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Dirt Rag Articles
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Alot happened in 1989. Emperor Hirohito died after 62 years as emperor of Japan. The Communist Party of Poland voted to legalize the trade union Solidarity. The Soviet Union pulled the last of its troops out of Afghanistan. The Simpsons premiered on Fox. And a man in Chico, California named Paul Price started selling bicycle parts under the name Paul Component Engineering.
Last year photographer Mike Alden, his girlfriend Kelsey and I crammed into my aging Nissan mini-truck and drove roughly two hundred miles from Berkeley to Chico for a rare interview with Paul Price. Although the promise of a free place to crash for the night with Kelsey's extended family was generous, it quickly moved from welcome to weird.
One of Kelsey's cousins drew us a line map to the property, where we were told there may be a good place to spend the night. It was the kind of place that even Theodore Kaczynski would have considered a little rough, as the cabin was a bit more than a lean-to consisting of a roof, two-and-a-half walls, a bunk bed, and some pot-bellied stoves that weren't attached to a chimney. There wasn't a toilet, nor running water, nor even electricity, but we did have a floor covered with rat feces and no less than ten active hornets nests.
After a dinner Mike, Kelsey and I settled down for a restless night of sleep. The canyon area around Centerville is known to have mountain lions so everyone was on edge. Dawn came far earlier than welcomed, but after a quick sprucing up with baby wipes, we drove back to Chico for breakfast and later to talk with Paul Price.
The outside of the Paul's factory gave little hint of the bike jewels that were being produced inside. The corrugated steel panels were sun-bleached and were missing some large patches of paint. Inside, it was clean, organized and surprisingly homey. Paul welcomed Mike and me to his new factory. What did stand out was an inch-and-a-half-long gash under his eye. Recalling my own self-inflicted straightedge shaving mishap, I asked him if he had cut himself shaving. "No," Paul said, " I walked into a piece of sheet metal." He then proceeded to give Mike and me a quick tour of the office.
Looking around the assembly room/office I couldn't help but notice pictures of loved ones and past employees pasted to the walls. The cat who acts as an unofficial doorman languidly wandered off to the factory after giving Mike and me a cursory once-over. In the back of the main room there were boxes filled with plastic toys left over from website photo shoots. Looking around in the shipping area, I saw some fake vomit, handlebar mounted pinwheels, and other gag gifts that were being readied for shipment to the Single Speed World Championships.
Paul gave both Mike and I some safety goggles, then led us onto the factory floor where he was keen to show off his new CNC machines. The whir of machinery mixed with the hiss of pneumatic lines as spinning blades cut deeply into the blocks of aluminum which would later become objets du desir. Nearly finished hubs, brakes, and cranks would emerge from robotic birthing chambers still wet with oily machine coolant. Conversation was difficult but Paul was obviously proud—he's come a long way from making quick-releases in his garage.
In a certain way, Paul Price is one of the last men standing. When mountain bikes exploded onto the bike scene, many of the mass-produced parts were crude and heavy. Even Campagnolo's ill-fated Icarus and Centaur mountain bike group sets looked like they were better suited to keeping large piles of paper from blowing away during a hurricane, than to shredding the local singletrack. When the Soviet Union eventually collapsed in 1991, so did many American defense industry machine shops. Expensive CNC machines sat as idle as many a moth-balled fighter jet. In what can only be seen as an act of desperation, many of these inactive machine shops searched for new markets and, for a while, mountain bikes seemed to be a panacea to their woes.
Overnight an explosion of small component companies burst onto the scene, while the majors, like Suntour and Shimano, seemed to be asleep at the wheel. Now, however, names like Grafton, Ringlé, and Kooka have either disappeared or morphed completely beyond recognition. Mergers, sales, acquisitions, bankruptcies, and the fickle tastes of riders had their effect on smaller companies, but so did Shimano's introduction of the XTR line. For a while, however, domestically made, brightly colored bike parts were the "must have" items for the hip mountain biker.
It shouldn't be surprising that Paul's own career path has followed a similar trajectory as the domestic boutique bicycle industry. Paul worked as a bike mechanic while getting his degree in mechanical engineering. He also worked at a custom frame builder and later with camera gear and "national defense stuff"—but he has always come back to bikes.
