Breezer refreshes transportation bike lineup!
 

After recently overhauling their off-road selection built around a new, in-house developed suspension, Breezer bikes has unveiled its 2015 transportation lineup. Some welcome changes have been added to most of their models.

Added to the town lineup is a new 3 speed downtown. The downtown models retain the "downtown" and its model type, be it a ex, 7, 3, etc, but no "breezer. Gum colored tires are a new downtown feature it seems. The uptown models have "breezer" only on the down tube, and black tires with reflective strip save the "ex" model. The uptown 8 has a full chaincase and a built in wheel lock. Seats and grips seem the same across the whole town lineup. Color options have also changed. I believe the 5 speed hub bikes have been replaced by 7 speed, including the uptown fleet (low step only).

One thing they do not have, is an uptown infinity. I don't blame them, as nuvinci has stalled on improving on the N360. I was hoping for an N500, but alas i fear my next bike will be gear driven. Not only has there been no ratio improvement, but the very tall flanges are a drawback, and width of the enclosure precluded disc brakes ever being an option.

The range line of bikes, including the performance hybrid greenway models, and the touring/commuter beltway models have also been updated. The first thing i notice is the beltway elite. Its the first time i've seen such utility mindedness put into an all ready well designed belt drive bike. It is on par with the uptown 8, with the benefit of a belt drive and premium alfine hub.

On the greenways, i like how they kept the different budget levels of people in mind while not sacrificing on practical design.

I look forward to test riding as many as possible in the remaining warm days. :)

- Andy

Breezer has always thoughtfully updated the Raleigh Sports. A commuter bike is highly desirable since most people need something between a touring bike, which rides like a tank and a road bike that's too light to carry any real load.

Breezer offers several models where on the other hand, other bike manufacturers usually offer only one.

Totally, and that's why i am a huge fan of their transportation bikes, and of course a lucky owner of one. :)

I for one am glad Joe Breeze came along and with a very small number of others, picked that market segment up and put it back on its feet in light of the 10 speed craze and later the cruiser re-popularization, as well as the big box BSO onslaught.

- Andy

Links are nice.;)

The Beltway looks nice. A hybrid with a solid fork, no suspension works for me on pavement just fine, thank you.

I would look further if there was a 1X9 option. IGH is great, trouble free and probably the best thing for a commuter, but they do have their faults. Not starting any arguments or discussion (almost every fence has two sides), I'll take a rear derailleur myself.

Yea, i didn't want to come off as advertising or something. I plan to add a few photos in a bit.

The beltway is there for people who want a belt drive bike. It's designed as a single speed, but they toss in the 8 speed hub for people who want a more versatile machine that can go up steeper hills and you can get a better cadence without slowing down etc.

- Andy

I had a look, I like the Beltway and greenway elite, a much better bike than any of the oregon manifest "ultimate urban bikes" and at a price that makes sense.

Glad to see more bikes with fenders, racks, disk brakes and dynos.

Photos of selected models. Aside from the downtown 3, these are all at the top end of the model offerings.

Uptown 8
http://www.breezerbikes.com/images/p...own_8_Side.jpg



Downtown 3
http://www.breezerbikes.com/images/p...n_3_M_Side.jpg



Beltway elite
http://www.breezerbikes.com/images/p...Elite_Side.jpg


Greenway elite
http://www.breezerbikes.com/images/p...ite_M_Side.jpg

Link to page with the full bike list:
Breezer Bikes - Transportation Bikes

- Andy

Does work for Breezer or an LBS selling them provide you this test riding opportunity?

Neither. The few reasonably close shops that together seem to carry the full line are what im going to be visiting. Since most of them are beyond range of me riding to, or far from a transit route, i'll need to hitch a ride with friend or family.

The one reason i posted all this, is because there is a marked difference in the full product lineup from the most previous generation. I felt that the improvements and changes were noteworthy enough to bring attention to it.

I like to be informed myself, which is why i try to test ride as many bikes as i can, regardless of brand. I just happen to prefer fuji and breezer, mostly because i see them filling gaps left by the offerings of other brands such as trek or giant. This means someone may be more likely to buy a first bike because it more closely fits their needs, and i'm all for that. :)

- Andy

Thanks for the explanation/clarification. The Breezer line does offer the city biker quite a few desirable choices, far better than the so-called designers' idea of "ultimate commuter bikes" seen in other commuting threads. It would be nice if some other bicycling concerns would join Breezer and bring to the U.S. market similar bikes to the market, especially like the downtown 3. What is the selling price of that model?

