BikeNüt: the brand

Any marketing expert will tell you that a brand consists of much more than a logo or a website. A company’s brand has a lot more to do with its fundamental nature—the beliefs, habits, and goals of its people—than its surface. But the success, or not, of a company depends in large part on the emotions it evokes from its customers. Are its customers loyal to it? Is their experience with their product memorable?

What are the BikeNüt values, what is it that makes it a valuable and unique service provider for cyclists? What is it that resonates with its customers and makes them return over and over for bikes, bike components, maintenance, or simply for a chat?

During one of my early visits, when I was just falling in love with bikes but knew little about them, Kevin, without even knowing whether I would become a customer or not, gave me an hour of his time to begin my education about carbon frames. He explained to me the technological state of the art; he compared different manufacturers and their products; and he described what components were available and, perhaps more importantly, advisable. 

I left with lots of excitement about bikes. I did my research, discovered a few things about bikes on my own, and confirmed that what Kevin had told me was accurate. Kevin had established a connection based on trust with a potential customer. When I could contain myself no longer, I returned to BikeNüt to make my purchase. Where else would I go?

This openness and willingness to select what is right for customers rather than steering them to the most expensive products, is at the core of the BikeNüt brand. They only sell what they believe in. I can see it in their eyes: there is none of the usual detachment, the slightly glazed look that announces that they are just doing their job, the protective distance that establishes that they are employees and you are a civilian. I hear them enthusiastically describing a bike frame or a piece of equipment. I also listen to them talking to other customers, describing options available for their bikes, based on their connections with manufacturers, options that are usually not available to the public. They are eager to experiment, and finding like minded customers makes their day. These are emotions that cannot be faked, and certainly not day after day in the shop.

This is one of the first Umlauts. It comes in all kinds of configurations,
from the handlebar to the wheels, and, of course, the saddle.

BikeNüt has developed its brand in a new, exciting direction, by producing the Umlaut, their first bike. The name, of course, comes from the umlaut in the BikeNüt name. This is actually a carbon-fiber frame that can be completely customized. There is no set package of components to go with it. Pretty much everything, from the frame color to the wheels, can be decided by the customer. Every bike that comes out of BikeNüt is a special build.

We know that all top brands charge a premium because their name is on the bike frame or on the components. This is why their graphics are not very subtle, plastering the company’s logo all over the place. Perhaps I’m the only one thinking this, but I wish they did a better job.

Actually, not all frames are quite equal. Some, to remain nameless,
try to sell you a frame that has the appearance of a monocoque, when
in reality it is made of tubes glued together.
We can see the seat tube from the opening.

Do they have much reason for their premium price?

Ten years ago, a bicycle manufacturer could get a lot of mileage (pun intended) based on their superior carbon-fiber technology, how separate tubes could be lugged together to form a relatively rigid frame, how a carbon frame could be lighter than an aluminum frame. Monocoque frames, made of fewer parts, more durable and more efficient, eliminated all of these advantages. Technology advanced even more by orienting fiber to make bikes even stiffer in some areas and more forgiving and comfortable in other areas of the frame.

And now? Well, they’ve all caught on, offering more or less the same advantages.

This is the frame: simple, elegant, with a geometry that is almost traditional.
It is as light as a feather and stronger than steel.

The Umlaut is a monocoque frame, built in Asia with the latest technology. It is well made: try inserting your finger into the seat tube and feel the inner smoothness and the complete absence of loose fibers. The Umlaut is light and is extremely rigid in the right places. It has a fork made exactly of the same fibers as the frame, to maintain the same riding characteristics throughout the bike. 

This particular frame shows a threaded bottom bracket.

It comes with two types of bottom brackets, a threaded model and a BB 30. Thus, it can accommodate all of the gruppos available today, from a Shimano workhorse such as the 105 to the top of the line DuraAce, or SRAM Red, or whatever. The frame is worth of all the extras.

So, what makes the Umlaut different from the other top brands?

What about its value?

Based on the bottom line, there is virtually no competition: an Umlaut, equipped with a complete Shimano Ultegra package and Shimano wheels, can be purchased for $2,500 USD, about $1,000 USD less than the nearest competitor.

Based on the performance, BikeNüt has received terrific feedback: the bike is stiff, ready to accelerate, handles exceedingly well, and is comfortable to ride on long distances.

And based on the service? Well, the same customers keep coming back, to try new things, or to talk to the people at BikeNüt.

The BikeNüt road bike addendum

Have bicycles remained substantially the same since the early 1900s? Not even close. Their design has kept up with the use of new materials and changes in technology. Only ten years ago, steel bicycles were still common; now, they are on the endangered-species list. Frame geometry has evolved with a better understanding of biomechanics. The size of the frame’s components have changed: we have now tubes of varying sizes and shapes, corresponding to the increasing need for stiffness and efficiency. Since carbon fiber has become the material of choice, frames have changed as a result of improved manufacturing techniques—monocoque, instead of lug and tube assembly. On top of all that, bicycles follow fashion; we see different design trends, depending on the country of origin. European designs, especially in Italy, tend to be flashier and curvier that Asian ones. American designers continue along more classic lines.

