Just a little sneak peek at some of the handmade goodness coming your way later this evening from the handmade bicycle show. This is a very nice work-in-progress internal cable route on a bike from Winter Bicycles. Eric promises he’s working on some pretty sweet stuff…
Jonathan Winstone’s got some great pics on his blog of his photo exhibition that’s just gone up at 14BikeCo, London, UK.
He was asked by the 14BikeCo head honchos to document every single step in the manufacturing process of their frames, which are handbuilt to order, sprayed and built up entirely in the UK.
Unlike the States, where the handbuilt industry and culture is thriving, we don’t celebrate our framebuilders – old school or new school – enough in the UK; the fact that 14 commissioned these photos for its first birthday celebrations is testament to a success story worth shouting about. The photos will be up for a while, go check ‘em out.
Peeped at the Death Spray Custom blog, a project they’ve just finished with Cinelli: a version of one of the Italian company’s super lightweight carbon RAM 2 handlebars. Entitled ‘Hand to Mouth’, for obvious reasons, its difficult to see at first glance how Death Spray Custom achieved it – some sort of collage and clearcoat arrangement perhaps?
It sort of reminds me of the creature from Pan’s Labyrinth, or something from a David Cronenberg film. Not the sort of thing I’d want to be wrestling up a hill… but that’s probably not the point! Aside from this one-off, there’s a range of RAM 2 designs, and the whole project harks back to the cool interchangeable panels on the Cinelli Alter stems from 1999. Here’s a few, but some of the others are decidely NSFW.
The Death Spray Custom site has more pics, and their other work is worth a look too. They’ve also got a cool love/hate thing going on on some Nitto track bars, and a bicycle decorated with human hair – bizarre, but actually quite elegant.
Brass C’s on “Custom Capricorn Fork Crown” by Capricorn Bicycles. Check out their website, or see them at the NAHBS.
To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.
PRESS RELEASE: Orbea USA has updated the Specials and Incentives module to its website as it continues to explore innovative ways to deal with new old stock (NOS) merchandise.
Our module features NOS inventory with reduced retail pricing for consumers to view. Using a simple discount structure and user interface. Items must be outside of the current catalog by six months to be available for the “Specials and Incentives†module, so as to never compete with current inventory on the dealer’s floor.
“All sales are handled only through authorized Orbea USA retailers and receive the same dealer service and warranty as current range product,†said Ronnie Points, Orbea USA’s national sales manager. “Additionally, this program helps online shoppers find great deals while receiving all the service benefits of their local Orbea dealership.”
Colors and sizes are extremely limited, and many items have stock levels of only 1 or 2. However, the deals are good. A customer can find the company’s remaining 2009, 2008, 2007 and older framesets and bikes in the Road, MTB and Multisport categories. Any frameset purchased can be assembled using Orbea’s “Made to Order†process, making it a complete bicycle. See dealer or contact Orbea USA for further details at info@orbea-usa.com .
“Our goal was to create an innovative online tool for Orbea USA dealers to sell and consumers to find deals on NOS at reduced retail pricing,†said Tony Karklins, Orbea’s managing director. “NOS inventory is a challenge for all bicycle companies, as our industry thrives on new product introductions each fall. As a result, last year’s inventory becomes a challenge for sales but a wonderful resource for consumers.”
The discount schedule for old stock runs:
Osprey has just introduced two new hydration packs, the Raptor (above) and the Manta. The Raptor is the smaller of the two and is available in four sizes. It was designed specifically with mountain biking in mind and features dedicated tool, pump and other pockets inside the main compartment.
Both feature stretchy front pockets, soft smaller pockets for sunglasses and padded waist straps with integrated pockets. They also have what looks like the best hydration bladder I’ve seen. It has a firm backside that’s contoured to your back, eliminating that “barrel” shape that an over full bladder can have, and the bladder pocket is designed to hold it while full without infringing on your storage space. Plus, the reservoir has a firm plastic handle that gives you something to grab onto while twisting the lid off.
More features, photos and video explanations after the break…
Well…two qualifiers:  It’s the world’s smallest “rideable” bike and technically it’s not really a bicycle since there are no pedals. But, it’s freakin’ tiny! Get past the goofy intro if you’re not feelin’ in and watch the dude ride it at about 1:09. You don’t really get a sense of the scale until you see someone on it…it’s sooooo small.
Here’s what their website says about it:
Moosshiqk – is a 12 inch height, 18 inch length battery driven bike. Only one of its kind in the world which can be ride backwards (reverse). It can be disassembled in less than 1 minute and can be assembled in the same time. Dry weight : 4 kg, Speed : 12 to 15 kmph
Hipsters will love it for the chopped flat bar. Let’s see if they cop the seat idea…
The upcoming Intense Tracer 29er is totally redesigned, not finalized, not in production and already for sale on Speedgoat. They’re listing the 2010 frame with Fox RP23 shock for $2,280. Color options offered are this sparkly Apple Green, Intense Red, Stealth Black and Works Raw. Oh, and it qualifies for free shipping.
The frames are handmade in the U.S.A. and will be available in Medium, Large and XL. Expected ship date is late March, and if you want one from the first run, get your pre-order in now.
With impeccable timing (in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s gonna be a few framebuilders in Richmond, VA, this weekend or something), Greenmuze has news of a new exhibit of bespoke bicycles at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
Opening on May 11 and running until mid-August, there’ll be 21 bikes, with road, fixed, cyclocross, commuter and mountain bikes all represented. There’ll be a stripped-down randonneur, made for long-distance racing, as well as a kids’ tricycle.
Details of the builders are scant (as are pics – the one above, of an undoubtedly gorgeous Jeff Jones bike seems unexciting to me), but an examination of bespoke bikes as works of art is a tantalising prospect.
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK! Industry Nine has been quietly working on an entirely new road wheel over the past few months, and we’ve got the first photos and video to show you!
Last April, Industry 9 showed off their first set of road hoops using their house-made aluminum spokes, and they were gorgeous. But, riders that put a lot of miles on them or rode them hard reported some spoke breakage. While their alloy spokes work great for mountain biking in a 32-hole design, the lower spoke count of the road wheels created too much stress.
Now, they’ve totally redesigned the spoke layout in a truly unique vertical pattern and gone with the ever-popular Sapim CX-Ray bladed stainless steel spokes to create a stiffer, lighter and more aerodynamic wheelset. They’re as beautiful as ever, and we’ve got lots of great pics to show you!
Hit ‘more’ for all the goods…
Just when you thought the new Matte Black Colnago EPS couldn’t get any stealthier *POW* they come out with a dedicated Shimano Di2 version with internal cable/wire routing.
The Di2-specific frame has an optimized carbon layup that’s purpose built to accommodate the electronic shifting system and hide all those unsightly wires. Yep, you can get the Di2 version in their full range of colors. Yep, it’s available in 22+ sizes like the rest of their lineup. Best part? It’s the same price as the regular frameset. Available starting in March, 2010.
It’s OK to stare, we don’t mind. Click the pic and it’ll magically be twice the size. For more specs and details on the EPS, check out this post. Detail pics after the break…
Kona offered up this gem as an example.
The folks over at Kona Bikes are now accepting submissions for their “Photo Caption Faceoff,†giving away a Kona schwag kit to the top three submissions.
Simply pick your favorite original cycling photo and submit it to their Facebook page with your best caption to be entered in the contest. Kona mentions on their website that they prefer humor in their captions, so make it funny.The contest runs through the end of February, and winners will be announced shortly after the contest closes.
Submit pictures to their Facebook page here, then sit back and wait for the prizes to start rolling in. More info and complete contest rules available on the Kona blog.
