Cyclocross Magazine, along with a handful of other publications, had the opportunity to take a tour of Paul Component Engineering's factory, ride Chico's trails and tour the Sierra Nevada brewery in May last year. We're back at the 2017 event (with the only returning journalist), but in case you missed it, we're resurfacing the tale of our journey from last year. Come along for a photo-heavy factory and brewery tour, a look at the Paul Component Engineering's history and a slideshow filled with eye candy. And stay tuned to our Instagram feed for the latest from 2017.
The Color Purple
After surviving the dark days of American bicycle component manufacturing, Price and Paul Component Engineering have emerged stronger and more focused. With the popularity of gravel, cyclocross, adventure cycling and domestic handmade products on the rise, the company’s future looks bright.
He has a lot to smile about these days, as sales are good and new products are in the pipeline. Paul Price of Paul Component Engineering © Cyclocross Magazine
Price and his company are flourishing after returning to their roots. So it’s only appropriate that the iconic anodized purple also makes a return. For our test bikes, Price prepared a limited batch of purple Boxcar stems, Tall and Handsome seatposts and Klamper disc brakes for journalist bikes and some lucky retail customers. Based on the response to our social media photos, the color is in demand. The components certainly were plenty eye catching on our mint green Surly Stragglers and brought nostalgic feelings among those of us who were mountain biking in the ‘90s, without the typical vintage component compromises. His modern components are built to be timeless not only in performance and durability.
Paul Component Engineering’s Klamper mechanical disc brake is easy to disassemble, maintain and adjust. Note the large roller bearing for the cable pull arm. © Cyclocross Magazine
Price walked me through his Boxcar stem testing process, which included an in-house testing machine that ran his stem through a million cycles of a simulated hard, mountain bike track without an issue. Then he cranked up the machine to see what would happen. When it finally failed Price was comforted that even after the superhero forces that eventually forced failure, the handlebar remained in place.
“I always err on being stronger and heavier,” Price told me over dinner. “I don’t have any interest in being the lightest. You could be the lightest for a year, but after that…”
After some lean years and seeing most competitors disappear, Price has no interest in doing something for just a year. Price, Paul Component Engineering and the color purple are here to stay.
More info: paulcomp.com
Keep reading for more photos of handmade bikes, Paul components, and our VIP tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery.
