Rufus (Urban Cruiser)

Whether you need an agile commuter, a capable grocery getter, or just a cruiser for fun and fitness, Rufus is ready!

Compact 20" wheels have an edge over larger wheels in that they can accelerate faster and slow down easier, which makes sense with the start and stop nature of urban riding. Compact wheels are also stronger, so dropping off curbs is no sweat.

While we've designed Rufus to ride pretty much like a normal sized bike, it does have a less cumbersome length. And that means fewer dirty looks when wheeling it into an elevator or commuter train. It also takes up less space in your apartment. And when you need to carry your bike up some stairs, the front wheel flop is less annoying.

The unusual geometry of the Rufus also allows the cockpit length to expand as you raise the saddle height, which (if built with the right parts) mean one bike to fit a great range of heights. Multiple family members could share one bike. Or you can loan it to a shorter or taller friend.

Specifications:

• 4130 Double-butted chromoly frame and fork

• Rear rack & fender mounts, cargo cage/mini rack bosses on fork (with one set of thru-bosses)

• Three sets of water bottle bosses

• Cafe lock mount

• Kickstand plate

• International Standard disc brake tabs (140/160mm rotors suggested)

• Wheel size: 20" (ISO 406) BMX size. Easy to find quality street or knobby tread tires. Tire clearance for 20 x 2.3" (20 x 2.0" w/fenders) (We will stock wheelsets when we can)

• Hub spacing: 135mm, rear; 100mm, fork

• Fits 1-1/8" headset (EC34/28.6|EC34/30 headsets)

• Seatpost size: 27.2mm x 350/400mm

• Sizes: Small and Large (Depending what type of handlebars are used, the Small can fit 4' 11" to 5'7". The Large can fit 5'6" to 6'3"

• Paint: Purple

• Made by Blacksnow Cycles

purchase!

Rufus (Urban Cruiser)

  • Additional Specifications

    Bottom bracket shell: 68mm, English threading (BSA) Drivetrain: 1x (no routing for front derailleur) (if you do fashion your own routing, note you will need a mini-velo/folding bike front derailleur that fits a 28.6mm seat tube)

    Seat clamp: 29.8mm/30.0mm

    Stem Clamp: 1-1/8" (28.6mm)

    Fork steerer length: 400mm

    Fork axle to crown: 320mm

    Rotor size recommendation: 140/160mm

  • Tips for Setting Up Your Rufus

    Bar set up: You can use any style of bar for your Rufus. Just be aware of the fundamentals: A drop bar can extend your reach 80 to 100mm over a standard MTB bar. A backsweep bar can reduce your reach by 30 to over 120mm. These along with bar height determine how upright or sporty your ride position is. The Rufus has an extra long fork steerer which allows for setting bar height fairly high. Expect to use many headset spacers, especially if you are running a drop bar. Because the fork's steerer is CrMo steel you are not limited to the 40mm tall spacer stack like you are with carbon or aluminum steerers. Set up the bike up with your optimum seat height, to help you visualize what height your bars need to be. Stem length and angle also helps you fine tune fit. When using drop bars, we generally do not recommend stems longer than 90mm.

    Small wheels and gearing: Small wheels are easier to get spinning and climb with, so you don't need a huge cassette as you might with a gravel or mountain bike. A 44t crank with a 11-32t cassette is plenty of range for all around riding including climbing on dirt paths. Those concerned with maxing your road speed or spinning out can go to a 50 or 48t.

    Do not use Long Cage Rear Derailleurs: Long and some medium cage derailleurs come very close to the tire in certain cog positions. While not dragging on the ground a lower derailleur pulley can strike objects more easily, too. Chain and tire clearance can get tight with tires over 2.0" when using road-specific cranks. Shimano Zee 10-speed short cage and Microshift Advent Super Short 9-speed are good options that are readily available.

  • Can I fit this in the back of my car if I don't have a bike rack?

    In a 2019 Honda Fit, a size Small bike built with high rise or MTB bars can fit horizontally in the behind the front seat with the Magic Seats folded up. Just take off the front wheel and roll it in using the back wheel. On the LG it is better to stow it in from the back with the rear seats folded down.
    Length measured on bike with 1.95" tires: SM: 146cm LG: 152cm

  • Is the Rufus a BMX bike? Can I ride dirt trails on it?

    You can ride some dirt trails with it, but the Rufus should not be ridden like a BMX freestyle, dirt jump or XC mountain bike. Its thin double butted steel tubes are not for that type of abuse. The frame is built to handle what a 700c gravel or CX bike can handle. BMX tires are usually excellent for riding on smooth hardpacked dirt, but once things gets rocky or washboardy, it is harder to maintain speed like a larger wheel bike. Otherwise this bike is as fun as it looks on dirt. You just need to be wary of depressions in the dirt (also potholes in the streets) which small wheels can fall into instead of rolling over.

  • How do I carry gear on the Rufus

    The Rufus is equipped with a slew of rack mounts on the front and rear, but there are particular consideration before spending money on racks and bags.

    - Mini Front Rack: One of favorites is getting a mini front rack and zip-tying a Wald Basket. The basket mounts fairly low which helps the bike handle steadily when you have weight in the basket. You can carry more weight than a regular road before the weight starts fighting your steering. The most popular are the 15" Wald 137 basket, but because of how low it mounts, you can also equip a deeper basket without it interfering the cables and bars, which could securely hold a full grocery bag or daypack.

    - Frame bags: Lots of space for a top tube/stem mount bag or a bag that mounts inside the frame triangle. The LG size frame can fit a half frame bag plus 2 small water bottles inside the frame triangle.

    - Front and rear panniers (bags that hang off a rack on either side of the wheel): There are mounts for a front or rear pannier rack, but note the rack will hang 3.5 to 4" lower than on a bike with 650b/700c wheels. You don't want to use bags, so large that they can touch the ground when leaning into a corners. Micro panniers are usually fine. An ideal rack set-up can allow fitting panniers up to 12.5 liters.
    Please note: A stuffed bag on the front fork will reduce how tightly the bike can turn. Rear dropout has M6 upper bosses and M5 lower bosses. Tubus racks usually can fit M6 bolts, but may come with M5 sometimes. We highly recommend our Rakku 2 rack. It fits the lower M5 boss perfectly and also kicks the load back a couple of inches to reduce heel clip with bags.

    - Rear trunk bag: These mount to the top of a rear rack. On a regular bike, a bag like this makes it hard for some people to swing their leg over the rear wheel to mount up. But on this bike the bag will be 3.5 to 4" lower. Plus the bike's low standover height will allow some riders to throw their leg over the front of the saddle.

    - Bar bags and seat bags: The Rufus is generally compatible with most small handlebar or seatbags that other bikes can fit. Depends on the bars you have.

  • Can the Rufus be set up single speed?

    If you want to go single-speed, you need a SS MTB hub and a Surly Single-ator or similar tensioning device -- classic BMX gearing is 44/16. The frame does not have horizontal dropout or EBB to facilitate easy single speed use.

Rufus (Urban Cruiser)

  • Rufus Makes Bike Shop Owner Happy

    “Many folks have asked me what the deal is with this bike, why a dude with a dozen other bikes that are all more 'high performance' than this one chooses to ride this one so frequently. I've got two answers: One, looking at it makes me happy. Two, it's a blast. It's an absolute blast. And really, what better reason is there for riding a bike?”

    B3 Cycles, Howell, NJ