Bicycle wheel brand Boyd Cycling has opened Olive Manufacturing Group (OMG) to focus on the USA on-shoring of its aluminium bicycle rims. Located in Greenville, SC, the alloy rim manufacturing facility will produce all Boyd Cycling’s alloy rims along with the potential to help other companies manufacture domestically as well.
Founded in 2009 by former professional cyclists Boyd Johnson and Nicole Johnson, Boyd Cycling feels that the move to on-shore the production of aluminium bicycle rims will help to make higher quality rims, with increased manufacturing flexibility and decreased lead times.
The company adds that, thanks to improved processes and automations, this change is possible without any increases in costs to the consumer.
As distribution chains were disrupted worldwide by the pandemic, Boyd Cycling worked to on-shore modernized rim production machinery and customized it for cost-efficient output. In-house anodization and oven curing for decals allows all facets of rim production to be under the same roof.
‘With this increased capacity and automation, the Olive Manufacturing Group facility will become the largest aluminium bicycle rim manufacturing facility in the United States.’
“Through Covid, we saw the strain placed on the supply chain and also a bike boom that lasted a couple years,” said Boyd Cycling and Olive Manufacturing Group President Boyd Johnson
“Instead of purchasing an excess of inventory, we focused on creating better techniques and working to develop customized machines to bring our production home. We can now produce high performance alloy bicycle rims here in Greenville without a price hike.
Boyd Cycling co-founder Nicole Johnson said “In addition to our rims, there are also opportunities for other brands to onshore their alloy rim production in our facility while reducing lead times and costs. This will benefit the entire cycling industry by offering quicker turnaround without the supply chain issues of shipping products around the world.”
Coinciding with the opening of Olive Manufacturing Group, Boyd Cycling is releasing two new alloy wheel models.
Bracken is an Enduro rim. With reinforced wall thicknesses and a 30mm internal rim width, the Bracken is designed for aggressive riding on 2.4” and up tyres. A hookless profile allows for thicker walls where impacts occur, adding to the durability.
Altamont has been a staple of the Boyd Cycling line-up since 2014. It features a front and rear specific shape to accommodate the different forces placed on wheels. The front rim is 27mm deep with a symmetric rim shape. The rear is slightly deeper at 31mm with a 2.8mm rim offset to help even the spoke tension balance.
In addition to the two new US-produced models (and more to come), Boyd Cycling has on-shored the production of the Prologue Alloy Series, a series of budget friendly wheelsets. Retailing at US$425 for the set, these wheels now feature made in Greenville, SC alloy rims.
The company added that, thanks to improved logistics and automations, there is no increase in costs, even for the budget friendly models.
