Make your own style..!!

Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike Review

by Jarakosta Blog's | 5/24/2011 in | comments (0)

Epic quality beautiful finish
THE best single speed in price range, flawlessly done, all parts high quality and top notch packaging during shipping.
pros: kendra all terrains, hidden brake lines in handle grips, chain guard removes easily for exposed sprocket look, comfortable seat, low price, unique color, easy flip flop hubbed wheel
cons: a tad heavy for a road bike but easily lighten-able, too many stickers (but they removed effortlessly) toe hooks don't handle extreme stress well (easily replaceable though), tire on flip flop wheel is directional (so it's backwards when in fixed geared position)



A steal for the price
I bought this bike back in Jan 11. Packaging for the bike was as expected, very solid. The set-up for the bike is nice and easy and required only basic tools to get her up and running within 10 minutes. So, with that that said, this is great for someone looking to buy an affordable, high quality, and stylish bike. Flashy colors, big tires, comfortable to ride, though maybe it is a bit on the heavy side, but nevertheless smooth, fast and simple and the flip-hub feature, which gives you the option of riding in fixed gear, is a great addition. I ride this in Austin, TX where there are a lot of hills and it is a little less than ideal, but very manageable once you become familiar with the area. So, maybe if you live in a hilly area and are new to biking then a single speed may not be what you are looking for (but to each their own!). Here in Austin there is a big bike scene so naturally a lot of people ask about the bike. They always seem surprised when I say it was only 220 and I keep hearing how much of a steal it was. And by the way, the colors are a huge hit; I get compliments on that all the time. Also, please take into consideration that you are not getting road bike tires. The tires seem to be cross or hybrid, meaning they are much bigger and thicker than road tires. Though, to be fair, I am not sure what the actual tire type is called. The tires also say 80 PSI max but that, to me, felt low and prevented the bike from catching that speed that I knew it had. So I ride mine at (the not recommended!) 110-120 PSI, which feels great and allows me to catch all the speed I want. Final note on the bike: the tires are a bright mustard yellow while the handlebars are a darker more true yellow. 

Gallery

by Jarakosta Blog's | 5/24/2011 in | comments (0)


 



















Pops Fabrication Model 8

by Jarakosta Blog's | 5/23/2011 in | comments (0)




 


Is this a ShortyFatz?
Or is it a Pops Fabrication?

It's a Pops Fabrication Model 8, always was and still is. Shorty was simply a marketing resource for a while. Matthrew Rodriquez is "Pops" and has always built all of the Model 8s at his shop in San Jose along with other one-off cycling designs and all the other crazy stuff that gets the bills paid these days.

This 8 came to us as a bare frame, so of course we had to do the powdercoat job in a color that would best show off the frame, but would also show off our own Powdercoat Studio finishes.

Could you imagine finishing this frame up in a matte black? Nope we couldn't either, We wanted a color that was a bit elegant and a bit naughty. We picked RAL 1016, our lightest yellow; incidentially one of the most difficult colors to photograph.

And ok ....... we'll say it: we wanted a color that would turn heads when we rolled past the State Theatre down on Front Street

.



Of course, it was also pretty hard to cover up Matthew's nice fillet brazed joints - and in fact, he offers a bare flame-marked frame as a finish option. You pick your colors, we'll pick ours!

We built the frame up with as many California parts as we could:

Wheels: Phil Wood Low Flange Single Side Fixed Hubs are the ones with the widest flanges and the strongest lacing pattern. They were built up by Matt and the crew at VelocityUSA in Grand Rapids, Michigan (just 150 miles down the road from here) of their 32H Fusion clincher rims that we'd also custom powdercoated in gloss black. DT Revoluution butted spokes and alloy nipples makes up a strong and stable platform for any street or track bike.

