Explore Basil
Cycling joy in every detail
Cycling makes the world more beautiful and brings happiness to people's lives. Being outdoors, staying active and taking the time to enjoy your surroundings creates a sense of freedom. As a Dutch family business, we aim to strengthen that feeling with thoughtfully designed cycling accessories that make every ride easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. In doing so, we inspire people to choose the bike more often and experience even more cycling joy. More Cycling Joy – that's what Basil stands for.
The moment of joy
For more than 50 years, Basil has put cyclists at the heart of everything we do. It all began when Ine walked into Nico van Balveren's bicycle shop looking for a sturdy wicker basket for her bike. Nico developed a basket that was not only practical, but also made her rides more comfortable and enjoyable. That wicker bike basket allowed her to get even more pleasure from every ride, bringing her more cycling joy.
Putting cyclists first
Not much has changed in our family business since then. Our passion remains the same: developing cycling accessories that make cycling more appealing and more enjoyable. We continuously explore what motivates people to cycle and what might be holding them back.
Every day, we learn from those insights and apply them to everything we create. Combined with our commitment to quality, functionality and style, this enables us to develop cycling accessories that bring even more cycling joy to riders everywhere. This brings us to Basil's brand essence: More Cycling Joy.
What defines us
You can recognise Basil by three defining qualities: surprising, attractive and inventive. These are more than just words. They reflect who we are as a leading cycling accessories brand, the breadth of our collection, and the way we interact with both our customers and each other.
These qualities form the foundations of our strong and successful brand, with the needs of cyclists always at the centre of everything we do.
Always in motion
Together, we are building a future in which cycling inspires and moves people, while our accessories help create more everyday cycling joy. As a brand and organisation, Basil is constantly evolving. Every day, we challenge ourselves to create exceptional, surprising cycling accessories that perfectly match you, your bike and the moment you ride.
Whether it's bike bags, baskets, crates or innovative attachment systems, we're ready for the future. With respect for our rich heritage and a healthy curiosity about what lies ahead, we continue to move forward.
Basil through the years
In 1934, Marinus Johannes van Balveren started the bicycle shop M.H. van Balveren in Silvolde, the Netherlands.
In 1962, the bicycle shop of Marinus Johannes van Balveren was taken over by Nico van Balveren. (Photo from 1968)
It all started when Ine walked into Nico van Balveren’s bicycle shop in 1976 and asked for a wicker basket. Nico had the basket made for her, ensuring that she could enjoy her bike rides even more. Under the name ‘N. van Balveren Riet Import-Export’, later renamed Basil (van Balveren Silvolde), Nico began importing baskets from the former Yugoslavia.
From 1980 onwards, Basil also started importing steel baskets.
In 1992, the new warehouse on Ettenseweg in Ulft was opened. The head office moved from Silvolde to Ulft in 1998.
In 2001, Marthijn van Balveren took over from his father Nico van Balveren.
In 2005, Basil introduced its first colourful children’s bicycle bag, the Jasmin. In the years that followed, many successful designs were launched, shaking up the world of bicycle bags. These colourful bags quickly gained attention from lifestyle magazines and TV series.
Basil was selected for The Trend Book by Jorrit Schoonhoven, one of the ambassadors of Dutch Design Week. Thanks to its multifunctional and modern design, Basil became one of the 150 companies featured in this prestigious publication.
A milestone: Basil designed and launched its first bicycle bags made with sustainable materials; Basil Urban Fold. Basil not only introduced a new urban look in 2012 but also a different way of thinking and designing using recycled materials (recycled canvas). This was just the beginning. More product categories followed, including bicycle crates.
A revolutionary way of mounting bicycle accessories was introduced: MIK CLICK GO. MIK went on to win several awards, including ISPO, Eurobike, European Product Design Award and RAI Bicycle Innovation Award.
Basil introduced the now well-known and iconic modern dog bicycle basket ‘Buddy’.
As a Dutch bicycle accessory brand, Basil celebrates its anniversary year. And continues to move forward, inspiring everyone to get on their bikes and experience more cycling joy.
more cycling joy
The essence of the Basil brand: more cycling joy. This is the cornerstone from which our brand and all our products are developed. After all, cycling is about so much more than just riding from A to B. It’s about those little moments of cycling joy that make all the difference along the way.
That’s why we develop and design cycling accessories that make getting on your bike even more enjoyable, and are made to last for years.