include the Northeast, upper Midwest, Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest and Alaska. “Generally, any region that gets a snow-freeze-thaw pattern in the winter will find a ready audience for our products,” Gabrys said.
QBP is a major distributor for the cycling and outdoor industry which means that as consumers, we can not order directly from them. Don’t think that 45North will be difficult to find, just like some of their other brands (Surly, Wunwood, Salsa to name a few), 45North will be available at almost every bike shop in the country. Just walk into any bike shop and ask them to see the QBP catalog.