A lot of us have built our own bikes, but what if they sky was the limit? Imagine you had access to every swanky part on the market and were planning to build a halo bike of your own. A while ago, we received a note from Jason over at FairWheel Bikes who had done just that. As purveyors of the exceptionally light, and pricey, Jason had a world of exotic parts within his grasp and it shows in the final build. The result? A 17.59 pound, geared New Ultimate Big Warp 29er with a Lefty. Yikes.

As luck would have it, I happened to be the only writer available who could fit the wonder bike, so Jason packed up his freshly built personal bike that he hadn’t even ridden yet, and sent it off to the Mid West for some Bikerumor Testing. I wish I could say I have quite a bit of experience with bikes of this caliber, but as Jason himself pointed out, typically project bikes such as this are fairly inaccessible except to the owners of course. However, since Jason had built the Big Warp for himself he offered it up for us to get a taste of what a boutique build is like.

Curious how you build a sub 18 pound 29er that is daily driver compatible? Check it out after the break.

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Green caliper with purple piston caps and orange fluid? With MyBFO program, why not?

Bikerumor have been following Germany’s Brake Force One for some time, so we won’t go into too many technical details here, but Ibex Sports had several sets on hand at Interbike to celebrate their distribution of the much-anticipated wunderbrake.  Brakes will be landing in the US in October and should be available from both Ibex Sports and Competitive Cyclist by the end of that month.  Hit the jump to see one of the nicest post mount adapters yet and BFO’s integrated Shimano shifter perch…

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Brake Force One is an interesting set up on its own, being a completely closed hydraulic braking system. For 2013, they’ve updated just about everything inside and out. The short list is this:

• New internals for smoother, easier lever feel
• Colored parts and brake fluid options
• Glow in the dark brake hoses
• Customized laser etching
• Lighter, sleeker mounts

Now, for the details, along with cutaway images on how the system and the dual stage Brake Booster design works…

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Tune never disappoints with a collection of weight-weenie certified goods, and this year there was a big focus on wheels. Some are using their own rims, and some with ENVE and Spank rims.

Founder Uli Fahl said they spent a lot of time and money this year investing in their own carbon fiber manufacturing facility. He wanted to be independent from other suppliers to have control over the quality and cost, and a big part of what they’re aiming toward is producing their own rims. “It’s my aim to be the best in the lightweight category,” Fahl said.

Looking forward, he hinted that their new product introductions run in cycles, and we should note that there aren’t any new hubs shown this year. Take that to mean we should expect some innovation there next year. It’ll be really interesting to see if that figures in with the new carbon plant.

Anywhoo, those 650B clincher mountain bike wheels you’re looking at above weigh in at just 1060g for the pair…

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There’s engineering and then there’s German engineering. What sets the two apart? In this case: a few hundred dollars, a unique concept, and unusual brake lever ergonomics. Developed by Jakob Lauhoff, 18, the Brake Force One brakes have a claimed weight of 205 grams (without disc) and retail for 390€ (or roughly $500 USD). Unfortunately, there are currently no American distributors for those with the means.

Their teenage inventor claims his design, which forgoes a brake fluid reservoir, is twice as powerful as current brakes but requires only half the operating power. The levers have been designed accordingly, with only sufficient space to comfortably rest one finger.

Read on to ogle and learn more…

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From deep in Germany’s Black Forest comes a broad assortment of Tune’s new ultra lightweight components for road and mountain bikes, 29ers and 650B and even what’s likely to be the most expensive BMX build ever.

Above is the new Comfort Plus saddle at 79g. The leather scuff guard on the rear will come in alll 11 colors, the shell is more flexible than their original Comfort saddle. Rider weight limit of 90kg. €239 and will also have an Alcantara leather option for the same price.

Dream of making the ultimate lightweight bike when you click more…

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