ABOUT US

Our Story

PUBLIC was born out of the deep respect and admiration our founder, Rob Forbes, had for the streets of Amsterdam, which are teeming with bikes and people, not cars. The two-wheeled lifestyle he found in Europe didn't involve special clothing or technical gear. It was simple and practical. People of all ages, in all forms of dress (including casual footwear) were on bikes and enjoying the ride. Our goal is to bring that same freedom to the streets and communities of the US.

Mass Transit For One

Our vision is for a time when we think as carefully about the way we get around on an everyday basis as we do about what we eat, how we dress, and how we furnish our homes. It’s not a utopian or unrealistic vision.

The quality and usage of our public spaces is a measure of the success of our democracy. That is why we call ourselves PUBLIC.

Design Matters

Our bikes are designed to help make city life a little simpler and a little more fun. They're designed with all kinds of people in mind:

The everyday bicyclist who regularly rides to work and around town.

The person who doesn't identify themselves as bicyclist, but wants a simple, sturdy bicycle for errands, trip to the Farmers Market, or weekend rides in the park.

The newbie who is buying an adult bike for the first time who wants to recapture the joy they felt while riding as a child.

But most importantly, we design our bikes for ourselves. All of us at PUBLIC are enthusiasts about bicycles for everyday people, and so our high design standard is very simple - we would never produce a bicycle that we wouldn't ride ourselves or recommend to our friends.

Our real mission is simply to make our communities more enjoyable.

 

Whoever you are, wherever you live, we think the bicycle will bring convenience and joy into your everyday. And we all could use a little more of that, right?