About

Passion. Precision. Performance.

About

Of all the reactions Darren (Baum) receives when customers meet him it is typically “but you’re so….young?”. The confusion is palpable. How can a man not yet fifty have nearly three decades of frame-building expertise? The answer is simple: dedication, hard work, mistakes, and a drive to do things better. Do not accept any barrier. Step outside the status quo. Ride your own race. Darren did. The result is what you know as Baum Cycles, the little corner of Geelong producing some of the world’s best bespoke bicycles.

inside these four walls

Today the team at Baum has expanded beyond the man who started it. A complete in-house paint workshop, cutting-edge fitting studio, and a factory floor spanning two workshops make it a far cry from the humble beginnings but even with all that the core remains the same. Fit. Handling. Design. Ride. The beauty is in simplicity. It’s what allows us to create what we do and it’s what leads us to you.

Darren Fabrication

Our team

Our team come from all walks of life, however we all have one thing in common. A passion for creating the best bicycles around.

Front of House

Patrick S

Baum Cycles Workshop

Your first point of contact. The newest member of the team.
A proud South Australian with a love for all things bike racing.

Paint and Finishing

Ryan L

Frame Rack

Paint and finishing, photography and socials.

There is a secluded nook where those shots of our bikes are created. The ones you’ve adored online. One person has the key to this room, his name is Ryan. The most elusive factory member with the biggest public reach.

 

Head Mechanic

Chris F

Chris Workshop

Chris (Sticks) is our master mechanic here at Baum Cycles, bringing all of the bikes elements together with expert precision. He has forgotten more about wrenching on bikes than many will ever learn. 10sp Record is still his favourite ever groupset, thanks for asking.

 

Paint

Shaun B

Shaun Paint Booth

Paint and finishing.

An understated man. When asked about how intricate some recent work has been there was a pause before “yeah…bit hard”. Shaun makes the airbrush sing in ways we never thought possible, all for your riding pleasure.

Fabrication

Aaron D

Arron Fabrication

Frame fabrication, machinist, welder.

If we made Aaron don an actual cap for each figurative one he wears in the factory he wouldn’t get through the tea room doorway. Born to craft. The only thing he cannot engineer is a move of radio stations to Classic FM. 

 

Owner and CFO

Jodie C

Jodie MTB

Owner and Baum Chief Financial Officer. The glue that holds Baum Cycles together.

The nod of approval from Jodie is more highly prized than that of the Pope. She can however be bribed with chocolate, for any edge case appeals to her good graces. If Jodie says it is going to happen you can bank on it.

 

 

Brand Development and Design

Jason N

Jason Paint Room

Brand development, design, website, and socials.

You may not know his name but you certainly know his work. Jason has been a part of the Baum team for over 15 years. Originally starting back in 2009 he is the name behind much of Baum’s styling, working closely with Darren on paint scheme creation, logo design, and many other projects over the years.

Website and Technical Development

William Baum

Baum Cycles Workshop

If the name looks familiar, well, it is.

The next generation of Baum might not be behind the welding torch (yet). But like all curious kids, already has his fingerprints all over Dad’s prized possession. 

 

Owner and Founder

Darren Baum

Owner. Founder. Occasional bike rider. Forever curious innovator. 

His name is literally everywhere. But when you ask what it is he sees, it’s not just a bicycle. It’s a life’s work. Never-ending. Always evolving that little bit closer to an attempt of perfection

Darren Fitting

Baum Ambassador - Phil Anderson

Phil Anderson 01

A partnership between Baum and Phil Anderson needs no explanation-it just makes sense.

Phil joined the Baum family in 2019, as a brand ambassador, bringing with him a long list of accolades earned throughout his pro-cycling career. As one of Australia’s cycling icons and one of Darren’s greatest role models, Phil embodies everything we stand for as a company: Passion. Precision. Performance.

The first non-European to wear the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France and winner of multiple grand tour stages, Phil now calls the Surf Coast home.

Two bikes were crafted for Phil, an Orbis, and an Orbis X, taking aesthetic inspiration from Phil’s Team Peugeot race bikes of the ’80s.

