Dream bike: a classic steel FW Evans

One of the biggest names in the British cycle industry is developing a small range of high-end, steel frames to be handmade in the UK from Reynolds tubing, RoadCyclingUK can exclusively reveal.

James Olsen, who designed the Genesis range of bikes for Madison, is at the centre of Evans’ project to update three classic models from the FW Evans range: the Steelite, the Super Continental and the Ultra.Evans, best-known to thousands who have taken up cycling in recent years as a mass retailer of predominantly entry-level machines, is reviving the brand begun by its founder, Frederick W Evans, more than 90 years ago.

All take their names from classic FW Evans marques, but Olsen insists the new models will be evolutions of their predecessors, not reproductions.

“We’re definitely not making a ‘retro’ project,” Olsen told RCUK. “It’s what would have happened if the brand had never died away. If you look at the tube profiles, the patented drop outs, you realise FW Evans was quite an innovative guy and we wanted to keep that.

“FW Evans had some great bikes in the past. Most were custom to some extent. We have gone right back to the 1930s looking at the model, the style, and thinking about what we would see in the range now if the FW Evans brand had continued. The Ultra was the lightweight, fast, steel bike of the day. We have taken that name and updated it.”

He described the new Steelite, made from Reynolds 631 tubing, as a “lightweight, steel all-rounder”, the Ultra as “racy as a modern steel bike can be” with an oversized 631 head tube to accommodate the tapered steerer of a contemporary carbon fork, and the latest Super Continental as a “lightweight, long distance, audax or touring bike” whose prototype has been made with 853 tubing. Test results will dictate if the additional strength offered by 853 is required, he added.

Olsen has drawn on a close working relationship with Reynolds to develop an idea pioneered by FW Evans: ovalised tubing used by the Evans founder more than 80 years ago. “I was looking at FW Evans’ back catalogue and he had an ovalised tube profile to give what is now cherished as vertical compliance. Everyone else was using curly tube profiles for nominal improvements, where he used something quite different, which I think is impressive engineering,” said Olsen.

“We wanted to get the right level of stiffness in some places and compliance in others. This guy was doing the same in 1928.”

Testing has not been completed and Olsen stressed that the development phase is far from finished. The frames are being developed to an “open-ended” timescale and production will not follow the “model year” schedule typical of mass production frames. “I’m so used to Taiwanese time scales, but this is a very different project,” said Olsen, adding that he would be pleased if production began this summer.

“The aim is to get something with the comfort of a traditional steel tubed 531 frame but by having the tubes flat ovalised, something with a lot of side to side stiffness, without shimmy or flex. We didn’t want the trade off to be a lack of comfort,” he said. “We have done some comparative modeling. On paper, it looks like we have twice the vertical deflection than some of the bikes I know that we have used as a benchmark for comfort.”

Olsen was a visitor to Bespoked Bristol, the UK’s handmade bike show, and highlighted the TIG welded, 953 Brian Rourke frames and the creations of Ted James among the frames that had most impressed him. “It was great to see the revival in handmade British frames, but also to see the kind of things we are up against,” he said. “The quality of handmade bikes in the UK is fantastic. You could do a lot of that in Taiwan, but not in the same customised way. We’re trying to do something half-way between the two with small batch rather than mass production.”

Reviving a “connoisseur’s brand” was a dream project, Olsen admitted, but insisted that designing “second or third” bikes for newcomers to cycling for Evans’ Pinnacle range, was as satisfying as “preaching to the converted”.

“It’s a great project. Not only do we get to build some really lovely bikes in the UK, but we get to surprise a lot of people about what we can do,” he said.

“People won’t expect us to put time and resource into this. They are not going to be cheap bikes. On paper, this isn’t a commercial project, but at the same time, there are so many passionate cyclists in the company, there’s a thought that, ‘wouldn’t this be fun to do?’

Lynskey Cooper in Motion

Lynskey Cooper in Motion

Spin Doctors convene to roll out their works of art

FROM WIRED

SACRAMENTO, California — A factory worker can turn a handful of tubes into a bicycle. An excellent bicycle, even. But only a craftsman can turn those same tubes into a work of art.

This craftsmanship elevates a bicycle from a commodity to something … more. Something made just for you, by someone who gave you exactly what you want. Something born of a passion for riding and an abiding respect for framebuilding. This much was obvious at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, where more than six dozen framebuilders gathered earlier this month to celebrate their craft and show off their latest creations.

Here are 12 of WIRED’s favorites from the show.

Black Cat Bicycles

Todd Ingermanson built his first bicycle 10 years ago, for one simple reason.

