Republica Bicicletas and the New Ushuaia

República Bicicletas started making bikes in 2012, mostly fixed gears and an obligatory tall bike, as a side project to build the bikes they wanted, but couldn’t find in Brazil. After a lot of trial and error, the República team learned about geometry, brazing, alignment and finishing, which led to a real business in 2014. They saw a demand for more adventurous bikes with bigger tire clearance and gears, as well as racks, cargo cages, and bags—all of which are still hard to find there.

All of República’s bikes are completely custom and made to order, but usually follow one of two models. Pantanera is their carbon fork, all-road bike for those looking for a mix of comfort and performance. Ushuaia is the result of a friend asking for a bike for rougher roads and giving República full freedom to design it as if it was for them. Their next model will be a multi-purpose gravel bike with a steel fork, options for disc or cantilever brakes, more classic styling, tires up to 42mm, and loads of rack options.

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The Ushuaia’s clean lines and minimal rack system caught our attention immediately, so we reached out to learn everything we could about it.

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Republica Bicicletas Ushuaia

The Ushuaia is a monster gravel bike designed for versatility, robustness, and comfort on rough terrain. Although it is one of República’s stock models, it is custom sized for every customer—allowing for tweaks to the fit, geometry, and specific characteristics as needed. The final geometry of the bike will take rider measurements and personal preferences into consideration. For example, for someone looking to ride mostly gravel without much cargo, the bike can be made with a shorter wheelbase, higher bottom bracket, and with less trail for a more lively response. On the other hand, someone looking to load it up for bikepacking might prefer a longer wheelbase, lower center of gravity, and compatible geometry up front.

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It is built around a 4130 / Columbus steel frame and a Reynolds 631 steel fork, with clearance for 29 x 2.2″ tires. Common specs like 9mm quick release axles, a 68mm threaded bottom bracket, a 27.2mm seatpost size, and a replaceable derailleur hanger make the Ushuaia look like a really dependable bikepacking rig. Better yet, it has loads of standard bottle mounts, as well as cargo cage mounts on the fork and additional bosses on the seatstays. Fender and rack mounts all come standard, and it can be run with both 1x and 2x drivetrains.

Frame Specs

• Frame 4130 and Columbus tubing mix
• Fork Reynolds 631
• Tire Clearance 29×2.2″ / 68mm
• Drivetrain 1x and 2x ready
• Brakes IS disc brake
• Steerer 1″ 1/8 steerer (34/34mm headset)
• Seatpost 27.2mm
• Bottom Bracket 68mm / 73mm english threaded
• Hubs 9x100mm (front)/ 9x135mm (rear)

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Geometry Specs

• Reach Custom
• Stack Custom
• Top tube length Custom
• Headtube Angle 67-70°
• Seatube Angle 72-76°
• Chainstay 450-460mm
• Reach Custom
• Reach Custom

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Complete builds will not be offered to international customers, only framesets, racks, and other smaller items. This is because of high shipping costs and taxes, and most foreign customers will be able to find components for cheaper close to home. As for the domestic market, República will be selling this bike with three build options: Microshift Advent 1×9, Gevenalle + Deore 1×10, or Shimano GRX 1×11. Wheelsets are from Vzan, a Brazilian brand, and they can offer their whole range. República is very flexible and in most cases will find a way to make things work for everyone.

The racks and cargo cages pictured do not come standard, but are available as a custom add-on. As are the bags which are made by Esgualepado, a Brazil-based manufacturer that República will be partnering with more moving forward.

They offer a whole range of paint and finishing options, including standard powder coating, custom paint jobs with fades and metal flakes, and even a raw finish with varnish clear coat to preserve the beauty of the fillet brazed joints. The price of the stock frameset is $940 USD and complete builds vary depending on component selection.

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To learn more about the Ushuaia, Pantanera, and República Bicicletas, head over to Republica.cc. They’ve recently added English translation for the website and are excited to start working with international cyclists.