Handmade Bicycles from Namibia: Onguza Bicycles 2

In January 2024, photographer Ben Ingham joined the ONGUZA creative team in Namibia to capture the brand moving into its third year of operations. When ONGUZA launched in 2022 it made headlines around the world for its unconventional photography, style and story, winning a Bronze Loerie in the process.

The company was founded in 2020 by two-time Namibian Olympic Road Cyclist and professional rider Dan Craven (better known as @danfromnam), but the story began long before that. ONGUZA master framebuilders Sakaria Nkolo and Petrus Mufenge had worked for the Craven family for over 25 years as laborers. As Craven says “Their talent was always obvious to me. Petrus and Sakaria could build and fix anything. But Namibia offers people like them almost zero opportunities. So I knew my job would be making sure they had a craft that actually matched their talent.”

Over the last seven years, Craven brought expert framebuilders like Robin Mather, Andrew Denham, Tomi Salmon, and Andres Arregui Velasquez to Namibia to hone the skills of Nkolo and Mufenge in the art of fine steel framebuilding.

Even the 7th bike off the factory floor is winning races against the best in the world. Alex Miller, Namibia’s bronze medal winner at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the MTB has beaten the 2 x Cape Epic winner Matt Beers (Specialized) in South Africa’s 2023 Race to the Sun on ONGUZA bike #7. Namibian Martin Freyer won the 2022 Munga on ONGUZA bike #36. ONGUZA have just completed their 70th frameset.

Like most world-class steel bicycles, ONGUZA use Columbus tubing, made in Milan. But unlike many full time builders, the ONGUZA team manufactures entirely by hand. Craven explains, “We hand-mitre all our tubing, with a hacksaw and file. The builders have always been world class when it comes to using their hands - and now we like to show that off with how precise and consistent we work! That is also why we filet braze. It is not the quickest method - but we think it is definitely the prettiest and cleanest. And if you know the amount of work that goes into those smooth junctions you appreciate it all the more!”

And it’s not just the quality that is stand-out. Master builders Nkolo and Mufenge are part owners of the business with Craven. “Ownership is important. Our team is building their own thing. It’s not for me. I don’t know of any other cycling businesses that have a model like ours, and especially with black Africans holding an actual equity stake in the industry,” explains Craven.

While the cycling industry is facing some monumental challenges at the moment, ONGUZA has been growing, albeit facing its own obstacles. “People often don’t know anything about Namibia: we’re a young country with a population of 2.5million people. If people think of Namibia they’re thinking of landscapes and animals, but we are not famous for our craftsmanship. If you’re an Italian framebuilder, you benefit from what it means to be from Italy. But being from Namibia we have to be so good the ride speaks for itself.” says Craven.

As Craven says “our Goliath is how the world views African craftsmanship. Name a single, globally recognized luxury brand from Africa? It’s hard to do! But why? The quality is there.”

Creative Director, Collyn Ahart says of the campaign process, “What’s the real benefit of riding a Namibian-made bicycle? Namibia might not have a grand tour, but if you want a bike that’s made by people who know what a bike really needs to do, would you rather have a bike made in a nameless and faceless factory in the East or a bike handmade in the toughest place on earth. Namibia knows tough. Namibia knows what happens if your bikes breaks in the middle of nowhere. We’ve got lions!”

The campaign with Ingham takes a deep look at the dynamism of Namibian culture and how it influences the ONGUZA brand, including motorsport, horse riding, dance, spirituality, and living in a powerful landscape.

ONGUZA bringing in photographer Ben Ingham makes a bold statement about where the brand is heading. Ingham has a vast portfolio of work for luxury brands including Rapha, Dunhill and Stella McCartney. As Ahart says “The best brands make you feel something. We need people to see and feel what it means to be made out here, both in the sense of being made as a person on a bike and being made in the toughest place on earth.” Made Out Here signs off the brand’s new work as a line. “I’ve always believed we have to lean into what makes us different rather than play by the rules of our category. Cycling can be painfully self-referential, but we are unique in that we actually have our own story. We just need to capture it. I don’t know many photographers who can capture that kind of truth in a place the way Ben can.” Both Ahart and Craven worked with Ingham while he was working for Rapha. “Ben is an outsider to Namibia, but sometimes you need an outsider to help reveal your inner strength.” 

ONGUZA is releasing updates to its gravel model, The Goat, and road plus, The Holy Fire, and introducing a hardtail MTB design, The Rooster, each with four different color options and upgrades including ENVE, ZIPP and South Industries builds. Made-to-measure framesets start at $4100 USD, with free worldwide shipping.

More information at www.onguza.com.