SL: What’s most exciting about the accessory line is how unique it is to Freeman Transport.

Ben: We try to make not only merchandise but products that enhance your travel experience and lifestyle. What is that one item you wish you had that would really make your travel better? A passport case? A clean pair of socks? A fresh hat for when the sun comes out? Everything we produce should relate to our lifestyle and people who live in a similar.

SL: It’s a good point, and we should spend a bit of time discussing the concept of the company and this particular bike.

Nathan: When we first started this conversation, and this was two and a half years ago, we never wanted to pretend that we were some sort of a big company. We decided from the beginning that we were going to build a lifestyle brand, and fill the missing links and create products for ourselves and friends, stuff that we missed when we were traveling. Being avid cyclists, a travel bike was the first thing up to bat.

Ben: Also, to add quickly, the first thing we wanted to add was a bit of our aesthetic to cycling. We weren’t really sure how to do it, but we wanted to see if we could. We wanted to bring together our friends who are artists and make great products to serve a purpose and fill a void. That’s really how the project started, wouldn’t you say Nathan?

Nathan: Absolutely. Our first conversations were more about accessories, rather than frames. Then we met frame builders and the conversation clicked. What we really wanted was a bike we can take with us wherever we want to go. From there, everything sort of fell into place and hit with that same relationship. It’s not just a card case, it’s the card case, not just a bike, the bike.

Ben: Totally. S and S makes a bag. It’s fine. But it wasn’t what we wanted and so we took it to the next level. Made it representative of who we are and what we’re about.

SL: Tell me a little about your history in cycling.

Nathan: I first started riding road bikes, I started taking it really seriously in high school. But, I came much more out of mountain biking and cycle cross, and I’m still on a team now. It’s been a major element to everything that I’ve done, from travel to function. I was early on making decisions to not have cars and ride bikes, when I first started college. And, then it was all about practicality. It made more sense to me that way. I love the sporting nature of it too. But, also, it is really about freedom. I don’t know of any other way you can have this feeling of freedom, in mobility anyway.

SL: I find I’m really pissed when I have to take another form of transport. And, I admit to driving more than I’d like, mainly because of my dog.

Nathan: I bought a Burley so I can drag my dog around. Which is sweet, because it can be either a dog carrier or a whatever carrier. And, what’s funny is, everyone thinks I have a kid in it, so they give me a really wide birth.

Ben: I grew up on the East Coat where the road riding is amazing. My earliest memories are riding with my dad. I raced in little in high school, nothing too competitive, but always rode. A little on the mountain bike but mostly road bikes. When I moved to Missoula, in 1995, I left my road bike behind. The trails in Missoula are first class. Now I ride a lot of dirt. On the mountain bike and cross bike mostly. But I still have my Serotta road bike I bought on a pro-deal when I was 17 working at a shop in White Plains. Could never get rid of that. And Missoula is a big bike town. Lots of commuters and enthusiasts. It’s a great town not to have a car. Everyone rides bikes everywhere. When I moved back to New York after being in Missoula for a while, having a bike was my saving grace. Commuting from Brooklyn to Soho, going over the Brooklyn Bridge or the Manhattan bridge, was the most pleasant entrance/exit of my day.

SL: I feel that way every day passing people trudging along to the train just looking miserable.

Nathan: And, the fixed gear thing really came out of practicality. When I started riding fixed, I was a messenger; we did it because it was the least impactful way to have your bike set up as far as replacing parts and whatnot. So, with Freeman Transport we thought, let’s start with the simplest possible bike and move from there. The things we are working on now are definitely a little more complicated, but it’s because it will fill another niche. We’re working on a cross bike that will come apart and still be really simple. A commuter…