The California Kit Revisited
In 2007, two guys (and their families) found it necessary to forge a different path than to continue on the path laid out for them. Franco Bikes was born that year and 2017 marks a decade since that decision was made. There are times where it feels like it was just yesterday, other times it feels like decades have passed. We’ve met so many people, built a lot of awesome bikes, and put in a lot of saddle time. As you can imagine, we’ve done so much in those years. Some, we wish we could do over again, and some we got right.
We recently released our Franco Ten Collection kit to celebrate our 10th year. It’s packed with ten years of meaning and is my favorite kit to date. While we’re always looking ahead to the future, it’s healthy to look back and appreciate some of our accomplishments. So to celebrate our 10th year and the path we took to get here, we thought we’d choose three of our favorite and most popular kit from years past and re-release them, updated for 2017.
We’ll be releasing one kit each month for pre-order. Each kit pre-order will be open for two weeks and then it’s gone. Each kit will have a special 10 year collection mark. Maybe by our 20th year it’ll appreciate in value :), or ideally you rode it so much that it’s see through. So enough talking, let’s go back to memory lane.
Our good friend and talented designer, Matt Locascio, set out to create a kit that captured the feeling of the state we call home. It was a departure from the race team, performance aesthetic we were known for, but it still stayed true to key characteristics that have always been part of our designs—simplicity, purpose, and boldness. And so in 2011, Frankie (as we like to call our bear), came to life and has been featured on much of our gear and bikes since then.
With that in mind, The California kit is back in the popular Team Blue and Racing Red colorways. The design elements have undergone a subtle evolution and some new treatments have been added, like the limited 10 year collection mark. The new kit now also features a better fitting, longer sleeve jersey, as well as bibs with premium chamois and laser cut straps.
This limited edition kit will be available for pre-order for the next 2 weeks. Once the order window closes, it closes. That said, if you want to ride the new and improved Frankie, make sure you get in on this limited edition kit. Check out the jersey and the bibs.
Written by: Hector Rodriguez
Hey There – I hope you’re well. So, not only are the Franco bikes absolutely gorgeous, the California Kit is equally as appealing, well….almost. Is there any chance those of us that missed out on the previous release of the kit could see the ability to order one in the future? Such a great looking kit (in both blue and red), would love to add to my daily riding collection. Thanks in advance – Terry M.