Tag Archives: independent fabrication
RAID Rockingham !!
Our good friends at Independent Fabrication are hosting a ride near their home in New Hampshire, the RAID Rockingham, at 9am on June 17, and the NYC Velo crew is heading up. Cyclists interested in taking part in the event should follow this link for additional information and registration. NYC Velo will be driving to NH on the evening of 5/16, and currently have a couple spots left for bikes and riders – email info@nycvelo.com for more information on transportation to and from NH for this event.
independent fabrication
5ive Points with IF#1
The 5ive Points Interview is breaking the mold again, creating a new paradigm in the uber-competitive world of oversimplified short-form bike shop interviews. To say that Indy Fab #1 (rhymes with the nonsensicle Prince symbol, though hates to be called “Purple Rain”) is an inanimate object and thus not appropriate as an oversimplified short-form interview subject would be short-sighted, and missing the point at best. The bike frame in question is Independent Fabrication frame #1, the first production frame to come out of the Sommerville, Mass factory over 15 years ago. IF #1, or IF1 as it prefers to be called, is a steel mountainbike frame, a hardtail in dirtbike lingo. It wears a contemporary (for the mid ‘90s) triple fade paint job, and a wealth of component manufacturer stickers. IF1 sports a one-inch headtube, a downtube gusset, cantilever brake studs, and the scars of a solid case of chain-suck. IF1 will be residing proudly at NYC Velo (in a live-work capacity to get around 2nd Avenue zoning regs) for the foreseeable future. While not for sale (that would be wrong), IF1 is always game to crack open a beer and chat about New England bike building history.
NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
IF1: Dumb Question
NYC Velo: What’s your favorite ride?
IF1: Mount Snow NORBA Cross-Country Course in Dover, Vermont
What’s your favorite post-ride food?
IF1: As a steel bicycle, I consume little other that J.P. Weigle’s Framesaver, didn’t you guys interview that dude?
What is one thing that you always carry on a ride?
IF1: A rider. Are you sure you’ve done this before, these questions are ridiculously off-point.
What’s next?
IF1: Inspiring the hype-free production of hype-free bikes, hand-made in New England, and I think 1 inch headtubes will make a comeback. And fade paint jobs.
Bike of the Week: Independent Fabrication Ti Deluxe 29′er
Independent Fabrication is, if anything, lustworthy. This week’s Bike of the Week certainly fits that bill, and is of titanium, that most wonderful of bicycle frame materials.
Our friends at Indy Fab describe very well their Ti Deluxe mountain bike on their website, but research shows that readers really just want to see the photos. So, without further delay, Charles’ Indy Fab Ti Deluxe MTB, with components from Fox, Shimano (XTR), Industry Nine, and Thomson.
29er, Bike of the Week, independent fabrication, Industry Nine, Mountain biking, shimano
Bike of the Week: Independent Fabrication Mellow Fellow
The NYC Velo Crew was fortunate to get its hands on the limited edition, some call it a “collab”, Indy Fab Mellow Fellow bike last year which proved to be quite the crowd pleaser while in the shop. A beautiful single speed rig for the city, complete with (bag ready Nitto) racks, this bike found a happy home recently with a very pleased customer. After some test riding and a lengthy conversation about intended use, ergonomics, and riding position, the team set to work on a few “mods” to further customize the Mellow Fellow. A set of Honjo fenders, a Nordeast cruiser handlebar from Nitto, and Brooks leather handlebar tape complete the one-off package.
Originally, the Mellow Fellow was part of the Paper Labels design project uniting three crews hellbent on creating the best in their respective fields, Independent Fabrication, Bodega, and Bailey Works bags. Three bike designs were fabricated based on three color schemes that also integrated bag or rack combinations.
Paper labels of vintage and deadstock spraypaint cans were the color palette source upon which the three concept bikes’ paint colors were supplied. The color scheme and iconography of the Paper Labels bikes were derived from Bodega’s archive of discontinued vintage spraypaint. These colors were popularized by the 1980′s graffiti culture and are now coveted by spray can collectors. Krylon Aqua Turquoise #2008, Krylon O.D. Khaki #2301, and Krylon Metallic Blue #1903 serve as the foundation for the bikes color schemes.
Additional graphics for the bikes were created by referencing some designs from other old vintage can labels. Only 15 of each model were made and include matching bag(s), t-shirt and a can of spraypaint mixed and labeled for each bike.
bailey works, Bike of the Week, City, independent fabricationBike of the Week: Ti Factory Lightweight by IndyFab
So hot it’s not even listed on Indy Fab website, the Titanium Factory Lightweight from the new company digs in New Market, NH (just north of Boston) is this week’s BOTW (Bike Of The Week).
