Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Owned by Crumbworks in Japan, Farets Bicycles is a new bike brand that will produce bikes in Taiwan to achieve a more affordable price point. Their first launch is a remake of “The Chunk” we reviewed last year. Learn more about it here…
Sometime in 2023, Keita Matsumoto, the owner of the Crumbworks bike shop in Japan, shared photos of a funky ATB with swoopy tubes, fillet-brazed chromoly, and big tires. Many folks were enamored by its distinctive aesthetic, myself included, and I ended up purchasing a frame to build up and review. Despite its visual appeal, the fact that it was being made one-by-one by Osamu Fukuda at Raizin Works in Japan resulted in a fairly high price tag. Then, earlier this fall, Crumbworks announced Farets Bicycles, a new house-brand that would make their bikes in Taiwan to offer a more affordable price point. Their first bike? The Chunk.
The Chunk from Farets Bicycles shares the same lovely, swoopy 4130 chromoly steel tubes and peculiar mix of specs that will either leave you scratching your head or digging through your parts bin. Like the version I tested, it features a 1″ threaded steerer, a 68mm threaded bottom bracket, 12mm non-boost thru-axles, and a 27.2mm with internal dropper post routing. It retains clearance for 27.5 x 2.8″ tires, two sets of bottle mounts in the triangle and a third on the top tube, as well as rack and fender mounts for added utility. It’s identical to the Crumbworks Chunk, and it seems that’s the point.
The geometry has remained unchanged as well, with all three sizes featuring a 69° head tube angle, 71° seat tube angle, long 470mm chainstays, and a 50mm bottom bracket drop. Dig into the complete geo chart below.
Farets Bicycles The Chunk Geo
| Size | SM | MD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Tube (Effective) | 590mm | 620mm | 660mm |
| Seat Tube (C-T) | 470mm | 500mm | 540mm |
| Head Tube Angle | 69° | 69° | 69° |
| Seat Tube Angle | 71° | 71° | 71° |
| Head Tube Length | 185mm | 200mm | 230mm |
| Chainstay Length | 470mm | 470mm | 470mm |
| BB Drop | 50mm | 50mm | 50mm |
| Fork Rake | 50mm | 50mm | 50mm |
| Fork Axle to Crown | 410mm | 410mm | 410mm |
The Japan-made Chunk costs over $2,000 USD for the frameset, but switching to small-batch Taiwan production has allowed Crumbworks/Farets to lower the price to $1,500, hopefully getting it into more buyers’ hands. Pre-orders for the first batch open later today at 11 p.m. in Japan. They will be available in two colors: “Raw Clear” and “Metallic Brown.”
Visit FaretBicycles.com to learn more.
Further Reading
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