Castro Bikes, the bike with a Barcelona stamp and an architect's eye

The architect Antonio Castro had been searching for years for an ideal bicycle to get around Barcelona. One that was light, compact, and comfortable, yet stable and of quality. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find it. And far from settling, he decided to create it. First, he tried with established brands, but finally, he decided to design it on his own. That's how a personal need ended up becoming Castro Bikes, and how an architect ended up designing a bike specifically imagined for the city.

"It was a need I had, to have a bike with characteristics that were hard to find. So I had the time and the enthusiasm to do it," Castro highlights, 13 years after embarking on the project. In addition to that enthusiasm, he also had a background linked to mobility, as he had previously dedicated himself to car design for Seat.

With that background, he ended up shaping what was his ideal bike for getting around Barcelona, with a minimalist, agile, and compact design to fit at home, on the landing, or in the elevator. "Originally I was looking for it for myself but, as happens with designs like this, it can be useful for other interested people."

Thus, that first model ended up leading to Castro Bikes, and to a firm that not only designs bicycles in Barcelona but also manufactures and assembles them in the city. "The bike world is very delocalized, but in Barcelona there was a quite powerful fabric, although it was underutilized or was being dedicated to something else. We opted for local construction."

In this way, the company has contributed to revitalizing this cycling fabric of the city —which is now being re-boosted with the Grand Départ this weekend. Since its launch 13 years ago, Castro Bikes has surpassed a thousand bicycles, both in physical points of sale and in its online store. Here, the company does go beyond Barcelona: "We have been selling internationally for years." So much so that there are Castro bikes rolling in the United States, Japan, or South Africa. And this is despite the fact that, "with such expensive shipments and no aid," international trade is not easy, as the founder highlights.

In addition, the bicycle market has become saturated with models and options in recent years. However, Castro Bikes sends its bikes to customers all over the world who are attracted by their design and practicality. In fact, their bikes incorporate solutions that facilitate their storage: through a system that allows the handlebars to turn without moving the wheel and with removable pedals, the bicycle becomes completely flat in a few seconds and reduces its width to about 23 centimeters. Thus, it can be stored behind a door, in a narrow hallway, or even hung on the wall. Everything designed for a city like Barcelona, and not only so that the bike is comfortable to move around, but also to store it.

This practical and design-oriented approach extends to the entire range of the firm, which has been expanding, with the latest incorporation launched precisely a week ago. After the first model, the firm created a second version: one focuses on simplicity —with two automatic speeds—, and the other on control, with a three-speed internal rotary gear change. In this case, the cables run inside the frame, to maintain the bike's clean image.

Then came its second model, with eight speeds and maintaining the characteristics that define the brand's bikes: light, resistant, sober, and easy to integrate into the daily urban routine. The latest novelty has just arrived, and for the first time looks beyond the city: it has just launched an "all-road" bike, capable of going on any terrain. In addition, it also makes a chromatic leap, going from black and brown to a colorful and unique design.

Castro, who does not rule out the arrival of an electric model in the future —as long as the right motor for his urban perspective comes out—, continues to develop his models with the city as an emblem. In fact, the firm does not only represent a bicycle designed for the city, but a way of looking at Barcelona, and of responding to its needs and those of those who travel it every day. In a week in which the city simultaneously becomes a global showcase for architecture and cycling, Castro Bikes represents a meeting point between both worlds, with Barcelona as the nexus.