'Handsome Devil' by Handsome cycles Minneapolis.
 

Anybody here familiar with familiar with 'Handsome Devil' by Handsome cycles based in Minneapolis? I'd appreciate if people who own one are familiar could throw some light on it.

Link Assist
 

Have no info on the bike, but their mixte frame looks pretty sweet.

It’s double-butted CroMo. I would want to get an idea of frame weight; just as a comparison.

John

Thanks for that link.

By the way, I just bought a Handsome Devil, not based on any reviews, I could not find much info online. I went with my gut. They had a sale on their frame sets. Below is a picture of the bike I built, apart from the frame fork and bar tape, everything else is used. Since it's snowing and roads are crap, I've rode this bike less than two miles, it feels really nice. They still have a sale on their 'She-devil' was wondering if I should build one for my wife.
I was hoping I'd hear from other owners of 'Handsome Devil's' so I could make changes to my bike if anyone suggests any based on experience and decide on whether I buy a 'she devil' too.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1739a0ad0f.jpg

I’m seriously considering a She Devil frame set for my wife. The 46cm and 49cm are the same except for the seat tube; which is less meaningful on a mixte.

John

If I may ask, have you compared and done any 'looking around' before you settled on the 'She Devil'. These seem like real nice bikes, I wonder why I haven't heard of them more?

The weight on these bikes seem on-par with Surly's 4130 double butted chromoly frames. 2300grams for a medium(55cm) ish frames, 1075grams for the forks for the Devil model. The frame seems a bit heavy, so I would assume 9-6-9 TT and DT.

Strange that their sizing for the 46cm and 49cm are basically the same.

I like the utility aspect of some of their 3 speed and single speed builds. Looks like a neat little brand doing their own thing.

The weight for most of these frames can be found on their frameset pages.

I have been looking at step through or low bar bikes/frames for my wife.

Currently her neighborhood bike is a 1986 50cm Univega Viva Sport road bike that I converted to a flat bar with a triple mtb 165mm crank to an 8 speed cassette. As the years have gone by, it has become more difficult for her to negotiate getting her leg over the saddle, so she typically lays the bike down.

If I get the She Devil frame in 46cm, I’ll need a headset and mini v-brakes, and maybe a stem and seatpost; depending on what’s in the parts bin. Everything else should transfer over.

The steel mixte frame is under 2400 grams. The fork is 1100 grams. Not super light, it is a mixte, but it’s lighter than a Soma Buena Vista and half the price.

I’ve thought of a lowstep frame, but not as easy to find just a frame. Some have front suspension so I would have to get a fork. Might be a tougher swap project.

John

Thank you. All the best with the build. Do post a picture once you are done.

2300 grams is approximately 5 pounds. The Reynolds 531 frame I build using Henry James lugs weighs 4.5 pounds and is a 57cm frame. There is more than 9.6.9 butted DT and TT there.

I think the Surly CrossCheck(which famously uses OS 9-6-9 tubing) is also around the 2200g or 2300g mark.

I assume these Devil frames use heavy seat stays and chain stays. You can see on their XOXO frameset spec sheet that they use 22.2mm to 16mm tapered 0.9mm thick chainstays and 16mm to 12mm tapered 0.9mm thick seat stays. Likely means they use similar or thicker for these "less boutique" frames. I think the price for these bikes are pretty reasonable for the build and weight, I could see myself recommending this to people who want a bike that will be ridden a few times a year. Although, I bet a Surly would keep value much better.

I'd rather have a Soma or a Milwaukee Road or a BlackMountainCycles or a Ritchey, but they're much nicer and much more expensive than these Handsome frames.

I pulled the trigger on a 46cm She Devil mixte frame. At $435 and $30 to ship to California is was a pretty easy decision.

It is pretty hilarious that less than a week ago I had never heard of Handsome and now I have a frame on order.

I've been casually looking, off and on, for over a year, but most frames that are available are used and older.

My brother has a Soma San Marcos and it is a very nice frame, but $900 for their mixte was a bit too high for a casual ride.

John

Never mind, it's been said.

Congratulations on your new bike. Happy new bike day to your wife.
The Soma San Marcos seems like a nice bike. Looks like it's not sold anymore though.
I braved some frigid temperatures to take my Handsome Devil for a short ride. Rides beautifully. I've built it as light as I possibly could keeping in mind practicality and durability. I haven't weighed it though. But I have a couple of bikes and I can be sure it's one of the lightest except for my old carbon Look, that would be an unfair comparison though.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5720da96ba.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2469bce6bb.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...73e306b613.jpg

Thanks. I like the blue accents on yours.

I noticed you put a couple spacers on top of the stem. Smart move until you get the bar height dialed in… pedal twice, cut once.

John

I've made that mistake of cutting a fork a little too early. Not again. Will wait until I've put a few long rides on the bike. Looking forward to pictures of your wife's bike and experience once you guys have it on the road. Cheers.

Beautiful build. I especially like the anodized blue stem & post. Looks great with the cream paint.
Thanks for sharing this - I've never heard of Handsome Devil either - now I'm glad I have. Cool bikes and sounds like a neat company.

You should check them out. Living in Minneapolis, this is a local company for me and it feels good to support a local business. That apart, they are really nice people, running a small business, making good bikes at a fair price.
As for the blue seat post and stem, they used to be made by an American company called 'Loaded', competitors for 'Thompson'. They went out of business. They made really good stuff. As much as I love to buy American made stuff to support local companies, bike components made here are way out of my budget. I try and and buy used when I can find them.
Glad you like the build. Cheers.

58cm Matte Black Handsome Devil
 

I know this is an old thread, but...I have a 58cm Handsome Cycles Devil in matte black. I would say it's everything a Surly Cross Check is, but cheaper and better geometry (for me, at least). I like the slightly sloping top tube; the Cross Check does not have that. The Cross Check and Devil are both double butted 4130 chromoly steel and both (I believe) are made in Taiwan factories. They both have very similar features in terms of braze-ons, dropouts, etc. The Handsome Devil definitely doesn't get the love it deserves. My only gripe is the matte black paint. I'm a little tired of the "matte black everything" trend.