I have a very strong love for lugged and brazed steel bicycle frames. Along with a deep respect for the frame builders who use these techniques when creating their ridable art.
At this year’s MADE Show, I set out to find a bicycle or bicycle product to be awarded with my very own version of the Best of Show. A few weeks ago, we shared some news about Wilde Bicycle Company’s new 1″ threaded headset. Well, the bike they used to model the headset was their new custom Sugar Foot frameset built up into a 650b “classical” gravel racer.
I walked the show for three days and really struggled to make this tough choice. But, once I saw the Sugar Foot up close and personal, it was an easy choice for me to pick it as this year’s MADE Best of Show award. It was the straight top tube, skinny tubeset, the Pacenti fork crown, and the Richard Sachs-designed lug set that pushed the Sugar Foot ahead of many others that were in contention.
These days, in a sea of semi-generic full-suspension bikes, overly formed and shaped tubes, it was refreshing to see so many amazing steel, and titanium bikes with traditional and classic lines at this show.
Wilde Sugar Foot gets Best of Show
Jeffrey Frane is a true lover of the bicycle and its surrounding culture. You can tell when you speak with him… it’s contagious and intoxicating. As the founder and head honcho for All-City Cycles for the first 11 years they were around, he knows a thing or two about designing and building bicycles. Not to mention supporting the cycling community as a whole.
One thing Jeffrey likes to say is that Wilde Bicycle Co. is “a love letter to cycling”. I believe this to be true. I also believe that the Sugar Foot might well be that very thought manifested.
Let’s take a look.
The Sugar Foot
As mentioned earlier, the Wilde Sugar Foot combines timeless aesthetics with modern geometry and speed. Combining rim brakes and a frame with lug construction, it may not be a bike for some. But, even if you don’t care for those attributes, you can’t deny it’s sheer beauty.
You can see Jeffrey’s passion for the bicycle in the build for the show sample including the use of the beautiful first gen Shimano XTR and the use of the White Industries rear hub, and SON front dynamo hub.
Another build highlight is the perfectly color-matched Sinewave Beacon 2 front dynamo light and fillet brazed steel stem.
And then to push this beautiful bike over the edge, there is the Richard Sachs-designed lug set, the Pacenti fork crown, Columbus tubing, and Paragon Machine Works frame parts. Imron paint by D&D Cycles is absolutely perfect.
Buy a Sugar Foot Frame for Yourself?
You can buy one of these framesets for yourself, as Wilde is making 10 of these this Winter. The paint will be similar to the show bike. The sizes that will be available are top tube effective lengths of 54, 56,58, and 60mm.
Framesets will retail for $3900. By putting in an order, you are reserving yours now. Delivery should be in March / April 2025
Sugar Foot Frame and Fork Highlights
FRAME
- Three sets of bottle bosses
- Internal rear brake cable routing
- Fender mounts
- Rack mounts
- Clearance for up to 650b x 2.2″ tires
- 132.5 rear spacing
STEEL FORK
- Fender mounts
- Mid-blade rack mount
- Internal dynamo routing
- Tire clearance 650b x 2.4″ tire
Order your own beautiful Sugar Foot by hitting the link below.
