New company produces high-end wheels in Portland

Made in Portland.

Portland’s bike industry now includes a high-end carbon wheel builder. Corsa Concepts announced the official launch of their company today and founders Mark Duff and Greg Hudson say they offer a full line of carbon wheels (including a full carbon disc) designed for road, track, time trial, triathlon and cyclocross.

Duff is the man behind Veloforma, a company he started in January 2007 that designs and sells carbon framesets. Hudson met Duff as a racer on the Portland State Cycling team and the two are now partners in this new venture.

As a wheelset with Portland-made Chris King hubs.

To kick-off their new wheels, Corsa Concepts have partnered with local bike company Signal Cycles. Signal is at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (which begins today in Richmond, Virginia) and their Team Cross Bike features a Corsa Concepts wheelset (laced with hubs from their new neighbors in Portland’s Northwest Industrial Area, Chris King Precision Components).

Matt Cardinal of Signal Cycles says, “They’re great do-it-all wheels. On top of that, everyone I have been talking to is excited about a Pacific NW made wheelset.”

Hudson told me this morning that they’re selling wheels customer direct for now, but they hope to set up a dealer network and distribution partnerships down the road.

Learn more at CorsaConcepts.com.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Peter W
14 years ago

Congrats, Greg and Mark!

MattD
14 years ago

Portland Velo is proud to be working with these guys. Congrats to Mark and Greg on their launch!

jbiker
jbiker
14 years ago

Best of luck with this new venture!

However, could this blog report on “made in portland” products that are AFFORDABLE? MSRP of $1700?

Why does made in portland = outrageously Expensive?

Daniel Ronan
14 years ago

@jbiker Economies of scale!

P Finn
14 years ago

nw-made wheelset…not the spokes…yet…Mr. King? How about it?

jbiker…you can thank international trade policy for the current state of domestic industrial infrastructure

patrick
patrick
14 years ago

Contrary to what you might think jbiker, The cost of carbon fiber is not inflated in Portland. Its expensive everywhere.

Zaphod
14 years ago

High end wheelsets are in an entirely new category of expensive. While the Cat 4 racer and and non-racing rider cannot fathom spending such $, it’s just what this elite product costs. There will always be the equivalent of the $100+K sportscar in cycling.

If you’re near the top of the sport, then you’ll likely want to get the fastest kit available.

My road machine sports what I consider light fast mavic rims that cost under $100/wheel. Until my speed puts me in the Cat 1/2 or Pro racing world, I have no business with carbon wheels. Given my life & goals, I’ll never “need” or even want them. But then again, those rims would be rad on my fixie.

Dabby
Dabby
14 years ago

JBIKER,

These products offered are nice, but I suspect, like the frames they sell, certainly not made in Portland, let alone America.

This is not to say anything bad about them, as there is not.

There are however carbon rims made in good ole’ Vancouver, Washington, though I do not think they are in production yet? (and of course the sweet Ellsworth Single Speed is made over here)