It's not often an engineer with the caliber of Benno Baenziger approaches the 'everyday bicycle' as his muse - most bicycle engineers are engaged in Tour De France bikes or adrenaline Mountain machines. But Benno is a cool guy. Originally from Germany, he knows the pleasure of riding a bike the way a German couple might go for a ride to talk about the day, or the way you might go out for a pedal to clear your mind. That means designing bikes that are engineered to feel smooth, plush, pleasurable, and still very quick on their feet (or wheels!).  

In a world of bikes where fun is always serious fun, the Benno bikes take engineering seriously so you can enjoy fun in its most simple and pure state. That's what riding is all about!

The Pneumatic Tire has come a long long way.

Only about four years ago, if you bought a bike with a wide tire it was guaranteed slow. Why? Because the added width created drag, but even more-so, the high air volume and low air pressure meant the ride was squishy and spongy. No longer!

The perfect tire would offer a good footprint for stability and higher pressure for efficiency. Thankfully, this tire has arrived! Today's wide tires inflate to a comfortable and quick 60PSI and offer a wide footprint that is courageous over streetcar tracks, and can also hop between gravel or concrete whenever your heart desires!

Because the Ballooner is made of aluminum it is very, very light and easy to ride longer distances or up hills.

But, isn't aluminum often considered to be a harsher ride? It's true. Aluminum does deliver a lot more road vibration up the frame and into the rider. But here again, the Ballooner tires come to the rescue! They soak up a ton of vibration while still remaining quick.

But, there's more going on with the Ballooner than just frame materials. A good bike is always about math. How do the various angles and lengths contribute to a great ride? The Ballooner sits like a Dutch bike but climbs like a mountain goat. It cruises like a luxury car but has the agility of a sports car. It sits safely above traffic yet has a balanced low centre of gravity.

Materials + math! Who knew a bike could be so serious and so fun?

If you visit a bike shop these days a lot of staff will talk about 1x gearing, or "one by." What on earth does that mean?

It means we've all come to realize that bikes are often sold with too many gears! If you don't use them, they just provide more maintenance. So, why not give the rider all they need?

A 1x system simply means there is one chainring on the crankset (where the pedals are) rather than three. You get a nice wide range in the back - on the rear wheel - and that covers you for pretty much anything a short or long city ride can throw at you.

Now, go for a ride!