Guardian Bikes has closed on a $19 million financing deal with JPMorganChase to launch the first large-scale bike frame manufacturing operation in the U.S.
The new facility, located in Guardian’s manufacturing hub in Seymour, IN, represents a key step in re-shoring a business that was once a cornerstone of American manufacturing but has nearly entirely offshored for decades, principally in Taiwan.
“This collaboration with JPMorgan Chase is helping launch a new era of American high-tech manufacturing and working-class job creation,” said Brian Riley, CEO of Guardian Bikes. “We’re not just building bikes—we’re rebuilding an industry. And we’re doing it with cutting-edge automation, good-paying local jobs and an unwavering commitment to safety, quality and resilience.”
Guardian reports that the company is the “leading direct-to-consumer kids’ bike brand in the U.S.”
“We are proud to play a small part in Guardian’s journey to disrupt the bicycle industry,” said Zoë Dobbs, commercial banker at JPMorganChase Middle Market Banking. “We look forward to the continued transformation of a core childhood pastime.”
Guardian said in a media release that “over 97 percent of all bicycles sold in the U.S. are imports, often subsidized by non-market economies.” The company said the JPMorganChase investment begins to reverse that trend, “re-shoring production and reducing reliance on overseas supply chains and ensuring quality and safety.”
“The new Seymour facility will be powered by robotic welding, advanced laser-cutting technology and vertically integrated logistics. It will produce bicycle frames at scale, using domestic steel and aluminum, creating high-skill jobs and breathing life back into the U.S. industrial base,” the company noted.
But Guardian said this move is not just about frames.
“It’s about catalyzing a full-scale domestic bicycle supply chain, from handlebars to hubs, anchored in the Midwest. With distribution centers in California, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and ones planned in Texas and Florida, the company is poised to transform the way bikes are manufactured and delivered to American families,” Guardian Bikes continued.
Images courtesy Guardian Bikes