“I couldn’t afford a hand-built bicycle,” he said. “So I thought I’d build my own.”

Here’s the thing, though: Building your own bike isn’t much cheaper than paying someone else to build it, once you pay for tools. And jigs. And painting. And … By the time Ingermanson was done, he’d invested so much time and money in the project that he figured he’d build another bike. Black Cat Bicycles was born.

It hasn’t grown much in the decade since. It’s still just Ingermanson working in a 400-square-foot shop in Santa Cruz, California, doing everything from welding the frames to printing the T-shirts to sweeping the floors. He likes it that way.

Ingermanson builds “35ish” frames a year. Each takes 35 to 40 hours. He works almost exclusively with steel, though you’ll see him use carbon from time to time. He’ll build just about anything, but says his 29er single speed (shown) is his most popular bike. The frame will set you back around $2,500, which seems like a bargain when you consider the quality of his workmanship. The only thing more beautiful than the lugs are the paint jobs covering them. Ingermanson paints everything himself.

“I get to geek out with masking tape and paint,” he said with a laugh. “It’s like doing an art project every few weeks.”

Vibe Cycles

Dave Kelley spent much of his career as a cabinetmaker, which might explain the material he used to build Sleigh Ride, his fat-tired snow bike: Bamboo.

Bamboo was for a time the hot new material. Kelley got wise to it three years ago after Craig Calfee rolled into Interbike with a bamboo 29er that got a lot of attention. “Well,” Kelley thought, “I can do that.”

He can, and did. Kelley and his wife, Christi, spent most of the past three years developing, refining and testing their 29er on the roads and trails around Boise, Idaho. The bike, with bamboo tubes, carbon lugs and big cushy tires, has been bulletproof.

“We’ve been trying without success for three years to break it,” Christi Kelley said. “We didn’t want to sell it if we could break it.”

Sleigh Ride was one of a handful of bamboo bikes at the Handmade Bicycle Show. Kelley says the material has a lot to offer. It soaks up vibrations, she says, and it doesn’t break. Still, bamboo is a niche material, which might explain why Vibe Cycles is developing aluminum and titanium frames.

A Sleigh Ride with straight tubes will set you back $2,295. Go for the more elaborate curved tubes and you’re looking at $3,495. The red and black color scheme looks great, and we especially like the flask holder. It’s a must for riding in snow.

Groovy Cycleworks

This bright pink beauty was among the show’s head-turners. It sums up Rody Walter’s entire approach to framebuilding: design the bike the rider wants, involve the rider in its construction and ensure it makes people smile.

Mission accomplished. Seriously, now — how can you look at a bright pink cheetah-print bike and notsmile? So what’s the story with that?

“The customer wanted it for his 40th birthday, but as a condition, he told himself he’d let his 8-year-old daughter choose the color,” Walter said of the $7,500 bicycle. “She chose a pink cheetah-print pattern. He said OK.”

Walter launched Groovy Cycleworks in 1994. It’s a one-man operation, which Walter says “allows me to have a more holistic approach to building.” In addition to road, cyclocross and mountain bikes, Walter also makes gorgeous handlebars and cranks, too. He’ll build a bike out of anything but carbon, because carbon isn’t recyclable.

“Ethically, I can’t be a part of that,” he said.

It takes Walter about 40 hours to build a bike. Want one? It’ll be awhile. He’s got a 56 month backlog. But on the upside, he only requires a $20 deposit.

“I used to be like other builders and require 50 percent,” he said. “But I realized I was holding their money for almost five years. I’d rather they put that in a CD or something and use the interest to buy better components.”

English Cycles

Rob English is so skilled that he can build half a bicycle.

Project Right is a single-sided, single-speed belt-driven road bike commissioned by Fairwheel bikes in Tuscon, Arizona. It’s an intriguing ride, full of amazing details that showcase the Eugene, Oregon, builder’s engineering skills.

Take, for example, the rear hub. English designed and machined it himself. A one-piece shell rides on bearings pressed onto an axle tube welded to the chainstay. An an eccentric bottom bracket allows tensioning the drive belt. And the cog is mounted outside the frame, making belt installation a breeze. It’s brilliant. Largely pointless, but brilliant.

“There’s no engineering reason for it,” English said of the single-sided system. “I just did it because I could. There is one advantage to it, however. If you get a flat, you don’t have to remove the wheel.”

The front fork is a riff on the Cannondale Lefty, and the frame is a mix of Columbus and True Temper tubing. It’s all flawlessly fillet brazed and covered in a paint job designed by artist Geoff McFetridge.

