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Jeff Frane pedals into the Wilde w/ new U.S.-made bike brand making Ti & Steel dream rides

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We’ve been watching closely on social media as Jeff Frane’s bicycle passion project evolved into a full-fledged bike brand. And with the announcement of Wilde Bicycle Company, that day is finally here. For those that don’t know Jeff Frane, he’s been a fixture in the Minneapolis bicycle scene for decades, though most are probably familiar with his work as the founder and former leader of All-City Cycles during his time at Quality Bicycle Products.

Now, Jeff has partnered with the owner of Angry Catfish bike shop, Northern Coffee Works, and Northern Frameworks, Josh Klauck plus “vintage balloon tire bike aficionado, entrepreneur, and online marketing ace,” Andy Tesch to bring Wilde (pronounced like Oscar Wilde) to life. Their plan? To partner with U.S. frame builders and create both ready-made and custom frames that are an expression of their cycling dreams, their “Love Letter to Cycling.”

The long-term plan includes frames made from steel, titanium, and aluminum, but the first frames available (right now), are the steel Earth Ships. Named after the style of green architecture developed by Michael Reynolds, Jeff tells us the Earth Ship name is also a continuation on a theme from his time at All-City with the Space Horse and Cosmic Stallion. According to Jeff, “I just thought it was a killer name for a terrestrial roaming juggernaut.” Well said.

Steel Earth Ship

Wild Bikes Steel Earth Ship gravel bike
Photo by Jared Bunk

That’s pretty much exactly what you’ll get with a steel Earth Ship—a modern gravel race bike that can also pull bikepacking duties. The frame will fit properly large 700c x 50mm or 650b x 2.2″ tires and will be offered in four stock sizes. Made in the U.S. from a mix of Reynolds 853 and Columbus Life tubing for the top and downtube, the frames use custom tube designs for the rest of the parts which are supplied by Nova Cycles. Built around the ENVE Adventure fork, the frame features plenty of mounts including three bottle mounts, top tube mounts, and fender mounts.

Wild Bikes Steel Earth Ship gravel bike geometry

FRAME SPEC

  • Handbuilt in the USA
  • Enve Adventure Fork
  • Clearance for 700 x 50c or 650b x 2.2″
  • Three bottle mounts
  • Top tube feedbag mounts
  • Fender mounts
  • Tapered head tube with external cup: EC34/44
  • 68mm bottom bracket shell
  • Flat mount brake
  • Rear Thru Axle M12 X 1.5
  • Derailleur Hanger: Paragon B4085
  • Seatpost: 27.2mm
  • Seat Collar: 30.8
  • Cable Guides: Paragon Modular guides under the downtube, and full loop braze-ons on the stays (No Zip Ties)
Wild Bikes Steel Earth Ship gravel bike complete
Photo by Jared Bunk

Wilde head badge by Jen Green

The ready-made steel Earth Ships are offered with your choice of headbadge made by none other than Jen Green. Copper, Gold Bronze, and White Bronze head badges are all included in the base $2,500 price tag for the frameset—but there’s also a Silver option for an additional $60. The first run of steel Earth Ships will all be finished in blue/dark pink, though custom finishes are available including Cerakote, powder coating, and wet paint to offer “any finish you desire.” That custom option also includes custom geometry and details, with pricing and lead time on a per-bike basis (custom bikes do require a $1,000 deposit).

Titanium Earth Ship

Wild Bikes titanium Earth Ship gravel bike

Take the Steel Earth Ship and make it Ti. Also made in the USA, currently, Ti Earth Ships are only available as a custom build with a 4-5 month lead time. If all goes well, Wilde will have ready-made Ti Earth Ships in stock around Springtime.

TUBING
Butted Titanium Main Triangle with custom S-bend seat and chainstays. Paragon Machine Works head tube, bottom bracket, and dropouts.

