A version of this article ran in the October issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.
UTICA, N.Y. — In a time of tariffs, July’s announcement that eBliss Global will open an e-bike factory in this upstate city garnered considerable mainstream media attention.
The startup’s founders — who include an array of U.S. specialty industry veterans — announced they will invest $4.1 million to begin assembling e-bikes, initially using imported frames and components.
eBliss Global has been selling imported e-bikes for several years under the Always Bikes brand through a variety of channels. The e-bikes that will be assembled in Utica will be sold exclusively at IBDs and bear the Ride label, a brand initially developed by former boutique bike maker Tony Ellsworth, who is a partner and chief design officer at eBliss.
In September, eBliss and state, county and local entities announced an “eMobility Technology Region” in upstate New York to support more manufacturing in the region.
The domestic assembly vibes are headline-worthy, and if it evolves to frame welding and the coveted “Made in USA” label, it will be a rare accomplishment.
Several e-bike companies assemble in the U.S., including Electric Bike Company in California (Editor's note: EBC closed down in early October, after this article went to press) and Life EV in Florida. Before shutting down, Detroit Bikes also made e-bikes in the U.S., using a steel frame made in-house. Guardian also assembles bikes and builds some frames at its Indiana plant. High-end e-MTB brands like Pivot and Yeti also assemble bikes in the U.S., and Blaupunkt recently announced plans to assemble its folding e-bikes in the U.S.). But we are aware of no e-bike brand currently with U.S.-made frames and assembly.
eBliss’s plan is to reach that milestone in several steps, said Bill Klehm, the company’s CEO and chairman. “It’s a progressive roadmap,” Klehm told BRAIN.
Phase 1 is assembling e-bikes from imported parts including frames and wheels. By Federal Trade Commission rules, these bikes can be labeled “Built in the USA with Global Parts.”
By early 2026, the company plans to start building wheels in New York. And Klehm said running changes will add “four to six” U.S.-made components to the bikes next year. That will allow a “Built in the USA with USA and Global Parts” label. He declined to say which parts he expects to be able to source from the U.S.
The final phase includes frame welding and finishing, allowing the “Made in the USA” label.
Klehm said he’s not intimidated by domestic frame building.
“That’s not a big scary ghost. Laser welding or automated welding of frames: It's been done a few times around the world. There’s no unobtainium in frames,” he said.
Klehm said in five years, the roadmap calls for only about 8-10% of the value of eBliss bikes to be imported (and subject to tariffs). That includes tires, wiring harnesses, controllers, and rear hub motors that he doesn’t expect to be made in the U.S. soon.
IBD-friendly plan
The company reckons its leadership team has 600 years of experience in the IBD channel, informing product and program decisions and more.
Industry veterans include Klehm, who was CEO of Fallbrook Technologies, which launched the NuVinci Continuously Variable Transmission.
Tony Ellsworth spent 30 years building handmade bikes under his name and eBliss Vice President Steve Richey is a former VP at Denago eBikes, a product and purchasing director at KHS Bicycles, and founded a California retail chain with six locations.
Tom Roth, owner of an independent sales agency, is leading eBliss’s team of 18 sales reps. Roth is well known by retailers, having worked with brands including ASI/Fuji, Haro, Univega USA and Trek. Roth started in the industry as a shop mechanic.
The brand’s inside support staff includes a supply chain advisor and a dealer advocacy representative who is a former bike shop owner. A third internal advisor is a former bike mechanic whose job is to ensure shop mechanics’ concerns are heard.
Klehm said the e-bikes are being designed thoughtfully for long-term retailer and consumer confidence.
The Ride lineup includes nine models retailing in the $2,000-$3,000 range, including a folding model. Where possible, the models share components, including electrical parts, to simplify life for shops. Parts have a three-year warranty and the company promises any unique components will remain available for five years after the date of the model’s last sale. Components like seatposts were chosen in sizes that are readily available in the industry.
The e-bikes are shipped as Class 2, with throttles, but the throttles can be easily removed to turn the bikes into Class 1. And dealers (but not consumers) will have access to modify them to Class 3 assist levels. A “customer comfort” feature lets users adjust the motors’ top assist speed from 28 mph down to 11 mph if desired, for owners who are uncomfortable with higher speeds.
The sales pitch to retailers includes average margins of about 36%, and a 30% margin for fulfillment of “click-and-collect” e-bike orders. A program allows shops to return grips and saddles that were exchanged during a bike sale for credit, instead of letting them languish in a parts bin. Similarly, a $100 computer display upgrade option will be available, and shops can return the original displays for credit.