Paul was beginning to develop a cult following with his low-profile, lightweight brakes such as the StopLights and early side-pull brakes, the CrossTops. But things really kicked into high gear with the introduction of his front and rear derailleurs, a first for an American company on any sizable scale. When Shimano introduced its XTR line, Paul Component Engineering had a larger factory and a good number of employees, but things took a turn for the worse. The market encountered a seismic shift.
"Everything changed overnight," said Paul, "Nobody wanted our stuff. Thank God we had the singlespeed stuff or that would have been it." Although Paul admits the derailleurs had put him on the map, ultimately it wasn't his best decision. "It was really costly, really complex and it took so much away from our regular production we had a hard time trying to keep up."
As the demand for brightly colored doodads diminished, people were let go and Paul's product line was overhauled. The derailleurs were abandoned, the quick-releases were kaput, but the K.I.S.S. singlespeed group set sold well enough to keep the lights on. New products such as an updated version of the fabled Mafac Cyclo-Tandem cantilever brakes, called the Neo-Retro, joined his lineup, followed by a lower-profile cantilever called the Touring Canti. Replacing the complicated CrossTops was a new product called the MotoLite. Other products were tested in small numbers, such as seatposts and an under-the-bar mountain bike shifter, but perhaps fearing once again overextending himself, many of these products never made it to the marketplace.
One such item was Paul's brief venture into framebuilding. "I thought if I had time I might do it as a side business," he said while leaning over to show Mike and me a sad and dusty frame lying unceremoniously on a dirt floor in a nearby warehouse. "This is the first frame I made. It was unrideable above five miles per hour and would shimmy badly. Unless you have been building frames for ten years and have all of your jigs and fixtures and have all of your procedures down, it would be really hard to do this as a living."
With the singlespeed and cyclocross markets responding favorably to Paul's leaner product lineup, Paul dipped his toe into the urban bike market with fixed gear hubs and stylish singlespeed road cranks. Walking around the assembly room, Paul proudly pulled out of a box of one of his most recent products, a 135mm disc-brake-compatible front hub for Jeff Jones of Jeff Jones Bicycles. Paul was quick to add that this was set up to minimize dish and spoke tension differences between the disc side and the non-disc side of the hub, and would make for a stronger wheel, especially for a 29er.
Paul informed Mike and me that he had an important business meeting with his employees and made plans to go for a ride after lunch. Mike and I powered down some subs at a local sandwich shop, as by this time breakfast had become a distant memory. Later, Paul called me on my cell as Mike and I sat drinking sun-warmed Gatorade on the tailgate of my truck and gave us the okay to meet him at his house.
Not surprisingly Paul's house is a lot like his bike components: simple and understated. Joining us on the ride was Paul's girlfriend. By this time Chico's notoriously hot summer weather was beating down on us with full force. While the temperature may have been in the high 90's it felt much hotter. Paul, his girlfriend, and Mike started off to the trailhead of Bidwell's Upper Park on suspended singlespeed hardtails while I rode as the odd man out with a fully geared Surly Karate Monkey with a rigid fork. No sooner did we hit the dirt than the real pain started. The sun had cooked the lava rocks on the Middle Trail to a nice toasty brown. Paul took point and it was at that time it finally dawned on me that he was riding with a wool jersey and a faded set of cotton riding shorts. "I can't believe you're wearing wool in this weather!" I said between sucking breaths of super-heated air and the feed line from my water bladder.
"Eh," says Paul, "It's what I do."
If you've gotten the idea that Paul Price is a man of few words, you would be correct. In attempting to gather some further background information, I was surprised how few interviews he has given throughout the years. When I asked him why, he simply said that he'd "rather sit in my factory and make stuff." Very succinct. Very Paul.
Paul doesn't ride the trail inasmuch as he seems to float above it. Even while negotiating tricky razor-sharp drop-offs down old lava shoots, Paul looked more like a man strolling through an art gallery rather than someone who is desperately trying to navigate a rock garden. His movements were fluid and controlled with a minimum amount of visible effort, almost like tai chi. On the other hand Mike, suffering from a wicked case of road rash and a sprained thumb, took another spill when his hand went numb from all the jarring.
Paul's girlfriend also seemed to drift above the debris field. She made this look easy and slowly pulled away from the other riders. Sweat stung my eyes and my seat practically burned my butt each time I sat it down for a bit of rest. It was humbling to realize that this isn't the most brutal of the trails in the area and summer in Butte County gets even hotter than it did that day.