And yet, at some fundamental level, when we think of bicycle forms we all conjure up an archetypal frame, some timeless design. For example, I’d like bikes—I’m just talking road bikes, here—to express the material of which they are made, rather than camouflaging it with decals. I understand that carbon-fiber frames are antithetical to sharply defined lines and crisp angles. Still, I like to see them clearly rather than morphing into a curvilinear mess that looks as if it were about to melt. Carbon fiber is charcoal grey, after all, and I prefer to keep everything that way, something understated that does not shout for attention. Needless to add, I wasn’t a fan of chrome moldings on cars, either. I prefer the same color not only on the frame but also on drivetrain components, brakes, and, naturally, handlebar tape. Finally, as a strict disciple of the form-follows-function cult, anything that does not add to the performance should go. For me, a timeless bicycle design is simple, its lines are essential, its proportions are pleasing, and each part illustrates its use and function. I shouldn’t tire of looking at it. But that’s just me. If you have a different opinion and would care to explain why, please let me know.

Which brings me to the BikeNüt bike. I already wrote about that earlier this month. The shop has already assigned several to customers, not one of them exactly alike. The one above is the very first that came out of the shop, as straightforward as it could be. That’s the way its proud new owner wanted it.

This is another bike prepared for another customer. As I wrote above, I prefer all one color, but I can take a sharp contrast, black and white. Everything seems to fall into place on this bike, from the saddle to the bottle cages. White spokes? Not so sure.

Could we call this design timeless? Perhaps, but it’s too soon to tell. 

The BikeNüt road bike

Occasionally a fellow cyclist will stop next to me at a red traffic light and ask me a question or two about my bike. It’s only natural, since there are no logos or decals on the frame. A couple of times in the past, after pondering about the naked carbon frame, a look of recognition appeared in their eyes: “BikeNüt, isn’t it?” They cared nothing for the brand but zeroed in on the attitude that was apparent from the way the bike was assembled, the care for the best and lightest equipment and accessories, and even the determination to pull all the stops to make it the best with what was available. It was clear to them that it was more than a bike, it was a manifesto.

Every bicycle that comes out of the shop represents the end result of a series of considerations, rather than a quick purchase off the racks. This series begins with an interest in the way bikes are designed and work, follows with an understanding of the objectives and design of the essential components, continues with constant research to keep up with the available technology, and even requires a certain amount of discipline, to remain focused on the goal and not be distracted by the ads and stream of new gear that appear on bicycle magazines.

That was what my bike said to those two fellow cyclists. But now, we’ve ratcheted up the attitude: we have our own BikeNüt bike. Feel free to ask around, it’s rather unusual for a bike shop to produce their own carbon-fiber frame.

The new BikeNüt monocoque frame comes out of the same manufacturing facility in Asia that produces bicycles for Specialized, Bianchi, Storck, and BH, among others. They know what they’re doing, but we have our own requirements. First among them is the quality of construction, such as top-notch materials and manufacturing technology: leaving aside the techno speak, if you insert a finger inside the tubes, you’ll feel their inner smoothness, without any stray fibers, witness to a careful layering and curing process.

Then there is the frame stiffness: every pedal turn counts and we don’t want to disperse any energy when the frame twists under a sudden load. But, with stiffness, we also want comfort. By now designers know how to build a stiff bike, beef up the bottom bracket, make the down tube massive, and design a head tube that will simply not bend. Often, however, the result is that every minuscule asperity on the road rattles the rider’s bones. We don’t like that. The seat stays in our frame are slender and graceful. In contrast with every other part of the frame, they are also compliant and absorb the shock of the bumps and crevices that populate our marvelous roads.

We wanted the frame to be stiff, but we wanted it also to be light. It is. Despite the size of the frame tubes, it is as light as all of the other extremely light race frames the peloton rides these days, such as the Team RaboBank Giant TRC Advanced SL we also carry in our shop.

To increase the lightness further without harm to the frame’s stiffness, the standard for the bottom bracket is the BB30, which allows a growing number of cranksets to be installed (as in the case of the SRAM Force pictured above) and a better fit between rider and bike.

The size of the head tube is 1 1/2 “.

This is all about the standard specs for this bike. All of the rest can be customized. This is not another iteration of “you can have it any color you want it as long as it is black.” You can literally have it any color or any finish you want it. Or, if your body dimensions require it to take advantage of every watt of power it can produce, you can even modify the frame’s geometry. Want a longer top tube? It can be done. Need another fork? Of course. Any other requirements? I’m sure we can meet them.

Do we really need another bike? Aren’t there enough manufacturers? Is this just the result of vanity? Yes, no, and definitely not. Most of the available bikes on the market, because of their size and goals can only offer a limited amount of options. If you manufacture bikes on an industrial scale, you can’t make everybody happy all of the time. It takes industrial manufacturers about three years to produce a new bike that takes advantage of the latest technology and responds to the changes in the market and new requirements by riders.

On the other hand, we don’t have such limitations: as far as we are concerned, the age of industrial standardization is over. We can pretty much tailor every new bike to a particular customer. In addition to that, we can offer a new bike at a surprising value. You won’t believe it.

 Just come by to the shop, and you’ll find out just how good a value. Just a finishing touch: you won't see the new frame, finished with a clear coat to show the integrity of the carbon-fiber weave, plastered with decals. But we couldn't resist showing off our new logo.