Reportage

Elliot’s Homemade Klunker

I first met Elliot a few years back while I was leading a bikepacking trip with El Grupo, a Tucson based youth cycling organization.  Since then I had seen Elliot tinkering with all manner of frankenbikes, which are a regular, at the Grupo clubhouse.  Discarded and mismatched components of yesteryear handed down from the large cycling community here.  Their low-pro pursuit fixed gear with a 24″ bmx fork caught my eye awhile ago and I knew Elliot had that special eye for janky but fun clashing of parts.

So anywho, recently one of the coaches for el Grupo and general renaissance man, Lynn, acquired a bunch of frame building accoutremonts.  Lynn had initially helped Elliot build a fork for another bike, which wound up not really working out. They decided to just build a whole frame, why not?  Elliot pulled some inspiration from Don McClung with that double top tube and devilishy short wheelbase.

Paul levers, check. DT Swiss 240 hubs with HED belguim rims , which Elliot laced as well.  Carbon 29er fork with V brakes, check. Moné MRB bars with a Thompson stem to cap it all off, what else? A buddy stitched the framebag for all those klunking essentials.  Finally,  no bike would be complete without a spoke card from Monique.

Elliot told me that they had “zero regrets about the geometry.” I took it for a quick spin and instantly understood how they held that wheelie for so long.  This bike is dripping in DIY and that geometry is just egging you on to have some fun.  Oh yeah, Elliot is in high school, like freshman in high school. I’ve said it once and Ill say it again, the kids are alright y’all.