A big batch of frames has arrived from WILDE, and since they're all new models we've been eagerly waiting for, we'll introduce them one by one.
Moto-Cruiser
“A bike that's just plain fun.”
Built with that idea in mind, the Moto-Cruiser takes inspiration from the classic 26-inch rim-brake MTBs Jeff himself loves, and is his own reinterpretation of something that's slowly being lost today.
Cruising around town, ripping through your local singletrack, or diving without a second thought onto a dirt road shortcut: it's a bike with that kind of freedom. Whether you're just cruising or doing anything else, its defining feature is a simplicity that works for any use.
Jeff's best friend and WILDE rider Kenny said, “Riding this bike makes me feel like I have to get home in time for dinner.”
It gives you that excitement you felt as a kid when you first got a bike and your world started to grow, and it's the kind of bike you get so absorbed in riding that you lose track of time. That's the best way to describe the Moto-Cruiser.
Last summer, when we visited Minneapolis after MADE, Jeff had actually just built up a sample frame that had only just arrived, and watching him immediately jumping and hopping around to get a feel for it, he looked exactly like a kid again.
It's designed to be as easy as possible to build, reusing parts you already have, like 26-inch quick-release hubs, and it can be built single speed of course, or geared.
Jeff loves the concept of giving old parts a new role, and he designed the Moto Cruiser with maximum compatibility and customizability in mind.
26-inch, in this day and age, and rim brakes at that.
To the world at large, these may be standards that are being forgotten, but in a sense, what Jeff put into this model feels like the same thing that made us want to create the RAL / Exposure.
“I've dreamed of this bike for a long time. It's an homage to so many of my influences.” So says Jeff.
The so-called Klunkers ridden by the MTB pioneers, the unmatched cool of the COOK BROTHERS BIKES cruisers, and SURLY's classic 1×1, which he has used as his main city bike for more than 10 years. It was a project that welled up from deep inside him, shaped by all those influences.
A loop-tail style rear end, clearance for fat tires, a classic silhouette, horizontal dropouts that can also take a rear derailleur, plus the freedom to choose from decades' worth of used parts. On top of that, stealth dropper routing and progressive geometry that brings out as much playfulness as possible: it's his take on bringing this kind of bike into the present.
By the way, the name “Moto Cruiser” is an homage to Sweetheart Cycles (later Yeti Cycles), which made a “Moto Cruiser” model from the early to mid-1980s.
“We know your desire to own this bike may be completely unreasonable, but at the same time, it's also completely genuine. We feel the same way.”
As he says, there's something about the classic ”3-bar” frame, with an extra tube between the top tube and down tube, the loop tail, and the 26-inch + rim brake details that draws people in, and maybe that appeal is simply impossible to resist.
WILDE BICYCLE Moto-Cruiser Frame Set
Color : Purple Pizazz
Size : Small, Medium
Price: ¥157,300 (tax included)
By the way, the original Moto-Cruiser Bar that comes with the frame set is also sold separately.
WILDE BICYCLE Moto-Cruiser Bar
Chrome : ¥23,100 (tax included)
Black : ¥19,800 (tax included)
Spelljammer
The rim-brake modern randonneur, the Spelljammer, has arrived as well.
To sum it up in a phrase, it's “a fillet-finished, rim-brake modern randonneur.” But in Taiwan, only one person is able to make fillet-finished frames in production, so this is a one-time-only run. That alone makes it a special frame.
This frame only became reality thanks to Jeff's attention to detail and his passion to get it made somehow. For those details, please do read the blog post we put up before.
This is Jeff's own reinterpretation of the randonneur bike. At its core it's “a bike for long-distance rides,” carrying enough equipment to support riding in all weather, and aiming to cover distance efficiently over all kinds of road conditions.
In a way it's a bike that goes against the times, but for the right person, it will absolutely hit the mark.
WILDE BICYCLE Spelljammer Rim Brake Randonneur Frame Set
Color : Oxbood
Size : Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
Price: ¥312,400 (tax included)
Back when we carried ALL CITY, I often compared SURLY and ALL CITY. Comparing bikes in similar categories, SURLY had the edge in terms of sheer versatility, but ALL CITY frames were full of attention to detail and originality that SURLY didn't have. I feel the same kind of thing in the Moto-Cruiser and Spelljammer.
Of course, both bikes can be enjoyed in plenty of ways, but rather than trying to make them do everything, they strongly reflect Jeff's idea of “how it should be.” So, as I said earlier, for the right person, I think they'll hit the mark dead center.
More to come…
Actually, besides these two models, something amazing has also arrived at Circles Tailored... but that's for another time.
Our video visiting Jeff's home is up 🎥
We've also put the video of our visit to Jeff's home, filmed when we visited them last summer, up on YouTube.
Personally, I'd visited once before back in his ALL CITY days and was blown away, so this was my second visit. A huge thanks to Jeff for so kindly agreeing to let us film.
Along with prototypes from the ALL CITY era and legendary bikes that would amaze even hardcore fans, there were countless bikes reflecting his background. It was an incredible space, practically museum-level.
He's the face of the WILDE brand, but you can really tell he's a bike lover through and through.
He also talks about his feelings for bikes and the origin of the WILDE brand, so be sure to check it out.