Project Right as a Herculean effort, with a Herculean price of about $10,000 ready to ride. A more conventional frame built to your specs starts at $1,950.

Bruce Gordon Cycles

Bruce Gordon has been building bicycles since 1974 and is therefore entitled to the occasional extravagant project. Like, say, a carbon-tubed, titanium-lugged bike that perfectly combines old-school aesthetics with modern materials.

No, extravagant is not too strong a term for a bike worth more than your car. And quite possibly the two parked next to it.

The bike is one of two Gordon made with Mike Lopez of Serotta Composites for the 2010 San Diego Bicycle Show. The project started, as these things often do, with a few drinks and the question, “What if…?” and the answer, “Just because.” The bike has been making the rounds ever since, and never fails to draw a crowd. With good reason — it’s stunning.

The carbon was hand-laid, including the fenders, and shines like a mirror. The titanium lugs, fork crown and other components were milled from 15 pounds of solid stock. Time, and money, was of no concern.

“I spent two months, working six days a week for six hours a day, just making the lugs,” Gordon said.

He isn’t boasting, just stating a fact. The lug joining the top tube, seat tube and seat stays was assembled from nine pieces. It’s absurd but inspiring, as it speaks to the level of craftsmanship that permeates this bicycle. This isn’t a show queen, though. Gordon actually puts miles on it.

“It’s the nicest road bike I’ve ever ridden,” he said.

Victoria Cycles

If Bruce Gordon is an elder statesman of framebuilding, David Hill is the new breed. He launched Victoria Cycles just five years ago. Before that, he was a mailman.

Yes. A mailman. But that was what he did. It wasn’t who he is. What he is, and always was, is a bicycle fanatic. So after 20 years in the same job, he decided to follow his heart.

“I’ve always had a passion for cycling,” Hill said. “My first job was working in a bike shop. I loved it.”

That love is reflected in his bicycles, like this 29er commuter bike. Like all the bikes he builds one by one in his workshop in Salida, Colorado, it’s steel. And, as is his preference, it features attractive lugs. He’ll do fillet brazing, but prefers lugs for his frames because they’re stronger and, frankly, prettier.

“I love lugs,” he said. “It’s what I grew up riding.”

Hill will build anything, from road to mountain to track. Don’t let his preference for pretty suggest his frames, which start at $1,550, aren’t meant to take some abuse.

“I’m an artisan, not an artist,” he said. “I want my bikes to be pretty, but ridden. I don’t want to build bikes that are hung on a wall and just looked at.”

Broakland Bikes

Jason Montano builds one kind of bike, and only one kind of bike, for one reason.

“I only build track bikes,” he said. “I’ve been riding track bikes since I was a kid. Build what you know.”

This is their latest model, the S3. As the name suggests, it features a True Temper S3 tubeset and flawless welding by Jason Grove. It isn’t cheap — $3,500 with a Wound Up fork — but it is gorgeous.

The frame weighs less than three pounds. Build it up with vintage parts and you’re just a hair over 15. Use modern parts and you’ll come in at a hair less. As for the paint, well, that’s a story unto itself.

“I was surfing the Internet and came across a photo of a crazy mid-80s French ski-jumping suit,” Montano said. “I sent it to my painter and said, ‘Match that.’”

He did. Perfectly.

Six-Eleven Bicycle Co.

This cross bike has all the parts to make us drool: Dura Ace components, Wound Up fork, White Industries cranks, the works. But what caught our attention was the paint job. It literally stopped us in our tracks.

The base color is khaki, so flawlessly applied that it looks wet. Laid over that are dots. Hundreds of dots, each painted with the head of a spoke in four shades of brown that resemble flecks of mud.

“It took about three weeks,” builder Aaron Dykstra said of the ornate design.

The bike is, like all of Six-Eleven’s frames, steel. Dykstra loves the stuff because “it’s such a dynamic metal. It can do anything.” He’ll build anything, from track bikes to townies. Six-Eleven frames start at $2,075.

And that name? The Great 611 was a J-Class train built in 1950 by Norfolk & Western’s shop Roanoke, Virgina, where Dykstra’s shop is located.

“It’s always been an icon of my hometown,” he said.

Dykstra took home an award for best cyclocross bike, following up on the best track bike award he won in 2011 and the rookie of the year award he snagged in 2010.

Don Walker Cycles

Don Walker is the reason all these guys get together each year. In 2005, he and four other guys organized the first North American Handmade Bicycle Show. It’s a family reunion of sorts, a bunch of passionate bike nuts getting together to show off their skills, welcome new builders and educate the public about their craft.

