About
Back in 2016 things in the world of performance cycles had to change in our opinion.
WHY
The regular offer back then was (and still is) mostly too limited in some kind of way :
the oldskool retailer offers only ~2 brands (based on his preferences!), the fully custom builder makes you go for steel, welds nicely but is no stylist and puts his name in the same 'bulky' way on the frame, mainly uses the same black components with letters and logo's and black rims and tires, lacking character and harmony in the whole bike, so visually you only see the frame 'floating'. And you pay a lot more.
Not from this world, not suiting your phase of life and lifestyle.
WHAT
It is our mission to bring the world 'right' bikes.
We therefore developed a formula that gives the sweetspot in our opinion.
A style and business format that is both a guide for the customer but also for the brand recogintion.
Serving as both recognition and as a framework from where the customer can compose the looks of his(her) bike.
HOW
A Best of both worlds approach in paradoxical worlds:
Factory vs. fully custom.
Style vs. Performance.
Oldskool vs. Newskool.
Style concept
We developed a style format making all of our bikes always recognizable as a Klaassen, but in the same time incorporates a lot of room for the customer to make it really his/her bike, not only by looks, but also performance.
Business concept - paradoxes
We offer the best of both worlds.
On one hand you have a fixed formula/format that also incorporates a lot of freedom to make it your bike, standard.
You are able to see the models in a showroom, ride them, we offer standard geometries but also a custom option.
Each bike is individualy built.
Price wise we are in between the worlds of factory bikes and fully custom bikes.
With a clear bike brand identity but still a lot of freedom for the customer.
In our brand concept the visual and technical harmony is part of the formula and therefore safeguarded/guaranteed.
Your context (lifestyle/phase of life) creates your styling input, your component input, and the Klaassen brand formula makes that it results in a right bike for you and for Klaassen!
IN DEPTH: STYLE CONCEPT
A 'right' bike is not about loud logo's. It is about unity and harmony in style, color and materials, carefully matched. Our style starts with purity. Less is more. Harmony. Form & function go hand in hand.
From characterful frame colors with a subtle embossed logo, carefully styled geometry with iconical look frame - non slooping top tube and nicely proportioned straight tubes.
Creating visual harmony and unity by visually connecting the upper part of the bike (saddle/handlebar) with the lower part (wheels). We do that by carefully matching the color of our characterful leather finish on saddle and handlebar(!) with the tire sidewall color. On top of that we have another connecting element in the lower end by a logo on our handbuild wheels coated in the color of the frame.
The components and the optional parts the customer can choose from are carefully selected and matched and fitting in this style concept.
Logo's and texts will be hardly visible on our bikes.
Leather & tire sidewall color
After thorough research and head scratching we came with these three colors, two are traditional based tire sidewall tints (oldskool, even the pro's now ride the cream ones) and one is more modern and subtle. And within each of these 3 colors we proudly can offer tires from leading manufacturers that perfectly suit our model concepts, in the whole range, from road (race) tire, to offroad, to beach tire.
COGNAC
CREAM
GREY
Bike brand Klaassen (Cycles) is founded by bike enthousiast Freek Klaassen. As son of a contractor and Technical Drawing professional and creative mother he grew up in an environment full of crafts, creativity, perfectionism and eye for detail. After his bachelor and a 15-year corporate career in several management-level roles, living above a large cycling shop for seven years and being passionate about design, cycling and personality, made him to bring his vision and ideas to the 'old' world of cycling. Founding a refreshing high end cycling company (brand) was the result. The brand name was a result from traditions and the fact that the name has a clear Dutch reference, and with the double A and S is quite characterful.
THINGS TO KNOW
FREEK'S OVERALL STATS ON STRAVA (CYCLING APP):
32.138 km
ALL TIME DISTANCE
1.235
RIDES
162 km
BIGGEST RIDE
1.859m
BIGGEST CLIMB
KLAASSEN CYCLING CLUB
Owners of a Klaassen united.
HOW WE WORK
MATERIALS
BUILD OFF
IN THE MEDIA
