I needed a new bike because I movedhouse from the level ground beside theBridewell River, a tributary of theBandon, up the notorious KilbroganHill. I needed two or three gears belowwhat my beloved Shimano CyberNexus automatic hub gearbox couldgive me, so I would have to go toRohloff hub gears. The ramps to thepavements in front of my new houseare also steep enough to throw me offthe seat onto the seat tube of a diamondframe every time I stop suddenly forpedestrians or cars while on the ramps;that can be painful. So I wanted a lowstepover. And I wanted to simplify mybike still further by losing the frontsuspension and the suspended seatpost.So I had to recover a measure ofsuspension with balloon tyres.

Trying to have an individual frame builtthat was out of the ordinary was amajor frustration; the artisan-soldererswant to build what they built before.Their idea of meeting their promise that“we give the customer anything he

wants” stops dead at a garish paint job;it doesn’t mean any frame the customerwants except a road, touring ormountain frame. I also looked intobuilding up my own bicycle on an off-the shelf frame but some of thecomponents I would need are eithersupplied only to OEMs or would attractdelivery charges that popped my eyes,like a three-figure sum for a pair ofwide mudguards from the States.

Because I insisted on the widest BigApple balloons on the 28 inch wheels —technically ISO 60-622mm — completewith civilizing mudguards, the shortlistof bikes was not long, and all the bikeson the shortlist were from only twomanufacturers, Patria and Utopia,German custom-bike builders of objectsto disturb the dreams of cyclists. That’scode for: If you have to ask, you can’t.To Patria and Utopia “custom” meansthat you take one of their huge range offrames and may then specifycomponents from their approved list; allbikes are built to order only.

An introduction to a very modern bicycle

that the uninitiated may mistake for a septuagenarian

a photo essay by André Jute

Be warned! If you are easily overcome with bicycle lust, this

innocuous booklet will ruin your peace of mind.

Utopia Kranich

André Jute’s Utopia Kranich is a modern recreation

of the bestselling unisex bicycle of the interwar years.

With a Rohloff 14-speed hub gearbox, hydraulic brakes

and Big Apple Liteskin balloon tyres it also has

every modern convenience.

First catch your dealer. Here the hugeUtopia Kranich looks like a teenager’sdownhill stumpjumper thanks to thedisproportionalte scale of the Big Appletyres on wide 28 inch rims, and theenthusiastic wrapping of HeikoGodlinksi, owner of City-Bike inEinbeck in Germany, the dealer whoelected himself to be my supplier by hischeerful iniative. But that box is twometers long, and the bike itself stretchesout six feet.

Heiko will help other distance-buyerstoo to get the right bike. However, heprides himself on personal service andsays, “In the summer there are peoplein the shop and bikes to work on, somaybe I have not so much time.” Betterto approach him in the winter months.Contact details are on his netsite:http://www.city-bike-einbeck.de/

“Surprised not to find Grant at home.”On the way to photographing myUtopia Kranich (Crane) straight out ofthe box, I stopped for this joke picture.Rivendell is an American equivalent ofUtopia, in that both make lugged steelaspirational bikes with historicalovertones and very strongform/function central directing visionsaimed at comfortable touring/routinecycling. But of course Rivendell willnever have the chutzpuh to describe aRohloff-hubbed bike as a “basismodel”— basic model — as Utopiaunblushingly does. We shouldn’t takeeither the comparison or the joke toofar. This photo was taken on McSwineyQuay in Bandon, Co Cork, Eire, not inWalnut Creek, California.

A modest-appearing, unthreateningbike, top, in green. Just as well I didn’torder it in the melon yellow (below) Ifirst considered. Since Bentley is now adivision of Volkswagen, I thought itwould be all right to order a Germanbike in British Racing Green, and it isfortunate that I did, because the colour,in conjunction with those huge wheels,disguises the size of the bike well,without being as pompous as plainblack. Note the full chain case. It isUtopia’s own Country chaincase, withflexible chain conduits, brought overfrom recumbent practice, attached byflexible bellows to semi-rigidlightweight plastic enclosures for thechainwheel and sprocket.

As standard any Utopia is fitted out to avery high standard with hydraulicbrakes and wide tyres. This is the bikeout of the box, before fitting the pumpand excellent custom toolkit that alsocame with the bike. On my Kranich theoptions fitted are a SON dynamo hub(in place of a Shimano dynohub), theCountry fully enclosed chaincase (inplace of DeWoerd’s double three-quarters chaincase), the EX clickboxversion of the Rohloff hub (in place ofthe internal version), and Big AppleLiteskins (standard Big Apples are a no-cost option) with extra-light “racing”tubes, together with mudguards wideenough to cover them. The Terry saddleseen is a delete-option which Ioverlooked deleting; I imagine most ofthese bikes are delivered to cyclists withtheir own broken-in Brooks saddle, andI shall certainly replace the standardsaddle with my favourite Cheeko90seat. That crude seatpin is just the thingfor a Brooks! But a modern micro-adjustable seatpin is a no-cost option.