A brilliant integration of titanium and carbon, this Ti FLW is reflective of the most contemporary of custom frame design. With an integrated carbon fiber seat mast, custom milled seat clamp, press-fit BB30 bottom bracket shell, oversized headtube allowing for an integrated Zero Stack headset, and drilled-out titanium dropouts, the TiFLW is truly at the sharp end of the custom bike industry.
When it’s all said and done, this ride sits comfortably in the dream bike category. Some exotic bikes are built for the wall, some for show and some for the occasional loop in the park. This bike was built to ride. The customer chose components from Sram, Industry Nine, and 3T and a one-off Matte-Black-on-Ti paint job to ensure she stands out on any ride.
5ive Points: Bruce Weber
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- Photo by Yana Paskova
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- Photo by Yana Paskova
Photo by Yana Paskova
We had a great time working with Bruce on the equipment portion of his project and look forward to hearing the stories that his travels will weave. Be sure to check out his NYT posts for yourself, or catch him in 140 character bits at @nytbruceweber, good luck Bruce!
NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
Bruce Weber: Up until now I’ve been riding treks. I have three of them, a road bike, a touring bike and a hybrid. But for the cross country trip I’m starting I have a custom made designed by NYC velo with a titanium frame built by Independent Fabrication.
NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
BW: I’ve got a couple of friends with houses in the Hamptons, one in water mill and one in amagansett. To go beach and woods roads from one to the other and back is about 35 miles.
NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
BW: Watermelon.
NYCV: What is one thing you always carry on a ride?
BW: A $20 bill and/or a credit card.
NYCV: What’s next?
BW: I’m on my way to the west coast to ride back to my apartment in Manhattan, a trip I’ll be flogging about for The New York Times.
5ive points, independent fabrication, touring
5ive Points: Matt Simpson of Pedros
Just in time for the Pedros Shop Ride next Friday (June 10), el prez Matt Simpson is the latest 5ive Points subject. As steerer of the Pedros ship, Matt is part of one of the most influential little big companies in the bike biz, appropriately from our home (New England at least) turf outside Boston, Mass. Matt was recently at NYC Velo as an integral part of Tim Johnson’s Ride on Washington in March, yet again leveraging his time, his company, for sake of cyclists everywhere. He’ll again be visiting the shop next week as part of the Pedros riding crew – come along on the ride and see what Matt’s all about!
NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
Matt Simpson: Form & function. I ride a custom steel Zanconato CX bike designed by friend & superb frame builder Mike Zanconato of Massachusetts. His attention to detail and care for the custom build is flawless. Steel lugged CX frame, painted by the great crew at Circle A (subtle black/pink).
Also, an I.F. ti-planet X ‘Binary Code’ (as featured in their 2011 catalog). Custom built & designed by ex-Pro racer Justin Spinelli of Luxe Wheelworks (former Svelte Cycles). The binary paint scheme is insane. I left the design to Justin and he pulled it off as only J-Spin could.
And of course the Chris King Cielo CX bike (steel), custom Pedro’s CX team painted scheme. Designed by Jay Sycip and the crew at Chris King, this Cielo is likely one of the most admried bikes in 2010, wait till you see the 2011 version (shown at NAHBS 2011).
NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
MS: Morgan Territory California has some of the nicest rides I have done but hard to top Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, or Mt. Diablo outside of Walnut Creek, CA. I live in New Hampshire, and out my door have some of the most amazing country roads to ride in & out of Hollis, Keene, NH, but the rides aforementioned kind of rule. Can’t rule out Harrisonburg, VA either, skyline drive……
NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
MS: Coffee & pastries, can’t lie. Coffee is the salt of the earth. French style pastries, simple, and solid.
NYCV: What is one thing you always carry on a ride?
MS: Money & ID. Above all (yes I use saddle bag with appropriate etiquette items); money for mid-ride coffee, and ID for obvious reasons. Subscriber to the Matt Roy 6 P’s. (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-poor Performance)
NYCV: What’s next?
MS: Wow. Just got back from the Tim Johnson Ride on Washington and getting my feet back on the ground. If anyone has not heard about the TJ & Bikes Belong ride on Washington, I hope they are appreciative of what TJ, Richard Fries & Bikes Belong are doing to help us all, our families & communities.