In addition, a special Baum Shimano kit. replicating the Team Peugeot jersey famously worn by Phil in his ’83 Amstel gold win was created to complete the package.

FAQ

These are the questions we get asked the most. If your question isn’t answered here, get in touch and we’ll reply personally.
 

Q. Do you offer stock bikes?
A. Yes. We have a Baum standard geometry. If you have ridden a contemporary size and know it fits you perfectly we have a Baum stock geometry that is going to fit the same. 

Q. Are there differences in geometry between models?
A. Yes, depending on the split between on and off-road riding. Tyre size. And other variables of the rider.

Q. What is “butting” and how does it affect the bike?
A. Butting is the process of making tubes thinner in the middle than they are at the ends. A butted tube is lighter than a comparable tube with consistent wall thickness (known as a straight-gauge tube). Butting can be used to make a frame lighter or to aid frame compliance if done selectively. We buy all our titanium tubing in straight gauge and do our own butting. This lets us butt more aggressively for very light riders and more conservatively for heavier or more powerful customers. It also lets us tune the feel of the frame by deciding exactly where the butts (the thicker sections of the tube) begin and end.  Our steel tubing comes pre-butted from the manufacturer.

Q. What top tube slope can I have on my bike?
A. Basically any slope you prefer, however, there are limitations based on your proportions. Most of our bikes are what we call “semi-sloping”, with a slope between 4 and 6 degrees. Some customers prefer a level (traditional) top tube, others like a very compact bike. It’s entirely up to you.

Q. Which material is best for a bike? Aluminium, steel, titanium, or carbon?
A. All of these materials when designed correctly can make a beautifully riding bike. Each material has its own inherent attributes in regards to liveliness and stiffness. We choose to build with steel and titanium because we feel that these materials both offer a beautiful ride quality, tremendous durability, repairability, and a classic look that we admire.

Q. What type of steel/titanium do you use?
A. We source US Grade 9 Certified tubing for our titanium bikes. Our steel bikes are a blend of the latest steel tubes from Columbus, Reynolds, and Dedacciai. A single steel frame may consist of tubing from more than one tube supplier as we base our tube selection on each customer’s requirements.

Q. I’m a big guy and love riding. Are there weight limits on your bikes?
A. No – we design every bike we make around its rider. Whether you are 45kg or 120kg we can build a bike to suit you.

Q. Do I need a custom size?
A. Many riders come to Baum because they require a custom size. And many more can benefit from the offering. We have built our business around fitting the bike to the rider and believe that there is no better feeling than riding a bike that fits you perfectly through your local terrain. That said, standard sizes can fulfill the needs of many people. We offer a range of standard sizes – crafted around contemporary geometry – to get our ‘standard’ customers as close to a custom fit as possible.

Q. Can you match the geometry of my 10-year-old frame?
A. Yes, over the years we have amassed a database of many frames, which we can use to match the geometry of your reference bike. Alternately you can bring your frame into the factory for us to measure for you.

Q. I’m in Melbourne, can I visit your factory?
A. Certainly. Pending the state of play around Covid requirements – and assuming Covid safe protocols are followed – we would love to give you a tour of the factory. All we need is a call or email us to book a time.

Q. Can my bike be painted in my favourite colour?
A. The PPG Deltron Automotive paint we use puts around 50,000 colours at our disposal. We have chosen 30 standard colours for our bikes as we know these colours work well with our graphic schemes. If you have a special request, we’re open to discussion. See the paint and personalisation page for ideas.

Q. Can you refinish my 5-year-old Baum frame if I get tired of its look?
A. Yes, but for a fee.  That is the beauty of our frames, if you feel like a change or the paint is no longer looking fresh off the spray gun, we can do a full repaint in the scheme of your choice.

Q. Do you build track frames?
A. Yes. We base our track bicycle requests on our road line-up, with modifications to suit the demands of the required discipline.

Q. Are frames numbered?
A. Each frame has its unique serial number hand-stamped into the inside of its drive-side dropout.

Q. Do you still build lugged frames?
A. As a rule, no. We are very slavishly dedicated to and considerably enamored with TIG construction.