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“Custom” is such an enticing way to describe bicycles these days, to the point that what defines “custom” is becoming watered down. Call me a curmudgeon purist, but I always associated “custom” bikes with handcrafted frames not only painted to your individual aesthetic tastes, but also built with measurements spec’ed out solely to your body. I thought a bike built around your biology is what REALLY defined a custom bike.
Enter companies like Villy Customs, who sell you bikes, cruisers to be specific, that are built to your liking by choosing color options on nearly every paintable piece of their bikes. Through a process on their website you are able to pick frame styles, racks, fenders and a couple other options, then also able to pick the colors as well. To the right of your selections you can see your selections by price adding up to a total purchase. Admittedly, there is certainly an element of customization to this process, but I can’t help but feel this paints a grey area between stock and custom. Again, I’m probably just being a self-righteous purist, but I do so in defense of my frame-building buddies.
Let’s be fair though. These are bikes for riders more likely to purchase Dwell magazine than the Rivendell reader.
So, if cruisers are your thing and you’re dying to have every piece of your bike a different color, or the same for that matter, then you have a fun way of designing such a monstrosity through Villy Customs.
Ditto for other faux-custom bike brands such as Republic Bikes (owned by Urban Outfitters), State Bicycle Co. (an Urban Velo advertiser), Big Shot (another Urban Velo advertiser) and others…
I, too, choose Rivendell Reader over Dwell. Yet we must also be careful not to become elitists. In a country where bikes have less than 3% mode share, the main goal (for now) is to get people on bikes — even if that means getting them on “monstrosities”.
fashion over function. Whatever, as long as you ride, I don’t care!
It lets the buyer customize his or her bike in ways they would never be able to pull off on their own. Throw on some skinny tires, a straight bar and it would be all the rage. Just saying.
I certainly don’t mean to villanize these sorts of companies, but rather just express my discomfort with selling “custom” bikes. I’d hate to see this somewhat manipulative form of appeal devalue the custom work of independent frame builders. With that said, I fully realize some of these “custom” companies advertise with Urban Velo and I certainly don’t think they are harming bike culture or scaring away people from riding. The more the merrier. I just thought it pertinent to draw the “custom” line a little more pronounced.
P.S. – I choose Dwell over Rivendell reader (but that’s probably because I just bought a house and don’t need a new bike).
i think the real difference is the choice of how we use the words.
custom is simply, not stock. so lots of people ‘customize’ their bicycles even building up from a stock frame. however, what you are calling custom is more a ‘handbuilt custom’ or a ‘sized custom’. i think the world has lots of room for all sorts of different ‘custom’ bikes. i agree with jorge that we mustn’t become elists just because what some refer to as custom isn’t what someone else refers to.
Other scott:
I figure anyone that has the money and knowledge of bikes to order a custom spec’d frame from an independent fabricator will know what the difference is. Not to devalidate the point of stating that a frame builder deserves the title of custom much more. It’s just that the people buying a colorful cruiser for $500 aren’t the target market for a builder that would charge way more for the product. The one’s who want body specific geometry and all the bells and whistles know better.
Biking should be fun, not a contest to see whose way of doing it is “better.” Get a bike, ride it, and don’t worry about how other people do it.
This is off the peg with custom colors
When I think “custom” i think bespoke, not customizable.
Oh well, tasteless beach cruisers that won’t get ridden are somehow less depressing than tasteless “fixies” that won’t be ridden.
In the guitar world, there’s a company called Carvin that lets musicians “build” their own guitar off of a list of components. Whenever I see one of these “custom” bicycle companies that’s what I picture. Instead I get a chance to decide the color of my handlebar grips.
I know Rivendell has this option, but ~$3k for a bicycle is out of my reach. I await the $1000 build-a-bike.
I can understand the anger about calling them custom. But i am happy to see anyone on any kind of bike. Dont be a snob
Language is important. “Custom” vs. “Hand Built.” Kind of like folks on the internet using the word “community” all the time. A group of anonymous typists on a forum does not make a “community.”
I have visited Villy Customs in person. If you saw these cool cruisers, I bet you wouldn’t judge on their use of “custom.” You would just want to take a cruise on one.