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Kish’s BMX-inspired 24″ Wins Best Ti Bike at NAHBS

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Best Ti bike at NAHBS: Kish Fabrications 24"-wheeled BMX (pictured back).

San Luis Obispo-based Kish Fabrication came to last year’s NAHBS with a 24″-wheeled BMX-inspired showpiece. This year, it returned with an improved model that took the prize for top Titanium bike at the Austin show.

2011’s version, which is inspired by BMX and single-speed MTBs, yet is primarily designe dfor town cruising, weighs in at a scant 13lb (5.8kg), and has lovely, super-clean-and-tidy welds. The bike’s geometry is closer to its BMX heritage than its older brother – which drew a little more on the MTB in its mixed parentage – though much of the finishing kit is taken  from single-speed mountain-bike product ranges, says Jim Kish, because of the variety of high-end accessories now available for SS MTBs.

Suiting its BMX DNA, the prize-winning bike has no front brake, a change from previous models, and an innovative back brake tucked under the chainstays – a little reminiscent of the Modolo brake callipers so beloved of time-trialists in the early ’80s.

The bike’s finished off with custom forks, that are cut a little higher than necessary; the front end is an inch taller than previous models, to make for a more comfortable town cruising position.

Click below for a couple of close-up pictures.

Custom Kish fork - based on a BMX, but cut a little taller for easier city riding
Neat rear brakes hidden under the chainstays behind the bottom bracket.
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a
a
13 years ago

In what way is this even vaguely like a BMX? Handlebars? No. Stem? No. Cranks? No. Top tube height? No. Headtube? No Froks? No. Dropouts? No. Bottom Bracket? No. …..

Ah, useless half-link chain… now I see it… uncanny.

garrett
garrett
13 years ago

@ a
these quotes say it all
“the front end is an inch taller than previous models, to make for a more comfortable town cruising position.”

“though much of the finishing kit is taken from single-speed mountain-bike product ranges, says Jim Kish, because of the variety of high-end accessories now available for SS MTBs”

a
a
13 years ago

“BMX-inspired”

“The bike’s geometry is closer to its BMX heritage than its older brother”

“BMX DNA”

Show me a BMX with a 100mm reach stem.
Show me a BMX with chainstays that kind of length.

High standover.

Seat higher than bars.

etc etc…

It may well be a nice bike, but 24″ wheeled BMXers have been around a loooong time and this is nothing like them.

fleche1454
fleche1454
13 years ago

they should slam that post in all the way, right now it looks like a tiny urban fixie, a great example of this is the bars and grips, lots a fixies have that going on. If they at least slammed the post all the way in you could call it a dirt just bike maybe but that bar and stem combo looks like no bmx bike i have ever seen. i agree with the above post the stem is way to long but no one here has touched on, look at the seat post width compared to the the clamp piece on the stem, is that a 1″ steer tube? i think so. Lastly, steel fork on a Ti bike? it just doesn’t look right to me, its the only shiny black thing on the bike and its painted steel…..

stratosrally
stratosrally
13 years ago

If anyone’s interested, here’s a link to last year’s Kish 24″:

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2010/03/08/1268044621285-xnhvlneg7xac-670-75.jpg

I got to see the new 2011 model in person a couple of days after the show in Austin, and it may not be very BMX-like, but it sure is sweet!

‘Course my Haro Beasley reminds me of the Schwinn Mag Scrambler of my youth… Especially in it’s smaller 16″ frame size, with almost identical forks to the Kish.

mechanic-king
mechanic-king
13 years ago

“and an innovative back brake tucked under the chainstays – a little reminiscent of the Modolo brake callipers so beloved of time-trialists in the early ’80s.”
What?!? I’m sorry, what? I’m obviously missing something on this bike. So it’s cool because it has a U-brake on the rear (which went the way of the dodo on ATB’s in the early nineties because they stopped like crap and packed with mud), 24 inch wheels and a goofy looking ATB set-up?!?
GACK! the judges must have been “over it” at that point and wanted to make a mockery of the Ti builders.
Maybe it deserved, “best thrown together bike with stuff I had laying around my shop award.”

Hugh Jass
Hugh Jass
13 years ago

Must be a young builder that wasn’t around when chainstay mounted U-brakes were a big FAIL because they quickly clogged with mud.

OneBro
OneBro
12 years ago

Based on all of the comments above I am thinking you all may want to go brush up your frame building knowledge. Kish Titanium has been around for 20 years and is one of the most sought out frame builders in the country. Kish designed the bike for cruising around town and gained inspiration from “BMX Designed” bikes. For some of you I guess you are just negative people with nothing nice to say. So with that said, Enjoy some thing that you can not do which is design, build and weld titanium at a level that anyone would be stoked to have… Peace Out… Negro Modelo for Life!

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