Tag Archives: NAHBS

Bike Of The Week: Indy Fab Steel Deluxe 29er

Michael’s new mountain bike, a Steel Deluxe from Independent Fabrication, is the latest Bike of the Week, and extends the “Month of Indy Fab” just a bit farther.

This Deluxe is, like all bikes from Indy Fab, handmade in Newmarket, NH.  Michael had his bike designed around 29-inch wheels, the larger cousin of the once-standard 26-inch mountain bike wheel.  Are 29″ wheels better?  Who knows – there are passionate folks with “irrefutable” evidence on both sides of this argument, so we’ll take the Swiss position.  One thing they are is bigger.  While in many conditions, the larger wheels offer an advantage, they offer a distinct challenge to the frame designer, as they now have more wheel to cram into the frame made for a regular-sized rider (whatever regular-sized means…).  Luckily, designing 29ers (as they’re called) is something that the folks at Indy Fab do well (exceedingly well, actually), so Michael received an off-road-ready bike that is precisely designed to offer him the best trail ride possible.

Michael selected the Deore XT component group from Shimano for his new custom rig. He chose a Fox 32 Float 29 100 CTD tapered fork, Mavic Crossride wheels and WTB tires, Chris King sealed bottom bracket and headset bearings, and a cockpit from Thomson.  He topped of the bike with a Tundra saddle from Fizik and Time’s venerable ATAC off-road pedal system.

While the frame specs and the component list may be impressive, it’s the 5-color paintjob that truly impresses.  Chris Rowe and the design and paint team at Indy Fab finished off a paint scheme on Michael’s MTB, one with a great shot of color, that is both daring and restrained (not possible, you say?).  That being said, there’s no shame in covering their work with copious amounts of dirt and mud. Off to the trails!

NYC Velo Tours: Days 5&6, 2012 French Alps

For the third week of September, NYC Velo (under the “NYC Velo Tours” banner) led a group of intrepid cyclists on a tour of the Southern French Alps.  A photographic review of Days 1 & 2 was posted in November and a review of Days 3 & 4 was posted in December, while the photos below document Days 5 & 6.  The ride on Day 5 started and ended in the town of Briancon, consisting of a loop that climbed the Col d’Izoard and followed the rivers Le Guil and La Durance.  On Day 6, the last day in the saddle for this trip, the crew ascended the highest paved road in Europe, the Col de la Bonnette, before a long descent along (the river) La Tinee and a final 9k climb up to Valdeblore.

The gear supplied by Search and State (the S1-J Riding Jacket) and Grimpeur Bros Coffee (the Greenbelt and River Road Peaberry roasts) once again proved to be up to the task of protecting and caffeinating the crew.

The trip consisted of 6 (usually) long and (usually) difficult days in mountains (total riding elevation gain was just shy of 73,000 feet), but the food, drink, camaraderie, and warm welcome by all of our new French friends made the pain and fatigue disappear.  NYC Velo has plans for similar trips in 2013, stay tuned!

If you’d like to learn more about this trip, or any of the upcoming adventures, stop by the shop or drop us an email at: Andrew@nycvelo.com.

The proper way to start the day in Briancon, Day 5

Evidence of Briancon's Industrial Past, Day 5

Weather pushed the day's ride to post-lunch (Briancon Pizza), Day 5

Host Housing in Briancon, a centuries-old tannery, Day 5

Les Tanneries, Renovated, Day 5

Tools of the trade, Les Tanneries, Day 5

Barn, Briancon, France, Day 5

Bike Lane: Col d'Izoard, Day 5

Ian, at the summit of the Col d'Izoard, Day 5

Descending down the south side of the Col d'Izoard, Day 5

Route D902, above Le Guil, Day 5

Post-ride calorie replenishment, Day 5

Frommage, Day 5

French Barn, Briancon, Day 6

Ascending the Col de Vars, Day 6

Lunchtime fuel stop, Jausiers, Day 6

A mellow start to the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Looking back towards Jausiers, on the lower slopes of the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Climbing the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

The Col de la Bonnette, the highest paved road in Europe, Day 6

Barn, Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Barn, another view, on the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Above the treeline, Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Thin air on the Col de la Bonnette, with much more to come, Day 6

Another switchback, Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Even the sheep are dangerous above 2000m, Day 6

Heed the warnings! Day 6

Ian and Jack, trying the friendly approach, avoiding a furry stampede, Day 6

Ian, navigating a switchback 3k from the summitt of the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

(Young) Ian & Jack, negotiating the finish to the top of the Col de la Bonnette, Day 6

Ian takes the front, weather moves in as the summit approaches, Day 6

After cresting the summit of the Col de la Bonnette in freezing rain, the team takes refuge in a warm oasis in Saint-Etienne-de-Tinee, Day 6

That's one way to warm up, too bad the team still had 40k to go, Day 6

Instead of vodka, coffee did the job at Lou Ben Manja, Day 6

Looking down the Vallee de la Tinee before the start of the final climb, Day 6

The bikes of Fr2012, at rest

The team tackles the final climb up to Valdeblore, Day 6

The final climb, 9k of this...

