03 Feb 2010

This sort of thing is what custom bikes are all about.

Geoff got in contact with us initially back in April wanting a custom Ti frame. In between bouts of being a goody-goody working for some NGO making sure the bad guys don’t bork things up, we exchanged lengthy emails about bike fit, what he was riding now and what issues he was having. I was horrified that at 6ft 6ins, he was riding a stock carbon frame and in his words -

“Getting a comfortable seat position versus arm and hand position is difficult.”

It was difficult because he was trying to fit on a bike barely big enough for me at 6ft 3ins!

Initially he was going to get fitted up by Steve Hogg, but the timing didn’t work out, so to coincide with his global galavanting, I managed to track down a fitter in DC who was recommended to me by a ‘pro bike fitting’ organisation who shall remain nameless because, to put it mildly, they’re utterly useless. The fitting I got back was that ‘old school’ method of fitting big guys - the one where the biggest downtube you can get is 660mm so you make the head tube angle 74 degrees, keep the chainstays as long as someone 5ft 9ins so they can pop wheelies when climbing, you know, just for fun. There were alarm bells going off bigtime, and I couldn’t with a clear conscience make a bike to the specs’ I was given, they were that wrong.

So in a tip of the hat to the good parts of globalisation [the part where our bike fitters crap all over those in the US], I got Geoff to send in a shed-load of measurements and gave them to Chris @ Bike Coach to interpret them. Between what I thought was right and what the numbers told Chris, we came up with a frame that frankly breaks all the old rules. Check out some of the numbers -

• Head Tube - 240mm
• Top Tube - 64cm
• Chainstays - 450mm
• Saddle Setback - 130mm
• Seat Tube Angle - 70.5 degrees

Now, even the most confident bike designer [unless you're Leonard Zinn perhaps] has got to have some trepidation in doing a bike like this. The vast majority of bikes are fairly averagely sized, and not being a ‘Specialist’ other than the fact that I’m not a little guy myself - and with the inertia of ‘tradition’ - bikes like that are always going to be exciting to do. I’ll just let Geoff sum it up -

“The measurements of the frame are as close to perfect as I could have wanted - and being in the right place now I’m actually riding a different saddle comfortably. What can I say, Iove it. I won’t ever ride something not made for me again. The feel on the road is way better than carbon and I can actually feel my weight properly proportioned between the wheels, rather than feeling like I’m perched precariously on top of the rear. Cornering and acceleration are both excellent, the oversize chainstays do a great job.”

Thanks for your faith and patronage, Geoff!

Posted by warwick @ 8:27 am

31 Dec 2009

Okay, as a testament to the kind of ‘end of year’ time I’m having, I wrote a post about my recent stack, only to have it not save.  So lucky you, you get a paraphrased version -

• Building too many frames/bikes in too short a timeframe with too many distractions
• Warwick does not notice pedal has somehow worked itself loose on customers bike
• Warwick takes test ride on said bike, has altercation with chainring [see picture]
• Spends FOUR HOURS bleeding in the waiting room of the Royal Melbourne
• Customer’s bike somehow gets away unscathed, probably due to me taking time out between noticing something is going wrong, saying ‘wtf’ in slow mo, before hitting the ground and doing a very tricky ‘keep bike off ground at all costs’ tuck-and-roll.

Only a true professional can be that smart and that stupid all at the same time.

Happy New Year!

Posted by warwick @ 3:46 am

16 Nov 2009

Okay, so I put in a first initial quick ride in on the new steed this afternoon. Nothing too strenuous, mostly because I’m not capable of anything strenuous, but it’s just really to get most things dialled or close to dialled so it involves riding around with more tools than any normal person should have to carry, most of which never get used. So, here’s my thoughts, in point form so as not to bore the attention span challenged.

• Damn it, looks like I’m going to have to get a layback post, and only Thomson makes a 30.0 and it’s ugly as sin. This is what happens when your custom bike is a stock size. Sometimes it sucks to be egalitarian.
• The Geax Sagauro 2.2 is one sweet tyre. Soft riding, relatively quick for what it is, and predictable.
• 22.2mm chainstay are awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you oval chainstays are the way to go because everyone does them that way, it’s a lie. Big arse round chainstay rule. I’m a convert.
• This thing is easily as stiff as the old Arete SC [Scandium], but the ride is softer despite the seatpost being considerably fatter. Go figure. And no I don’t care about the 400g weight penalty.
• 180mm Hope floating rotors hit Fox’s post mounts. Annoyance ++
• Brand new bikes look crap. I’m thinking of selling a kit that has a bucket of water, mud and dust in it for that “just back from the singletrack, yeah, it was bitchin” look. Oh, and hey, brown dirt matches the duco perfectly!

So, all in all, I’m a pretty happy chappy. Okay, so my Glutes feel like they’ve been kicked hard my Magda Szubanski, but I’ll get over that. As I sit here typing this, I’m glancing over at the bike hanging on the wall, thinking “Wow, you’re a bit of alright, I wonder when I can squeeze in another ride”, and that my friends, is what it’s all about.