FRAME SPEC

  • Stock finish is an anodized downtube logo – other options available at an additional charge
  • Handbuilt in the USA
  • Enve Adventure Fork
  • Clearance for 700 x 50c or 650b x 2.2″
  • Three bottle mounts
  • Top tube feedbag mounts
  • Fender mounts
  • Tapered head tube with external cup: EC34/44
  • 68mm bottom bracket shell
  • Flat mount brake
  • Rear Thru Axle M12 X 1.5
  • Derailleur Hanger: Paragon B4080
  • Cable Guides: Paragon Modular guides under the downtube, and full loop braze-ons on the stays (No Zip Ties)

Yo Jeffy! Hardtail MTB

Wild Bikes titanium Yo Jeffy! Mountain bike
Photo by Jared Bunk

With a playful nod to the legendary bikes of the past, the Yo Jeffy! is Wilde’s take on a hardtail mountain bike. Only it’s really your take since it is custom-built to your desired suspension travel, fit, and riding style. These will be offered in steel, titanium, or aluminum and with all kinds of options. Pricing starts at $3,500 for the titanium frameset.

Wilde X Cedaero Bags + Artwork by Nick Potts

Wilde x Cedaero top tube bag

Wilde by Cedaero bar hopper bag

No stranger to custom bag collaborations, this time Jeff is partnering with Cedaero on these waxed canvas, made in Minnesota, handlebar and top tube bags. The Tank Top packs in bolt-on or strap-on sell for $70, and the Bar Hopper bags go for $110. Why Cedaero? Jeff says that, “a few months ago I paid them a visit after riding the MTB trails on the coast and was so impressed by their commitment to quality and domestically sourced materials that I knew we had to join forces to create some magic.”
Wilde tshirt by Nick Potts
Wilde Headbadges by Jen Green
You’ll notice that partnering with companies they believe in and want to support is a recurring theme for Wilde—from the T-Shirts and stickers with artwork from artist Nick Potts to the custom headbadges by Jen Green.
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29 Comments
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luddite
luddite
2 years ago

So you expect me to purchase a frame blind without having enough info to know how it will ride?
That’ll be a big fat Nope from me.

Eyal
Eyal
2 years ago

Absolutely unprofessional not publishing certain geo numbers. Is this hubris or what!

Jeff Frane
2 years ago

Valid criticism. My thought was that publishing the trail number would paint a fairly accurate picture of the handling characteristics. I will also say that publishing it openly on our website and discussing it with engaged customers are two very different things. If you shoot us an email, I’m happy to discuss the full geo with you. I realize that it’s an extra step, but I hope you can also understand why we might be a bit protective of our geometries as we think they are a real competitive advantage.

Not Sure
Not Sure
2 years ago

561.8mm stack for a small? Holy giraffe, Batman. That’s crazy!

Jeff Frane
2 years ago

Radical right? trust us tall stacks are the way of the future in endurance riding. Comfortable is fast, 10,000 Nitto Techonmics can’t be wrong.

mudmudmud
mudmudmud
2 years ago

That stack includes a 40mm extension on the headtube. Tourists and bikepackers generally have a more upright position.

Rustilicus
Rustilicus
2 years ago

Too bad there’s no way to use the other geo numbers given to come up with the headtube angle…

Angstrom
Angstrom
2 years ago

Doesn’t seem crazy. A 49 Diverge has a stack of 571.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
2 years ago

Great price for domestically made Ti. But playing the secret special sauce game with geometry is going to be a non-starter for a lot of people. In the 80’s Merckx had dealers all over the world where people could test ride and make up their minds on geo in person. Wilde is a brand for the internet generation so there are no test rides. We make our choices wholly based on numbers now. Custom is one thing, but no relevant bike brand today posts incomplete geo. Show it all or lose sales. Pretty simple.

JR
JR
2 years ago

Sounds awesome ! BIG FAT YES!!!

Jason
Jason
2 years ago

“Ah, so you noticed we don’t publish 0-60 times, top speed, horsepower or how this car handles. That’s because we’re so good you just gotta trust us!”

Craig
Craig
2 years ago

I mean, to be fair, that just describes Subaru’s ENTIRE approach to ads. Yet I see no shortage of them on the roads…

Astro Kraken
Astro Kraken
2 years ago

I love me a tall head tube, but having some exposed seatpost is also a benefit to comfort. These pics just make the fit look wrong.