Walker was holding forth this year from his booth at the center of the hall, a broken ankle elevated on a stool and a bottle of scotch not far from reach. He was in his element, surrounded by friends and by bicycles, including this single-speed cyclocross rig built for his friend J.C. Breslin.

It’s gorgeous, with a mix of Columbus and Reynolds tubes, Surly dropouts, a Ritchey fork and flawless fillet brazing. But what we really like is the head tube badge. Breslin wanted a totally custom bike, so Walker designed a one-off badge. It features Walker with a stogie in his mouth, a glass of scotch his hand and a mischievous look in his eye.

“It was the only thing I could think of that was completely silly,” Walker said.

Alchemy Bicycle Co.

Dave Ryther has one thing to say about his company: “We make the best damn bikes in the world.” You may disagree, but one thing is sure — Alchemy Bicycle Co. made the best damn carbon fiber bike at the show.

The Aero Road is a wisp of a machine, more of a blade than a bike. It was custom built using Enve tubes made on the company’s own molds, and it sports top-shelf parts from SRAM and Enve Smart wheels. It’s striking. Ready to ride, this bike costs a bit more than $11,000 and weighs a bit more than 14 pounds, a figure Ryther lamented is “a bit heavy.”

Alchemy got started in Austin just four years ago. Ryther is one of seven employees, and they hope to build 200 bikes this year. Everything they do is custom, and they build with carbon, titanium and stainless steel.

“Stainless is the new thing,” Ryther said. “It’s the poor man’s titanium. It has the electric feel of steel without the weight penalty.”

Bicycle Fabrications

This was the one we wanted to take home.

It’s designed for dual slalom, downhill and trail riding, but all we could think about was all the trouble we could get into. What else are you going to do with a bike called Pocket Rocket?

Bicycle Fabrications has built just about everything over the years, but it specializes in full suspension mountain bikes that can take heaps of abuse. Pocket Rocket is the San Francisco company’s latest creation. It sports 4130 chrome-moly tubes, a Fox shock and attitude to spare. The frame will set you back $1,600.

Shamrock Cycles

This is the city bike Tim O’Donnell would build if he were the customer. It is stylish, it is functional and it is, in a word, gorgeous.

“It is designed to be somewhat over the top,” he said. “I operate in a world of want, not need. To do that, I have to offer form and function.”

Ginny is a brilliant meeting of the two, a showpiece to highlight O’Donnell’s vision and skills. It’s chock-full of beautiful details. Brake lines and wiring for the rear light run through the Columbus tubes for a tidy look. Integrated racks and fenders with flowing stays. Carbon belt drive with an internally geared hub. And the racks. Oh, those racks. They feature a mix of birdseye maple, spalted maple, quilted maple, chestnut and walnut. Is it any wonder O’Donnell walked away with an award for best city bike?

If Ginny’s got a downside, it’s her weight. At 36 pounds, she’s a brick and a half. But no one rides a bike like this to haul ass.

“It is designed to get you there in style, in comfort and in silence,” O’Donnell said. “And it does so in spades.”

The bike and the story: Signal Bikes

sometimes you see a bike that just seems so there …. This is just one of those bikes ….. A found a link to Signal cycles and although I read about them in Paved Magazine and seen reference to them on the hand build shows I hadn’t ever explored their site. Like all custom makers they are dedicated to the craft of making beautiful bikes for the right reason. In the days of the giant makers and carbon cyber bikes it is good to see that the artisan maker is entering a new golden age.
Even if I haven’t got the cash to get one myself – it is nice I think to give them a shout out.

Signal Cycles are handmade bikes from Portland Oregon. Each bike is built with the full attention of Nate Meschke and Matt Cardinal. We started our company in the fall of 2007 and have been building momentum and beautiful bikes ever since.

There is a lot of talk of a new golden age of handmade bikes, and the US builders are leading the way. More people are experiencing the joy of working with a custom builder and realizing the importance of being able to collaborate, discuss, design and shake hands with the builder of their bike. Signal is proud to provide this experience. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

Pete’s Racer Equipped Road Bike

Pete is a bike mechanic and has been for a long time. He wanted a fender bike for long gravel rides in the rain and for maybe even doing some weekly races on at Mount Tabor. He sold his carbon bike and decided he wanted a steel Signal with Paul Racer brakes. We used direct post mounts for the brakes to keep things tidy and functional and built a unicrown fork that really goes with the fillet brazed frame.

Pete built the bike up with Shimano Dura-Ace, Chris King, and Thomson parts. The rims are ceramic coated to add durability to the sidewalls and they work great in the rain.