Young Ian, nearing the finish, Day 6

The view, looking west, from the hotel in Valdeblore, Day 6

The narrow streets of Valdeblore, Day 6

A bench in Valdeblore, perfect for a rest after 6 days of riding

The final meal of the trip, Provencial Pizza in Valdeblore, Day 6

Bike Of The Week: Crazy-Trained Indy Fab Planet X

NYC Velo’s latest Bike of the Week (BOTW) catapulted itself into the limelight after a strong showing at last week’s Crazy Train *Race* in Philly.

The BOTW is a Planet X cyclocross bike from Independent Fabrication, in steel.  This Indy Fab was built for its owner in 2002, along with the steel fork, of (mostly) Reynolds 853 air-hardened tubes.  Underneath its current cloak of sand/salt/mud/train sweat, this Made-in-Somerville, Mass cross frame wears an eclectic mix of SRAM Force shifters & derailleurs, Shimano Ultegra 6600 Single-ring cranks, Mavic R-SYS wheels (the replacement version) with Maxxis 700 x 33mm mud knobbies, Paul cantilever brakes, and Chris King headset and bottom bracket.

As has been written, the Crazy Train course was a mix of riding surfaces (sounds like cross, no?), including muddy singletrack, snowy singletrack, icy bike paths (that seemed like riding on cornmeal), railroad ties, piles of cinderblocks, and both improved and unimproved roads.  This Planet X (Tim Johnson rode a similar bike to win the USA’s first podium spot ever at a CX World Championship event in 1999) has seen a lot in it’s 10 years on the Mid-Atlantic-New England CX racing circuit, but the adventure along the tracks in Philly last week was the one to beat.

Bike Of The Week: Pegoretti Cicli Luigino Coffee-Getter

This week’s Bike of the Week extends the “Month of Dario” by highlighting yet another example of the handiwork of Pegoretti Cicli.  The Columbus-tubed, lugged steel Pegoretti Luigino is a very special bike, indeed.

The customerrequested a “cruiser-style” lugged steel bicycle, but fell in love with Pegoretti’s Luigino frame.  Most cycling folks don’t readily associate the Pegoretti marque with “cruiser-style”, but according to Dario, there are more than a few non-road-racing/riding-style framesets in existence.

The component “theme” of this bike is “silver Campy”, a classic that’s hard to come by these days.  Most of the gruppo is New-Old-Stock (NOS) Campagnolo Chorus 10-speed (crankset, rear derailleur, hubset), from the 2000-2002 era.  The shifters are 10-speed bar-end shifters that have been modified to work with a flat-handlebar shifter mount made by Paul Components in California (and hand polished by the team at NYC Velo).  The seatpost is from the Campy Chorus group as well, the chain is Campagnolo Record and the cassette is Campagnolo Centaur.  The stem is a NOS Ritchey 1-inch steel, the handlebars are the Nitto Albatross model, and the reverse brake levers are from Dia-Comp.  The handlebars and leather handlebar wrap are from Brooks of England.  The rims are of the NOS Campagnolo Tokyo variety, the spokes are Colorado-made DT Swiss Competition double butted and the tires are 700x25mm Panaracer Pasela Tourguard.  The chainguide is also from Paul Components, and has also been polished here at NYC Velo.  The chainring guard is a cut and polished 39-tooth Campagnolo Chorus 10s chainring, repurposed.

Should you happen to run across this bike in the streets of New York, take the time to check it out, it’s a stunner.  And yes, Pollo, it’s for coffee.

Bike Of The Week: Pegoretti Cicli Duende

The Month of Dario continues with a steel Duende from Pegoretti Cicli.  This newest version of the Duende continues to utilize the Spirit tubeset from Italian bicycle tube manufacturer Columbus and wears Dario’s stock-for-2013 “Somebody” paint scheme in white.  The 2013 Duende is mated to Pegoretti Cicli’s much-anticipated Falz carbon fork, developed in conjunction with Columbus.

The front triangle of the Duende is that of the Marcelo (stiff and responsive) though the rear triangle has been altered (from the Marcelo) to yield a smoother, more compliant ride.  The 2013 Duende frameset sells for $3350 and is currently in stock in select sizes.