So many cool projects (growth) going on at Pedro’s (to be announced by mid-summer). Managing a few side projects with industry friends (also tba very soon); and managing to be a good husband, friend & father to 4 young daughters. Our restated commitment to grassroots & advocacy within our community will bring sustainable infrastructure and opportunities to a new group of Pedro’s fans. Stay tuned…
BOTW: Indy Fab Factory Lightweight
There’s a connection between this week’s BOTW and our 5ive Points interview subject, Sandy Chapman, that may not seem obvious.
The bike was assembled for display at the inaugural New Amsterdam Bike Show over the past weekend. To complete the build out of the Indy Fab Ti Factory Lightweight frame, Sandy stepped up to provide us with some “hot off the presses” components. The red and black stunner was decked out with a SRAM Black Red component kit and Zipp 404 Firecrest carbon clincher wheels (and matching Zipp tyres). Without Sandy’s help, the belle of the ball (errr, bike show) would have been missing some of its luster indeed.
In addition to the top notch parts spec, there’s a substantially RAD frame driving this week’s BOTW: the just-released Titanium Factory Lightweight from our friends in New Market (near Boston), Independent Fabrication. An impressive marriage of carbon fiber and titanium, the Ti FLW as its known, represents the sharp edge of the custom bike world. The frame sports an integrated carbon fiber seat mast with custom milled seat clamp, a press-fit BB30 bottom bracket shell, an oversized headtube allowing for an integrated Zero Stack headset, and custom, drilled-out titanium dropouts.
As great as the photos are, they certainly don’t do this bicycle justice…luckily, it’s on display at the shop!
Bike of the Week, independent fabrication, SRAM, zipp
IF S&S BOTW
This edition of the BOTW, no surprise to faithful BOTW readers, comes from our friends at Indy Fab. We try not to make this News feature too IF-heavy; maybe if they made crappier bikes we wouldn’t show them so often…
This example, while certainly not crappy, has a bit of a storied past.
It’s a Steel Deluxe mountain bike frame, fabricated a decade ago in Somerville, Mass. Legend has it that sometime around 2000-1, the guys and gals at Indy Fab introduced disc brake tabs on their steel hardtail frames. At that time, the most commonly used disc brake systems were either inherently weak cable actuated or rather unreliable hydraulic systems. As one of the fastest growing segments of the bike industry in the early ’00′s, disc brake parts (in terms of technology and power) advanced dramatically. Within a matter of a few years, disc brake manufacturers were producing brakes that were much stronger than their predecessors, leading frame builders to update and enhance the way the frames interfaced with the brake caliper.
This particular Steel Deluxe frame suffered a related, undesirable fate when, a few years ago, the brake caliper (too powerful!) separated from the frame, taking part of the rear triangle with it.
The frame spent some time sleeping, relaxing, thinking about its next step, until the NYC Velo team stepped in to help. We sent the disabled frame to our friends at Bilenky Cycle Works in Philly to work some magic. In the mean time, we contracted another friend, Christopher Igleheart, to make a fork to match the frame, perfect in matte black. A short 9 months later, the frame returned to the E Village with a couple rear triangle splints to bolster the section near the caliper, some S&S Couplers, and a new paint job (all installed by Bilenky)..
The splints work perfectly, the couplers allowed for the bike to be included in a recent trip down to Austin for NAHBS, and the battleship gray paint job keeps rust off of jeans. The balance of the bike was assembled with a selection of not-really-matched and orphaned parts from both shop and private collections: red Chris King hubs, headset, and BB, Mavic rims, Shimano XT bits, one left SRAM TT Shifter (switched for right hand friction use and connected to the rear derailleur) and matching Paul Components Thumbie adapter. There are no decals, save for the headtube sticker. The frame invokes references to the rat rods of the car world.
The bike has been a joy to ride, both on and off road, easily handling the rolling hills of west Austin as well as the Barton Springs Greenbelt MTB Trail with just a tire and tube swap. Two bikes in one, pack it into a backpack, no airline fees, bike vacation nirvana.
Bike of the Week, independent fabricationBOTW: Indy Fab XS
You might think that being in the business of selling bikes would make you a bit jaded when it comes to bikes. New bikes come and go in the shop (as they ought to), but every now and then we’re sad to see one go.
Cue this beautiful Independent Fabrications XS. The Carbon tubes, Titanium lugs, and beautiful color scheme renders us starry-eyed whenever we look at this machine. Alas, It is going to a good home where it’ll be ridden many, many miles. We hope its new owner enjoys riding it as much as we enjoy looking at it.