Dann
Dann
2 years ago

“no relevant bike brand today posts incomplete geo. Show it all or lose sales. Pretty simple.”

Rivendell would like to have a word with you!

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
2 years ago

Riv had full geo posted since day one, and now their site says working on the new one. Nice try, but not really.

Dinger
Dinger
2 years ago

I’m with the others. Without these numbers and no opportunity to test ride, I cannot even determine if the bikes are worth pursuit. I realize most people can’t accurately interpret these numbers but having them readily available to compare with other things we’re familiar with is worthwhile. For instance, I know that I’ve never ridden a 700c bike with a chain stay length over 425mm and BB drop greater than 76mm that I’ve enjoyed (for the riding I do).

Without the ability to taste test, what is the value of a “secret sauce”?

Matthew Hall
Matthew Hall
2 years ago

WOW!! People sure do get but hurt over numbers!!! Call them up like Jeff said and he will discuss it with you. So by your standards Eddy Merckx was a hack and a loser as well??? Enjoy the RIDE!!

Hmmmmm
Hmmmmm
2 years ago

I swear in the description underneath the Geo chart says something along the lines of the customer having a full geo to sign off on if they commission a bike. I scrolled back up, just to make sure.

Not for nothing though, I live and work as a courier in MPLS and definitely trust Jeff.

Craig
Craig
2 years ago

Anyone who actually wanted to copy the geometry for profit to sell a frame with identical geometry could take what is shown and figure out the remaining numbers using BikeCAD in about 5 minutes.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
2 years ago

Hey Dann, did you happen to notice Rivendell had to crowdfund to keep from shutting down last year? Not the best example I guess.

Bubbrubb
Bubbrubb
2 years ago

Why exactly would anyone buy this? It’s a brand re-labeling a frame they don’t make. Just a brand label. Lots of domestic Ti frame builders doing it all in-house. Give me a valid argument why (as someone who’s actively shopping for a Ti frame) I should pick this.

John
John
2 years ago
Reply to  Bubbrubb

Isn’t that how every bike company that doesn’t own their own manufacturing facility does it?

bubbrubb
bubbrubb
2 years ago

ugh adding insult to injury, just buy the bags direct from Cedaero.com and save yourself the upcharge from wild jeffs.

Kyle
Kyle
1 year ago
Reply to  bubbrubb

Yeah, that upcharge of $0.05

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
2 years ago

Bubbrubb, name one domestic builder that charges less than $3k for a Ti frame.

-rizza
-rizza
2 years ago

http://www.peterverdone.com/bikecad-pro-17-5-and-bikecad-free-17-5/
Interesting write up about a recent update to a popular bike frame CAD program to better account for bent seat-tube designs. -something for the bike nerds out there relevant to the above talk about frame angles-

Tom
Tom
2 years ago

Well, this comment section went about as well as I thought it would….

Keep on Truckin’, Jeffy! I look forward to seeing more of these on the roads and trails than you can provide. Looks great!

BubbRubb
BubbRubb
2 years ago

Kpop stop trolling. Just one? Chumba. Lemme know if you need some more.

Landon B
Landon B
2 years ago

Just received my frameset, stoked to build this rig for the Andean Raid! And hopefully countless adventures after that.

I agree with Jeff, upright is in. For me, the adventure is in the journey, not the finish (though I still like placing at least in the middle of the pack!).

FYI, full geo. is on the product page, incl. head and seat tube angles, chainstay len., and BB drop (which are all missing from the chart above). And remember that rake and trail are adjustable with the included ENVE Adventure Fork (which is light, has three-pack accessory mounts, and internal generator hub routing).

Without being able to demo, I get the hesitation. Though not like there have been many demo days these past 2 years, either. I made a spreadsheet to compare different frame geometries, which landed me on this frameset.

I also emailed and chatted with the frame designer before finalizing my purchase, a rarity when building a bike. Jeff is responsive, considerate, and knows his craft well.

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