Back to the Square One

Going around in circles. My first fixed gear bike was a road bike conversion and my latest project is, yeah you guessed it, a road bike conversion. Bit more sophisticated this time, though, as a person with some serious skills helped me a bit here.

So I got me an old and pretty beat-up Rossin road frame. I wanted it cleaned off of all the gear-related parts, I wanted Campy-style track ends like in my Rossin Pista but I also want full long fenders front & back to keep my ass dry. Let's see how this will turn out.

Jopo Pista

Or maybe Jopo Tarck? ChopperOlli is on some real next level shit here...

So what we have here: a classic 1960s Finnish 22" wheel-size Helkama Jopo frame modified heavily to correspond more or less a 54cm size classic track bike. More pics of the project here.

Iron

Rossin Ghibli Pursuit Custom

Olli's custom Ghibli again, this time with a new freaky rear wheel.

Actually I wanted to post these pics because I've received a word via Mario Rossin's son William that signore Rossin himself has seen pics of Olli's project and much appreciates the bike!

There's lots of love for original Rossin bikes out there. ;)

Jordan Hufnagel by Level Magazine

"A film for Level magazine / levelmag.com by Jared Souney as seen previously on levelmag.com.

Craftsmen are a different breed. They are meticulous, working hours on end in solidarity, repeating simple processes over and over in search of perfection. They are a patient people.

Jordan Hufnagel is a custom bike builder from Portland, Oregon, one of Americas most bicycle-friendly cities. Hufnagel Cycles, hand built by Jordan, are known for their clean lines. Building everything from Track bikes to Road bikes to Cyclocross bikes, Jordans creations are increasing in demand around the globe.

Countless hours of brazing, sanding and polishing materialize into some amazing works of art.

A slideshow of Jared's photos of Hufnagel can be seen here: http://levelmag.com/slideshow/hufnagel"

Rossin Ghibli Custom Pursuit w/ Disc Wheel

More Olli's Rossin. This time with a front disc wheel.

Rossin Ghibli Custom Pursuit Again

Olli's new custom whip again, after the previous experiment, now moving to little bit more conventional direction. More pics here again.

Rossin Ghibli Custom Pursuit // The Next Level

Olli's new custom whip is progressing, more pics here. However, while I fully dig this, I must say that the project took quite an unexpected turn with these current build photos...

Rossin Ghibli Custom Pursuit

Olli's custom Rossin Ghibli Pursuit track frame is now ready. Loving the huge 'R' as the rear bridge between the seatstays. I'd think even Mario Rossin himself would approve!

F8cycles // 'No Chain. No Grease. No Maintenance'

Lot of people seem to be really fascinated by the concept of belt drive fixed gear bike. Well, f8cycles offers just that, custom single speed and fixed bikes with belt-drives:

"f8 began as a search for the ultimate fixed ride through the rough streets of San Francisco. Simplicity and durability were paramount. Designing a bullet-proof frame became an obsession.

The obsession paid off. f8 became the first to offer a belt drive fixed gear, in titanium no less. And less than you’d normally pay for a custom titanium frame.Using a belt means no lubricant. So you can ride to work wearing bleach-white bell bottoms, if your dress code allows. It also means no maintenance, as unlike a metal chain it will not stretch.

It’s also quiet. Too quiet."

Check out the site here: http://www.f8cycles.com/

Building A RIH Bicycle

Mike's film from the famous RIH custom framebuilding studio in Amsterdam.

"RIH was formed in 1921 by the Bustraan brothers in Amsterdam Holland. The name RIH is for the name of an Arabian stallion ridden by one of the characters in a Karl May novel which was very popular at the time (and still are in Europe). RIH's first championship was in 1924 when Jan Hijzelendoorn (a butcher) rode a Bustraan brothers frame to the sprint and 1 kilometer titles in the Dutch National Champions. In 1928 the firm moved to its present address in Jordaan district of Amsterdam.

Also in 1928 Willem Bustraan Jr joined the business with his father and Uncle. In 1948 Wim van der Kaaij joined the RIH business as an apprentice, he is the current owner of RIH It is estimated that RIH frames have been ridden to over 350 national championships in both road and track events and 63 World- and Olympic titles."

The Custom Bicycle

A classic book by Kolin & de la Rosa (1979), full PDF download here. Should interest many of you guys out there.

Olli's Kosmos

Olli is a busy guy with all his projects so although his Kosmos custom bike project had apparently been ready for ages but only now he found the time to snap some photos of the finished bike. It's a piece of art but I'd really love to take it for a spin. 

Kalavinka Appreciation

Kalavinka - Tsukumo Cycle Sports

"We will refuse any work and/or selling parts to customers arriving on bicycles without brakes."

All pics except the first stolen from Tomity-san, arigato!

Naughty Broakland Movie

Broakland Tradeshow Edit from FonsecaFilms on Vimeo.

This is the best video. By far. Check it out.

3 x Geekhouse On Ebay

Yay! Three Geekhouse bikes on Ebay right now. 

Actually they're being auctioned off by Marty Walsh, the framebuilder himself. Two of them are custom 'Über Rock City' frames made for NAHBS 2009, built up with nice components too, and one is his standard model Rockcity. 

Check them all out here. 

Olli's Metalspoke Wheel Copied!

I was checking out some photos from the Tokyo Hand-made Bicycle Fair 2009 and couldn't help noticing how someone had copied Olli's original wheel-design!

Mike Giant's 4130 Town Bike

Check out Mike G.'s new custom made Forty-One-Thirty Dutch-style town bike. There's plenty of pics from the frame-building process in his blog too. 

I dig the box for transporting goodies (like beer...) but on the other hand I hate those pope-bars or whatever they are called. Must be comfy, I guess, but don't expect to see be yours truly sporting that type of bars anytime soon. 

Olli's Kosmos: Almost Ready

Olli's Kosmos Project Advances

Beautiful. See full Flickrset here.