Why Basic?

As we prepare for our online launch on April 16th, I wanted to take a moment to provide some context around the creation, inspiration, and design of our road frame. You may recognize some of the inspiration builds I’ve included here, which I hope will deepen your understanding of our unofficial motto: “Nothing fancy, nothing new, a basic bike for me and you.”

Initial Mood Board For Styling, Build Outs and Brands I admire

I help host a group ride every Saturday here in Tacoma, and through many of my discussions on this ride, I came to see that others, like me, weren’t necessarily finding the bikes they were looking for when shopping around. Where’s the bike that both my wife and I can ride together though we are different in our levels of riding experience but similar in our tastes? We were not looking for something that is passed down race tech, or the Bat-mobile of bikes. Instead desiring something simple which remains consistent for the next decade, that is not chasing the next trend parts manufactures are pushing into the industry. There’s certainly nothing wrong with modern road bikes, many are amazing feats of engineering and technology, but they do not speak to me and my passions when it comes to cycling.

I want bikes to be beautiful and timeless, with a touch of modern features, but as simple as possible when it comes to parts and servicing.  For Basic, this means standard threaded bottom bracket, 1-1/8” headset, 27.2mm seat post, mechanical cable stops and even a 132.5mm hub spacing allowing use of classic mtb, road or cx hubs. My hope is people will build their bikes with a mix of new and used parts that are still awesome, and still function great. The one piece that would be unique is mid-reach brakes, but I’ve since found extended reach brake pad holders which allow for even standard reach brakes to potentially work. I wanted to produce the frames from tubing that I had personal experience with, through a builder that I could visit in person, which is why the frames are built in the USA of oversized Columbus Life front triangles and chain stays and Columbus Zona seat stays. Making for a light, stiff in all the right places, ride quality.

FINAL BIKECAD DRAWING

This BikeCAD drawing for my size 55 is very similar to my final build. Geometry is typical 73*ish standard with slightly longer chain stays at 415mm accommodating bigger tires. Attention was given on sloped tubing angles for aesthetics and seat post exposure for flex.

In keeping with this simplicity, I reduced sizing to 49, 52, 55, and 58 (first batch doesn’t include any 61s, but we may be able to offer them soon!) I started with my size 55 specifications and referenced many geo charts in dialing in the other sizes. I feel that where we landed is a great spot to allow many riders a chance to fit the frames leveraging varied stem options to help dial in the reach and stack numbers to their optimum specs. I really wanted the Basic to work as well for a casual rider as it would for someone who wants an aggressive, aero positioned fit.

In the early inspiration phase, I collected images of bikes that excited me visually. Most prominently featured are Speedvagen’s rim brake road bikes from years past. Speedvagen has always been one of the most iconic brands—beneath the wild paint, what always drew me in was the way their bikes sat. The angles, the race orientation, the classic lines.

I knew for sure, that I wanted to take advantage of mid-reach brakes to fit larger-than-standard road tires. The comfort from a 32–35c tire is noticeable—especially compared to a typical 25–28c classic road tire. It also allows for more exploration while riding with less worry. While chatting with Kyle Kelley of Allez LA and Tracko about this idea, he reminded me of the All-City Mr. Pink—the bike that led to the creation of the Whisky RD+ fork, which we’re using on our first batch of frames. All-City has long been a brand I admired for their unique approach to bike offerings, often bucking the industry trends to create what they wanted to ride.

This passion and inspiration led to the creation of our first prototype—a bike I’ll have ridden over 1,700 miles on both paved and dirt roads by the time this post goes live. The brand was born from the excitement and joy I felt riding this bike—feelings I hope you’ll experience every time you swing your leg over your Basic and head out for a ride.

Whether it’s a quick trip down the street for coffee or an all-day adventure that pushes your limits, the Basic Road Frame & Fork is built to look great and ride just as good.

(Photos above by Adam Katz Sinding, Kyle Kelley, Speedvagen, Sim Works, Escape Coll., Bob Hoff, and Noah Haxel.)