How did New York-based bicycle company Brooklyn Cruiser manage to snag collaboration with one of the city’s most esteemed art institutions, the Modern Museum of Art? All they had to do was make their bikes look good. One of the museum directors spotted a Brooklyn Cruiser roll by on the street, and he was instantly impressed at its design, which has the retro look of a vintage bike combined with all the modern functions of a contemporary bike. He then asked one of the buyers at the MoMA Store to look into it. “We were 100 percent onboard,” says Brooklyn Cruiser president Ryan Zagata. A partnership was born.
Zagata decided to base the MoMA collaboration on the company’s Willow 3 model, a classic step-through bike, adding a red frame. “The parallel lines of the down tubes tend to catch the eye,” explains Zagata. “When paired with the cream colored tires and contrasting red frame, it presents what we feel is a classically unique and stunning look.”
Don’t be fooled by the old school notion that step-through bikes are reserved for the ladies. “This myth that the step through frame is a woman’s model is a bit of a dying urban legend,” says Zagata. This model is unisex, and men just happen to represent the bulk of the consumers who have purchased this bike. Plus, there are many advantages for both sexes. “They are very quick to mount and dismount so they are suitable in urban environments presenting many stops and they are often seen as safer as you can easily step through the frame if you become unbalanced without the risk of becoming tangled in the frame,” says Zagata.
Brooklyn Cruiser’s bikes are made for the urban cyclist, so peddle down the street wearing a suit and nice shoes. This bike won’t wreck your stylish look. In fact, it will add an extra je ne sais quoi to it.
Brooklyn Cruiser Bicycle, $580 at momastore.org.