Here the frame crosses are visible wherethe lateral full-length mixte rails passthe “top tube” and the seat tube. Thetwin lateral rails are soldered to boththe single tubes where they cross them;there are more detailed photographsfurther down. Those are my favouritepedals, the VP 191. of which a pairarrived with the bike.

Everything else you see on my Kranichwas supplied as standard, as long asyou understand that Utopia interprets“standard” as parts made by themanufacturer either with specialfeatures tor Utopia bikes or in severalcases specifically created from scratchfor Utopia. See the sidebar on the rightfor the attitude of the Utopia founders.

Compare Utopia to, for instance,Gazelle who, in the inimical Dutchtradition going back to De Stijl, designparts for both function and style, andthen have them custom made for useexclusively on Gazelle bicycles, makingthe exclusive components part of thedistinctive Gazelle style. By contrast,Utopia not only tolerates butencourages manufacturers to sell thesespecial parts on to would-becompetitors. Inge Wiebe of Utopiaexplains: “We prefer that all the thingswe invent should be produced bycompanies who usually make thesetypes of components. If they will sellthem to a large number of people it isgood for bike-culture. That is thedifference between us and Gazelle.Only if we paid for the tools to producesomething do we want to sell it alone.An example is our Randonneurhandlebar. To us only our frames arethat important.” Utopia are thecrossframes specialists (top of page).The firm was founded more than aquarter century ago specifically becauseRalf Klagges fell in love withcrossframes. Left, the founders, RalfKlagges and Inge Wiebe, with betweenthem Meester Kluver, the livingconnection to the most successfulcrossframe of all time, whom we shallmeet again shortly. Further left, Wiebeand Klagges with Bernd Rohloff, herecongratulating them on Utopia’s 25thbirthday — and well he might, asUtopia was the first bicyclemanufacturer to specify the then newRohloff hub gearbox. Immediately left,Wiebe and Klagges (and dog) recentlytesting new models in the forest at theirheadquarters in Saarbrucken.

To get the best ride from Schwalbe’sballoon tyres one must lower theinflation pressure. That in returnrequires a much wider rim than wasavailable in the desired 700C diameter.So the Belgian rim-maker Exal createdthe Exal XL25 rim you’re looking atspecifically for Utopia. Likewise theSapim spokes are specially made forUtopia; two of the specialty spokescome as spares in the impressivewelcome pack (actually a substantialbox of goodies — contents above) fornew owners. Even the front lightbracket is a special long modeldeveloped by BUMM for Utopia. Therack on my bike is a Tournee by SL, afirm since sold to Hebie. Utopia nowfits Tubus steel and Racktime (a Tubusbrand) aluminium racks. The cleverCountry chainchase is a Utopiaexclusive, in the Gazelle manner.

This is the special Utopia frame lock(not yet fitted to my bike) which alsodoubles as a brake booster for thestandard Utopia fitment of Magura rimbrakes; oddly, this special-feature lock isnot a standard fitment but an extra-costoption. I’ll let Inge Wiebe describe itsweird genesis: “Basta has taken over theframe lock we designed long ago. Weasked them for years and theywouldn't make one, so we made oneourselves – and they liked it. Now theyproduce it and we like that.” (As acyclist but also as someone who lives bycreating and licensing intellectualrights, I don’t know whether to applaudsuch generosity or cry at it...)

Utopia runs a shop, accessible toeveryone, from which their selectcomponents can be ordered.

Most Utopia bikes come with top of therange BUMM lights front and back. MyKranich has front and rear senso-plusmodels, which means that they havebuilt-in light sensors which switch thelights on in low light situations, and offagain when the light is ample, andcapacitors built-in to keep them burningfor a few minutes when the bike standsstill and the hub dynamo therefore doesnot turn, as at stop streets. The standardhub dynamo is a Shimano model andthe upgrade is the much-applaudedGerman SON. Both lights havereflectors built in. These work with thereflectors on the VP191 pedals and thehuge circular bike-signature reflectorson the sides of the Big Apples, and withthe reflective rack elastic to make theKranich visible from all sides after dark.

