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Found: Zukas Cycles – Gorgeous Custom Steel Bicycles from Augusta, GA

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia
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Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Nate Zukas has been making frame for only about a year and a half, but has been painting, repairing and modifying them for a while. His last name is Lithuanian for white rabbit, and somewhere on each frame you’ll find a painted white rabbit or two hiding somewhere. He makes custom steel road, mountain, cyclocross and other style bikes in Augusta, GA. He paints all the frames, too, and they’re really, really well done.

For a relatively young builder, his bikes showed an awfully high degree of finish quality and unique touches. The single speed/fixed gear city bike above is a fabulous example of “other” and has a hidden brake cable for the front disc. Check out more on this and his other bikes after the break…

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

This red and black road bike is for a shop owner who’s very particular.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

The bottom bracket shell uses a Z shaped drain hole with mesh to keep debris and such out. It’s a super nice touch that most people will never see.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Many small custom builders will bring the cable out of the downtube, around the BB shell and back into the stays, but Nate said he thought that ruined the aesthetic so he keeps it internal as far as he can.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

The ISP frame uses a Thomson seatpost cut extra short to give it a bit of adjustment. The Campagnolo cable housing was cut so that the logo was centered exactly at the seatmast.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

A very nice cyclocross bike.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Note the brake noodle and integrated guide on the bottom of the stem!

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

…and a 29er mountain bike.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

For this bike, the rear derailleur cable had to jump out of the frame to get around the seatpost.

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

Another example of the bottom bracket…

Zukas cycles custom steel road mountain and cyclocross bikes from augusta georgia

…with a very slick front derailleur cable exit poking out of the lug. Nice use of an old cable condom, too!

Check them out at ZukasCycles.com

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zukabazooka
zukabazooka
11 years ago

What the world needs now… is ANOTHER steel 29’er hardtail !!!! Now !!! Now !!! Now !!! :-)))

that guy
that guy
11 years ago

@zukabazooka, clam down dude.

for a new frame builder starting off, this guy makes some nice simple clean bikes that have their own market. he does show style innovation, maybe something revolutionary is coming after he gets more 29er builds under his belt.

Hayes
Hayes
11 years ago

That ‘cross bike is gorgeous. I love the green with matching fork and stem. Beautiful.

Bill
Bill
11 years ago

These bikes are really well done. But I do have kind of a presentation/ intro comment for Bikerumor. I am was kind of put off by the “title” picture that was used to promote this brand. I saw another fixie/ hipster bike from a small builder and all but passed over it. While it may take a large amount of building and constructing skill to make these bikes, the creation level is right out of the 30’s, and hasnt really progressed. This isnt a knock on the builders, more on bikerumor and the way they promote featured builders. Maybe having a bike that is more eye catching, in this case the beautifully constructed road or cross bike as the main title picture, will make more viewers likely to view the link. Thanks

burt
burt
11 years ago

Nice story bikerumor! The picture of the fixie really drew my eye to the piece and made me want to read and see more. The other bikes are cool too.

SL
SL
11 years ago

I was just about to skip over this, it being just another small frame builder, but I’m really glad I didn’t. There’s a lot of really cool details and great work here.

speedy
speedy
11 years ago

@Bill – So you think Bikerumor should tailor each post to your personal preference, just to ensure you click through?

Bill
Bill
11 years ago

Yes.

Bearcreekbikes
11 years ago

I am the “very picky” owner of the “Fastback” red and black bike. I can tell you first hand that it is one of the finest (if not THE) finest bikes I have ever ridden. The geo matches my Look 586 to a “T” and the bike has felt like home from my very first ride.

Nate Zukas was the easiest and best frame builder that I have ever worked with. His attention to detail extends well beyond just the build but also to every other detail of the build. His paint quality is exceptional and the bike is flawless. Trust me, I have poured over every inch of this bike with a light and my magnifying specs! I wanted the bike to evoke the feel of one of my favorite cars of all time a Shelby 350 and Nate nailed the details right down to the rocker panel stripes on the inside of the chain stays and fork.

As for the ride, this is NOT yer pappys steel bikes. It is extremely responsive and tips the scales at a little over 16lbs with pedals and Arundel SS cages and Garmin. It accelerates extremely well and has a phenomenal road going feel as you wold expect. As I built the bike I was further amazed at Nate’s attention to detail in how he angled all external cable stops so that the housing never contacts the frame to rub the paint. I could go on and on. Many will never get it and will forever be relegated to riding carbon bikes (which are great). But this bike is more than that, it is an experience that not everyone will appreciate. For me, I want to publicly thank Nate Zukas for building my dream bike. It was better than I had expected.

Dgaddis
11 years ago

The 29 was built in memory of a local rider who passed away from a brain tumor. Nate offers the frame to customers and a portion of the proceeds are donated to JT’s children’s education fund. Read more about it here: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/custom-mountain-bike-for-a-cause-zukas-cycles-tisdale-hardtail/

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