The downtown 3 has an MSRP of $519 (us dollars). Some shops may have it listed for a bit less.

- Andy

Sounds almost reasonable. I paid $82 for a new Raleigh sports 3 speed in 1972, and $135 in 1976 for a new Raleigh Superbe with 3 speed coaster rear hub and dyno hub front. Both bikes with Brooks saddles. With inflation the prices may be comparable to the current price of the Breezer.

Both of those vintage prices are around the same as the downtown 3 when adjusted for inflation, with the later price being somewhat higher... Inflation Calculator: Bureau of Labor Statistics

After reading up recently on joe breezer & his efforts in the cycling world, it seems the downtown 3 is a real nod to his early works tricking out old single & 3 speed cruisers from decades past & putting them to a totally different use, in his case a city bike you can actually do things with every day. When i have the bucks for a new bike (which will be a backup for my current bike), it will likely have a 3 speed, because a single speed + the hills around here = no fun.

- Andy

What would be helpful is for him to get a distribution system that makes the bikes available at locations other than few selected major metropolitan areas. I'd have to drive to ChicagoLand just to see a Breezer.

Also would be helpful if he wasn't so cute with his online catalog which requires, as best as I can make out, adding an app to a smartphone to download. I suppose conventional pdf downloads are not high tech enuff.

Looked over a few of those. Alloy forks. No thanks. :(

Well, most shops are small & they use their space for accessories (main cash flow) all most as much as the bikes themselves. The bikes tend to be a tiny selection from 1-3 brands, and they will have road, mountain, and hybrid. Town/city bikes tend to show up in areas with higher population densities, and especially where there are transit systems. The place i got my uptown from is literally walking distance from ASI, so of course they will have a thicker selection of ASI stuff, and they are right off route 1 which has a bus route (14) that have buses with racks. But yes, i do agree, the distribution needs improving.

Perhaps you could make some calls and get the ball rolling & see if there are any shops willing to make room & see if ASI is willing to send them a few town models.

I am thinking of doing this myself, so i do not have to shlep my bike 20+ minutes away to get looked at.

- Andy

I really like the Downtown 8, same as the 3, just a few more gears which would be useful on the 'rolling hillls' here.

Beltway looks cool! Belt drive, 8-speed IGH, disc, racks and fenders, AND dynamo front wheel hub, all for $1600.

My Dahon Cadenza has similar Aluminium alloy forks with discs. there is nothing wrong with them. You need a stiff fork for discs and modern tyres work well in fatter widths so comfort is not an issue.

My carpel tunnel disagrees. I returned my Road Buzz(apt name) to REI after adding 42mm tires wasn't enough to get the comfort level acceptable for me to ride it to work all week. I've ridden bikes with alloy forks and wide tires around town,but daily use kills my wrists.

If your wrists are healthy,lucky you. But please don't tell me there's no real issue.

The Beltway Elite = Hi-drool factor, but no drop bars for any models? :cry:

My cadenza came with similar flat bars, which caused a wrist problem. My solution was to use bars with a more neutral wrist set, eg On One Mary.
I have had similar wrist issues with steel forks, it was always a bar issue for me.

i commute on road bikes and i've carried an entire case of wine home.

just sayin'

but to stay on topic...i've always liked breezer bikes. they are so much lighter and more thoughtfully designed than the victorian era steel cruisers favored by some traditionalists. as crabon prices plummet i would not be surprised to see joe breeze design a crabon cruiser...

Its the traditional upswept bars that make me love 'em. It looks so much more natural - and fun - to ride this kind of bike.

Breezers look very nicely equipped and practical. If I had run across them while buying my first bike, I probably would've ended up with an uptown 8.

I'm not sure carbon prices are going to get super cheap, given the number of things it's used in. But I'm not an expert.

I commute on a road bike too, and don't understand the hate. Most regular commuters are going to be sufficiently under the bikes recommended weight that there is plenty of room for carrying stuff. How much does a change of clothes+lunch+laptop+bag weigh, anyway? Not that much.