Kent International has signed an agreement to become a licensee of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for bicycle tires and tubes. The products will be available for purchase at Walmart and Dunham’s this spring.

“Bicycle tires were one of Goodyear’s first products when it was founded in 1898. We’re excited about our license agreement with Kent and that bicycle tires will once again be sold under the Goodyear brand,” said Nancy Ray, Goodyear’s director of Licensed Products. “This agreement was born out of consumer demand and serves as a natural extension of our core tire business. We couldn’t ignore the statistics on the growth and popularity of cycling and look forward to working with Kent International.”

“This agreement will revolutionize the bicycle industry and meet the growing demands of cycling. We look forward to offering Goodyear-brand products to the consumer with one of the best known and most-respected names in the tire business,” said Scott Kamler, president of Kent International, which bills itself as the second largest bicycle supplier to the U.S. mass market.

The product line will include all new tread patterns marketed and designed by Kent. The product specifications include the following:

  • All tires are foldable
  • Regular and self-sealing tubes
  • Sizes from 12″ to 29″

Kent International is a major import and distributor of bicycles to the mass and full-line sporting goods channels, but has also begun assembling bikes at new  facility in Clarendon County, South Carolina to supply Walmart with its first U.S.-made bicycles sold in more than 15 years. The $4.3 million investment is expected to bring 175 jobs to the area.