The Rohloff rear hub appears to be thequick release model, with the quickrelease removed and replaced by a hex-key retainer. That’s good, exactly what Ido on all my other bikes to deter casualthieves. The Rohloff hub could alsoadvertise its presence less loudly thanwith that yellow and blue sticker —which the customer can’t removebecause the serial number is on it, andwithout the serial the guarantee is void.(Rohloff now laser-engraves the serialon the hub.) The nicely counter-balanced stand works smoothly andwithout a bike-rippling thunk. Thetriple elastic over the rack is ofreflective material as a safety measure.

The Magura HS11 hydraulic rim brakesare Utopia’s standard fitment. They saythey fit them without the quick releaseto save weight, and without the boosterbecause in return for the stoppingpower sacrificed by its absence thebrakes become more progressive. Bothare possible; I found the HS11 withoutthe booster more docile than Shimano’s(probably more powerful) best-model75 series roller brakes. Quick releasesand brake boosters for the HS11 areavailable as options, and the specialdesign of frame lock Basta builds forUtopia also works as a brake booster.Brake upgrades in the catalogue areMagura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes,Shimano rollerbrakes and Magura andShimano discs up to 160mm, accordingto the geartrain chosen, too manycombinations to go into here. Says IngeWiebe of this most catholic componentchoice: “We want to have only the best,most durable and sustainable compo-nents on Utopia velos.”

Main photograph, clockwise from topleft: Standard Magura HS11 rim brakes,rack, elastic for luggage, Rohloff 14-speed hub gearbox, external klickbox,Esge stand, and chainstay-mixte-seatstay disc brake bracing only on leftside of bike. In the centre: All fullsizeUtopia bicycles have twin-slot slidingframe ends for adjusting chain tension.The axle hanger is the brightaluminium slotted plate, which slidesin the slots on the two big bolts whosenuts are visible this side of the frame.Gearbox torque is taken by a flatsidedtongue in the part of the slot below theaxle. Also visible on the inside of theright hand chainstay, the fitting foradjusting the chaincase, and beyondthat, the bellows that join the flexiblecentre tube of the chaincase to thestiffer sprocket case. The Kranich rearend is a marvel of packaging. Iparticularly like the way the mudguardstays are led behind the rack stays andfastened to their inside. The frame endsthemselves reward study of theirdesign — isn’t that round end to themixte tube just perfecly right? — andthe craftsmanship of the brazing. Smallphotographs: Top, closeup of Magurarim brake. Bottom, closeup of theexemplary brazing on my Kranich.Centre, latest frame end developmentfrom Utopia. Inge Wiebe says, “Sinceyou’re talking about craftmanship inframe-making: now the frame ends aremade from nirosta (stainless steel) tohave an even better contact between theparts of the dropouts, without theprotecting but easily damaged layer ofpaint. It is pretty complicated to weldstainless steel to CrMo steel but ourDutch frame maker succeeded.”

The shadow knows why the Kranichhas so long been a best seller for Utopiaand, in the mists of history, forLocomotief and Durabo. It looks retroand yet is right up to minute in itsengineering, comforts and abilities. TheUtopia literature is full of photographsof world travellers who have covered100,000km (over 60,000 miles) on aKranich and other Utopia bikes; theKranich is rated at 170kg for rider, bikeand luggage combined. That bodes wellfor those who merely take day trips orweeklong credit card tours. When Ihave finished outfitting my Kranich, Ishall indulge myself in André Jute’sOvernight World Tour of His LittlePatch of Beautiful West Cork.

The XL25 rim Exal created for Utopia topermit full use of the Big Apple balloontyres is 31mm wide on the outside and25mm inside across the bead retainers.Wheel and tyre dominate any view ofthe Kranich, until the intricacies of theframe grab one’s attention.

The Crossframe-Mixte

Andre Jute’s Utopia Kranich bicycle is a rare

crossframe-mixte for solid engineering reasons as well as

nostalgic appeal and practical convenience.

When function determines the form of the bicycle

Triangulating the Utopia Kranich

a photo essay by André Jute

The Kranich’s frame style is technicallya crossframe-mixte and is a modernized(and how!) recreation of Locomotief’sfamous Super de Luxe unisexcrossframe built from 1936 to 1955. Inmore polite company, “unisex” wasrendered as “priesterrijwiel” or “priest’sbicycle” since the lowered top tubemade it more dignified to ride in afrock. Yes, that really is the Locomotieflogo: the Super de Luxe was their topmodel.

