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Handsome Bicycles Moving Assembly to Minneapolis, MN Starting with the Fredward Complete

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To make things cheap, it’s often assumed that they must be produced over seas.  Handsome Bicycles isn’t down with that.  Since their beginnings, they knew they wanted to move production and assembly back to the US eventually.  That first step is now taking place.  Handsome has found a way to assemble their Fredward frames back at HQ in Minneapolis, using local mechanics, and still keep the price shy of $800 by a nickel.  A very limited number will be produced for this first run, so if you want one, pre-order it now through your favorite shop or the Handsome website.  While Handsome isn’t the first to accomplish this step, they are the first to do so and still keep the price down.  Good on them.  For full details, hit the jump for the press release.

Press Release

Handsome Cycles announces a new way of providing complete bikes to its dealers.  On a very limited basis, Handsome will completely assemble and ship its Fredward Complete from our headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, MN.  Handsome’s COO, Jesse Erickson says, “We feel it is in everyone’s best interest to divert some of the added value of complete bicycles back to the United States.  So, we figured out a way to spec and build all of our new Fredward Complete bikes here in the US and still retail them just under $800.”  This is a great first step to bringing the entire process back home.  He continues, “We are striving to bring more of the value chain to the U.S. The frame is precision fabricated at our Taiwanese factory and the parts and components are sourced with quality, aesthetics and cost as the driving considerations.” Everything is quality checked, assembled, and test ridden by our crack mechanics before being slightly disassembled and boxed for its journey to our dealers. However, although Handsome isn’t the first quality bike manufacturer to move their assembly back to the U.S., they are certainly the most affordable.

The Fredward Complete

The Fredward is a quick and nimble city commuter single speed with a slightly relaxed geometry, a city sweep back bar, sealed bearing flip-flop hubs and our Mud Butler fenders stock on every bike. The frameset is our standard high quality double butted 4130 main triangle and 4130 crowned fork and rear triangle.  See the full complete build specs.

handsome-cycles-fredward-complete-bicycle-red

Versatility and Add-ons Galore

The Fredward Complete is available in 3 sizes (52cm, 55cm, 58cm) and 2 colors (Stovepipe – (shown at top) and REDRUM – (shown above)). As with most of Handsome bikes, it comes decal free with an extensive decal packet included. The frame has clearance for 700 x 40 tires without fenders and 700 x 35 with fenders (700 x 32 stock on the complete). What sets the Fredward apart from most single speeds on the market is its ability to morph into other styles of bikes. The frameset is set to take 3 speed internal rear wheels with it’s downtube and chainstay cable guides for the shift cable. Internally geared or single speed coaster brakes are welcome also with its built-in coaster brake tab. For those not running canti or linear pull brakes, the brake bosses are removable. It also has front and rear rack mounting capabilities for those wishing to carry heavy cargo.

Availability and Pricing

This first run of the Minneapolis built Fredward is available only as long as supplies last and is very limited indeed.  We are only making 60 of these on the first run. Customers are encouraged to pre-order this bike through their favorite Handsome dealer or on handsomecycles.com right away. The Fredwards are expected to ship starting March 15th, 2014 with most Authorized Handsome dealers getting only 6 or less.  MSRP: $799.95

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mudrock
mudrock
10 years ago

To fix a rear flat you would have to loosen the rear fender stays to slide out the wheel. What a pain. But good for these guys bringing production to the US. Hope they do well.

nathan
nathan
10 years ago

Seriously? Assembled in the us? It’s made in Taiwan. Any bike purchased at a LBS has a mechanic run the cables and check everything. So… This is exactly like any other bike? Great!

Hmmm
Hmmm
10 years ago

NOT the most affordable. Check out Detroit Bikes…made in the USA too! Imported from Detroit! I do like the look of the Handsome though…would be sick if they could keep that look/price and be made in the USA.

gravity
gravity
10 years ago

This is seriously insulting to our intelligence, and I actually like the Handsome brand.

mudrock
mudrock
10 years ago

Wow, Detroit bikes are a deal. $550 (700 next year) for a made-in-Detroit commuter, with a Nexus 3-sp hub.

