Boyd Cycling to open new Greenville manufacturing facility

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Greenville-based Boyd Cycling, a well-known bicycle wheel brand, has started Olive Manufacturing Group (OMG!) to focus on the on-shoring of aluminum bicycle rims.

Located in Greenville, 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, according to a Boyd Cycling news release.

Founded in 2009 by former professional cyclists Boyd Johnson and Nicole Johnson, Boyd Cycling is well known for its attention to detail and innovation, the release stated. The move to on-shore the production of aluminum bicycle rims will help to make higher quality rims, with increased manufacturing flexibility and decreased lead times. Thanks to improved processes and automations, this change is possible without any increases in costs to the consumer, the release stated.

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“Through Covid, we saw the strain placed on the supply chain and also a bike boom that lasted a couple years,” said Boyd Johnson, president of Boyd Cycling and Olive Manufacturing Group, in the release. “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.”

Financial details of the project were not disclosed.

As distribution chains were disrupted worldwide, Boyd Cycling worked to on-shore the first modernized rim production machinery and customized it for cost-efficient output, the release stated. In-house anodization and oven curing for decals allows all facets of rim production to be under the same roof, further expanding production.

With this increased capacity and automation, the Olive Manufacturing Group facility will become the largest aluminum bicycle rim manufacturing facility in the United States, according to the release.

“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,” said Nicole Johnson, co-founder of Boyd Cycling and Olive Manufacturing Group. “This will benefit the entire cycling industry by offering quicker turnaround without the supply chain issues of shipping products around the world.”

Boyd to release two new alloy wheel models

Coinciding with the opening of Olive Manufacturing Group, Boyd Cycling is releasing two new alloy wheel models, the release stated. Bracken is an Enduro rated rim designed to hold up to the roughest of trails. With reinforced wall thicknesses and a 30-millimter internal rim width, the Bracken is designed for aggressive riding on 2.4-inch and up tires. A hookless profile allows for thicker walls where impacts occur, adding to the durability.

The 19-millimeter low profile wheel helps to keep the rim weight down to just 485 grams while a 3-millimeter offset balances the spoke tensions between right and left sides of the wheel, according to the release. Built on the Tripel MTB hubs featuring 3.5 degree engagement, the Bracken weighs 1850 grams for the set. Featuring a 32f/32r spoke count on Pillar Wing 21 spokes, there is no rider weight limit for the build.

Altamont has been a staple of the Boyd Cycling lineup since 2014, according to the release. Due to the flexibility of in-house manufacturing, Boyd can stay dedicated to the rim brake crowd (where there is still quite a high demand), the release stated.

The Altamont 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.

The front rim weighs 455 grams and is available in 20, 24, and 28 spoke counts where the rear rim weighs 480 grams and is available in 24, 28, and 32 spoke counts. Built on the 85 hubs with Pillar Wing 20 spokes in a 24/28 spoke configuration, the Altamont set weighs in at 1,620 grams.