Bikes Of The Week: Pegoretti Cicli Luigino Track X2

As NYC Velo’s “Month of Dario” continues, the bar is raised yet again for the Bike of the Week feature as this week brings 2(!) Pegoretti Luigino lugged steel track framesets. These framesets are noteworthy for a number of reasons, beyond the obvious pedigree.

The Luigino is one of only 2 lugged steel models that Pegoretti Cicli produces, and is available only as a custom order (and a 12-18 month wait list), with few exceptions.  In this case, Dario fabricated both framesets specifically for tradeshows, making them some of the only “stock” lugged steel Pegoretti’s in existence.

In the Luigino, Dario brazes the Columbus Nivacrom EL-OS tubes to investment cast lugs and dropouts.  The fork, crown lug and all, is also steel and of the throw-back one-inch steerer tube variety.  While both of these frames have 55cm top tubes, the seat tube is slightly longer on the yellow version and both are finished with horizontal track dropouts and Campagnolo Record headsets, $4650 apiece.

Interview: Dario Parla Bici #1

On the heels of our recent Pegoretti Reponsorium Bike of the Week post, and continuing the Month of Dario theme, the crack NYC Velo investigative team is initiating a monthly dialogue with Dario Pegoretti, speaking to him directly from his studio in Caldonazzo Italy. The life of this frame builder, his every day, and where he finds his inspiration are a sample of the topics of covered in this ongoing conversation. Cyclists (or fans of cycling, art, machinery, and all things fatta a mano) who are interested in what this artist is up to, the new frame designs he’s working on, the art he’s into, and the wine he’s drinking should stay tuned to the NYC Velo News “blog” and Facebook pages for more.

NYC VELO : Where do you find inspiration? Are there specific artists that you look to (or return to) when thinking of a paint scheme for a frame? From what other sources do you draw from and/or possibly reference in your painting?

DARIO PEGORETTI : Something that I read or I see walking on the street can spark inspiration. Sometimes I scketch on a paper before I make a drawing on the computer and design the paint-scheme. My Ciavete frame (Ciavete frames are a hand painted one at a time, each completely different from the next and based on what ever is inspiring him at the time) paint-schemes generally come from a specific painting or something I might see in a magazine. Some years ago I painted some frames using the colors that are common in the adobe style structures I saw during a visit to New Mexico. I love abstract expressionism. Some specific painters that inspire me, Emilio Vedova , Scanavino, Mathieu and others. I have a passion for street art too, stencils and graffiti.  Aboriginal art is full of passion and the colors are amazing. Japanese design and calligraphy intrigues me too.

Bike of the Week: 2012 Interbike Pegoretti MXXXXXO

This week’s BOTW is a special one as it kicks off the “Month of Dario” here at NYC Velo. The shop is a well-documented fan of Dario’s work, in addition to be an authorized representative of his brand.  In an effort to celebrate the bikes of Pegoretti Cicli, November is now being referred to (around here at least) as the “Month of Dario” and will include Pegoretti Bike(s) of the Week(s), interviews with the builder himself, and more!

The focus of our attention this week is the Pegoretti MXXXXXO (or Marcelo) from the 2012 Interbike trade show.  The frame is a stock 55cm steel Marcelo frame with Dario’s new Falz fork (developed with Italian tubing and carbon fiber manufacturer Columbus) and Chris King’s oversized D11 headset (developed specifically to work with Pegoretti’s new oversized headtubes).  The paint design is an indication of the 2012 stock Marcelo design, though this particular bike was painted using a dark gray, textured Dura-coat-style material, setting it apart from the crowd.

Campagnolo’s Chorus 11 groupset and Eurus wheels, along with bits from Fizik, 3T, and gommitalia, complete the build on this truly unique bicycle.  This complete Pegoretti is currently for sale at NYC Velo for $7800.

NYC Velo Tours: Days 1&2, 2012 French Alps

For the third week of September, NYC Velo (under the “NYC Velo Tours” banner) led a group of intrepid cyclists on a tour of the Southern French Alps.  The priorities of the trip were as follows: ride, eat, drink, sleep.  Setting that list to repeat 6 times yielded a week full of climbing (total elevation gain of 72,631 feet), descending, sun, scenery, and warm French hospitality.  Along the way, we thoroughly tested our legs and our gear (see the recent BOTW feature), including the Search and State S1-J Riding Jacket, a variety of Grimpeur Bros Coffees, Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration (USADA-legal we’re told), and Endura compression gear, reviews to follow.

The trip is best seen in photos, which are broken up into 3 News posts (Days 1&2, Days 3&4, and Days 5&6), with little more than captions to accompany the images.  If you’d like to learn more about this trip, or any of the upcoming adventures, stop by the shop or drop us an email at: Andrew@nycvelo.com.