Loving yes Loving the Ti Bride: Lynskey Cooper

The Cooper was drawn from the bloodlines of our top level road race frames. By starting with an oversized cold-worked tubeset, the Cooper has the stiffness, handling and excellent ride quality you expect from a Lynskey frame. The Cooper’s performance far exceeds many similarly priced road frames no matter what material they are made from. All of the great features you expect from a Lynskey Performance road frame, but at a value that will make others jealous. And as always, each frame is hand-made in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“The ride is stiff yet dampens road vibrations with no noticeable flex when hammering hard. Most of my rides are in the mountains and the Cooper does not disappoint. The Cooper handles high speed downhills with razor sharp precision. Very, very predictable handling, point it where you want to go without oversteering or understeering.” -zombiebiker

Lugtastic (Vanilla Bikes)

Never work as well in carbon do they?

 

A lynskey cooper titanium build …. Sweet

A weight weenie Lynskey Cooper looking sweet. Their build here – http://tinyurl.com/7z5n4bo

Cooper Medium

2010 SRAM Force
Reynolds Ouzo Pro
KMC X10SL Chain
Chris King 1 1/8
HED Ardennes
HED Skewers
Continental GP4000S
Vittoria Evo Tubes
Crankbros Quattro 4Ti
Thomson Elite X2 110deg
Thomson Elite Seatpost
Fizik Antares Carbon
FSA Omega Compact
Fizik Microtex Black
Carbon Bottle Cage
Woodman Seat Clamp

Weighs in at 7390g or 16.29 pounds

My second Ti bride

The lure of the exotic

Here comes bike no 5 ….. That lovely pinarello which I love has got to go. I have been trying various things to make it fit but basically it is a size too large for me. Just fired up on some alternatives – steel as well as Ti and bamm ….. Lynskey Cooper is coming my way

More soon.

Another Ti Bride (potential) Kinesis Gran Fondo Ti

this looks very tasty

Racelight Gran Fondo Ti – Highlights

Ti 3AL/2.5V: The GF Ti is constructed from an aerospace grade Titanium alloy: 94% titanium, 3% aluminum and 2.5% vanadium. This is one of the strongest alloys of titanium available in a seamless tube form.

CWSR: ‘Cold Worked Stress Relieved’ tubing. The tubing is shaped cold and then goes through a process to remove the stresses built up within the tube during forming.

HEADSET: Integrated 11/8″, 36º/45º for a 45mm OD head tube. The headset drops into a tapered seat in the head tube and is tensioned using a headset tensioner within the fork steerer. Tensioning the headset centres it on the taper and prevents any play.

FORK: DC21. Carbon bladed with alloy crown and steerer. Eyeletted for mudguards. 520g.

R2000 Stays: Seat stays have a 2m radius curve. We tried ‘hourglass’ bend and various different curves and found a 2m radius was best for both comfort and performance over distance, which is what this frame is all about.

SEAT POST: 31.6mm. SEAT CLAMP: 34.9mm. FRONT MECH: 34.9mm. BB: 68mm. British.

” The overall finish of the frame is a work of art with tidy welds throughout including double passes on the higher stressed areas…It is one of the most sorted frames I’ve ever ridden and for everything except for out and out racing it will provide everything you need” – Road.cc

At Epic Cycles we pride ourselves on providing bikes to suit your own individual needs. The following specification is intended only to provide an example of what we have fitted to our test bikes – every single component can be selected to suit you personally and we can also supply the Gran Fondo Ti as a frameset only option.

Kinesis Racelight Gran Fondo Ti 105 – £2170

Racelight Gran Fondo Ti 3AL/2.5V Frame
Racelight DC21 GF Carbon 1 1/8″ fork
Shimano 105 5700 Compact 10sp Groupset
Mavic Aksium WTS 2012 wheelset
Mavic Aksion tyres
Pro PLT stem and handlebars
Kinesis GF carbon seatpost
Ritchey Streem saddle

Other sample builds include:

Same bike with Shimano Tiagra 10sp 2012 groupset - £1995
Same bike with Campagnolo Veloce 2012 groupset - £2045Same bike with Shimano Ultegra 2012 groupset – £2295

Bespoked Bristol Bike Show

Bespoked Bristol show March 23-25 

You may have noticed the preview videos we’ve recently run so far about the framebuilders Robin Mather, Paulus Quiros and Demon Frameworks. If you haven’t this would be a good time to look because there’s a renaissance going on in handcrafted bicycles and the forthcoming show at Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Temple Mills railway station in Bristol this coming March is going to be a showcase of the movement if the first edition held last year is anything to go by.