Posted by warwick @ 10:31 am

15 Nov 2009

Okay, here’s my new ride - a bog standard ‘10 Arete in stock geometry “Large-Regular”. This is probably my first ‘proper’ new bike in 3-4 years as I’ve been pretty busy raising a kid and generally being a too much of a slobby, sleep-derived zombie to do much riding.

The inspiration for this build is twofold. I wanted to have a slight retro look to the build because the ‘10 Aretes have constant diameter seat and chainstays, so I went with a straight gloss powdercoat in a very Yeti ‘inspired’ Turquoise, like they used to use on the old FRO’s and Ultimates circa 1990. Because I’m a non-traditionalist and also not colourblind, I didn’t combine it with yellow like Bianchi did in their infinite wisdom one season, but with brown - in the form of grips, cables, and some rather blingy Industry Nine wheels. I think it needs more brown probably in the form of a saddle, but at this stage we’ll call it a ‘work in progress’.

There’s probably not much more to say that the pictures can’t do for me, so check them out…..and yes I know I know, the brakes still need to have their hoses chopped.

Posted by warwick @ 11:15 pm

03 Nov 2009

I have decided that these are the coolest wheels ever. Normally I have a shockingly bad wheel and crank fetish, but being a ‘Champagne taste on a Beer budget’ kinda guy, I rarely indulge, but this time I decided to go the full monty. Not to everyones’ taste especially in a market where most customers have only just figured out that red goes well with white and black, but what would you expect from me, eh?

Pictures of the matching bike when I finally pull my finger out of my butt and find more than 15 minutes to myself.

And try to remember how to bleed brakes.

Posted by warwick @ 4:44 am

29 Sep 2009

In keeping with the fact that Thylacine Cycles is the most contactable, and has THE best Customer Service of any custom bike company, I’ve added ‘Ping!’ to my iPhone.

Ping! is essentially just like any other instant messager / SMS, except it’s just for iPhone and iPod Touch users, AND it’s free to download and use, AND it’s free Internationally. Multi-platform messaging programs for the iPhone are very buggy at the moment, so this is a good interim measure as well as a good way for us iPhone users to be exclusive and elitist. Plus reduce my SMS bill.

So if you have any questions about custom bike frames, or just want to hassle me - and you have an iPhone or iPod Touch - I can be reached anytime with the UserID - ‘thylacinecycles’.

Posted by warwick @ 10:51 pm

26 Sep 2009

Okay so yeah, it’s been a while since I posted anything here. To say I’ve been busy is an understatement. At any one time we have up to 4 builds going on, and recently we’ve been doing complete bikes which takes up a whole bunch of time and probably financially makes no sense, but it’s more rewarding seeing the looks on customers’ faces when they come over and see their new bike just sitting there waiting to be ridden off into the sunset. It’s pretty rewarding I gotta say.

So, aside from being super busy, I’m also super happy to show you some raw photos of our 2010 Arete. We’ve gone a bit old-school and slightly burlier (read: ‘Trailbikey’, not ‘Freeridey’), so there’s more gap now between it and the SL. The SL is the superlight XC race machine, and the Arete is the bike for the rest of us.

The Aretes are now welded by our new welder-type dude, Eric. Eric is what is technically referred to as ‘good’. Seriously good. If I made these photos B&W, you’d think that was a Titanium frame, but it’s not, it’s steel. I actually think we’re making two huge mistakes here: 1) Using welds this good on what is supposed to be our most affordable frame, and 2) Powdercoating it. Those welds will just vanish to the point I’ll I have print up a t-shirt saying “No, it’s not fillet brazed” just so I don’t have to continually repeat myself.

Anyway, luckily for me, this is actually my new frame, so this Summer is going to be a whole boatload of singletracking fun which I’m really looking forward to because I’ve largely been off the dirt for a couple of years now. I’ll post up some pix once it’s all powdercoated and decaled up etc..

Posted by warwick @ 12:59 am

09 Jun 2009

Aside from the seemingly endless home office renovations this long weekend, I’ve also formulated a ‘Special’ FF&H deal (Frame, fork and headset) for all our customes who are in the market for a new Arete.  These deals are for local customers only at the moment, but of course if you’re an overseas customer, we can help you out with your FF&H needs.  Just drop us an e-mail.

Also mostly so we can start the rumour-mills rolling, we will be introducing a new offroad model in the upcoming months as a seperate line, dubbed “The Rift”.  More info as, well, I feel like giving it!

2009 ARETE FF&H DEALS

• THE RIFT - $2795
• ARETE - $3250
• ARETE SL - $3795
• ARETE TI - $4795

Price includes frame of your choice, a black Chris King 1-1/8th aheadset, and a F32 RLC Fox fork of your choice (26″ or 29″, 80mm or 100mm).  Other models are available for a modest upcharge.

