SMALL BROWN BIKE was founded in 1997 by four friends in the small town of Marshall, Michigan. Through the late 1990s the band played endless shows from basements to venues and released two, well-received 7-inches, No Place Like You and (And Don't Forget Me). In 1999, the band united with No Idea Records to release their debut album, Our Own Wars and immediately began touring to support the record. In 2000, they landed an opening spot on tour with Hot Water Music and Saves the Day, playing in front of their biggest audiences yet.
Later that year, Small Brown Bike entered the studio with Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, Coalesce) to record their sophomore album, Dead Reckoning. Released to international acclaim, the album was instantly hailed as a "powerful and enormous" leap forward. Kerrang Magazine gave the album 5 stars and said it had “an unrivaled depth of emotion...real emotion, real musicianship, real creativity, real depth and real passion.”
The band continued their relentless live schedule and played tours with Hot Water Music, Leatherface, Cursive, Sparta, Cave In, The Casket Lottery, Rocky Votolato, and many more. It was during this time that Small Brown Bike caught the attention of Lookout! Records. After playing a sold-out show at Gilman Street in 2003, the band signed with Lookout! to release their third album, The River Bed. But the years of touring were taking their toll and Small Brown Bike sadly announced their break-up at the end of 2003.
In 2006, the band reunited to play a handful of shows and in 2009, officially announced their plan to write new music and play more shows. In the summer of 2010, Small Brown Bike joined forces with J Robbins (Jets to Brazil, The Promise Ring) and recorded their fourth album, Fell & Found, released on No Idea Records in 2011. An album that AV Club said made Small Brown Bike “one of the best purveyors of this sound.”