Since then, we’ve seen the extraordinary success of the Bicycle Academy where over £40,000 was raised in a public ‘crowdfunding’ campaign so that a traditional framebuilding school could be established in the Somerset town of Frome later this year. There is undoubtedly a rise in interest with a number of builders, among themDownland Cycles in Canterbury, offering traditional brazing classes with the Kent workshop also offering official government-backed courses for students that hitherto would have only learned welding as part of an automotive repair course.

There’s even a superstar coming in the form of Italy’s Dario Pegoretti who is bound to be good value especially if he can be kept in one place to engage with some of our own characters. We’re thinking Pegoretti versus our own Brian Rourke from Stoke or Chas Roberts from Surrey, both exhibiting and all passionate advocates of their way of doing things.

The buzz is already going round about what the builders are preparing specially; it’s going to be great and we can hardly wait.

Cotic Steel Roadie – but only in 2013

from road.cc

This bike looks great.

We had that nice Cy from Cotic in the office today, and he brought along this rather fetching road bike prototype in Duck Egg Blue for us to cast our envious eyes over. It’s still in the prototyping stage right now but looks like it’ll be a goer for 2013. I can’t believe we’re talking about 2013 already.

 

Anyway, the bike. This frame has been put together using True Temper S3 tubing but the actual production bikes will most likely be Columbus Spirit. The tube profiles will be similar, although the teardrop section top tube (with the point runnning along the base of the tube) will be swapped out for an oval section one. The down tube is a biaxial oval profile, tall at the head tube for steering stiffness and wide at the bottom bracket for better power transfer. The seat tube is a 34.9mm tube (to fit a 31.6mm seatpost) so it’s pretty beefy, and the stays are fairly chunky too, ending in cowled dropouts. All in all, it looks very purposeful. We didn’t get to have a go on it but it had the look of a stiff, fast steel bike rather than a wispy, soft riding one.

 

Geometry wise it’s a pretty traditional shape, with the 58cm frame we saw getting 73° seat and head tube angles and a 58cm effective top tube. The head tube is long but not massively so, giving a fairly classic sportive position that should be good for most road riding. The steel frame is mated with a Carbon/Aluminium fork for now and the prototype bike (Cy’s own) was sporting a mix of 105 and XT gear; Cy runs a mountain bike chainset because his knees don’t like narrow road cranks.

 

It’s still a work in progress. Currently the bike’s not set up to accept mudguards; there’s no eyelets and the bottom bracket features side lugs to increase stiffness rather than a chainstay bridge. Cy’s warming to the idea of mudguard eyelets though, possibly hidden on the inside of the seat stays a la Cannondale CAAD 8. Certainly it’s the kind of bike you could imagine being pressed into all-year-round service. Currently the frame will take a 28mm tyre, so it’s entirely possible that later versions will have room for 25s and a full-length mudguard. I guess we’ll see.

And the name? Ai is just the prototype sticker that all the Cotic development bikes get. What it will actually be called is anyone’s guess. “The naming usually happens when the factory calls me up to say the bikes will be delayed if we leave it any longer”, says Cy. Production is probably a year down the line, as there’s prototyping in the production material to do yet, as well as a bunch of testing. We’re looking forward to it already though.

http://www.cotic.co.uk

 

Rig143 – Glasgow ‘the bike man’

Popped into RIG143 today on what could be the start of an interesting film …. took some photographs as well (many more to come)

Brian holding a beautiful restored Flying Scot (painted at Bob Jackson) – the paint alone was £250 – open to sensible offers for a slice of history.

Rig Bike Shop

143 West Regent St.

Glasgow

G2 2SG

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sat 10:30-18:00

Sun 12:00-17:00

Contact:

rig143@hotmail.co.uk

07910 453 508

Chris Chance on Cycle EXIF

WHAT A BEAUTY

Chris Chance is a bastion of the American old guard of custom frame building. He started building road frames in 1977, and his mountain bike frame, The Fat Chance, in 1982. Pre-MTB road frames are highly desirable to collectors of American rolling steel, and Mac Spikes is one such enthusiast. So far his collection consists of a 1987 Fat Chance Tandem, a 1985 Fat Chance kicker MTB, a rare pista frame and several Chris Chance road bikes, including this one, a custom frame from 1997.

With a paint job colorful enough to rival Italian steeds of the era, it’s a singular example of Chris Chance’s enigmatic work. Mac has built it up with a Campagnolo Athena gruppo, and while the limited edition ‘Contador’ LOOK Keo pedals aren’t period correct, the yellow is a perfect match. Sometimes that’s just as important. Check out Mac’s collection on his flickr.