Musette bags from Chris McNally, illustrator

AFter a red-eye flight, the riding starts s-l-o-w

Switchbacks on the Col de Braus

Arrivee #1

Snapping photos before the descent to Sospel

Yan, post-red-eye, pre-cafe creme, Sospel

....and the cafe creme

Le Grande Patron

"Gruppo Compacto" on the climb to Moulinet

The team working on its "Cafe Stance"

The largest vehicle available to rent in all of France

Dinner is calling!

The green lights mean "Pizza!" in Puget-Theniers

The French do a mean Pizza

Wine-fueled Swatch photo bomb

The start of Day 2 in Die

The climb out of Die, Day 2

Captain Jack atop the Col de Rousset

Looking back at the Col de Rousset

Troy, pensive, reflecting on the HC Col de Rousset

Southward, from the Col de Rousset, Day 2's first Challenge

The Vercors

Lunch in Saint-Martin-en-Vercors, Day 2

This Diversion added another 6k climb to Day 2

The view towards Grenoble from the Route du Vercors

The source of our Night 2 happiness, in La Mure

Yan, laughing at his food. Maybe it's the wine.

Night 2 protein, on its way!

Dinner Greens in La Mure

Is there a better way to celebrate a birthday?

Typical end of day scene

5x BOTW: The Bikes of Fr2012

This edition of the Bike of the Week feature details not one, but five bikes, making it the first 5x BOTW, FWIW.  The bikes in question were all part of Fr2012, an NYC Velo Tours-sponsored weeklong attack on the Southern French Alps.

Ian’s bike is the carbon fiber Opal, from the venerable Spanish marque Orbea, which came his way when he was part of the CRCA Junior Racing Program (a program that he helped to re-launch).  He’s now had the bike for a number of years, and it served him well as the French tarmac headed skyward.  Ian’s Orbea is outfitted with a mix of Shimano Ultegra 6600 and Dura Ace 7700 parts, not the latest-and-greatest, but more than up to the task, even the bike-racer-friendly 130mm stem and flo-purple Knog light (and Helen’s Cycles water bottles).

Jack’s bike is a Cervelo R3, a white carbon beauty that, when paired with the latest Shimano Ultegra 6700 gear, helped him set the pace as the Fr2012 crew tackled the nearly 75,000 vertical feet of ascension over the 6 day trip.  Jack’s brand-appropriate (ahem, Ian) water bottles did not slow down his Strava-insprired attack on the Alpe d’Huez, nor his sunset lead-out on the Galibier.  Not surprisingly, the Easton EC90 Equipe carbon handlebars and Cane Creek Crosstop levers aided finish-line one-hande-wheelie victory salutes.

Troy’s custom titanium Eriksen cyclocross bike may seem like a fish out of water on a predominately paved bike trip, but its S&S Machine Co coupler system allows him to pack it neatly into a suitcase (and avoid the increasingly nasty airline bike-handling fees).  Troy swapped the stock knobby tires for 23mm slicks on his White Industries-hubbed custom wheels, but kept the rest of the bike cyclocross-ready, including a Campy groupset and TRP cantilever brakes.  Troy’s Eriksen also sports a rarely-seen Syncros Revolution crankset.  Made of tubular steel, yet still lightweight and ultra-strong, these cranks were rare when they were available new 15 years ago, and almost never seen today.

Ian’s custom steel Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel road machine also uses S&S Couplers to facilitate air travel.  Ian’s Somerville, Mass-made Indy Fab is painted in a champaign-like hue, suggesting a titanium composition to the casual observer, remaining understated, like the rider himself.  His bike is set up with Shimano’s Dura Ace 7800 group and a pair of hand-laced wheels, perfect options for a week’s worth of Euro-riding.

Andrew’s Independent Fabrication Ti Crown Jewel rounds out the group’s equipment. The Ti CJ is, like Troy and Ian’s bikes, outfitted with S&S couplers, to many the best option for setting up a travel bike.  Andrew’s bike uses 2010 model year SRAM Red parts and a set of NYC Velo’s signature wheels (custom Industry 9 20/24-hole hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes, Stan’s Notubes Alpha 340 rims, and Hutchinson Atom 700x23mm tubeless tires).  The bike also utilized Chris King’s (the Pride of Portland) headset and bottom bracket, as well as Ritchey WCS handlebars, stem, and seatpost and a Fizik Antares saddle.  Weighing in at around 16 pounds, it proved to be a fitting piece of equipment for a weeklong ride in cycling’s Promised Land.