'Beautiful' bikes are causing a Co-Motion
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Dwan Shepard and Dan Vrijmoet have built Co-Motion Cycles, their Eugene-based bicycle business, with the determination of long-distance road racers. Over the past 13 years, they turned a $3,000 investment into a $2 million-a-year company that designs and manufactures single and tandem bikes.
Co-Motion is best known for its tandems, which, at $3,450 to $5,000, are among the best and most expensive on the market. Tandem dealers, and even competing manufacturers, describe Co-Motion's bikes as "fine" and "beautiful."
"If you're an avid rider and appreciate nice bicycles, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to look at Co-Motion because it's one of the best brands you can buy," said Patrick Gibbons, co-owner of Denver-based Tandem Cycle Works of Colorado.
After years of making do in cramped quarters, the 14-employee Co-Motion recently moved to a new 12,800-square-foot facility in west Eugene. The $800,000 building illustrates how far the company has come and how much further Shepard and Vrijmoet believe it can go.
"Sales are going well," Vrijmoet said. "Some of that is from taking market share, but I think overall the tandem market is still growing."
Co-Motion's business has increased 15 to 30 percent in each year of operation, and Vrijmoet said he expects that rate to continue. Cycling writer Patrick Brady is even more bullish about the future of tandem cycling.
"There will always be growth in the tandem market as long as the United States (the world's largest tandem market) grows in population," Brady said.
About 10 companies make tandems and distribute them nationally. But the market is dominated by just a few firms: Co-Motion; Santana Cycles of La Verne, Calif.; and Eugene-based Burley Design Cooperative.
Burley and Santana both claim to be the nation's largest manufacturer of tandems. Co-Motion said it is ranked third.
Tandems appeal to people, typically 35 to 55, who are looking for a sport they can share.
"A lot of baby boomers are trying to spend more time with their significant other," Gibbons said.
Some of Co-Motion's higher-priced models are custom-made to accommodate partners of drastically different heights. Customers can select their colors and graphic designs. The tandems feature sporty handling, top-notch components and high-quality welding.
Some tandem makers worry that the national economic slowdown and jittery stock market will take a toll on sales.
But Co-Motion, being at the high end of the tandem market, is somewhat insulated from those forces, Vrijmoet said.
"When you're a serious cyclist you may put off a purchase, but you won't go for something cheaper," he said.