Chumba USA

Chumba USA (Chumba Bicycles) is a rider-owned framebuilder making handmade titanium and steel adventure, gravel, and mountain bike frames. After eleven years headquartered in Austin, Texas, the company relocated its titanium-fabrication operations to Kansas City, MO in mid-July 2025, where co-owners Mark Combs and Maura Gibson now build frames by appointment near Cycle City. (Steel fabrication runs from a partner shop in Richmond, VA.)

Description

Chumba USA designs and fabricates handmade bicycle frames in titanium and steel for gravel grinding, all-road, bikepacking, cyclocross, touring, and race/trail mountain biking. Frames are offered as frame-only, partial builds, complete bikes, and custom geometry options, and are sold under a Made-in-USA banner — “mitered with precision, and welded with intention.” ¹ Recognized models include the Yaupon (a 2022 Bikepacking Gear of the Year selection), the Stella Ti, and the Ursa 29+. ²

The Kansas City shop handles titanium frame fabrication, where the people who design, build, and test frames also plan builds, assemble, and deliver finished bikes. The company operates a second by-appointment node in Richmond, VA, where steel frames are built at the Richmond Bicycle Factory. ²³

Ownership and history

The Chumba name dates to a Southern California boutique downhill brand founded by Ted Tanouye, known for full-suspension models such as the Zulu and Wumba. ⁴ Aaron Foreman acquired the brand in 2010 and relocated it to Austin, Texas, refocusing on USA-made frames. ⁴ In early 2014 the brand re-launched as a steel/titanium adventure framebuilder — the “since 2014” the company still cites — shifting away from hard-charging full-suspension bikes toward craft adventure frames. ⁵⁴

The current Kansas City chapter began in mid-July 2025, when — after eleven years in Austin — Chumba split and relocated operations: titanium fabrication to Kansas City, MO and steel fabrication to Richmond, VA. ² The KC titanium operation is run by Mark Combs (framebuilder; a 23-year airplane-frame fabricator who trained under framebuilders including Koichi Yamaguchi, Wes Williams, and Matt Maczuzak of Alchemy) and his partner Maura Gibson; Vince Colvin and Michelle Bright oversee the Richmond steel operation. ⁶²

Note on KC roots: this is a relocated brand, not a born-in-KC business. Its lineage runs CA → Austin → Kansas City. The owners are not documented as KC natives, and the brand has only operated in KC since 2025 — both factors bearing on tier (see below).

Links

• Official site: https://chumbausa.com/
• Contact: https://chumbausa.com/contact-us
• Framebuilding: https://chumbausa.com/framebuilding
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chumbausa/

Sources

Disputes

None at this time. (Note the reconcilable apparent tension between the official “since 2014” and the documented mid-2025 KC arrival: 2014 = brand revival in Austin; 2025 = KC relocation. Both are accurately documented above and are not in conflict.)

Footnotes

1. https://chumbausa.com/ — official site. asserts: “Since 2014, we have devoted ourselves to making your ride experience the best!”; handmade titanium & steel frames for gravel, all-road, mountain, bikepacking, etc.; Made in USA; frame-only/complete/custom options. ↩

2. https://bikepacking.com/news/chumba-is-moving/ — Bikepacking.com news. asserts: After 11 years in Austin, TX, Chumba left Texas in mid-July 2025; titanium production (Mark & Maura) to Kansas City, MO near Cycle City; steel production (Vince & Michelle) to Richmond, VA at Richmond Bicycle Factory; models include Yaupon (2022 Bikepacking Gear of the Year), Stella Ti, Ursa 29+. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. https://chumbausa.com/contact-us — official contact page. asserts: “120 NE Harlem Rd. Kansas City, MO 64116”; phone 804-290-9607; support@chumbausa.com; hours 9am–5pm CST; “Visits by appointment”; also by-appointment in Richmond, VA. ↩

4. https://theradavist.com/chumba-is-moving-operations and https://bikepacker.com/chumba-cycles-made-usa/ — bike press. asserts: Chumba founded by Ted Tanouye as a SoCal downhill brand (Zulu, Wumba); acquired by Aaron Foreman in 2010 and moved to Austin, TX with a return to USA-made frames. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. https://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/chumba-usa-sum-greater-than-parts.html — Mountain Flyer Magazine. asserts: brand re-launched in early 2014 with emphasis shifting from full-suspension to crafted steel adventure frames. ↩

6. https://chumbausa.com/blog/2020/7/27/chumba-usa-framebuilding-mark-combs — official blog. asserts: Mark Combs is Chumba’s framebuilder, 23 years as an airplane-frame fabricator, trained under Koichi Yamaguchi, Wes Williams, Matt Maczuzak (Alchemy); co-owners include Vince Colvin; spouses Maura Gibson and Michelle Bright are 50% partners. ↩