Another cycling company has decided to pull up its Portland roots.
Parts and accessories distributor Cyclone Bicycle Supply will close its warehouse in Clackamas and offices in southwest Portland before the end of this year. The company is planning a warehouse liquidation sale December 13th and 14th.
Cyclone launched in Portland in 2003 as a small distributor serving bike dealers in the Pacific Northwest. By 2015 the company had grown to 3,000 dealers nationwide thanks to the rise of online sales and their purchase of an east coast distributor. Around that same time Cyclone doubled its Clackamas warehouse space from 50,000 to 100,000 square feet.
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In recent years, changes in the bike industry have impacted Cyclone’s dealer network. In an email to BikePortland this week, Cyclone CEO Erik Deeter wrote that the Portland closures will allow him to consolidate the company’s presence in the New York City region. “As most children leave home,” Deeter shared, “Cyclone has left and morphed from a regional parts distributor serving northwest bicycle stores, into a company who more fully partakes into the bicycle industry representing some of the finest Italian cycling brands and bring them to market across the Americas.”
Cyclone now distributes major Italian brands like Cinelli, Willier Triestina, Selle San Marco, and Suomy. Deeter says New York City’s proximity to his Italian partners and large market of road bike lovers convinced him to make the move.
“Portland and cycling were very good to me starting in 2003. Not only was it a great business environment but a wonderful place to call home,” he shared. “It definitely had an impact on how I operated my business. Many of the wonderful Portland institutions of cycling had a huge influence on who I am today.”
This news follows Velotech’s announcement in September that they plan to close their Western Bikeworks retail store to focus on their e-commerce business.
Cyclone’s big warehouse sale will happen Friday and Saturday December 13-14. RSVP here if you’d like to attend.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Didn’t realize these guys were still a thing
Neither did I. Then again Portland really isn’t much of a “cycling” town anymore so it makes sense.
I don’t know about that. The article reads that they’re mainly an importer and distributor of goods coming in from Europe. Most of that business happens around New York and the east coast in general so they’re moving closer to that hub.
Its exactly like Under Armor moving to Portland to be closer to the hub of other performance clothing where they can more easily recruit people with experience in the industry. I would say this decision has extremely little to do with Portland, Oregon, or the cycling community here.
Bye.