When we set out on this project, we didn’t even have a name for it, “Homebrew” came much later. When we set out, it didn’t need name, because we were convinced that this was right move, and nearly a year further our efforts only continue to be confirmed. All of this spun out of a love for bikes, and a pile of steel tubing.
Homebrew was spun out of so many feelings, frustrations, a post-ride beers, and maybe just a little bit of looking into a crystal ball. Throughout the two years of the COVID pandemic we all saw demand skyrocket, and supply plummet, and although the smaller brands who produce locally were slowed down, they kept on trucking. Much like tons of other companies, Sour relied on Asia for its products, but the global supply chain was so overloaded, every step of the way became a major victory in the challenge of getting frames to your doorsteps. For us, the writing was on the wall, and that dream of bringing frame production to Germany? Yeah, that dream was looking mighty realistic, and the time was ripe to jump on the move.
We’re not there yet, but almost.
We’re not there yet, but so soon frame production will be done in its entirety right here in Saxony, backdropped with the Ore mountains. Although, “entirety” may be a bit of a misnomer, as all the bits and bobs that has made Taiwanese production world renowned, will continue to come from TW. Some of the fun bits for the mountain bikes will be made locally, but the “how” and “by whom” will remain under wraps for now.
We’re not there yet, but so soon even the gravel and allroad bikes will be made in Germany. We’re starting with MTB frames like the Crumble and Pasta Party, our two most popular MTB frames, to get them to you as fast as possible, and as local as possible.
Why Bother?
No one has asked us this yet, at least not that we are aware of, but let’s dive in nonetheless. Why bother with moving production locally, surely that will cost an arm a leg? Yes, definitely, but the benefits of having local production for faster turnaround times, independent of the global supply (okay, not entirely, but mostly) vastly outweighs the upfront costs for Sour. Additionally, by making this move, we feel like we are getting ahead of the wave in the sense of lowering our impact on the forests we love riding in.
We are so excited to join the ranks of brands we love and enjoy working with because of their in-house production. And who knows, maybe we’ll just have to release a frame or two in collaboration with one of our favourite component manufacturers!
