You’ve just bought or finished building your new bike and it is just about perfect. The weight is where you want it and the positioning is spot on, but there just is something that doesn’t make it feel like your bike yet. A splash of color or some custom engraving can often be that ‘cherry on the top’ to finish off your ride and really make it feel like yours. Purely Custom, of Twin Falls, Idaho, is in the business of manufacturing and customizing anodized aluminum parts for the bicycle industry and they are doing it in America for a very reasonable price. Video after the jump
Category: Made in America
Interbike 2012: PocketFuel Natural ‘Concoctions’
The words ‘whole food’ are not just reserved for the name of a grocery chain, but is a term referring to food that is eaten in its purest, unprocessed form. Without ingredients like partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or many of the chemicals that we can barely pronounce, the body can digest whole foods much easier than those containing processed ingredients. As a bonus, whole foods often taste much better than their processed counterparts and are much easier to stomach during a physical activity lasting several hours.
There are many solid, whole food type of energy bars on the market that can be carried easily in a pack or cycling jersey pocket. There are even unprocessed drink options. But when it comes to gels, there are not many choices for those wanting a compact, easy to carry, quick energy boast. While strolling the floor at Interbike this year, I was able to sample a number of different flavors of the whole food type of energy ‘gel’, PocketFuel, a 100% all natural energy product. Video after the jump
Interbike Made in America: Ultralite Pedals Almost Like Pedaless
We’ve heard of clipless pedals, but the Ultralite pedal system from Ultralite Sports of Colorado almost seems like they forgot the pedals. At first glance this sort of looks like the deck of a flat pedal just broke off. But actually nothing has broken off. Instead the company has created what truly promises to be the lightest clipless pedals ever made. With pedals and cleats these weigh just 112 grams. As the photo above shows it is basically just a single barrel with absolutely no “platform.” Continue reading Interbike Made in America: Ultralite Pedals Almost Like Pedaless
Made in America: Mission Ready Field Pack
New for this fall is the R2 Arkiv Field Pack from Mission Workshop, which features the “Arkiv Modular System” that offers easy, on-the-fly customization of compartments. It features two Arkiv rails that allow for a multitude of carry options.
Backed by a lifetime warranty this bag is waterproof and is made in the USA. It features a minimalist design but can hold everything you might need on a globe trekking journey or just in a daily commute. Life often needs to be compartmentalized and now your bag can be too.
Made in America: Argonaut Cycles
American bicycle company Argonaut Cycles has made a bold promise in its attempt to “re-define custom,” but that is what the Portland, Oregon based company is looking to do with its new carbon fiber road frame business.
Company owner Ben Farver apparently has taken what he’s known about making steel tube-to-tube frames and is using that knowledge with carbon fiber. The frames are made using bladder molded frame sections produced in the United States and which are then assembled by Ben in his shop. The result is that both stock and custom bike are available, and while these aren’t cheap the quality is there. Video after the jump
Made in America: KineticShift.com Jersey!
We’ve been posting about Made in America items for nearly two years and in that time we’ve seen a lot of great items from across the country. This week concludes Made in America as a weekly Friday update, but we wi’ll still continue to report on American made products. In fact, we see so many products that deserve calling out that it just makes sense to do so outside of a weekly update.
We conclude the Friday cycle fittingly with KineticShift.com cycling jerseys that were made by Mt. Borah in Wisconsin. The customized apparel maker is notable in that they can do small runs of just six shirts, easy one-offs after that, and they offer fully customizable attire as well as semi-customized clothing. In fact, while our jerseys look like we designed them from scratch these were actually quite simple thanks to the semi-custom forms that Mt. Borah provides. Continue reading Made in America: KineticShift.com Jersey!
Made in America: Ironcompany.com
When it comes to weight lifting, strength equipment, barbells, flooring and more there is no reason to cut corners. That is why Ironcompany.com looks to American made products, not only because it good for the nation’s manufacturing sector but also assures users that they are purchasing quality as well.
