This may sound like blasphemy to some, but not everyone enjoys geeking out over their bike or getting their hands dirty.
For a first-time commuter, finding the perfect bicycle can be a daunting task. You probably don’t care about gear ratio or hydraulic disc brakes. You just want something that will get you from A to B without letting you down. That means no punctures and no slipped chains that leave your work clothes covered in grease.
That was the thinking behind Urbanized, a new range of city bikes that are being billed as maintenance-free, weatherproof and portable.
Low-maintenance
The Urbanized bike comes equipped with Tannus airless tires, which are 100 percent puncture-proof. This means no stopping to fix a flat, which will be music to many people’s ears.
The Gates carbon belt drive eliminates the need for lubricant, which means no rust and no mess for your clothing. Instead you have a strong transmission system that is simple, clean and needs no fine-tuning.
The inclusion of a Shimano Nexus 7-speed internal hub provides a reasonable number of gears that’ll get you around most cities, and its concealed gears are unaffected by mud and dust. The lack of a derailleur means there’s one less fragile component to look after too.
Shimano roller brakes provide weatherproof stopping power without the need to replace worn brake pads. This is fine for most city cycling, though perhaps not if you’re facing long, steep descents on your commute.
We’d say it’s more ‘DIY maintenance-free’, since it still needs to be serviced every year, but it certainly limits the amount of time you’d spend tweaking it between services.
Finer details
There are several areas where it’s clear that Urbanized is doing everything it can to meet most commuters’ needs.
It's done its best to keep the bike as portable as possible, using aluminium for the frame and fork, and including cut-outs in the deep-set double wall rims. The frame also features an integrated handle to help with lifting and a stabiliser which holds the front wheel straight while the bike is being carried.
These bikes aren’t mass-produced and it shows. From the smoothed welds to the hand-stitched grips, you can see a lot of love has gone into the design and manufacturing of these rather unique bikes.
Buying options
You can buy Urbanized bikes in a variety of colour options direct. Currently, only two models are available: a Gents’ Bike and a Ladies’ Bike, which has a staggered top tube.
Our only quibble with this is that the Ladies’ version comes with a ‘one size fits all’ label (50cm frame), which isn’t representative of all women cyclists.
Perhaps the Gents’ bike would serve better as a unisex model because it comes in two sizes, catering for riders from 160–195cm tall.
The Urbanized bike retails for £1,494 / $1,962 / €1,699 / AU$2,753 and is available now.