 

Read more: http://www.cycleexif.com/chris-chance-cycles#ixzz1Yn6ZeOsr

Friday Poster: Feel the steel / reynolds transfers

everyone loves a sticker ….

Sunday Special – dreambike

For the Richard Dawkins lovers a bike to make you happy……

Reynolds Steel of a different variety

From the Kenobi Bikes Obywan Pursuit . Pretty funny Reynolds rip “Made in Hell”. 
Hell for your back!

 

 

 

 

More tables on bike steel

older reynolds tubing chart

Columbus Steel

oria Steel

tange steel

true temper steel

Vitus Steel

Tonic vanishing point review from RIDE.cc

£1300 frame and forks

When a steel bike for testing was mentioned I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love steel bikes, I’ve owned three of my own in last few years and tested a couple more and every one has left a smile on my face. While I was doing a bit of research on Tonic’s Vanishing Point I just couldn’t get one little number out of my head – 2400g frame and fork weight. After miles and miles on carbon and alloy machines weighing a kilo under that was I finally about to ride a steel bike that wasn’t going to inspire?

Everything from Tonic Fabrication is hand made in house by the two man team Landon & Tony in Portland, Oregon. Right down to custom bending their tubing to the CNC machining of dropouts and other parts allowing full control over every detail found in one of their frames. The Vanishing Point is their first foray into the road market after cutting their teeth with jump bikes, fixed gear and then cyclocross.

Available as a frameset,r custom build or off the peg the options are endless We’re testing our Vanishing Point mainly as a frameset, but the build we have is available as an option too for £4100 – it does include some pretty snazzy componentry not least those Easton EC90 wheels and builds up to a complete bike weight of 8.4Kg.

It’s a beautiful looking frame with neat touches like the open ended seat and chainstay tubes blending into the, in comparison, dainty machined dropouts. My favourite part of the whole frame though has got to be the wishbone seatstay. The transition between tubes and diameters is seamless and so much more pleasing to the eye than the usual twin stays. In fact the smooth welds and black paintjob create a flowing structure throughout the frame. The oversized headtube with intergrated headset also flows nicely to both the top and down tube, with no logo or badge covering it the lines are kept clean and simple. The only quibble with the quality of the frame is the fact that the threads on the water bottle bosses weren’t cleaned out, no doubt the production models will come with cage bolts so this would be noticed before dispatch. The understated black paint looks classy but if its not to your taste custom colour options are available starting at a reasonable £95. If you want to go the full custom route things like mudguard eyelets and rack mounts can be sorted at the time of ordering as well.

Tonic’s design spec was to create a comfortable frame but fast and stiff like a track bike. The use of oversize Columbus Zona and True Temper OX Platinum tubing create the stiffness with deep section 22.2mm chainstays and 38mm diameter downtube controlling the flex from the bottom bracket area. In Tony’s own words “As for the tubing used, we select it based on Diameter, wall thickness, Butt profile and intended use (No magic formula here) . But we have always preferred the aesthetic and ride quality of large constant diameter tubes over award winning shapes and tapers.” The ride itself was somewhat compromised by the overly stiff bar, stem and seatpost choice, taking away the vibration reducing qualities of the steel but on rides of three hours or more the frame comfort shone through as I was finding my body a lot less fatigued than usual even when really pushing it.

The beefy carbon Enve forks bring a lot to the ride with good vibration reduction to match the frame but plenty stiff enough to give loads of feedback in the corners. Tonic Fabrication can supply a steel fork if you want something a bit different. Its a trimmed down version of the Suernaut steel fork. Getting the power down was fun too, when once up to speed the Vanishing Point is easy to keep there. The lightweight Easton wheel and component package our frame was supplied with balances out the frame and fork weight. Better to have the weight as a static than revolving in the case of heavy wheels. Hard acceleration and climbing showed no problems with stiffness with barely any flex felt anywhere and high speed descents were easily controlled thanks to the confident tracking of the Enve fork.

Although a frame and fork test obviously the components fitted to the frame will have a large impact on how the bike feels. As mentioned above the Easton finishing kit was so stiff it was really at odds with the frame, especially the aero bars – one of the reasons we reckoned it was fairer to test the Vanishing Point as a frameset. A swap to a more traditional bar with a bit of flex in it would help the overall comfort levels a huge amount. The Easton EC90 SL wheels, while amazing to ride giving loads of feedback and some of the best braking (in conjunction with Swisstop yellow pads) I’ve ever known are just too stiff to compliment the frame. Sram Force provided the drivetrain and gears and while not being one of my favourites gave clean shifts and stayed running quite and in alignment over the test period.

