Today we have news of some new products from Budnitz Bicycles. Chances are you all know Paul Budnitz, the founder of Kid Robot but some of you may not know that the serial entrepreneur has ventured into the realm of making bicycles. His tagline and mission statement being 'The Most Beautiful Bicycles In The World.'  

With sweeping curves and being made of titanium, the design and finish of the bikes are certainly impressive and would have you believing his statement. Today however we're here to talk handlebars, and not of the facial hair variety either.

So many bicycle aficiandos worry mainly about the big things: frame, wheels, disc brakes and forks etc. That's all well and good but there's usually not much thought about the bits that actually connect you, the rider, to the bike. This is where Budnitz steps in...

"It's the parts that touch the rider's body that make a good bicycle great, and a great bicycle magnificent.

So when Paul Budnitz set out to design our first bicycle Model No.1 he also took the radical step of designing handlebars to go with it.

We not-very-humbly believe that our Riserbar & Flatbar handlebars are the best in the world, both for city riding and mountain biking. Handmade out of aircraft-grade titanium, they are beautiful, incredibly lightweight, strong, stiff, and will never rust or corrode.

Our Riserbar took over a year to perfect. The handlebar bends twice, and rotates slightly backwards. It has a grip angle that mimics the natural hand position of the rider. Good grip means lots of power to the pedals! It's also comfortable and ergonomic as all get-out.

Our more minimalist no-rise Flatbar has a gentle 12º bend. We engineered this handlebar for riders wanting a lower, more agressive ride and stripped-down look. So far we've sold nearly a dozen Flatbars to bicycle messengers riding in New York City.

Both bars are wide enough for optimum control, but not so wide to risk banging hands on anything important while weaving through traffic or negotiating a winding single-track.

We safety-test all of our parts to top EU standards. These bars are suitable for city riding yet strong enough for the most agressive off-road use.

Both Riserbar and Flatbar handlebars are offered standard on all of our bicycle models, or may be purchased inidividually for$170 from our online store. Order now. "

I personally think the bars look great, and although $170 seems like a steep price tag, it's not really when you consider the amount of research and development gone into these badboys to get them perfect, not to mention the fact they're crafted from aircraft grade titanium, and will probably last the life of the bike if not more! I'd invest once in a beautiful set of these as opposed to multiple cheap steel jobbies you get imported from the far east.

Next we have a complete bike to tell you about. Feeling a little more flush and want some fun, frantic urban cycling? Then without  further ado, introducing... 

Model No.4

"Want a fast and very fun bicycle for city riding? Check out our new Model No.4, handmade and designed to fit in small places like elevators, trunks of cabs, and small apartments. This bicycle is beatiful in gloss black & titanium and rides like a grown-up BMX bike with wide 24-inch tires. Full sized cockpit and you can jump curbs, too!

Check it out in our online store. Starting at $2800."

The Model No.4 looks like an interesting bit of kit, with 24in tires it should be compliant over any pot holes or rough concrete you might come over and it's compact size makes it a bit more nimble and space friendly compared to your vintage fixie bikes.

You've got a choice of single speed (a la BMX) or if you want to save the sweat fest then you can spec a 11-speed internal transmission. What'll really get you bike buffs in a tizz is the silent carbon drivebelt that requires no grease so pretty much zero maintenance and no more greasy pants! Again a lofty price but these guys certainly havent skimped on components and they feature totally top end bits in this build, besides included in the price is the lifetime theft replacement policy. With many new bikes costing just as much or easily more than this, then I'd say it's definitely worth considering a Budnitz for your next purchase.