29 August 2017 - Boulder, CO – Donnelly Sports LLC, which has been licensing the Clement name from Pirelli, is ending its use of the trademark with the Italian-based tire brand. Donnelly Sports owner, Donn Kellogg, will launch the tires and wheels under the brand name, Donnelly Cycling. Earlier this spring Pirelli announced it would be returning to the cycling segment, ultimately positioning the company as a competitor of its own brand, Clement.
Kellogg began licensing the Clement brand name in 2010 revitalizing the 130 year-old tire brand by developing new road, cyclocross and adventure tire tread patterns. The designs – many of which have been raced to World Cup and National cyclocross titles – are owned by Kellogg and will continue under the Donnelly brand name.
Explained Kellogg, “The tread patterns, the tire model names, and the wheels were all designed here in Colorado beginning in 2010 at the time of trademark licensing. People ask for our tires by model name such as PDX, MSO, and USH which will all be rolled under the Donnelly brand name.”
Donnelly branded product will be released in mid-September beginning with cyclocross tubulars. Clinchers for ‘cross and gravel will follow. Long awaited wheel sets, media-tested at last year’s Colorado to Interbike Beehive Ride, will start to land toward the end of September.
The Donnelly brand will emphasize its home base of Colorado. The new packaging will include the state licensed “Colorado Designed” logo. “We are proud to be a Colorado based company,” Kellogg said. “It’s a world class destination for all genres of cycling. The strong cycling community here is on the highest level, which is an integral part of our design, development and testing team. This has allowed us to develop each individual tire for very specific riding and racing conditions. We’re a young company that will continue to make products that are well ahead of the curve.”
Tires, past present and future, have been designed and manufactured exclusively for Donnelly Sports. The company stands behind its product regardless of brand name.
The long-running and highly successful cyclocross team the company has supported and managed will continue with U-23 National Champion Lance Haidet, Jamey Driscoll and Laurel Rathbun. The team was known as Raleigh-Clement last season. The three-rider team will be called Donnelly this year.
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Donnelly tires will be available in the U.S. through the Independent Bicycle Dealer channel. For more information about Donnelly Cycling visit the website at www.donnellycycling.com .