Hi, I’m Tony , owner of IRO CYCLE Inc. I’ve been riding bicycles my whole life. Back in the 90′s, I started riding mountain bikes on the trails in Rocky Point, NY. My first real mountain bike was a Cannondale F400. I beat the hell out of that bike.
In February of 1998, I moved to Staten Island, NY. My riding time immediately suffered. There were no bike trails and commuting to Manhattan at up all my time. So I decided to start commuting by bike. Seven miles to the S.I. Ferry plus another five miles uptown wasn’t so bad. But I got really tired of shifting gears and adjusting derailleurs.
Soon, I started building and riding my own fixed gear and single speed bikes. Everywhere I rode, people got turned on by the idea of an inexpensive bicycle that’s lighter, simpler, quieter and more elegant–a thrill to ride and a breeze to maintain.
My only problem was finding good single speed and fixed gear products at fair prices.
So in October 2002 I started IRO CYCLE. My goals were 1) to design and produce high quality products at affordable prices. And 2) to treat you with the respect and honesty you deserve.
We started out small, but today we produce many styles of fixed gear and single speed bikes. We constantly introduce new models while improving existing ones. I pretty much eat, sleep, and live this stuff, and my whole family is involved.
My wife Carrie has been my partner from the start. My daughter Allison and her husband have worked with us. My son Anthony is a master wheel builder. My little ones Ben, Brady, Nathan, and Anabelle keep us company in the shop (and busy!).
By 2005, my family and business had outgrown Staten Island. So in September of that year, we moved IRO CYCLE to the farm country of Middleburg, Pennsylvania with the dream of building a state of the art facility with a low carbon footprint. We built a new warehouse that’s totally solar powered. We use an electric golf cart to get from the shop to the warehouse. Our tractor is 10% biodiesel, our forklift runs on propane, and we replaced our 20′ box truck (5mpg) with a van a 12′ trailer(12mpg).
Through it all, our philosophy has stayed the same. Nothing hits production until it passes my satisfaction. I design all IRO frames and most of the parts myself. I have samples made and then beat the hell out of them, making adjustments as necessary, always keeping the price right. And once your order is received and paid, it no longer belongs to me, it belongs to you. The way I look at it, you’re trusting me with your property until we deliver it.
And that’s my story. I ride everywhere I can, give me a reason to ride and I will.
