Industry Ticker: ‘Lucky Cat’ bottle cage, Framebuilder Supply acquisition, and a new jacket from Showers Pass

In Portland’s local bike industry, change is a constant. Companies come and go, they grow and scale back, they release new products and refine existing ones.

In our latest Industry Ticker we’ve got a bit of news on three companies: One has released something new, one has made its first acquisition, and the other has added a women’s version of a popular item.

PDW is known for its creative twists on essential accessories. Their new Lucky Cat Cage takes the boring bottle cage, gives it a distinctive visual and a adds in a bit of extra function. Believe it or not it’s their third animal-inspired bottle cage and follows their popular Bird Cage and Owl Cage.

The Lucky Cat Cage is made from a single sheet of alloy that’s bent and cut into the shape of the traditional Japanese Mananeki-neko (“beckoning cat”) figure. In addition to holding your water bottle, it will also bring you good luck. There’s also the added bonus that it’s “side-loading design” means it’s great for accessing cages in hard-to-reach locations like small frames or on fully-loaded touring/bikepacking bikes.

Here are the details:

MSRP: $25.00
Constructed of 5052 alloy
Includes two stainless bolts for installation
Weight: 91 g (3.2 oz)
Lifetime PDWarranty

It seems odd to launch a rain jacket in the heat of summer, but Showers Pass says their new Women’s Refuge jacket will win you over with its versatility and keep you prepared for a brisk morning or an unexpected thunderstorm. It comes in two bright colors and is claimed to have that magic trifecta of being breathable, lightweight, and waterproof.

This is a high-end jacket that comes with all the features you’d expect for something that costs $275: fully seam-sealed, 3-layer Elite fabric; a hood that can adjust to fit over your helmet or be removed completely; vents to stay cool; a drop-town tail to protect your rear from road-spray; reinforced shoulders to handle backpack wear-and-tear; reflective trim all over the place; and a “flattering women’s fit.”

The new jacket is available in sizes small through XXL. Learn more at their website.

Framebuilder Supply, founded in 2015, does just what their name says: They make and sell the stuff that builders need to make beautiful and useful frames and forks. Now they’ve significantly expanded their offerings with the purchase of BikeLugs.com, the business previously owned by well-known industry innovator Kirk Pacenti. The deal gives Framebuilder Supply production rights and tooling for all the building products designed by Pacenti, including the fork crown and lugs he’s most known for.

Here’s more from company founders Tony Tapay and Mike Cobb as well Pacenti himself:

“This is really exciting for us. Acquiring Bikelugs.com, as well as Kirk’s production molds, really helps move us forward. The crowns are especially highly regarded and without a doubt, the most sought after crowns we’ve ever carried.”

“I reached out to Kirk a few years ago to inquire about his interest in exiting the framebuilding market and his intent to refocus his business on the more standard consumer products: rims, tires, that sort of thing,” said Framebuilder Supply co-founder Tony Tapay. “Since then we remained in contact and the deal we just completed started to take form. In the course of that conversation, we started carrying some of the products from Bikelugs.com and they’ve been very successful. We’re just really honored to be trusted by Kirk to take over the framebuilding portion of his business. He has quite the legacy in the cycling world, and everywhere we turn, people have nothing but good things to say about his products.”

“It has been a pleasure watching Mike and Tony grow Framebuilder Supply. After 16 years in the framebuilding supply business, I wanted to focus my energies on other facets of the bicycle industry, but I didn’t want the Bikelugs.com line of components to simply go away. Among the few reliable suppliers out there, Framebuilder Supply is best positioned to take these components to the next level. I hope by adding these items to their expanding catalog, Framebuilder Supply will continue to grow and be of service to the custom framebuilding community for many years to come,” Pacenti said.

Got news from a local bike company? Send it in and we’ll consider it for the next Industry Ticker. For more news and offerings, check the archives.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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