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Asylum Cycles returns! With crowd-funded, disc-specific carbon cross frame and bikes

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quick press release correction:  Delivery date updated to October.

Perhaps ahead of their time, Asylum Cycles was one of the companies that partnered with Titus cycles to produce one of the first full suspension 29ers- the OCD.  Sold by mail order retailer Speedgoat, the brand eventually went into hibernation.  Several years later, and now located in Portland, OR, Asylum are back- with founder Chris Currie at the helm.  The first product out of the gate (and over the barriers) is the Meuse ‘cross bike.  The 1,100g hi- modulus carbon fiber frame is disc-specific and comes with a 540g disc-specific fork.  A PF30 bottom bracket allows for single speed builds and a Rogue Brewery version is also available.

This time around, Asylum is partnering with crowdfunding site Crowd Supply, which will allow customers to support the project while getting unreal pricing on the Meuse frame or one of two complete builds.  As followers of Currie’s Cannootervalve blog will know, there is a full suspension design in the works, so mountain bikers should keep an eye on the project as well.  In the meantime jump the barrier to check out the Meuse’s details.

PORTLAND, Ore.—March 20, 2013—Asylum Cycles is announcing the crowdfunding and product launch of the Meuse, a  race-­ready, full-­carbon cyclocross bike designed for the most demanding riders. With a Belgian river as its namesake, the Meuse pays homage to the early European origins of cyclocross. Built around the added capabilities of disc brakes, as well as a tapered head tube and PF30 bottom bracket, the Meuse is the ultimate bike for cyclocross racing and riders looking for a bike with go-­anywhere capabilities. The Meuse is being launched on Crowd Supply, the first crowdfunding site to support the management of pre-­orders, fulfillment and e-­commerce for new products.

“We know that there are a lot of carbon fiber bikes on the market today, but none put it all together for cyclocross at a reasonable price the way the Meuse does,” said Asylum Cycles co-­founder Chris Currie. “The most performance sensitive cyclists expect a special ride quality from their bike that only happens when obsessive bike geeks design the end product. We’re building our bikes for the most demanding of riders. We think of them as our design partners, not just our customers.”

The Asylum Cycles Meuse features elements that are optimized for speed, durability and portability, including:

  • Lightweight, high-­modulus carbon frame with reinforced dropouts (1120g for the 54cm)
  • Molded-­in chainstay disc brake mount for a stiff and strong rear triangle
  • Oversized bottom bracket shell with PF30 system for increased stiffness and power­ transfer
  • Tapered 1-­1/8” to 1.5” head tube for steering precision
  • Full-­carbon, Columbus fork with tapered steerer
  • Vibration damping Flat bottom seatstay design for a smoother ride
  • Massive Powerflow downtube and oversized chainstays resist flex
  • Replaceable threaded disc mount inserts and a replaceable derailleur hanger
  • Internal shift-­cable routing
  • External brake cable routing for hydraulic lines
  • Exceptional mud clearance
  • Simple and lightweight integrated headset
  • Crash replacement policy and 3-­year warranty against defects in manufacturing

Asylum Cycles is using Crowd Supply to provide a more collaborative approach to the introduction of new bikes, involving racers, cycling enthusiasts and other potential customers in the design process from the very beginning. Using input from those riders and racers, Asylum Cycles has refined and tested prototypes of the Meuse. “Now that the Meuse is ready for release to production, Asylum is seeking backers to aggregate a large order so it can deliver its first bikes at the lowest possible prices. Our mission is to welcome customers into the design process to help us create the best bikes at the best prices,” said Currie. “Crowd Supply is the perfect partner to create long-­term relationships with the people riding our bikes.”

“The Meuse will undergo its full evolution on Crowd Supply, from launch to the acceptance of pre-­orders to the sale of finished bikes,” said Lou Doctor, co-­founder and CEO of Crowd Supply. “On other sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the crowdfunding campaign would have been a one-­time event, but companies like Asylum Cycles are now using our platform as the foundation for a long-­term relationship with their customers. We believe that Crowd Supply’s complete support system is the future of crowdfunding and innovation.”

The Meuse will be available on Crowd Supply in several forms including a frame and fork only, a race-­ready single speed, and a SRAM-­equipped geared version. A Rogue Team limited-­edition build is also an option. Production deliveries start in September October 2013.

For more on Asylum Cycles, visit: www.AsylumCycles.com

To learn more about Crowd Supply, visit: www.CrowdSupply.com

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14 Comments
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Hungry4Shht
Hungry4Shht
11 years ago

How do you crowd fund an open mold design?

1Pro
1Pro
11 years ago

the crowd fund is for the minimum order 😉

another under capitalized wanna be bike company….

Ajax
Ajax
11 years ago

Too bad. It needs to have 135 mm rear spacing or even 142. Oh well. Next.

LMStuff
LMStuff
11 years ago

Wow this looks exactly like the 2013 Specialized Secteur Sport I purchased last December. I love my Secteur Sport. It’s my first Road bike. I said I would never buy a road bike until they had disc brakes and the Secteur sealed the deal for me and the $1200 price tag wasn’t that bad to digest. Been riding mountain bikes for 24+ years now mostly off road but on road too when I had to. My GF/partner is a triathlete and she primarily rides on the road. Now I can keep up with her and pass her on the pavement. Rides well on lite smooth trails too. Need to get another set of cyclecross nobbie tires and rims for it.

Its great to see other companies entering the arena on these hybrid cyclecross / disc brake bikes.

LMStuff
LMStuff
11 years ago

here is the link to the Secteur Sport: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/secteur

Bob Nunnink
11 years ago

There are lots of random question marks in the article can you fix that please.

sooshee
sooshee
11 years ago
Chris
11 years ago

We’re definitely a super small company, but just wanted to clarify the bikes will indeed have 135mm rear axle spacing. Wheel selection is still a little tricky with a 142mm, but we’re hoping that situation improves in the future. This is actually a pretty new design, and molds don’t exist right now for the sizes we need on these. We’re hoping to cover expenses to have those molds made.

LMStuff
LMStuff
11 years ago

Inner cable routing is the way to go, I really want to have it on my next MTB but quality/performance first looks 2nd in my book ! That aliexpress Chinese frame looks sweet sooshee. Not sure of the China built quality, I wouldn’t buy it unless I knew they had stringent R&D and it was tested by a reputable 3rd party / reviewer.

bin judgin
bin judgin
11 years ago

CHRIS!!!

FIRE IT UP!

I CANT F^CKING BELIEVE A SPECIALIZED WOULD BE CHEAPER. WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT ORDERING 1 MILLION FRAMES A YEAR WOULD GIVE YOU A COST BENEFIT?

Anyways, looking forward to the full boinger!! Everyone that replies on this site (and every other one, remember the vivid article a week ago?) is a %^* jack%^& [edited].

Ant Breen
Ant Breen
11 years ago

Got one of those frames from AliExpress a few weeks back, poorly packed it was dropped in transit & dinged upper headset cup & a tiny fracture radially in the headtube. Very light & appears well made. LBS did a geo check on it & it was pretty spot on. Still to ride it as was in dispute with Focus Carbon over a refund & I’m only just completing build…

Hammerhead Bicycles
11 years ago

@Chris….great to see Asylum back….excited for y’all….

mike fennell
mike fennell
11 years ago

I temporarily took my Asylum OCD off the trail just 2 weeks agoafter 6 years of service. It was built by Titus with geometry input from Chris. I love my new sworks stump jumper but the OCD will be back once a certain cheapass (me) collects enough parts.

Long winded point being: I think Chris has a good sense for bike design and experience tells me he’ll put together a quality product.

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