Drivetrain: Phil Wood Bottom Bracket (more aboout the BB a bit later), Phil Wood 16T 1/8" cog and lockring, SRAM PC-1 plated chain, and and old friend (really) Dennis' first good crankset: a 1991 Campagnolo Athena 170mm road crankset with a 44T Stronglight chainring. A good solid assembly.

No standard fork ends for Matthew. Tight vertical drops made up by the builder himself ... but what else would fit here?

Check out the tight mitered tubes, this isn't a frame you could build in your garage. There's simply a lot of tight cuts that need to fit, and it looks like Matthew's got them dialed.

Pops' website explains: "This frame was created with full focus on combining art and function. Consultants for the geometry include Phil Wood & Co., and long-time local frame builder Dale Sasso."

More to the point, it's 4130 chromemoly tubes and since it doesn't say, we assume they are straight gauge tubes and with a stated frame weight of 6 pounds, the Series 8 is no lightweight, but it doesnt need to be. It's a straight-line bike and it does that with ease.

The FSA Orbit XL 1 1/8" threadless headset is our favorite model: it's the one with cartridge bearings and the split fork race making the install or removal an easy task. They're a bit hard to find, but worth every penny. We think they'll out last 10 sets of tires.

Farther up, you can see about 3/4" of headset spacers and a no-name 11cm alloy stem from our secret "stem drawer" plus the pièce de résistance a hot new Soma Condorino Handlebar: a new take on Italian cafè racer style patterned after a (famous make) integrated mc handlebar/stem from quite a few years ago. Check back at FGG in a few weeks, we're hoping to have a bit of a story about the bars' origins.

Incidentially, check out Soma's other new handlebar offering, pretty cool.

Of course, we powdercoated it in RAL 1016 to match, cut about an inch off each end, and slid on a minimalist pair of A'ME mtb grips.

Hold on to the rocket.

Matthew's fillet-brazed joints are smooth and certainly enhance the overall design. The Series 8 just wouldn't work with tig welded joints, and many framebuilders will say that fillets are the most fun to do. They're both sensual and rugged ... at the same time blending strength and beauty.



While Matthew fabricates 95% of the frame, we found it to be a bit paradoxical to use an off the shelf fork: in this case a Pakè track fork (pronounced PA-kay like your Dad), but the straight blades compliment the curves of the frame - and besides Pakè is a California product,though not technically made in California.

On other bikes we've heard this 28mm trail fork described as "rides like it was made of re-rod," but on the Model 8 with it's relatively slack 72 degree headtube angle there's a decent amount of "cush" to soak up tar strips and some city-sized bumps, tho with the short and stiff Soma bars and a pretty agressive cockpit you'll not want to drill too many wheel-sized urban potholes. Clearly, in this kit, the Series 8 is a boulevard racer and not a back-alley hoodlum.


And what's this lurking under the stem? It's a integrated bottle-opener / headset-spacer made up by Woof Cycling that swings right out. But be safe, don't drink and ride.

Ok, now it's time to talk about the bottom bracket. You've already seen that Matthew has fashioned his own non-adjustable rear axle mounts, so how do you adjust the chain tension?

By a Phil Wood 4130 Eccentric BB shell with their Half-Link Eccentric. "The half-link eccentric provides 1/4" of eccentricity and is meant to be used with an eccentric bottom bracket shell that has an inner diameter of 1.840. ... the half-link is to be used in a bottom bracket shell with a width of 68mm. They are British threaded and compatible with many brands of bottom bracket." In this installation we used a Phil BB cartridge to match the tapers on our Campy crankarms.

Loosening the two setscrews on the lower side of the BB shell allows the whole "cartridge assembly" to rotate thereby tightening or loosening the chain tension. Get it just right, then tighten the two set screws.

Still don't understand? Then go here and probably get more confused. Otherwise, trust us.... it's cool.




Uh-oh, looks like we got the screw in that half-link too tight. And true to Phil's name "the Half-Link" we did need a half-link to get the tension right, tho that may be a function of our 44x16 gearing.

