FORT COLLINS, Colo. (BRAIN) — ZC Rubber produced 100 million bike tires last year, many of which showed up on the North American market under other brands. Now the tire maker is launching its own house brand of high-end tires under the Arisun brand in the U.S.
Most of the 100 million tires and 130 million bike tubes ZC Rubber makes a year are sold on China's domestic bike market under its Chao Yang brand. But noting the success Cheng Shin Rubber has had with its up market Maxxis brand, ZC Rubber saw a burgeoning opportunity.
"They have been making 120tpi tubeless-ready tires for other brands for years. I think they just got to the point that they wanted to offer tires using the same technology under their own brand. So you are familiar with the tires if not the brand," said Tom Petrie, Velimpex Marketing's president.
Arisun sponsors pro road teams in Brazil and Spain in concert with its distributors in those regions. And is in the process of putting together team sponsorship in North America.
ZC Rubber has a Southern California office that handles tire sales to other industries, but hired Velimpex to handle its Arisun OE sales to the bike industry.
Commenting about how Arisun tires measure against other tires on the market, Petrie noted, "Well, they make many of the other tires on the market so they are of equal quality."
"I think what dealers need to know is they will be getting very good margins and the tires will still be very cost-competitive with other brands. Tires will be coming in wire beads retailing for about $14 and folding tubeless-ready tires will sell for $45," he added.
Arisun initially launches with a set of 700c by 28-millimeter road tires, the Vitesse, Allure and Rapid, that get progressively more tread. The slick Vitesse with a 120tpi casing and folding bead weighs 275 grams and sells for $40. A Rapid with file like tread in wire bead sells for $13. And Arisun is offering 23- and 25-millimeter versions as well.
The small block tread Mount Graham is Arisun's mountain bike tire. It comes in 29 by 2.2-inch size with a 120tpi casing and folding beads and weighs 565 grams. It retails for $45. Big Smoothy is a small-treaded 26 by 4-inch 120tpi folding fat bike tire weighing 1,200 grams and selling for $75.
At the Taipei Cycle Show the company will add plus tires, more fat bike options and fill out its road and mountain offerings.