Our party made it back to Paul's place for icewater and beer. A kitten waged war on a stream of ants as Mike and I sweated on the back porch. A few minutes later, Paul showed up with some much-needed refreshments. After everyone cooled down Paul allowed Mike and me a quick glimpse into the future. There, on the back wall of a tidy garage, were a line of bikes with an array of prototypes for us to ogle. Although Mike wasn't allowed to take any photos, some of Paul's stable were fitted with some fascinating new shifting systems that may be released by press time. Last up was a new chain watching device for 'cross and one-by-nine bikes. Although Paul said that it wasn't a finished product, it was an intriguing glimpse of things to come. Suspiciously absent, however, were any signs of the redesigned, limited production, twentieth anniversary quick releases. Perhaps his vicious attack kitten had made quick work of any industrial spies. If that is indeed the case, the kitten isn't talking.
Paul again looked at his watch and decided that he needed to get back to work but not before inviting Mike and I to take a quick look at some of his woodwork. Somehow between managing his own business, a girlfriend, trade shows and getting ready for the Single Speed World Championships, Paul is able to indulge in arts and crafts. But I suppose that in twenty years of somehow floating above an ever-shifting market, you find time to do what matters most to you.
Twenty Questions for Twenty Years; An Interview with Paul Price
DR: Can you believe that you have been making bike parts for twenty years?
PP: After thinking about it, yes, I guess I can. I always knew what I was going to do, from a very early age, kinda lucky that way I guess. I sold model car engines in elementary school, skateboards in junior high and made some bike parts in high school. I always knew I was going to make stuff and sell it.
DR: Things have obviously changed quite a bit since when you first started and a lot of the domestic component manufactures are now gone. Would you say the cream has risen to the top?
PP: At this point, yes. Early on anyone could sell purple mountain bike parts. Then it was harder and there was consolidation, but there was still a lot of not-so-good stuff. Now us small guys have been doing it long enough that we are pretty on top of our game. [Doug] White, Phil [Wood], myself and of course Chris King are all pretty good at what we do and have a solid market position.
DR: Things were pretty rough for a while right after Shimano introduced XTR, so is there any truth to the rumor that you were making prosthetic limbs to stay in business?
PP: I never made prosthetic limbs, but that may have been pretty cool. Actually I survived by making marital aids.
DR: Of all of the products you developed, which one are you the most proud of and why?
PP: Well, the derailleur was pretty cool, but basically it was just a case of reverse engineering. I'd have to say the WORD hub. These guys were out there, Bobby Seals, The Three Amigo's, and they were giving the finger to the man by just running one gear. As a side project I made a hub for them, just for them. The first run was 10. It was the widest bicycle hub shell ever made, the first singlespeed-only mountain bike hub, and the basis, in a small part, for a cultural revolution that is still going. I'm headed out for the SSWC08 tomorrow in fact. In a very small way the WORD, by being the first, helped all that happen.
DR: Was there something you developed, then later said, "Oh, God, what was I thinking?"
PP: You may have heard of Crosstop III brakes?
DR: Obviously there has been a lot of industry buzz concerning ceramic and ceramic-hybrid bearings. Are there any thoughts of incorporating them into your lineup?
PP: We concentrate on what works and what is rock solid and what has a proven track record. Ceramics are not there yet.
DR: There have been some critics who have said that you are more of a "machinist" than an "engineer." How do you answer that question?
PP: Seven years of college and a diploma in the back of the closet. A machinist makes something from a drawing. To start with the proverbial light bulb idea and then put it on paper to the degree a machinist can make it is a feat of engineering.
DR: Another criticism has been that you don't list any torque specifications on your website or supply them with your components. Why not?
PP: That is a weak spot and needs to be addressed. There are some with the instructions but the web site needs a full compliment.
DR: What new products are in the works?
PP: Every time I ride I have a new idea. The main problem is we are running out of capacity even with the machines going 18 hours a day. The CrossKeeper is my favorite new one. I hope we can find the time to get it made for this season.
DR: What do you see yourself doing in the next, 5, 10, 20 years?
PP: That's funny. Yesterday I renewed my URL for 20 years, so I'm locked in for another 20. I'm a lifer here. I love what I do so why mess with that?
DR: During the mid-'90s there were a lot of acquisitions of smaller component manufactures and bicycle companies by larger ones. Were you ever tempted to sell your company to a larger one?