The frame is made by Van Raam in TheNetherlands. Utopia had to developtheir own lugs for the Kranich becauseeven a straight-up reconstruction wouldbe impossible as the old templates andmolds were lost, and in any event theKranich isn’t so much a nostalgicreconstruction as a functional,determined development of an ancientgood idea. Utopia, wisely resisting thesiren song of trying to claim a bike somuch developed is a faithfulreconstruction, actively resist the notionof a nostalgia-bike; they prefer to speakof its functionality. The lugs are amixture of traditional fully socketedlugs and layered lugs. A layered lug cantake several forms. One consists of asleeve socketing a tube or tubes, thesleeve being fillet-brazed to anothertube, seen in the centre of thephotograph. Another layered formconsists of a sleeved tube with anothertube fillet-brazed to the sleeve, as at thetop and bottom of the head tube in thephotograph above. Utopia also usesinternal lugs on some of their othercross-frames, and on the largest Kranichframe... A production-efficiencyconsultant would fall down dead ofshock before he can deliver his reporton Utopia.

The bottom bracket shell is fully luggedfor the bottom tube, seat tube andchainstays and, above it, there is thebeautiful lug to join the trapeze “toptube” and the seat tube.

Locomotief, who obtained a patent forthis design in the 1930s and proceededto turn their unisex Super de Luxe intoan unlikely bestseller from 1936 until1955, when it must have seemedterminally old-fashioned in the bebop-cruiser age, followed no precedent withthe crossframe-mixte, though the samedesigner created a related tandem in1935.

The nearest other bicycle design isPedersen’s 1896 ladies’ bike whichdepended on rods for tension in theframe and didn’t have the crossesjointed as did Locomotief (and licenseeDurabo). I mention the Pedersen simplyto stress the originality of thecrossframe-mixte idea, not because thesimilarities will survive even cursoryengineering analysis.

So what makes a crossframe-mixte?

And why go to the expense?

In engineering terms the Locomotiefand the successor Kranich can beviewed as a two-dimensional trapezeframe with two full-length lateral mixterails superimposed from head tube todropouts to give the frame width: thatmuch-desired third dimension whichfrom width delivers stiffness out of allproportion to the extra weight. Inaddition, the twin mixte rails areattached to the other tubes of the frameeverywhere that they cross them. Themixte rails are fillet-brazed to the “toptube” of the trapeze, creating amultitude of frame-stiffening verticaland horizontal triangles.

The ineffably elegant brace of the mixtetransverse rails to the seat tube. Noticethe tidy cable routing through thechainstay brace and over themudguard. One cable carries electricityfrom the hub dynamo to the rear light,the other is a tube for the standardhydraulic rim brakes. The two cablesunder the chainstay are the gearchangecables for the Rohloff hub transmissionwhose yellow label is just at the edge ofthe photograph. Utopia was the firstmanufacturer in the world to specifyRohloff hub gears on their bikes.

I count 15 separate triangles orexternally braced trapezoids, which forpractical purposes are as good. Youdon’t need to work a slide rule for longto support the eyeball instinct that theKranich frame will be stiffer than anequivalent diamond frame. In this formit weighs 16.5kg, which for this class ofbike, with the biggest and the best ofeverything, is excellent. Neither of mysimilarly-equipped aluminium-framedtouring bikes can match that, andweight weenies can specify deraileurgears and save another couple ofkilograms though I don’t see the pointof buying a sorglos (carefree) bike andthen adding back the maintenance andwear and tear of derailleurs just to savea little weight.

All right, we know you’ve beendrooling over the gold coachlines (onlya barbarian would call them“pinstripes”) on the British RacingGreen paintwork of my Utopia Kranich,wondering when I would ever stoprabbiting on about stiffness and otherdeeply boring engineering matters(sorry!) and get down to what counts,how cool the bike looks.

A proper gentleman’s bicycle of course has gold coachlining by the original craftsman!

a photo essay by André Jute Meester Kluver's gold coachlines umbilically connect

André Jute's very modern Utopia Kranich bicycle to the

bestselling Locomotief Super de Luxe crossframe-mixte

unisex bicycle of 1936 to 1955

This is Meester Kluver of Van Raam; hedoesn’t appear to have a first name(Meester is Dutch for Master, a rankearned the hard way by artists andartisans). Meester Kluver, now 89,connects the Locomotief Super de Luxe-- he won't call it "unisex!" --crossframe-mixte, which he built as ayoung craftsman in the 1930s, and theUtopia Kranich, with which he wasinvolved from the beginning in 1986.Meester Kluver also connects theLocomotief Super de Luxe and myKranich in particular: Meester Kluverpainted the coachlines on my Kranich.Meester Kluver is cycling historypersonified.

All text and original photographs Copyright © 2009 Andre Jute.Other photographs (Meester Kluver, founders andHerr Rohloff) by courtesy of Utopia.

Locomotief Super de Luxe information and classicillustrations from two excellent historical bicyclesites: www.oudefiets.nl and www.rijwiel.netOpinions are my own, of course.

As much as it is mobile sculpture andcycling history, my Utopia Kranich is amost capable and very pleasing bicycle.See you in the lanes and byways!