Btchn Bikes Brings Drop Bar 32er to MADE and Blows Us Away

One of my favorite frame builders at the MADE Show every year is Tyler Reiswig of BTCHN Bikes. BTCHN Bikes came to the show last year with a really unique offering, and this year was no different. I’ve been following his teasers on the BTCHN Instagram account, and was excited to see what he was bringing to show off.

Tyler is a builder who thinks outta the box. His designs and fab work are extraordinary. While his craftsmanship is serious business, he doesn’t take himself too seriously – his stoke about what he’s doing is evident, and his bikes have a fun, whimsical feel to them. It’s pretty infectious.

BTCHN Bikes 32er Drop Bar

The BTCHN 32er was one of three 32ers on display at the show. Zach wrote about the one-off Falconer here. On the BTCHN 32er drop bar bike, the first things we noticed (besides the honkin’ wheels) were the Peter Verdone collaboration on the fork.

The geometry of the fork, with the axle pushed slightly behind the fork leg, offers a 55mm offset to reduce load reversal. The bike also spoted a printed yoke and really cool printed rear dropouts.

What I found interesting is that the bike, to me, doesn’t look crazy disproportionate. Sure, it’s got the big wheels, but Tyler wanted it to feel as regular as possible. So, it’s built using a medium-sized frame that Tyler says does not compromise the geometry.

The stem sits at an effective length of 16mm, and the spacing is Boost 148mm front and rear. The Wren wheels utilize a new Boost-spaced rear single-speed hub with a 423mm rear center.

While I was pushing the bike to take photos, I noticed that the bike felt light to steer, if that makes sense. The big wheel didn’t feel like it was a big wheel, and wheel flop is non-existent.

The stem length seems perfectly matched with the bike’s uncompromised geometry. It also seems like it’ll be a ripper of a bike when put to the test.

Kudos to you, Tyler!

BTCHNBikes.com