Detroit Bikes is preparing to release a new model of bicycle, the C-Type, next year with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.
The Detroit-based bicycle manufacturer's newest product is a fixed-wheel bike with a diamond frame and drop handlebars. The frame is made of 100 percent U.S.-made lightweight chromoly that comes with a lifetime warranty. The C-Type also comes with knobby tires for use in all weather conditions. It will retail for $599.
"We want to keep it really simple and affordable," says Zak Pashak, president of
Detroit Bikes. "It's a really good city bike."
It’s also Detroit Bikes' first fixie. Its earlier models, the A-Type and B-Type, came with a similar simplistic design but three gears. Those retail for $699. All three models are made in Detroit Bikes' factory on the city's west side.
The C-Type is available exclusively through Detroit Bikes'
crowdfunding campaign. There funders will have a choice of choosing the color (hunter green, fluorescent yellow, flat black, royal blue and mint green) by donating the retail price of the bike. Detroit Bikes will manufacture 200 bikes of each color, which will be delivered in May of next year. Funders can also purchase just a frame for $300. People who give $1,000 will have an opportunity to buy a chrome edition, only 30 of which will be produced.
This project is part of Detroit Bikes' new strategy to boost sales, which are on track to exceed 1,000 bikes this year. To help reach its sales goals, the company opened a storefront in downtown Detroit and hired a national sales director. The company now employs 30 people after hiring 20 this year. Pashak expects Detroit Bikes' combined efforts to lift sales significantly next year.
"We expect to get up to 5,000 or 10,000 sales next year," Pashak says.
Source: Zak Pashak, president of Detroit Bikes
Writer: Jon Zemke
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