Verdict

In conclusion the Vanishing Point is a great looking and riding frame and fork. Build it up with some slightly less harsh components than we had, for day long rides and getting big miles in fast its up there with the best of them. The kudos of having a bike that not many people have heard of also is a feel good factor especially with its understated looks. A great blend of speed and comfort gives the Vanishing Point a large appeal to many, if you’re after an unassuming stealth sportive bike to slot in between the MAMIL’s Pinarello’s book yourself a test ride.

Homage to the ‘P’ – Pinarello Porn of a certain age

brooks B15 swallow ti

saddle bag

detail

rubber lover

brake

Moda Motif 2011 – dream ti roadie

Looked at this in the shop very very sweet looking bike …… £2599

Moda Motif 2011

MODA are a UK based company who have recently started producing bikes of the highest quality in a range of different styles, at very competitive prices.

The main selling point on all of the MODA bikes, apart from the high level of workmanship on the frames, are the American Classic Wheelsets that they use throughout their range, making them lighter pound for pound than almost every other manufacturer.

The American Classic wheelsets are not only extremely lightweight, but they strong laterally and through a patented design have created wheels that enable the wheels to perform perfectly round corners with spread loading on the bearings to stop resistance and also to prolong the life of the bearings themselves.

TECHNICAL SPECS

FRAME:	LDT BUTTED TITANIUM
FORK:	LDC HIGH MODULUS CARBON
REAR DERAILEUR:	SRAM RIVAL 10 SPEED
SHIFTERS:	SRAM RIVAL
BRAKES:	BARELLI
CHAINSET:	SRAM S300 53 / 39
WHEELSET:	AMERICAN CLASSIC AERO 3 420
CASSETTE:	SRAM PG1050 10 SPEED
TYRES:	KENDA KALIENTE IRON CLOAK 23C
HANDLEBARS:	BARELLI CARBON
SADDLE:	BARELLI CARBON
SEATPOST:	BARELLI CARBON

Oria Steel Frame sets and their specs

Been trawling the web trying to find more details on steel tubesets used in cycling frames. Just realised I may have got the year of my new bike wrong and it’s a 1996 Pinarello Arriba and not the 1997 I thought it was. Will find out in a week anyway.

So oria tubing never heard of it so did some digging and found this on the italian blog

 After wriring about Columbus, Falck, and Castello Mario & Figlio of Torino, we move onto another name in steel tubing for bikes: Oria.

The detailed history about Oria in steel racing bikes is bit murky and begins (?) in the 1980s as the company wanted to rival Columbus in the marketplace . Here is what I’ve been able to piece together from different sources. As in the case of Castello Mario & Figlio more information about Oria is desired.

To some degree, and possibly in all instances, Oria used steel supplied by a steel manufacture and converted the steel into specific products. One of the steel manufacturers was certainly German firm Mannesmann. Some frames built with Oria tubes stated on the decals, as seen above, “Prodotto base Mannesmann” (base product Mannesmann).

It has been said that Mannesmann had a plant in Italy in Dalmine, east of Milan, that was producing large quantities of quality seamless butted bicycle tubing in the early post-WWII period. It is thought, perhaps, that the Mazzuccato family that owned Oria, eventually purchased it. The Mazzuccato family is thought to be from the Padova area, or in the Veneto.

Among the framebuilders that used Oria are Guerciotti, Tommasini, Montagner, Olmo, Dancelli, Daccordi, Ciocc and Pinarello (began to first use Oria tubing in 1993 according to Fausto Pinarello). And, some others I imagine.

Oria Tubesets (composed of head tube, seat tube, down tube, top tube, chain stays, seat stays, fork legs; and their weights in kg.) : HI Tension (2230), HI-Ten Oversize (2850), CroMoly (2190), Ml 25 (2080), ML 34 1880), RANF (1990), GM 00 (1940), Double butted (2000), KK (1880), CroMoly-Oversize (–), SGM 00 (2720), Top (2860), Oversize (2690), Over Double (2650), Butted Top (2690), CSS 52 (2230) , 7020 (aluminum).

Oria is known to have been involved with also providing aluminum tubesets and in 2005 Oria was still involved in framebuilding but with carbon as seen here:
The caption of this photo referred to the brothers Franco and Gianpaolo Mazzuccato and an association with Olmo in the construction of the Olmo “Zeffiro” carbon frame set. The caption also said, “The brothers Mazzuccato chose instead to remain in Italy. Oria today remains at the forefront: the metal has almost disappeared inside the factory and specialization is directed toward the production of composites.”

Well, it’s the start of an investigative process…..

 

Then found out more about the metal with this table of different types and their weight.