Last week, Budnitz Bicycles launched a new steel model called, No.3, and a new web store to feature their urban bikes. This week Budnitz give us a look at No.4, a cruiser sized BMX bike, with 24in wheels, that slots in next to the manufacturer’s three more traditional urban models.
Budnitz new urban steel model, dubbed model No.3, and the oversized BMX style bike, No.4, will be produced by hand in small runs. Budnitz are partnered with Lynskey for titanium production and Bushnell for their chromoly, and stainless steel bikes.
All of the bikes feature Budnitz's split-tube cantilever frame, which is designed to absorb road shock and provide a quick, responsive ride in a city environment. They all also feature Gates Carbon belts instead of chains.
Budnitz No.3 is available in gloss jet-black or stainless steel, feature handmade titanium badges, and parts adapted for city use from racing bikes — both road and mountain. “It’s basically a 29er with 2in tires,” Paul Budnitz explained to BikeRadar regarding No.3’s design. “It’s simpler as well; it’s steel or stainless steel partially because it rides just great with those materials, but I wanted to be able to make something a little less expensive.”
No.3 made from chromoly and dressed in black
Base price for the new No.3 and No.4 is US$2,800 that’s for the chromoly single speed version; but both are also available in stainless for $3,600.
“[No.] 4 is this funny, beautiful, little BMX bike,” said Budnitz. “It’s got 24in wheels and a much shorter wheelbase. I made it for traveling and I keep [mine] in New York. I can ride it into an elevator, and I could just take it into the office. It’s somewhere between a travel bike and a big-wheeled BMX.”
No.4 features a full-sized cockpit paired to 24in wheels
Budnitz notes that No.4 fits in both a New York City cab’s trunk and a Blue Racing bag, which puts it under most airlines size restrictions. “It’s ridiculous at Delta,” said Budnitz. “I think your bag needs to be the size of a backpack or they’ll charge you extra.”
The new Budnitz web store also features all of the manufacturer’s bicycle models along with their own titanium components, third-party accessories, brand apparel, and an art store featuring bicycle-related prints by world-class artists.
Budnitz also sells bike-influenced art, this is: 'Candy Powered' by 64Colors
Budnitz Bicycles is the namesake of designer and entrepreneur, Paul Budnitz, who is well known as the founder of lifestyle art-toy brand, Kidrobot. Over a dozen toys Budnitz designed are part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. “The whole company is very personal,” said Budnitz of Budnitz Bicycles. “I’ve been designing things for years — some of my designs are in the Museum of Modern Art — and I’ve been biking for ever, and I could never find a city bike that I thought was as beautiful as what I wanted to be riding [but also durable and high quality]. No.1 was — after a whole bunch of different tries — the first attempt at that, and it turned out really great; it is still our best selling bicycle.
"The idea here is an utterly beautiful bicycle for daily use, that’s super functional, fun to ride, and there’s an environmental component to the whole thing — I believe that if you make things really great, that last a really, really, really long time; it’s better to buy one bike for $3,00 than buying six bikes for $500 over the same period of time.”