Handsome Cycles’ Red-Hot ARTCRANK Bike To Support World Bicycle Relief

At first, the idea was to make a custom bike. One of them, to be exact. But once Handsome Cycles and ARTCRANK got together, the idea grew into a smokin’ hot limited edition single speed bike that doubles as a fundraiser for WBR.

The bike in question started out as the 2013 Handsome Cycles Shop Bike--a coaster brake-equipped single speed bike built for, as the brand’s website puts it, “quick run to the bodega for beer and burritos” and “setting skid records on that fresh blacktop down the street.”

“I fell in love with the bike at Handsome’s launch party last summer in Minneapolis,” says ARTCRANK founder Charles Youel. “Five minutes after I walked in, I cornered Ben Morrison and started talking to him about putting one together for me.” Morrison and fellow Handsome Cycles co-founder Jesse Erickson were all over the idea, especially since Youel wanted the bike in a scorching shade of red instead of the standard army green that the Shop Bike would be produced in.

As Morrison puts it, “We wanted to make a custom bike for Charles in ARTCRANK red with the ARTCRANK logo, and that was it.” But as they sat down to spec out the bike, the results looked too good to make just one. Then, Morrison and Erickson had a better idea: Make a limited edition ARTCRANK Shop Bike in the signature red color, with a mission to raise money for World Bicycle Relief to help provide bicycles to students, healthcare workers, farmers and more in rural Africa.

Initially, they wondered how Youel would feel about sharing his formerly one-of-a-kind ride with the cycling public, even for such a great cause. But that turned out to be an easy sell. “ARTCRANK did a fundraiser with World Bicycle Relief at Interbike in 2012, and we’ve always been big fans of what they do,” says Youel. And the partnership was off and rolling.

Handsome Cycles will debut the limited edition ARTCRANK Shop Bike on its website on Friday, February 22, coinciding with ARTCRANK’s first show of the year in Austin, Texas. Some lucky bike industry folks and Minneapolis locals will get the first look at them the following night at Handsome’s annual Cutter’s Ball--held this year at the company’s new headquarters in the Minneapolis Warehouse District.

The ARTCRANK Shop Bike will be available for purchase exclusively through Handsome Cycles’ website. Complete bikes will sell for $949.95, and Handsome Cycles will make a donation in the name of the purchaser that will allow WBR to provide one of their Buffalo Bikes--designed for African conditions and terrain-- to a community in Africa. Framesets will sell for $479.95, and Handsome Cycles will make a donation in the name of the purchaser that will provide a local WBR mechanic with a toolkit to support his or her business in the field.

In rural African communities, these bikes provide access to transportation that allows people to seek out healthcare, an education and economic opportunity. To date, World Bicycle Relief has provided nearly 125,000 rugged bicycles engineered specifically for rural terrain and load requirements, as well as tools and training to keep them operating.

View the specs on the ARTCRANK Shop Bike>

About Handsome Cycles
Handsome Cycles is a Minneapolis based bicycle company specializing in making "custom" looking bikes without the custom price tag. Introducing the cycling community to interesting other brands through the medium of its bicycles is one of Handsome's top-level priorities.  In 2013, Handsome partnered with One On One Bicycle Studio to open a lifestyle store with its roots in cycling but offering clothing and other accessories that anyone with an appreciation for quality can enjoy.

Check out the exciting new developments at Handsome Cycles>

About ARTCRANK
ARTCRANK is a show of bicycle-inspired poster artwork that introduces people to talented local artists and sends them home with affordable, original works of art. Since its 2007 debut in Minneapolis, ARTCRANK has held shows in Portland, San Francisco, New York, Austin, Los Angeles and London. This year, ARTCRANK will add new shows in four cities, including a collaboration with Vélib’, the Paris bike share program.  ARTCRANK uses creativity to change how people think about bicycles and grow the cycling community.

Learn more about ARTCRANK and find a show>