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About us

Made on the hill.

Bonfield Bikes started in 2023 in a rented garage in West Duluth, with one welder, a borrowed lathe and a simple question: why does every cargo bike give up when it snows?

Tove Kettunen had spent nine years designing snowmobile chassis. Eino Wennberg had designed mining equipment on the Iron Range. Both had kids, both lived up the hill, and neither could find a bike that would carry a three-year-old up Mesaba Avenue in January. So they built one.

Duluth climbing from the lake to the ridge, with the route of our test climbRIDGELAKE

From garage to batches

  1. 2023

    First frame welded in a West Duluth garage. It weighed 91 lb and climbed everything.

  2. 2024

    Four prototypes, one winter on Mesaba Avenue, and a battery that keeps itself warm.

  3. 2025

    Reservations open. 300 deposits in the first month, mostly from people who had seen it on the hill.

  4. 2026

    Batch 1 ships in March. A seed round, a second frame jig and our own paint line.

The team

Eleven people, one shop

Engineers, welders, a designer and the person who brings your bike to your door. These are the people you’ll hear from.

  • Tove Kettunen

    Co-founder & CEO

    Spent nine years designing snowmobile chassis before deciding the future of winter was quieter. Rides a Birch White Portage with two dogs on the back.

  • Eino Wennberg

    Co-founder & head of engineering

    Mechanical engineer, former mining equipment designer on the Iron Range. Wrote the first frame calculations on a diner napkin, which is framed in the shop.

  • Pilar Rask

    Head of production

    Ran assembly lines for an outdoor gear maker for a decade. Owns the batch schedule and the shop playlist, and will defend both.

  • Yer Xiong

    Industrial designer

    Designed the kid seat, the basket and the battery sleeve. Grew up in Hibbing and commutes year-round across the bridge from Superior.

  • Elof Maki

    Frame shop lead

    Certified welder who has built everything from ore dock railings to race car cages. Welds the first frame of every batch himself.

  • Aune Lahti

    Owner care & delivery

    Hand-delivers bikes around Duluth and Superior and answers the phone when you call. Has ridden every street in town that has a name.

  • Jory Solheim

    Battery & firmware engineer

    Writes the motor and battery firmware and owns the cold chamber, a converted chest freezer that reaches −40°F.

  • And you?

    We’re hiring welders, engineers and people who like delivering bikes.

    Open roles

Backers

Who’s behind us

A $4.2 million seed round in 2026, and before that, hundreds of people who put down a deposit on a bike they had only seen on a hill.

  • Tenpenny Ventures

    Seed lead

    A hardware fund that backs companies who make physical things in the Midwest.

  • Ninebark Capital

    Seed

    Climate-focused investors in transport, from charging to cargo bikes.

  • Frostline Angels

    Seed

    Twenty-two founders and operators from around Minnesota.

  • Our owners

    Since 2025

    Every reservation is a vote. Deposits stay separate and are refunded in full if you change your mind.

Careers

Build bikes in Duluth

Real wages, health insurance from day one, a bike of your own and a shop with a view of the lake. Most roles are in person on Raleigh Street.

7 open roles

  • ProductionFull-time

    Frame welder (TIG)

    Tack and weld aluminum frames in our jigs, inspect welds and train the next welder we hire. Two years of TIG on aluminum required.

    Where
    Duluth shop
    Pay
    $27–$34 an hour
    Apply

  • ProductionFull-time

    Assembly technician

    Build bikes from frame to final ride test, following our checklists. Bike shop experience is a plus; we train the rest.

    Where
    Duluth shop
    Pay
    $22–$27 an hour
    Apply

  • EngineeringFull-time

    Firmware engineer, motor & battery

    Own the battery management and motor control firmware with Jory, from cold-weather charging to ride logging.

    Where
    Duluth or remote (Central time)
    Pay
    $128,000–$152,000
    Apply

  • EngineeringFull-time

    Mechanical design engineer

    Design accessories and the next frame revision in CAD, then take them through prototype, fatigue testing and production.

    Where
    Duluth shop
    Pay
    $105,000–$126,000
    Apply

  • EngineeringSeasonal, December–March

    Winter test rider

    Ride prototypes on a fixed route every morning, log what you feel and keep the data loggers charged. You must enjoy hills.

    Where
    Duluth
    Pay
    $24 an hour
    Apply

  • Owner careFull-time

    Delivery & fitting lead

    Deliver bikes around Duluth and Superior, fit them to their owners and run the first ride. Needs a driver’s license and patience.

    Where
    Duluth–Superior
    Pay
    $58,000–$66,000
    Apply

  • Owner carePart-time, 24 hours

    Owner support specialist

    Answer owners by phone and email, troubleshoot with photos and video, and turn what you hear into fixes with the shop.

    Where
    Remote (US)
    Pay
    $25 an hour
    Apply