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NAHBS 2013: Ventus Cycles, A-Train & Shed 6

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Ventus Cycles Long Distance Gravel Racer Main

Every year, NAHBS brings together a huge selection of builders, from seasoned veterans to first year endeavors.

Ventus has been around for a little while now. Beginning frame building in 2006, Mark Kargol of Ventus cycles has crafted some beauties, like last year’s sky blue touring build. Shown above is his disc brake gravel racer, built with carbon tubing and some dashing stainless steel lugs. After speaking with Kargol, he said that he can do the same with titanium tubes, but he preferred carbon for gravel riding.

More on Ventus, A-Train’s sparkly green mountain bike, and Shed 6’s Dutch bike after the break…

Ventus Cycles Long Distance Gravel Racer Head Tube LugsModifying a cyclocross geometry raking out the fork a bit more and lengthening the chain stays for long distance riding. It gets Hayes Cx5 disc brakes, a beefy 44mm head tube, full internal housing, a Rol wheelset, and a Campy Chorus gruppo.

Ventus Cycles Long Distance Gravel Racer Dropouts

The seat stays bolt into the dropout and seat tube. That lets Kargol modify the frame for custom sizing without a complete revision of the lugs.

Ventus Cycles Gravel Racer Carbon Bottom Bracket Lug Detail

Kargol uses strictly Campagnolo components for aesthetics and ride quality.

A-Train Cycles

A Train Cycles Main Green Sparkly Bike

Alex Cook, head of A-Train Cycles brought a glittery hardtail specced with boutique components. With a shop location in Minneapolis, he’s set up in the same neighborhood as Appleman and Peacock Groove, but brings a different mindset to the table. For this singlespeed 29er build, he shot for timeless beauty, in a functional modern bike.

A Train Cycles Headtube Lug

The whole bike weighs in at 19lbs 14oz. The main triangle was initially created as a 4130 steel. Lugs were cut custom from this and used to hold the stainless steel top and down tubes. A Salsa bar was sanded down to match the stainless steel tubing. It ended up being lighter than a Thomson titanium bar. The fork is a painted carbon Niner.

A Train Cycles Green Sparkle BB

A Train Cycles Dropout Detail

The rear triangle’s made from Columbus life stays. Components were sourced as much as possible from the US, UK, and Germany. A White Industries crank pushes a fresh Niner RDO ti cog and the wheelset rolls on White Industry hubs. Thru axle is 142×12. On a singlespeed. That’s not something we see too much.

Shed 6

Shed 6 Stroopwafel Bike Main

This was Felix Fried of Shed 6‘s first year at NAHBS. Based in Yorkshire, England, Fried came a long way with his Dutch-inspired “Stroopwafel” named after the thin syrupy Dutch waffles. The build is Fried’s personal bike, designed to commute in unpredictable rainy weather conditions in the inner-city and components were picked up on the cheap.

Shed 6 Stroopwafel Headtube

This is Fried’s fourth bike, made from a Reynolds 631, and it gets dynamo hubs and internal routing.

Shed 6 Stroopwafel Rear Dropout

Cable routing is completely internal for the top tube and emerges at the rear derailleur.

Shed 6 Stroopwafel Rear Light Shed 6 Stroopwafel On Off Switch

Stroopwafel has some fun bells and whistles, like a built-in taillight so the hooligans don’t jack it. The on/off switch is on the interior.

Shed 6 Stroopwafel Sogreni Bell Top Shed 6 Stroopwafel Sogreni Bell Bottom

Also, we noticed the Sögreni Bell, an awesome addition that adds quite a bit of flare. For the full build process, check out the Shed 6 blog.

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Mike C
Mike C
11 years ago

“The seat stays bolt into the dropout and seat tube.” + sliding dropouts = belt drive potential?

Ajax
Ajax
11 years ago

Yeah! Belt drive is what I was thinking too!

I'm So Hard(tail)
I'm So Hard(tail)
11 years ago

That A-Train looks flippin’ gorgeous!

Ventus Customs
10 years ago

The Ventus bike was designed with a belt drive option in mind. The options are pretty wide with this bike, the frame can be equipped with a disc brake or caliper brakes, single speed, belt drive, chain, geared, thru-axle, etc.. The lugs are also designed such that I can use carbon fiber, stainless steel, or titanium tubing in any combination. My only requirement is that the chainstays be metal to handle the abuse a dropped chain can cause.

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