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Life & Work with Kim Wilson of Minnesota

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Wilson.

Hi Kim, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
14 years ago, we started with a desire to ride/race bicycles, and the desire to keep broken bicycles out of the trash. With a background in fiberglass composite work (car body modifications), Drew Wilson purchased a broken bicycle frame to fix and race in local cyclocross races. A few races later, word spread that we could repair carbon bicycle frames and Cyclocarbon was born. Now, we repair more than just bicycles — hockey sticks, eFoil boards, car parts. We offer paint restoration and custom painting. We also build custom carbon fiber frames from scratch. We’re one of the three largest companies offering composite repairs and people ship their broken carbon fiber things from all over the country to our shop.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes, actually. We’ve never had to do much for marketing really. Word-of-mouth and a network of great bicycle shops has kept business steady for 14 years. The work is generally seasonal (when that spring thaw comes and racing starts again, it can get busy!).

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We’re most known for our ability to restore bicycles so they look original again. If you want your bike to look like the damage never happened, we’re your shop. All of our paint restorations are done by hand — Drew has this incredible ability to match a paint color simply by looking at it and mixing certain base colors together. No fancy paint code matching required! We’re most proud of our track record though — we repair dozens of bikes each week, and while we offer a lifetime warranty on the repairs, they very very rarely come back. Our repairs just work.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I think our best advice is to be careful how you scale. We have shops in two states now (by choice) and it’s difficult managing things across multiple locations. It takes time away from actual work.

Pricing:

  • Repairs: anywhere from $400-?
  • Custom Paint: quoted per project

Contact Info:

Pink bicycle frame with yellow lettering on grass, no wheels or other parts attached.

White bicycle frame with blue and red Trek branding, no wheels or components visible, upright against a plain background.

Bicycle frame and fork with a blue and white geometric pattern on a white background.

Bicycle frame with colorful cartoon patterns on a white background, with the word 'Vision' visible.

Pink and orange bicycle frame with yellow accents, labeled 'S-WORKS', on a plain background.

Red bicycle frame with a yellow and black component attached, on a white background.

Close-up of a blue and black sports equipment with visible cracks and damage, on a wooden floor background.

Close-up of a blue and black bicycle frame tube on a wooden surface.

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