Casey Sussman is the man from Mars Cycles of Oakland, California, a small frame building company specializing in custom fillet brazed and lugged steel racing frames. Casey has been building for a couple of years, his bikes proven at events like the Red Hook Criterium in Brooklyn and more, and now he can add a People’s Choice award for NAHBS 2015 to his accolades…
Casey’s NAHBS cyclocross / gravel bike features a mix of fillet brazed frame tubing from Columbus and KVA; Columbus Max top tube, Columbus Life seat tube and chainstays, and KVA stainless steel down tube and fork blades.
Cables on this single chainring cyclocross / gravel bike are run internally, entering beneath the downtube and running continuously through the bottom bracket shell, exiting at the rear dropout, and mid-way along the left chainstay for the rear brake.
Rear chainstays are asymmetric, allowing room for the brake, which mounts directly through the stay, negating the need for a bridge.
Mars Cycles bikes are all custom, meaning features such as external cup headsets, press fit bottom bracket bearings and anything else desired, can be chosen by the customer.
The NAHBS bike featured additional touches like hand cut, hand perforated leather handlebar tape, topped off with a custom covered Fi’zi:k saddle.
Prices begin at $1,500 USD frame only, add $250+ for a fork.
Photos and article by Gravel Cyclist.
Jayson O’Mahoney is the Gravel Cyclist: A website about the Gravel Cycling Experience.