PP: I was approached by a few people and got tons of "We have an individual interested in buying a small company..." types of letters. I am so glad I didn't sell because I would be out of a job by now, and I hate filling out job applications! As the company grows and is worth more I think about it once in awhile. But the reality is, I love to come to work but I don't work well with partners. So, no, I don't think I'll ever sell.
DR: Who is your biggest competitor?
PP: All the other guys that do what I do. Phil, King, White. There are a lot of singlespeed hub makers now. I was the first but when I looked around at the worlds, there were at least a dozen different ones. A lot of 29ers.
On a side note I was just at the White Industries HQ and the owner sold me some hub-making machinery and gave me the secret of how to use it. It was like just a couple of gearheads sharing tips, not cut-throat competitors.
DR: How "green" do you think the bicycle industry is and how do you think it can be "greener"?
PP: The bicycle industry can be greener, but for all intents and purposes, it provides so much potential benefit that that issue should come after the "how to get more people on bikes" issue. The City of Chico did a greenhouse gas inventory and 48% is automobiles and trucks.
DR: One of the things I've always been struck by with your company has been your low-profile approach to Paul Component Engineering. There's never been an attempt to create a "Cult of Paul." Do you care to comment on that?
PP: Cult? I just want to be left alone and make stuff in my shop. I am not a business or marketing person. Once I make something new I'm kind of over it, time to make another something new. Of course there are all these other steps like packaging, instructions and then trying to actually sell it. Luckily I have made a few things that are good and haven't needed too much marketing, because I really hate doing that stuff.
DR: Concerning your cranks, why did you choose to go with the Campy square-taper design rather than with Shimano's? Obviously that's going to exclude people who have a 73mm bottom bracket shell.
PP: I am an old school Campy guy. Always have been, always will be. And I wanted to piss off a lot of people (laughs). Also because Phil makes the perfect BB that fits, 110.5mm ISO, and I like the idea of our cranks and their BB...but, our hubs!
DR: If you didn't decide to start making bicycle parts, what might you have wound up doing instead?
PP: I always thought designing earth-moving equipment or robots would be cool.
DR: How do you define "success"?
PP: Success is when you are at work and you are so into it you lose all sense of time, you don't think about how much money you make or the bills that need to be paid. Time is the deal: if your time is spent doing something you love then that's it. Money is helpful but not the number one thing.
DR: What is your favorite beer?
PP: Sierra Nevada. I drink the Brown when I am there, and Pale at home. It's my hometown brewery and the guy who owns it is a hero of mine for the way he runs it.
DR: What's the worst movie ever made?
PP: I'm not that into movies so I took a survey. The one movie that was consistently in the top five was Waterworld.
DR: Any final thoughts?
PP: Yeah, can I go back to the machine shop now?
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| Comment from Bas on 2009-07-15 |
| great reading, i love the stuff Paul makes.
I have had some great cnc-ed Paul parts myself and still do actually
I have even wrote a piece on it on my blog www.old-metal.blogspot.com/2009/07/paul-component-engeneering.html
keep on riding Paul! |
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| Comment from Bas on 2009-07-15 |
| Great reading.
I love the stuff made and still makes, for me he is one of the great icons of mountainbiking.
I have had some great Paul parts in the past and still use some old school gorgeous derrailleurs
There are some pictures of these parts mentioned on my blog www.old-metal.blogspot.com/2009/07/paul-component-engeneering.html |
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| Comment from TejasTacoman on 2009-06-10 |
| Aye, Sierra Nevada's way is a great way to end such an insightful look at PCE & PP, genuine kudos to Paul for making it.. da good parts and stayin' the course of being authentic, too fer soul riding.. ya'll just come to N.TX in JUL/AUG for some heated seats, and cool water. Cheers! |
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| Comment from Jerry Young on 2009-05-21 |
| Interesting article. Good to learn the inside story of making the parts. |
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| Comment from John Cypher on 2009-05-21 |
| Fantastic writing! I hope to see more of the author of this article in Dirt Rag. He really took me back to times spent suffering in the heat of the Central Valley while negotiating the molten rocks of Upper Bidwell, all the while thinking of the bitter relief of that first swill of beer by the river on the back of my blessed shaded truck bumper. Bravo! |
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| Comment from Chris Brownfield on 2009-05-21 |
| Very nice article! I love to hear about people like Paul. Send Adam after some other icons of mountain bike components, frames, etc. |
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