When I approached Ian at Icarus about making me a track bike, I knew exactly what it should be. I’ve ridden track bikes for long enough to know that a 75° head tube angle and 30-32mm rake is not what I wanted but I did want a track bottom bracket drop and classic angles. I knew that one day, I’ll race on the track again and so having the option to put a carbon fork with a short rake and turning it into a true race machine was important.

We went with a 74° parallel geometry, which was used by many classic frames and since I have a love for Columbus MAX, it was the obvious choice. I’m a big guy and I love the way MAX rides. It’s punchy and unlike other steel tubesets that “dance” with you while you’re on top of it, MAX is a very stable experience. Going with a 39mm rake and a 380 axle to crown, I’d have stability while riding around town and would be able to fit a 28c tire for extra protection against shitty streets.

I’ve always been a fan of Chris Chance and the Somerville segmented fork, so rather than going with a 1″ MAX fork, we got Marty at Geekhouse to make a Yo Marty 1 1/8″ segmented fork, which Ian then brazed on shoulders and fillet-brazed over the welds. Bottom line is: this fork is a beast! Hell, the whole bike is a beast. Originally, I just wanted a fillet brazed machine but Ian went to work on the internal lugs and bi-lam head tube cluster. All that was left was the stem. His custom steel stem has a stack height that is identical to the quill stem on my Merckx Pista.

I’ve been riding this bike around and it rides so much nicer than any other track bike I’ve owned. I’m in love and there’s nothing more I could ever ask for. Top it off with one sick paint job, designed by Kevin Sparrow of COG Magazine and executed flawlessly by Bryan at Fresh Frame and you’ve got one Beautiful Bicycle!

Now that all the banter is over, check out more photos below!

I should also note that those are not my wheels. ROLF sent them in for the show. I’ll be putting 36h Campy Pista to H+Son TB14s on this once they’re done being built. For now, 23c Pasela tires will work just fine. Those are 28c as shown.

This year has been a unique experience for me. Ian at Icarus has been a complete professional during this whole process. I paid him in chunks of money when I had it and the 6-month waiting period was a perfect amount of time for me to plan this bike financially. People think buying a custom frame empties the bank and it’s just like any investment: save! I can’t thank Ian enough for this wonderful bike and would highly recommend putting a deposit down on your own dream machine.

Check out more photos at my Flickr!

Parts list:

-Frame / Fork / Stem: Custom Icarus
-Headset: Chris King Polished Stainless
-Wheels: ROLF P-Town
-Tires: Panaracer Pasela 28c
-Cranks: NOS Non-fluted Campy Pista
-Ring: 44RN
-Chain: Izumi
-Bars: NOS Cinelli Criterium
-Post: Non-fluted Campy Pista
-Saddle: Cinelli Unicanitor
-Bar Tape: Brooks
-Pedals: Super Record
-Straps: Freeman Transport