RacePaceBicycles
10 years ago

We are a Handsome dealer and couldn’t be happier with the product, brand and our relationship with the brand. Assembling is a ton more than what a tech at the shop does to get bikes ready for the sales floor…pressing headsets, installing BBs, installing tubes/tires/cabling the bicycle, approximate adjustments….its a good amount of work and we applaud Jesse for stepping up and starting the brand’s move towards more US work in general. We’ve got a load of these on order and are excited to offer them to our customers and tell the Handsome story.

ah
ah
10 years ago

What kind of bike co has a whole tab about the decals but doesn’t tell you what the frame is made of or the geometry or the parts list etc?

Handsome Cycles
10 years ago

We would never try to hide the details about our frames or bikes. The information is there on the product page (https://handsomecycles.com/product/fredward-complete-bicycle) but can be difficult to find and we are working on fixing that. See the geometry specs here: https://handsomecycles.com/content/sizing_chart/fredward-complete-bicycle
See the build specs here: https://handsomecycles.com/_assets/_bikes/FREDWARD_COMPLETE_STOCK_BUILD.pdf
The build specs link is also above in this post by BR. If you have any other questions or would like further information, please contact us at info@handsomecycles.com.

MB
MB
10 years ago

@ah – you didn’t look very hard – hidden in plain sight. second tab shows what frame is made of and has a link to frame sizing/geometry.

discodave
discodave
10 years ago

You put out a press release that for this? Lame.

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
10 years ago

@discodave: Uhm, Handsome Cycles put out the press release. Bike Rumor reported as they do with the press releases from other companies.

David Lewis
10 years ago

Red, White & Blue-washing. I assembled my IKEA furniture, but I know where it came from.

ah
ah
10 years ago

Still can’t see it guys. Found the geometry and parts list but not what the game and fork are made of…

ah
ah
10 years ago

@MB and Handsome cycles… Found the geometry and parts list but nothing on frame or fork materials…

Handsome Cycles
10 years ago

It is also right there in the post under The Fredward Complete section: “The frameset is our standard high quality double butted 4130 main triangle and 4130 crowned fork and rear triangle.”

Handsome Cycles
10 years ago

Hi David, Please think of it a little more like this: Apple produces all of the parts for their devices overseas but the parts need to be put together to provide the finished product. A very large percent of the time, Apple pays labor to overseas employees to do that assembly. And even with the entire product being produced and assembled overseas, they are not providing even close to the most affordable product in their category. Would you not agree that if Apple were able to instead, bring those parts over to the US and pay US workers to assemble their iPhones and iPads while keeping their goods at the same price, that would be a good thing for the US labor force and in the end, the US economy in general? We are not saying we have found a way to shift the entire supply chain of our bikes here to the US, but we have shifted the assembly component of the process on this bicycle, and that is a great first step.

Joel
Joel
3 years ago

I was searching for a 700c rim with a 3-speed hub and ran across the Handsome website. On a whim, I searched eBay for this bike company. Found a Redrum Fredward like the one above that was available for local pickup. My bike has an optional dynamo hub. The gearing on this bike is enjoyable for riding around town. The middle one-to-one gear with an 18 tooth rear cog and a 42 tooth chainring has the same gearing that I use on my single speed. Unlike my single speed bike , this bike also has under and overdrive gears to negotiate hills. Three gears aren’t going to give you the efficiency of a road bike. Still, a three speed hub is a compromise between simplicity and efficiency. Shifting is precise. Downshifting while at a stop keeps down fatigue where there is a lot of stop and go. While the stock saddle worked fine, I’ve replaced it with a Brooks,B-17 to see if I like that setup better. The short rails on the B-17 don’t seem to be an issue. Once broken in, the Brooks saddle will be an improvement. I have a final note about the size of the bike. I normally ride a 56-57 cm frame and thought that the Fredward’s 55cm frame might be a little small. This isn’t the case. The stand over height is fairly tall. So, I don’t think the 58cm frame would fit me. Also, I have short arms, so I opted for a shorter and more raised stem.

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