Longmont native builds bicycles for love of the frame

LONGMONT – When Joe DePaemelaere was growing up in Longmont, one of his family outings was to go see stages of the Coors International Bicycle Classic.

He and his siblings grew up around bicycles, whether they were riding them or watching them race. Many of DePaemelaere’s earliest memories come from behind the handlebars.

“Most of the memories seem to involve crashing them,” he joked.

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Nevertheless, bikes have stayed with DePaemelaere. In fact, now all grown up, he has started his own bike business – Primus Mootry Bicycles in Longmont.

What does the name mean? DePaemelaere explains that during his college days at the University of Colorado at Boulder, he and his friends would ride their commuter bikes around town and to school. In order to dissuade thieves from taking their bikes, they would disguise them.

“There was a lot of theft of bikes at CU at the time, so we’d repaint our bikes with crappy paint jobs and put fake names on them to throw off the potential thieves.

DePaemelaere saw a man named Primus Mootry being interviews by a TV news station one day and grew attached to the name.

“I liked the name and decided to use that as the name of my bikes,” he said. “A few years later I decided to build my own frames and kept using the name.”

This past year he was asked to build a bike and not put his name on it so it wouldn’t get stolen.
“That was some validation for my frames.”

DePaemelaere’s business, which started in 1993, came primarily from his own hobby as a rider. He builds and sells mostly frames but sells complete bikes, too. Primus Mootry features road, cross, mountain and track bikes,
“I wanted to build the finest bicycle frames around.”

DePaemelaere estimates he has sold about 350 frames since opening shop. “I don’t keep a running total,” he said.

Nevertheless, it appears business is going in the right direction. Sales in 2005 hit $61,425, and last year they reached $71,147.

To get the word out about Primus Mootry, DePaemelaere primarily relies on his Web site, www.primusmootry.com.

He has also sponsored a few local clubs and has his own “cyclo cross” – cross-country cycling – team, Harshman Wealth Management / Primus Mootry Racing Team, named for the team’s principal sponsor. Shawn Harshman, founder of the Broomfield company, is a team member.

DePaemelaere started the team two years ago after a few years of thinking about it. The team allows him to get his bikes under some very good riders. It’s also a way to set up mini-expos at the races in the pit areas.

“This allows people to interact with me, and the team and to see the bikes up close,” he said. “Secondly, through the team, I’ve been able to gain more national exposure thanks to the great results of my sponsored riders at the national and world racing level.”

DePaemelaere believes most of his business comes from word-of-mouth advertising.

So how does he compete with so many other bike makers?

“I’ve never seen it as competition. I’ve found my niche. My main focus has always been building racing bikes,” he said. “I’ve raced bikes successfully since 1995, and that has helped me gain some market share. My customers appreciate that I race with them and that I am out there every weekend with them.”
Over the years, he realized there were many talented frame builders.

“I quickly focused on matching my passion for frame building with my other passion of racing,” DePaemelaere said. “From that point on, each Primus Mootry frame has been built to achieve one goal: to reach the finish line first.”

All of the company’s frames are hand-built using DePaemelaere’s knowledge of racing and his willingness to experiment with new technologies that makes his frames different.

“Every new frame has a bit of heritage taken from those who already own and enjoy – not to mention ride the rubber off – their old Primus Mootrys.”

DePaemelaere learned how to build frames using his hands, with nothing more than a hacksaw, hand files and a torch.

“All cutting, welding and finishing of each frame is still done by hand. Yes, it may take longer for me to produce a frame, but the knowledge that each frame has been personally cared for, from design to delivery, cannot be matched.”

In 2003, he expanded his product line to include aluminum, scandium and carbon fiber frames, and in 2004 he began building with titanium.

To date, his most popular bike has been the Kluisberg aluminum road frame.

“It has to do more with the fact that it’s the best racing frame for the money,” DePaemelaere said. “When selling to bike racers, budget is a concern, but fit, function and weight are also concerns. This frame best meets these requirements.”

As for the future, there are always new developments in materials, and he tries to use them when he feels they help to make his frames better.

“I just keep trying to get better and better.”