We first met Globe Bikes last year and were impressed then, but noticed the brand was a bit muddled – like a teenager in a prom dress. Pretty enough, but not that well put together yet. It needed a few years in college or several long bike rides to get sure of itself and where it fit in the world. It helps now that they’ve got a new Director and more freedom to be themselves. At the corporate level, Specialized is behind this brand and it shows. Globe Bikes has matured and added a new bike to their line.
Movement
Globe bikes are about moving people in all sorts of ways – from recreation, to errands, to utility. For 2010, there are incremental updates and a new bike – the Daily – that I rode around for an afternoon with the team and other media in San Francisco.
The Daily is do-everything bike that I labeled a cafe racer because I could just cruise around on it or throw down a commuter challenge (had an eye on Garrett, waiting for a move). I’ll cover the Daily more in a follow-on post and podcast. It has details like a bolt-on aluminum rack and front basket with an intergrated u-lock holder. It sells for $400.00 – $600.00
Product Focused
During the media presentation, Globe defined itself as being about the product instead of sales. Meaning they want to build the best bikes they can and the sales will follow. That mission comes from a dedicated team. Since we’ve already discussed and posted about the bikes at length last year (2010 is mostly unchanged from 2009), I thought you’d want to meet a few members of the team. I’ve ridden some good miles with them.
Brand
This is Garret’s Roll with a well-used basket. That cable looked like a black-snake moan. Note the rust and patina. A fixie with a basket? Sure. Keep that weight off your back.
Industrial Design
Greg is an Industrial Designer and moonlights as a flannel-wearing, sports model.
Engineering
Amber is an engineer, photogenic, and just happened to meet her previously unknown number one fan. She was escorting me and a colleague from the LA Times to the BART station. We spotted a Bike-to-Work stop and the proud owner of a Globe Live was there. He was excited to see us and just thrilled to meet Amber. Very rewarding for Amber and the work she does.
I just posted more photos from the ride and editing video next.
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