The Radavist

You gotta hand it to Mosaic Cycles out of Boulder, Colorado. They really do love their dealer shops. In fact, this year, each of their bikes were designed specifically for a different shop, around the world. My favorite happened to be for Crankstar in Brisbane, Australia.

Painted in a navy and baby blue rings, this road racer has an intimidating stance. Built with Dura Ace (yes! calipers!), Chris King Turquoise, ENVE wheels, custom painted Shimano Pro Stealth Evo bars, custom Busyman saddle and bartape, this bike caught my eye before the show even opened on Thursday night.

I had a lot of fun photographing this one. See for yourself in the Gallery!

At NAHBS, themed bikes are usually hit or miss and by that I mean, people usually get it or they don’t. If you can’t see the theme in this bike, then you probably didn’t grow up on the 80’s watching reruns of Smokey and the Bandit… Or… You just don’t get it.

Josh from Avery County Cycles went way over the top with this homage bike. Built for himself, as his new touring rig, everything was thought out and executed with precision. Down to the choice in tire: Michelin’s Country Rock. The stem is custom and Josh even got Coors-themed water bottles for the show.

For the saddle, Mick Peel from Busyman hand-embossed the firebird logo from Bo Darville’s Trans Am. Other details include PAUL Racers, hand-made carbon fiber racks – with Paragon ends (Josh isn’t 100% sure the front rack is structurally sound, these were mostly for show) and the exquisite Trans Am-inspired wet paint by Jordan Low.

I can almost hear the theme song playing as I’m typing this! See more in the Gallery!

Malachi Moxon of Northside Wheelers has impeccable style. Now, let me explain. You put an average rider on this Giant TCX with custom decals and they wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but not Mal. He can roll this bright steed anywhere and look damn good on it. Granted, I’m slightly biased but when I saw the latest rendition, I smiled ear to ear.

He’s even got a custom downtube UK flag decal made to match! What a rad bike. With that signature Northside Wheelers x Busyman saddle, ENVE wheels and a low, mean profile, this bike turned heads all cross season in Melbourne. Also, before you comment on the road pedals on a cross bike (I know you’re going to), he likes to commute in road shoes. Piss off!

Check out more photos of this rad ride in the Gallery!

Something I’ve been saying a lot this past year is how the crit track bike has become its own character within the world of “fixed gear”. Now, I don’t want to generalize too much (I’m guilty of that) but unlike track bikes used to actually race at the track, the crit track bike takes on more eccentric personality. Think of them like a racing machine found in F1 or Nascar. Bright colors, patterns, excessive details that jump out and catch your attention in the four or five seconds of each lap.

The most compelling example in recent months being the Stanridge Speed x Death Spray “magnetic” design or the hyper neon Dosnoventa bikes. Call it what you will but I’ll call it exhibitionist extravagance with two wheels. Case in point are the new Division 1 Cinelli Vigorelli frames. These are full blown, over the top, lightweight race machines.

Custom painted ENVE wheels laced to pink Phil Wood hubs, custom anodized PAUL cranks, custom anodized Thomson stem, Thomson post with a matching Thomson collar, Painted ENVE bars, custom Busyman saddle and bar tape. The guys went all out to match the Cinelli Vigorelli “Giro” pink paint scheme.

Would I ride it? No but I’m a little more reserved when it comes to paint. Besides, I’m a purple kinda guy. Do I think it works in the context of one of the most exhibitionist track bike criteriums of all time? Of course. It’s fun, colorful, will look great at night (in the rain nonetheless) and will match the Division 1 team’s Pee Wee Herman skinsuits to a T. Yes, they even have bow ties.

Call them what you will but Colin Strickland, a local racer, or beast have you, is sitting pretty at number 5 in the Red Hook Crit standings and he isn’t even warmed up yet… Now, if the rest of the team can work together, one of these machines might make it to the podium.

At any rate, a race is a race, a bike is a bike and you can check out more of this excessively extravagant track bike crit machine in the Gallery!

Malachi’s Northside Wheelers porteur is one of the best examples of how you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a classy ride, just a little creativity and insight. It doesn’t hurt to have Danny Hale of Shifter Bikes on your side though…

This bike is very similar to Dan’s own singlespeed porteur (which was stolen last year). It’s a Taiwanese frame, painted matte black but has some sneaky detailing. A coaster brake keeps the bike’s silhouette clean, while a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub aids in scaling Melbourne’s hills.

How the bike shifts is one of the most clever details: a Campagnolo downtube shifter is mounted to the seat stay, allowing Mal to “suicide shift” this sleek beauty. Other details include a Northside Wheelers saddle, crafted by Mick Peel of Busyman, pinstriping on the hub / rims, pink nipples, Campagnolo Strada cranks and custom painted fenders. It’s a sleeper! See for yourself in the Gallery.

The Australian Custom Bicycle Show is this weekend in Australia and this bike is only one of the prime examples of Australian craftsmanship that will be on display. As part of the Rapha Continental Australia, Darren Baum worked closely with Rapha to design one of the wildest Baum Corretto paint jobs I’ve ever seen. Integrating the Rapha Gazzet Paper seamlessly into the wet coat creates a one-of-the-kind aesthetic.

The build? Pretty straight forward with full SRAM Red, ENVE clinchers, Fizik saddle and custom Busyman Bicycles bar tape to top it off. Check out more high-res photos of this beauty in the Gallery and if you’re in Australia, get your ass to the ACBS this weekend.

Just a few weeks ago, we got an in-depth look at Baum Cycles‘ facilities in Geelong, VIC, Australia. While at their shop, I got to see this bike in its perfect raw form. The welds were buttery smooth and the construction was impeccable, something that is often covered by paint. At the 2012 NAHBS, Darren Baum showed off his finest work, on a sleek, black backdrop, reminiscent of his photo studio back in Australia.

The two show-stoppers were Darren’s own Baum Corretto road bike, sporting brand-spankin’ new SRAM Red and the Rapha-inspired Baum track bike, complete with Busyman saddle and matching bar tape. The entire bike just oozes cool, right down to the black Campagnolo Record cranks from MASH SF. But what you weren’t expecting was that killer cockpit. Darren teamed up with Luescher Teknik to mold 3T track bars to an ENVE stem, resulting in a dark form that’s only at home in one of Melbourne’s velodromes.

Like a shark, when you see this approach you from behind, you know you’re in trouble. Check out more in the gallery.

Gallery

Baum Cycles has a rich history in track cycling here in Australia and their newest frameset has some new tricks up its chainstays. While I was visiting Baum, Darren showed Andy and me their NAHBS track bike, fresh out of the welding jig. This beefy beast is sure to be a show stopper next week at NAHBS.

Check out more below.

I would call this bike “custom” but that seems to imply the frame itself was fabricated, tailored to Zoe’s dimensions. Truth be told, the frame is the least custom component in this bike. Rather, it’s a classic example of the branches overtaking the trunk, so to speak. This Shifter Bikes creation was polished, machined, bent and carved in all the right places. From the hardware, to the componentry, each piece was selected and shaped to fit Dan and Zoe’s particular aesthetic approach. Top it all off with custom Busyman kangaroo leather goods, this bike is toting some crafty, yet minimal detailing.

Check out more below.