Breadwinner Cycles Makes Debut at the North American Handmade Bike Show

Breadwinner Cycles, Portland’s first flagship bicycle company and a collaboration between Portland bike builders Ira Ryan Cycles and Pereira Cycles, made its debut today at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Denver, CO.

The name “Breadwinner” holds several meanings for Ryan and Pereira. “Bread” represents their transportation/ utility bike and “Winner” represents their racing and cyclocross line.

The collaboration started as a joint project two years ago on Rapha’s Continental bike, and has blossomed into a custom production run of handmade bicycles available in six different models and color options.

My favorite of the line, the Arbor Lodge, is named after the neighborhood in Portland where both Pereira and Ryan live. The Arbor Lodge is their utilitarian model and is based on Pereira’s Oregon Manifest Challenge winning design from 2011. The bike features a built-in Kryptonite lock and several customizable options including a front Schmidt Sondelux dynamo hub and a Portland-designed and built Blaq bag that is size adjustable depending on how many groceries you are carrying home. The base price for the frame, fork, and rack is approximately $2,500, and standard delivery time is 8 weeks from ordering.

True to form of the handmade bicycle industry, Pereira and Ryan are also all about having fun. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” said Ryan, while Pereira called themselves “the Portland Super Group that is out of the club and into the arena.”

The 5-year goal is to make 1,000 bikes a year and to follow in the footsteps of handmade bike businesses such as Independent Fabrications and Seven Cycles, while still maintaining a limited offering of Ira Ryan Cycles and Pereira Cycles. Because, as Periera stated, “every family needs a Breadwinner.”

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show runs this Friday, February 22 through Sunday, February 24 at the Denver Convention Center in Colorado.