Despite tariff pause, this Colorado bike company has hit the end of the trail

By Andrea Dukakis
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4min 37sec
Borealis founder and owner Steve Kaczmarek with one of the company’s bikes
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Borealis founder and owner Steve Kaczmarek with one of the company’s bikes outside its facility in Colorado Springs.

Dakota Mossbrook assembles a Borealis fat bike in the company’s shop in Colorado Springs
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Dakota Mossbrook assembles a Borealis fat bike in the company’s shop in Colorado Springs, April 15, 2025. The company, built up over a dozen years, specializes in carbon-fiber machines designed to travel in snow and ice in winter, has had the rug pulled out from under it by Trump administration tariffs levied on exports from China and Taiwan, from which Borealis procures almost all of its parts and components.

Boxes of bike components shipped from China and Taiwan are stacked high at Borealis in Colorado Springs
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Boxes of bike components shipped from China and Taiwan are stacked high at Borealis in Colorado Springs, April 15, 2025. The company, built up over a dozen years, specializes in carbon-fiber machines designed to travel in snow and ice in winter, has had the rug pulled out from under it by Trump administration tariffs levied on exports from China and Taiwan, from which Borealis procures almost all of its parts and components.

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Terrene tires, owned by Borealis, but manufactured in China, at the Borealis assembly shop in Colorado Springs
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Terrene tires, owned by Borealis, but manufactured in China, at the Borealis assembly shop in Colorado Springs, April 15, 2025. The company, built up over a dozen years, specializes in carbon-fiber machines designed to travel in snow and ice in winter, has had the rug pulled out from under it by Trump administration tariffs levied on exports from China and Taiwan, from which Borealis procures almost all of its parts and components.

David Miller packs components to ship as Dakota Mossburg assembles a bike at Borealis
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
David Miller packs components to ship as Dakota Mossburg assembles a bike at Borealis in Colorado Springs, April 15, 2025. The company, built up over a dozen years, specializes in carbon-fiber machines designed to travel in snow and ice in winter, has had the rug pulled out from under it by Trump administration tariffs levied on exports from China and Taiwan, from which Borealis procures almost all of its parts and components.

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