Quiring Cycles in Free Soil, south of Manistee, got its start in 2002. The company offers custom titanium, stainless, steel, aluminum alloy, and tandem frames.
During Scott Quiring’s decade as a mountain bike racer, he spent time as an equipment sponsor for the Bell’s Brewery mountain bike team. After making a few frames bikers loved, Quiring realized there might be a market for fabricating bicycle frames.
A year after earning a bachelor’s degree in business from Grand Valley State University in 1999, he enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College and took a class in TIG welding and machinery.
Three years later, Quiring and his girlfriend, Christina Peek, opened Quiring Cycles in Free Soil (south of Manistee). The 4,000-square-foot facility has a front showroom, a space for welding, and an area for custom detail-painting. titanium, steel, and aluminum alloy frames are displayed for the public.
While Quiring works with the products, Peek handles the business side.
“We want to take the customers’ biking experience to the next level,” Quiring says. “We personalize everything and (customers) have the option to choose all the components. People like to see the process, so I’ll produce a drawing and a draft to make sure that’s exactly what they want.”
Quiring Cycles’ tailor-made frames and customer service have inspired a devoted clientele across the Midwest, which accounts for 80 percent of sales. The remaining orders come from around the country. Overall, 50 percent of sales are Fat Bike models; the rest are made up of gravel and road bike frames.
In 2015, Quiring manufactured the Factory FS titanium mountain bike with front and rear suspension. Cyclists going on long rides and 100-mile races appreciate the product, which costs between $10,000 and $12,000. The company sells approximately 10 each year. Overall, Quiring Cycles produces 30 to 50 bikes annually, with prices ranging from $6,000 to $12,000.
A Dexter resident, Jason Aric Jones, 56, has bought five bikes from Quiring Cycles. For 30 years, Jones has been working with the DTE Energy Foundation building trails around Michigan.
“I got my first bike in 2004,” he says. “Scott is one of the best titanium frame-builders in the country. He’s very detail-oriented, and will work with the customer to design and tweak a frame so it fits like a custom suit.
“I went to his shop and he measured me. He plugs the measurements into the software and sends you the graphics to discuss. You feel it when you ride; it’s super comfortable. Off the road or on gravel, the titanium is forgiving and absorbs the impact incredibly well.”
