When You Wish Upon An SSR… Part I

A report from Brett Cleaver:

Over the summer, NYC Velo had the opportunity to visit the Independent Fabrication HQ in Somerville, MA. I’ve always taken note of their road bikes at many a race in the Northeast. More often than not, I felt a void in my bike stable from not owning one. And as we poked around the factory, I experienced nothing short of a culmination of years of admiration and yearning.

Immediately, I began trying to justify racing an SSR in 2010. First, since NYC Velo had recently acquired the brand there was an obvious connection. Second, I had simply always wanted one. My only final justification was getting on a team that actually raced them (so as not to look like a total boob).

Sadly, I couldn’t overcome the hangup. As I spoke to various teams about racing on their squad and while weighing my options, it seemed as if I would be on just another production aluminum frame for 2010. In an interesting turn of events however, I was offered a spot on Rapha Racing NYC for 2010. Much to my satisfaction, they race on Independent Fabrication bikes! So, not only was I finally getting an IF, I was getting a super pimp one with über fresh paint and a custom headbadge! The perfect justification (or excuse…).

The process of measuring, mathematics and frame geometry began. Kevin from IF was great to work with as he punched in my numbers and tweaked a few things to my liking. It was clear that his experience as a racer directly plays into his job, which could be why the drawing I signed off on was that of a fast race bike.

At this point, it’s in the hands of the folks up in Somerville, though they were kind enough to send me an early picture of my frame. So, I’ll leave you with that… stay tuned for Part II.