Two motorcycle accessory companies started in two different corners of the globe: One in Bend and the other in Sweden.

One focused on the rider, and the other on the bike.

They started at roughly the same time, kept in touch during the past decade and now have merged into company. Swedish-based USWE Sports (pronounced You-Swee, which is Swedish slang for “kick ass”) acquired Bend’s Giant Loop late last year for an undisclosed sum.

Giant Loop joins a growing list of Bend businesses that have been gobbled up by national or international competitors.

The outdoor business community has a cement bond in Bend, said Gary Bracelin, Bend Outdoor Worx founder. Many of the businesses that were forged in Bend have become national names, he said.

“As they got bigger and more recognized, mainstream society knows them and they can get snatched up,” Bracelin said. “In the past 10 years, Bend has been a place for businesses to start, grow and exit, or whatever the business plan is.

“Bend isn’t the rural outpost it used to be.”

During that same time, more than a half-dozen Bend businesses have been acquired: Zamp Solar, Patheon, Hydroflask, 10 Barrel, Five Talent and BasX, said Don Myll, Bend-area director of Economic Development for Central Oregon .

“This is just a sampling of mostly Bend companies that have retained, and even expanded, their local business presence,” Myll said. “It’s not an uncommon event, and I believe it highlights the appeal of the local committed workforce talent.”

The Loop

Giant Loop was started by Harold Olaf Cecil in 2008 to build a better, more stable pack system for on- and off-road motorcycles .

Cecil wanted to develop a lighter, simpler luggage carrier for all terrain motorcycle riding that didn’t make the motorcycle unstable or add too much weight and could sustain any terrain.

Cecil grew the business and met the founders of USWE, which was founded in 2007 to solve the problem of backpacks sliding off motorcycle riders.

“We had the same philosophy,” said Jacob Westerberg, USWE CEO in Bend. “We started a year later.”

The two founders met for

dinner in the United States and forged a friendship that lasted years, Westerberg said. Buying Giant Loop enables USWE, a publicly traded company, to enter the U.S. market, he said.

“Soon after we went public, we looked at acquiring a company, and on our wish list was to have one in the United States to become our base. We connected with (Cecil) and asked if he’d be interested in joining us. The timing was great.”

Motoring ahead

The acquisition enables the two brands to open a storefront at the company’s warehouse on O.B. Riley Road. Giant Loop will retain its name and be a product category listed with USWE, Westerberg said.

USWE’s expansion plans also include sales from Amazon.com.

In addition to the backpack system for motorcycles, USWE has expanded into mountain bike packs and hydration backpacks, using a patented design called No Dancing Monkey. The name is a play on words using a monkey as a backpack that doesn’t move while the motorcycle is in motion .

Products offered by both brands fill a niche in the motorcycle community.

The brands are attractive to weekend warriors as well as adventure racers who travel seeking adventure, Westerberg said.

USWE’s backpacks are not standard-issue packs. They’re lightweight and have a buckle that crisscrosses in the front of the chest, he said. The design removes weight from the shoulders and provides a snug fit next to the body.

While Giant Loop’s production is done in Vietnam, distribution, marketing and design will continue to happen in Bend, Westerberg said. Currently, the company employs seven people, but wants to fill two more positions. The financial goal for USWE/Giant Loop, Westerberg said, is to post double-digit revenue growth.

Cecil remains on staff through 2024.

“We’re working to make this one company with two brands,” Westerberg said. “That’s the ambition. We want to build the base and expand in the United States by growing both brands.”

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