The Birth of Otso Cycles

The romance we have with the two wheeled vehicles is long and packed with history, going back to our work with Schwinn, Yakima and a variety of other brands. Many of the Capsule staff pause to watch a bike pass by our big windows and would readily admit to touching a stranger's bike without permission. It isn't something we're embarrassed about, we just love what the bike embodies: freedom, human energy, adventure, exercise and living life in balance.

So, when we got a visit from the entrepreneurs at Wolf Tooth Components to launch a new brand of bikes, the words "you had me at hello" were the first to come to mind. Wolf Tooth, a small, high quality bike component design and manufacturing company, developed an innovative fat bike design, the Voytek, which is the narrowest Q-Factor of any production fat-tire-capable bike. Additionally, they designed a high-end, stainless steel cross / gravel bike, the Warakin, under the new Otso Cycle brand name.

We helped them center on a name that had depth and meaning: Otso the Finnish mythical bear and King of the forest. We designed a friendly but intense version of the bear to visually represent the new bikes, as well as the bike graphics and anything else they would allow us to design with loving care.

Some people garden or play hockey, we give ourselves to our clients and become a part of their mission. It doesn't matter if they are structured as a non-profit or for-profit, all of our clients get the attention of a team deeply interested in their mission. Our client's mission is our mission, using the methods and thinking behind a design philosophy as our fuel. We practice commerce in a way that makes life better for the planet, the occupants and the future residents.

When we get to design a bike brand and promote the idea of more people getting up on two wheels, we get excited. Otso Cycles will get a big debut at Interbike this week, and we'll be there to celebrate with the rest of the bike community. We are media agnostic, focusing more on the mission our clients are seeking to fulfill through any means possible. The fruits of our labor and gardening are stronger brands, smarter clients and more opportunities for our clients.

Thank you Wolf Tooth Components for putting your trust in our unique approach to building a stronger, more relevant, modern brand in this economy. Check out more of the grizzly bike designs here.