Photo by Andy White
My Merckxshake brings all the KOMs to the climb! Check out more of this delicious MXL Motorola at FYXO!
#Columbus-MAX
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Reportage
My Icarus Is Now Complete
My Icarus Viking MAX track bike was incapacitated for a few months while the fork sat en queue at Fresh Frame. After a lot of surface rust started to form around the shorelines, I felt it best to just get it painted, if anything, for the longevity of the bike. Since this bike has one of the uber-rare Chris King stainless steel headsets, I got Bryan Myers from Fresh Frame to polish the stainless crown to match and he even added a little bit of wood inlay in the lug window. I have to admit, I wasn’t completely stoked on the wood inlay but It’s growing on me.
This bike has proven to be one of my favorites in the stable and why wouldn’t it be? It’s a classic track bike with some very unique detailing…
Radar
Merckx Mondays
Hey, it’s been a while and when I come across something like this, I have to share it. Richard Pool designs and prints these portrait infographics of famous cyclists and the Eddy Merckx designs are so good.
See more Merckx Mondays below!
Radar
Merckx Mondays
Even though I have two awesome road bikes, part of me still misses riding my MX-Leader. Sure, they aren’t the lightest of bikes but they ride like none other. Even after parting with mine, I based both of my custom road bikes on its geometry. But this one’s got a history behind it. I rode this bike while I was in Australia last year and loved it. So when I saw Andy was parting with it, I got all pensive and contemplated buying it for a second.
This is one beautiful example of a non-team issue paint job on a stunning MX-Leader and FYXO is selling it now. If you ride a 58cm and have been looking for one, look no further. Check out his eBay auction here.
Radar
Merckx Mondays
Nobody knows Eddy like Andy White from Fyxomatosis, so when Khalil contacted Andy for a one-of-a-kind MXL, he went overboard. Custom FYXO livery, custom FYXO decals, custom FYXO everything. Or as Andy puts it “no corners cut, no bullshit treatment“. This Merckx Mondays is a dedication to those who do it right. Andy, this is amazing.
Radar
Elkabikes: Columbus MAX Beast
Oh man. I love me some Columbus MAX. I’ve got a track bike made from it and even my road bike’s seat tube is MAX. At this point, I’ve seen just about every resolution for the MAX top tube. This bi-oval beast is either capped in an awkward lug, or the seat stays wrap around it but I’ve never, ever seen a detail like that. Why hide something when you can express it?
That’s not the only detail expressed here. You’ve gotta check out more at the Elkabikes’ blog. The brake bridge, track ends and seat tube cluster are WILD.
Oh, and these guys are from Moscow!
Reportage
My Icarus Columbus MAX Track Bike
I think every cyclist goes through ups and downs when it comes to what they want in a bike. When I began talking to Ian at Icarus last year about my ViKING track bike, I wanted something more relaxed to ride on. We kept the geometry of the frame true track and went with a fork with a little more rake than normal, to make the ride more road-like. That way, I could just drop a 32mm track fork on the bike and have that “aggressive” ride associated with a track bike.
Well, after having the urge to ride a fast, nimble track bike on the streets, I contacted Ian about making a 32mm rake fork. Initially, we couldn’t find a Columbus MAX fork crown in 1 1/8″ so we went with a unicrown. At NAHBS, Chris Bishop told me he had a stainless 1 1/8″ MAX fork crown, so I bought it from him and sent the materials to Ian at his newly-located facilities in Ashville, NC.
A few weeks later and this baby arrived. I held off on painting it for now because I can’t afford to drop the cash at the moment and I want to work out the paint scheme. But with the Chris King polished stainless headset, I plan on polishing the crown to really set the bike off. Because Ian knew I’d be riding it raw, he torched it a bit, giving it a hippie tie-dye finish and then coated it with furniture polish to keep it from rusting.
The feather on the blade lets you know this bike means business. Beware of impostors, there is only one feather to rule them all.
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