Naturally we can source for you any fork you may need, but these Fox deals represent what we feel is a supreme quality front end at very competitive prices.  If you’re in the market for a new fork to go along with your new custom frame, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal.

Posted by warwick @ 12:12 am

05 Jun 2009

One of the more unrewarding jobs in this business is putting together complete bikes for customers.  It takes an extraordinary amount of time, pays very little, and you’re constantly struggling to add any value for the customer.  This is all exacerbated by two factors, one being that mail order is so cheap that often we can’t give our customers any better deals than they can get themselves, and secondly, very few manufacturers will give you any deals.  More often than not, when we approach a parts manufacturer to get some sort of OE deal, we just get referred to the local distributor whose wholesale prices are more often than not more expensive than mailorder anyway.

And to make matters worse, there’s a double standard - many US based companies will sell to US based custom frame companies at OE prices, but force us to buy AU wholesale.  I understand that there must be some margin there so that the AU distro can cover and service the forks in case of a warranty return, but a 30-100% margin?  And then what about our US customers which at any time make up 50-90% of our builds?  Pretty stupid for me to offer them AU wholesale prices when they can get a frame/fork/headset deal from a US custom builder for half the price.

Anyway, so where am I going with all this sooky-la-la, ‘woe is me’ drivel?

Well, when I first started Thylacine, I saw an opportunity to sell frame/fork/headset packages to customers because many of them wanted new ones anyway, and if I could get them at good prices it would help lessen the sticker shock of the custom frame, which the locals especially weren’t used to.

When it came to headsets, there was only one option really - Chris King.  For some reason everyone wanted them, but also for some reason when I contacted them, all I got was the “we don’t have the resourses to sell overseas yet, please try as again later”.  I’m sure it would’ve been different if I’d said “Please send me 200 headsets”, but that’s a lot of money to have tied up sitting there on the shelf and clearly 10 headsets wasn’t enough for them to get off their arse and hook us up.  So it never happened.  This went on for nearly four years.  Now I don’t know about you, but I loathe being treated like a second class citizen.  I don’t ignore customers because they live in Uzbekistan, and nor do I ignore customers who are trying to build the bike of their dreams but only have a small amount to spend - I try to make it happen.  Clearly I’m a commo pinko sympahiser that is probably being servailled by ASIO as we speak, but I’m egalitarian like that.  I also hold a grudge so I sold off every bit of Chris King I owned and refused to sell them.  I’m sure I could’ve sold 50 headsets in the interim but that’s their loss (or it probably equates to a day’s sales for Supergo and they don’t give a shit.)

Anyway, fast forward to 2009, and here I’m sitting still constantly getting asked for CK headsets so I send them another frikken email, fill out some forms and lo-and-behold *shazam*, I now have a CK OEM account.  I have no idea what changed but something must’ve, so now I can take their name out of the “Companies that don’t give a shit about the little guy and have lost their roots” to “Companies that remember where they came from and give love to the little guy”.  In case you were wondering which P&A companies support grassroots cycling and the art and passion that is custom bicycle frames, here they are :

• Chris King
• Paul Comp
• White Industries
• White Bros
• HBG (Hayes, Manitou, MRP et al.)
• King Cages
• DKG
• Fox ( Thanks to Greg Hamer at Netti/Sola for his efforts.)
• Reynolds USA / McLean Composites
• Reynolds UK
• True Temper / AlphaQ
• Wound Up

Sure there are more than that - obviously we’ve never dealt with every bike company ever made - but those are the ones that support us the most and they deserve our (and your) business, so if you’re in the market for a new custom bike, please do support them.  If I’ve left anyone out, please send me an abusive email and I’ll rectify things immediately.

Posted by warwick @ 6:28 am

28 May 2009

The more of these shiney Tephra XCR lovelies we do, the more I like them.  This one is a more ‘average’ size, with a 2 degree sloping top tube for a more traditional look that clocks in at 1476g, which is a nice number for a steel frame.  Especially considering the ø24 chainstays and ø38 downtube make for a very snappy and torsionally ‘go fast’ frame, as evidenced by the numbers in RIDE magazine.

We’ve moved forward on the XCRs from the ones that we’ve done since the review.  What kinda irked me with the earlier ones was the investment cast pieces just didn’t have that ‘uniform finish’ that the tubes exhibited. Because of that, we now use all CNC’d junctures (Bottom Bracket, Cable Guides, Dropouts etc.) most of which are from our pals at Paragon Machine Works.  While this increases the costs considerably, the frame look a lot sexier and more in tune with our Titanium options which is really nice.

Actually they’re so in tune with our Ti offerings, the only real difference now is in the ride quality.  Weight is the same, the XCR probably has a slight stiffness advantage, corrosion resistance is the same…..so you can’t go wrong with either!

Posted by warwick @ 5:09 am

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