BLB invited us to drop by their Brick Lane, London shop this Friday to check out their new So-Ez tracklocross – the latest collaboration between Brick Lane Bikes, Squid Bikes & Spray.Bike. Starting with a primed no-nonsense, fat tire fixie Squid So-Ez cyclocross bike, BLB will kit you out with all the rattle cans, stickers & stencils you need to make it your own. Plus, if you show up on their doorstep on this colorful (non-Black) Friday afternoon, Spray.Bike will help paint your new bike on the spot while a DJ spins & Goose Island beers flow freely…
BLB x Squid So-Ez Tracklocross fixed-gear cross/gravel bike
Squid has been rocking the Tracklocross concept for a while now – fixed gear off-road riding is a lot of fun, and cyclocross is already a bit nutty, so why not do it on a fixie. And Squid have also been big supporters of the DIY paint job idea, creating some wild looking bikes with Spray.Bike spray paint. So bringing BLB in the loop meant making Squid bikes & Spray.Bike paint more accessible to a wider audience.
Together the three developed the So-Ez, a blank slate bike frameset designed for you to make it your own. The So-Ez is a high-quality double butted 4130 steel, singlespeed cyclocross bike, made in Taiwan and ED-coated with a thin but durable black primer paint that offers a protective layer inside & out, and a blank canvas for your own custom design. It claims a frameset weight of 3.1kg for a 52cm steel frame & fork
Tracklocross geometry
Its geometry is said to be “designed for off road agility and sweet skids”. What that translates to is geometry not far off from a World Cup level cyclocross race bike, but with a lot bit less bottom bracket drop (ONLY 6mm actually 60mm, it seems) so you might just have a chance of riding it around steep off cambers without a fixie pedal strike.
Stack is a bit higher and Reach is a bit shorter to match a more upright position on the bike, but it gets super short 415mm chainstays thanks to drivetrain simplicity. Surprisingly still, there’s room for up to a 40mm wide tire, so you can get plenty of volume and plenty of grip to tackle almost any kind of terrain.
So-Ez Tech details
The Squid So-Ez features horizontal track end dropouts with built in chain tensioners for easy single speed or fixed gear setup, 135mm rear spacing (100mm front), a 27.2mm seatpost, a 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, straight 1.125″ headtube, and is drilled for long-reach caliper brakes.
BLB x Squid x Spray.Bike So-Ez pricing & availability
The So-Ez is sold as a frameset ONLY in a five stock size range. Then the complete build is up to you. Squid does offer build suggestions though. In the US Squid has the best pricing (I don’t mean the cheapest.)
It’s $666. BLB sells the same thing in Europe for less beastly £500 or about 585€. Included in that price you get a frame, fork, seat clamp, head badge to stick on when done painting & a set of BLB/Squid/Spray.Bike decals. BLB can also sell & ship you all the Spray.Bike paint you need with the frame as well.
If you don’t feel adventurous enough to paint the So-Ez yourself, Squid will also give it a one-of-a-kind Spray.Bike rattle can paint job for an extra $250.
You can either pick all the colors & style you want, or tell them you DGAF and Squid will play paint job roulette.
BLB x Squid x Spray.Bike So-Ez London launch
The BLB/Squid/Spray Bike party starts at 5pm on Black Friday at Brick Lane Bikes’ London shop. Head there if you need to get your own So-Ez and paint it right away. Or just go have a beer on them since I won’t be able to make it.