The online supplier offers a USA Made exercise equipment page so users can browse products and compare what is good for the nation and good for their fitness regime. Products available through Ironcompany.com include Body Solid, Iron Grip, GP Industries, Hampton USA, Ivanko and T-Grip Barbell; as well as numerous flooring companies and even cardio. Continue reading Made in America: Ironcompany.com
Made on America: Survival Straps
We first heard about Survival Straps about a year ago, and at this month’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show the company announced that has strapped on deals with 36 universities, the PGA Tour, all five branches of the military, and The Wounded Warrior Project. Most recently, the company became one of the few small businesses selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to license official Team USA gear. Survival Straps also provided all Team USA athletes with a Survival Straps bracelet and gear tag to wear and use at the London games. Continue reading Made on America: Survival Straps
Made in America: SK8 Factory
Southern California based SK8 Factory makes it clear they are no Chinese toy factory. Since 2001 they’ve been producing quality skateboards along with low quantity and low prices. The company keeps its quality control and management in the same facility.
All products are made from 100 percent Canadian hard rock maple, but still produced entirely in the United States. The company offers in-house skateboard deck printing for multiple color, tip to tail graphics. And for those looking for larger orders there is wholesale prices as an option with no setup fee and no minimum. Video after the jump
Made in America: RAMP Looks to Ramp Up USA Operations
RAMP Sports is a boutique ski manufacturer that is based in Park City, Utah and it is looking to change the way the skis are made. The company recently opened its 10,000square foot facility and bringing their ski production back to the United States from Taiwan. To do so they have looked to utilize new technology that includes the vacuum form molding process that is commonly used in the aeronautics industry to develop composite helicopter rotor blades.
This will reportedly replace the need for expensive traditional presses that are currently the industry standard. This is a big shift in the industry, which hasn’t really seen much in the way of forward thinking innovation in nearly 40 years. More importantly it will allow the company to bring its operations close to where the skis can easily be used. Continue reading Made in America: RAMP Looks to Ramp Up USA Operations
Made in America: S&M Bikes
Founded in 1987 S&M Bikes has been in the business for 25 years and in that time the company has proudly produced a line of BMX bikes that are made in the USA. Founded by Greg Scott and Chris Moeller when the pair were still teenagers they opted for the name S&M over M&S or SAM – thinking S&M sounded better.
With its now somewhat tongue in cheek moniker the two entered the market with a frame they called the K-9 Design. The unique part of this is that Chris and Scott were making frames in California just as many BMX companies were moving to overseas production. While Scott left the company in 1991, Chris Moeller has managed to create a very successful bike company – one that remains independent and proud of it. Video after the jump
Made in America: Swiftwick Socks it to You
Swiftwick came about to make not only socks, but in the process made waves in the industry. All of the Tennessee-based company’s products are made in the USA – not some, not most, but all. The socks from Swiftwick also take advantage of compression technology to improve blood flow and circulation, which can help athletes extend their endurance and reach peak performance. Built on state of the art machines in America the socks are built to last.
These are constructed predominantly at the 200 needle standard, the highest density that is found in socks, and with specialized, linked-toe construction; and are designed to create a second-skin feel that prevents shifting or bunching, and keeps feet dry and comfortable. Video after the jump
Made in America: Alchemy Goods
There is an old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Seattle-based Alchemy Goods essentially operates on that principal, and it creates new products from what many of us would likely just toss in the garbage.
This includes inner tubes, and to date the company has reclaimed more than 182,000 tubes from across the country and used these to make durable products including messenger bags and belts. Alchemy Goods has also partnered with REI bike shops and Trek retailers to obtain the tubes – ensuring that bike shops that do accept tubes actually have somewhere to send them.
On each product that Alchemy Goods produces it stitches a tiny number in the upper right hand corner, and while small it has a big significance – as it represents the percent by weight of upcycled material that goes into each product. The company strives to make this numbers as high as possible by incorporating as much upcycled material as they can. Continue reading Made in America: Alchemy Goods