We had to snip that half-link from another bike, but no worry, we'd be riding the Series 8 everyday anyway, it's that cool to ride.

And no, we didn't cut the chain too short the first time, the actually snipped the whole chain from another bike and had to add the hal-link PLUS another master.

No, it's not another illustration of the old carpenter's adage "cut it off three times and it's still too short."

Phil's Low Flange front hub matches right up with the rear too.


But surely you're asking "how's it ride?" It's stiff as hell and corners confidently and the moderate 66mm BB drop kept our SPDs and 170mm crankarms comfortably away from the pavement.

We've only had it out a half dozen times, here in Michigan we got hit by an early Spring snowstorm last week that put a halt to our road riding. And besides we knew you'd like to see these pics. We'll post an update on our Facebook page every now and then, but don't look for any stories of hundred mile epics.

With our short steel Soma Bars, an agressive riding position, and 23mm tires at 100psi, the Series 8 is not as comfortable as your living room couch, but that's really the beauty of designing your own ride isn't it?

For you it's your choice of risers, drops, flat bars, or bull horns? 23mm tires or 28mm tires? Brooks or San Marco or Fizik? They're' all yours to pick along with the colors and the rest of the parts choices you'll get to make; the Series 8 you build will be distinctive ... and distinctively yours.

The price to play?
$875 for frame and fork and including the Phil Wood Half-Link Eccentric Insert.
Price as built? About $1,800.

Ride fast and far ...
dennis

State Bicycle Co. - Matte Black - Fixed Gear Bike 55 cm | Review

by Jarakosta Blog's | 5/15/2011 in | comments (0)


Product Features

  • Flip / Flop Hub- Ride Fixed or Single Speed
  • Chromoly Frame- Full Chromoly Frame & Fork
  • Brake- Removable Front Brake Standard
  • Threadless Stem
  • Deep Profile Wheels

 

 

Product Description

[SPECS]
  1. [FRAME]: 4130 Chromoly TIG-welded [FORK]: 1 1/8" Chromoly 
  2. [HEADSET] 1 1/8" threadless A-head [HANDLEBARS]: Alloy (Bullhorn and Dropbar =42cm, Straight=52cm) 
  3. [STEM]: 1 1/8" forged alloy, 26mm/90mm ext. 
  4. [BRAKE]: Dual pivot forged alloy 
  5. [SEAT CLAMP]: 28.6 mm alloy 
  6. [SEAT POST]: 26mm * 250mm alloy 
  7. [SADDLE]: PU with steel rails 
  8. CRANK]: 3-piece forged 6061, 170mm
  9. [CHAIN RING]: 5 bolt, 7075, 46T 
  10. [BOTTOM BRACKET]: 68 x 103mm sealed cartridge 
  11. [CHAIN]: KMC Z410 
  12. [PEDALS]: Wellgo alloy pedals with toe clips 
  13. [HUBS]: 32H x 14G high flange with rear flip-flop hub (16T)
  14. [WHEELS]: Deep profile 700 x 32H x 14G (43mm profile) 
  15. [TIRE]: CST 700x23c 
  16. [TUBE]: CST 700x23c presta long valve
  • [FAQs] 
  • [Q] Do the bicycles come with a warranty? 
  • [A] We offer a 1-year warranty on the frame and non-consumable parts (Tires, tubes, saddle, handlebar grips, paint, etc are considered consumables). 
  • [Q] What is your return policy? 
  • [A] In the unlikely event you would like to return your product, you may do so within 7 days of delivery. Buyer pays return shipping and a 15% restocking fee. If the product is received damaged due to negligent re-packaging, no refund will be given and the product will not be re-delivered. Please contact us at admin@statebicycle.com to arrange a return.
  • [Q] How do I choose my size? 
  • [A] Generally speaking our size 52 fits riders height 5'2" to 5'6". Size 55 fits riders 5'6" to 5'10" . Size 59 fits riders 5'10" to 6'2". Please see the chart above for full measurements.

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