Bikes exist for every focus and identity, but not every bike is made the same. A few years ago, the advent of the “fat bike” with larger tires and the ability to handle rougher terrain with smoothness gained a fervent following in the industry.
With Borealis Fat Bikes based out of Colorado Springs, owner Steve Kaczmarek was ahead of the curve and used his previous experience and approach to R&D to set his bikes above the rest with customization, lighter frames, and carbon fiber backbones.
Sailing Boats to Fat Bikes
“With only a few exceptions, the entire Borealis [aspect of] graphic design has always been very simple with very clean lines. And that is a result of my sailing experience.” Kaczmarek says. Before he moved to Colorado (because the air is easier for him to breathe here), Kaczmarek called Milwaukee home. One of his passions was sailing. “It was super competitive, high-end sailing where everything was about lightweight and fast. So, titanium, carbon fiber and super ultralight boats are really my background.”
When he moved to Colorado, Kaczmarek laughs, there was not a lot of water around. But his experience influenced his approach when he got into mountain biking, because his sailing instinct was reflected in the way he would eventually build bikes. “[When] we would step onboard the boat and they’d weigh our stuff … you’re only allowed X number of pounds and sometimes you had to decide between – are you would bring your foul-weather gear or beer?”
Riding a Fat Bike for the First Time
When he got to Colorado, he borrowed a fat bike to ride. “The first time I was on it – and, at that time, the fat bikes were a lot heavier – it was obvious how much benefit there was just from the balance and going over various trails,” he recalls.
On the first trails he tried, just up from his house, he found himself not falling and “honestly not looking down as much” and instead starting to look up and enjoy the view. “It was almost immediate. There’s about an hour or two where you kind of got to get used to this new dynamic of wider tires. But once you kind of get into it … for me, it was transformational.”
Love of Boats Affects the Design
While Kaczmarek misses sailing (he was just asked to do a run between Bermuda and New York), he says being into sailing takes a big commitment of time and he has a family now. When he started Borealis Fat Bikes, that love of boats affected design from the get-go –starting with the look. “I still remember one of the most beautiful boats I have ever seen. It was a boat called Main Street. I think the owners of Sailing magazine had up in Port Washington, Wisconsin.”
The boat was mostly red, but with just a slight accent of white and black right along the waterline. Kaczmarek says that if you look at Borealis’ first fat bike, the Yampa, you will see those design lines: one sleek white stripe or a very sleek red stripe. “To this day, I still think, you don’t see Ferrari doing a lot of graphic variations. I mean, they may change the color from white, black, red, a couple other colors once in a while, but they keep it really clean. And I like that.”
Carbon Fiber Advancement
Another advancement that Kaczmarek and Borealis did ahead of all others was integrating carbon fiber in the construction of the frame, paralleling their installation in commercial airline wing construction. The lightness of the material changed the game.
“If you go back to 2013, when we started the company, we went from zero to 3 million in sales, almost overnight. But that was a result of nobody else in the world having a carbon fiber fat bike.”
The rest of the industry did catch up (which made it very competitive for the company for five years) before other companies started moving away from creating fat bike lines exclusively. But Kaaczmarek kept his focus on the fat bikes to his continued success.
Continued Success in Colorado Springs
That is also because of their location in Colorado Springs (though they ship all over the world). “We think we have a huge advantage because we have everything here along the Front Range. We don’t get a lot of snow, but up in the mountains, we get a ton.”
Every Borealis Fat Bike has a Colorado flag on it, which Kaczmarek says gives it a cache. In addition, he says, the outdoor sector is simply booming in the area with Yeti, Roots and Guerrilla Gravity among others doing hefty business as well.
But for his brand, Kaczmarek says it is all about giving customers what they want but keeping production lean and mean while still offering a variety of options and components.
Customizing the Bike to the Customer
“We’ve always got a list of what dealers and consumers have asked for.” Some customers want rack mounts. Others want lower stand over rations. Some want a bigger frame triangle so they can put their frame bags inside.
With these competing thoughts, it is about finding the best engineering solution and keeping people happy. However, tooling bikes in this way is expensive especially with current supply chain issues that have been complicated by the pandemic. This sometimes can alter the correct bike construction for a significant time.
“One of the things, and this goes back to when I was in machinery and packaging, is from a design standpoint, suppliers are going to always know their abilities and potential options much, much better than I will. Always.” But Kaczmarek is constantly evaluating and constantly testing.
Partnering with Others in the Industry
Borealis Fat Bikes has partnered with different tire and spokes suppliers over the years. “And every time we make a change, we always say, ‘All right, are we 100% confident that this is what the consumers want?’ Because it’s not about what color I like or what grip I like or whatever. At the end of the day, it’s about the consumers and the dealers because they’re our customers. So, if that’s what they want, then I’ll do my best to try and get it to them.”
Huh, seems like Borealis is whitewashing its origins now that it’s no longer jointly owned – wasn’t there an Alaskan who designed the Yampa, Echo and Crestone? Interesting we haven’t seen any innovative new models now that Adam Miller isn’t in the picture
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