Figuring out what paint to put on a bike is always a nerve-racking endeavor. It's one thing to see it on a postage stamp sample or on a computer screen rendering, but to see it in person.....phew.... it's truly a different sensation. The metallics, the pearls, and depth - these are things that I love to see. We work hard to chose paint colors that will stand the test of time. When someone looks at them in another 20 years, they'll see the scrapes and scars of use, but it will still shine up nicely and be a wonderful thing to look at. And with the new frames having arrived (and LIVE!), I thought it would be a fun and good time to give you a rundown into what we've selected!

Low Kicker - Red Velvet

While the spirit of the Low Kicker remains, we edited the fit a bit to accommodate the requests from customers and riders over the years we've had it. Namely, dropping the seat tube so that more riders can fit on it. So we've done just that. The overall length of the bike and the front end largely remains the same.

This is something I'm really excited about. I've always been a huge proponent for high-quality step through bikes for everyone - even from my humble beginnings riding a Miyata 310 I outfitted with Suntour Cyclone. Step-thrus and mixtes ride really well and have the added benefit of being able to make a transition from comfortable daily commuter to weekend tourer with only some luggage changes. They just make sense.

This color was chosen literally when walking out of the hardware store and seeing a certain SUV in the parking lot. The vehicle was nothing to write home about, but the paint was amazing. So imagine me in the parking lot flipping through the pantone book trying to find that just right shade - I'm sure it was a sight. 

We also added bottle bosses on top of the top tube for additional hydration or cargo capacity. If you choose to put a bottle cage on there, might I recommend a side-loader like our Crescent or Gibbous so the bottle doesn't hit the steerer tube when you take em in or out.

Chessie - Shoreline Sand

When we originally designed Chessie, the goal was to create a highly versatile, adaptable multi-surface bike. Something that would be suitable for a spirited gravel ride and loaded up for a bikepacking tour.

And since its release we’ve gathered excellent feedback from riders and implemented some modest updates that expands Chessie use and ease of living.

First up is the new paint! Shoreline Sand - we are on the Beast Coast btw. This is a utilitarian, desaturated tone engineered to look sharp regardless of your build spec. It pairs exceptionally well with both high-polished silver components for a modern-classic look, or blacked-out anodized components for a more aggressive, contemporary build. It's gorgeous. Our friend Martin has been thrashing his Chessie builds since the beginning and he loves it. It's his daily commuter and weekend tourer. 

And here is my build. I took some cues from Martin, but I am far less flexible than he is, haha. The new Ultradynamico 2.1" tires with micro knobs feel perfect for this bike.

While the core geometry, tubing profiles, and ride characteristics remain identical to the original version, we’ve made three key functional modifications:

Under-Downtube Bottle Mount: We’ve integrated a third set of bottle bosses on the underside of the downtube. Not only does this allow you to carry even more water, it means that if you're using a full frame bag, you have somewhere to mount an actual bottle.

Monostay Rack Mount: To expand utility and cargo-carrying capabilities, we’ve added a dedicated rear rack mount directly to the monostay. While simple, it allows a hard point of rack attachment.

Upgraded Cable Management: We have moved away from the previous clamshell style guides in favor of polished, bolt-on aluminum cable clips along the downtube. These provide more secure housing retention, eliminate slip, and offer a much cleaner, low-profile aesthetic that simplifies routing maintenance. Note that the bottle cage mounts double as a cable clip point, complete with a standoff so your housing doesn't get pinched.

Polyvalent - Hedgerow Green

The Polyvalent is our quintessential jack-of-all-trades bike. It lives in that perfect venn diagram of commuter, tourer, weekend gravel crusher, and/or dressed up retro-modern whip.

While functionally the frameset doesn't get any changes, the paint is fresh. This bike wears green so well and it pairs nicely with silver and black components without a hiccup. Blue Lug in Japan got a whole whack of frames before we got ours, so they've already built up a few.

Rando - Bonfire Fade and Night Sky

With its classic lines and think tubes, I think Rando is one of those bikes that can pull off playful colors really well. This red->yellow Bonfire Fade is gorgeous and a real head turner on the road. 

If you wanted something a bit more subdued but still interesting, Night Sky is what you're after. It is a dark grey with layers and layers of metallic flakes, just like when you look up at the sky when you're away from light pollution.

Rando also gets some nice, meaningful additions per your feedback. First up is a rear rack mount! Simple and effective so you can mount something in the back. There are some pretty trick lightweight rear racks I've seen that are popular with randonneurs like the Ortlieb Quickrack and Tubus Fly that use a single arm to mount to the seat stay.

We also added under downtube bottle mounts for added water or cargo capacity.

And lastly we changed the fork ends to feature eyelets on top so you can easily mount a variety of front racks including our Porteur, There and Back, or Constructeur. 

There you have it! Like Neutrino, we have some plans to offer completes using mostly Microshift MX and flat bars, but if you're looking for something more special or just different, feel free to reach out! We can make most things happen :)

And be sure to check out our Bike Build Ideas page to plan out your own build!

Thank you to Blue Lug for these photos! They got a big shipment of frames before us, and they've already built up a whole bunch of them.